Amandine

Federal Republic of Amandine République Fédérale d'Amandine
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Déclaration de la République ("Declaration of the Republic")
Location of Amandine
Capital	Colette
Largest city	Anne-Marie
Official languages	Principean, Blaykish
Demonym(s)	Amand
Government	Federal semi-presidential constitutional republic
• President	Simone Lachance
• Prime Minister	César Perrault
Legislature	Congress
• Upper house	High Chamber
• Lower house	Assembly Chamber
Independence from Blayk
• Belmont Revolution	30 September 1796
• Declaration	12 May 1802
• Treaty of Priscille	2 November 1807
• Confederal Articles	17 January 1819
• Current constitution	9 September 1835
• Treaty of Anne-Marie	26 July 1836
Area
• Total	3,318,987 km2 (1,281,468 sq mi) (1st)
Population
• 2020 census	97,810,727
• Density	29.5/km2 (76.4/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2020 estimate
• Total	$4.150 trillion (2nd)
• Per capita	$42,429
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	$2.200 trillion (5th)
• Per capita	$22,495
Gini (2020)	41.9 medium
HDI (2020)	0.882 very high
Currency	Amand Federal Livre (AFL)
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+24
ISO 3166 code	AMD
Internet TLD	.ad

Amandine (Principean: Amandine, pronounced /æmɛndiːn/), officially the Federal Republic of Amandine (Principean: République Fédérale d'Amandine), and also known as the Third Republic of Amandine or R.F.A., is a sovereign state located in central Marceaunia Minor. It is bordered to the east by Rocia, to the south by Sainte-Mélitine, to the north by the Adrienne Sea, and to the west by the Rum Gulf. The nation shares a maritime border southward of Audonia. Amandine has an area of 3,318,987 square kilometres, divided into twenty provinces, and with a population of 97.8 million people. Its capital is Colette, but St. Laurine and Anne-Marie both possess larger populations. Other large cities in Amandine include Corneille, Ville de Belmont, Colombe, Nouvelle Marbonne, Nouvelle Valden, and St. Georges.

Amandine was originally inhabited by numerous indigenous nations since the fourth millennium BCE, prior to Auressian exploration in the 1500s. In 1510, the Imperial Port of Colette was proclaimed for the Kingdom of Vervillia by explorer Jean-Baptiste Amand II. While the territory's early population was staunchly Vervillian in its identity, the Blaco-Vervillian Union's formation in 1530 sparked a debate over the formal claim to the territory, which lasted until the late 18th century. The Blaco-Vervillian Union greatly financially and infrastructurally benefitted the Imperial Port of Colette, which by now had grown its territorial boundaries well beyond the initial founding site as the Low Crown Colonies. Between the 17th and 18th centuries, the Low Crown Colonies became a vital trade and economic hub for the Auressian Power, but restrictive mercantilist policies and a gradual loss of autonomy corroded the previously strong relationship between the territory and the motherland. Following the War of Tyrnican Succession and the defeat of Vervillia, the colonies were formally transferred to the Blaykish Chaudoir Monarchy without any colonial representation in the matter. The Blaco-Vervillian Union's dissolution from the war entirely severed the colonies' governmental connection to Vervillia, worsening the situation against the Kingdom of Blayk. Relations further spiraled under the succeeding Sarbeliard Monarchy as punitive acts were passed to suppress rebellions. The most notable and disruptive rebellion was the Belmont Revolution in 1796.

Independence was declared in 1802, being achieved in 1807. The Republic of the Amands, a directorial republic, took control of the former colonial holdings. From 1806 to 1809, internal violence between Blaykish and Vervillian citizens erupted into the culturally and politically transformative Belmont RevolutionNational Revolution. Following a coup against the Legislative National Body in 1809, the Republic of Amandine was established. In 1819, the Confederation of Southern Marceaunia replaced the Republic's government, eventually leading to the First Continental War. During the international war, the Second Republic of Amandine was temporarily established, leading to the the Constitution of 1835 that chartered the Federal Republic of Amandine. Since then, the country has maintained the same governmental structure as a semi-presidential republic. While Amandine was intertwined in regional affairs for the majority of its history, the nation became a global power from the Second Great War in 1943 onwards.

Amandine is a federal semi-presidential constitutional republic. It is a founding member of the Assembly of Marceaunian States (AMS) and is involved in numerous bilateral economic and diplomatic agreements with foreign governments around the world. Amandine has cultural, ideological, and economic spheres of influence (SOI) around the continent of Marceaunia Minor, southern Marceaunia Major, as well as island nations and territories in the Rum Gulf. It has a high military expenditure which is primarily allocated to the Federal Naval Division and Aviation Division. The nation is a founding member of the Assembly of Marceaunian States. It partners with numerous intergovernmental organizations dedicated to the development of global security and prosperity. Even though Amandine is not nuclear weapons state, the national government has expressed interest in introducing a program alongside its equipped allies.

Amandine is a developed country with the world's fifth largest economy by nominal GDP ($2.2 trillion) and the second largest by purchasing power parity ($4.15 trillion). It is a high-income mixed economy that is one of the world's largest breadbaskets, with a focus on agriculture, petroleum extraction, manufacturing (including technology manufacturing), and service, among other industries. Amandine has a very high Human Development Index (HDI) rating of 0.822, with concerning income disparity rankings. Amandine is a staunch protector of civil rights and conducts significant work towards the achievement of a high quality of life, both domestically and abroad. Additionally, the nation is well-regarded in terms of its education and economic freedoms.

Etymology

The Vervillian colonial territory extending beyond the Imperial Port of Colette was formally titled the Low Crown Colonies, referencing their geographic location in relation to the mother country. However, colonial subjects, mostly from the agrarian and working classes, colloquially referred to the territory as the Land of Amand (Principean: Pays d'Amand). Although, the aristocratic classes largely used the formal name. The lower class title originates from early Auressian western hemisphere explorer Jean-Baptiste Amand II. Amand, a wealthy cartographer and philosopher who received a royal contract by the Vervillian Crown under Marianne II to explore the southern Hesperian Ocean and later survey the newfound coast of Marceaunia Minor. While historians have questioned his birthplace between Vervillia and Blayk, Amand's proclamation of the Port of Colette has enshrined him as the founder of Amandine and much of Marceaunia Minor society, as a whole.

Following 1875, The Vervillian-turned-Blaykish territory maintained the "Low Crown Colonies" title. However, as anti-Blaykish sentiment and a growing demand for autonomy grew, the commoner "Land of Amand" name became increasingly popular. During the Belmont Revolution (1796-1797), rebels' flags sometimes had the word "AMAND" painted or sewn onto them. Upon founding father Charles Belmont's refuge in Rythene to avoid treasonous prosecution, he and his followers picked up the Rythenean name for the colonies: "Amand Country." Once Belmont returned to the colonies in 1800, he remained inspired by the Rytheneans, using "Amand" as a point of solidarity with the peasantry to create a more widespread revolutionary identity. By the Body of War and Correspondence's declaration of an independent state in 1802, the Republic of the Amands was unanimously adopted to both craft a national identity separate from Auressian allegiances and to reference the Vervillian explorer in opposition to Blaykish rule.

History

Indigenous & Pre-Auressian History

Dating back to the fourth millennium BCE and possibly even further, Marceaunia Minor has been home to a diverse array of native civilizations. Humans likely migrated to the continent via passage from southern regions of Marceaunia Major, or what is now controlled by Audonia. While still a theory, researchers also believe that early sea faring groups from Demontean Ocean islands also entered the land. The multitude of native societies in modern day Amandine contributed to the well-documented interactions between them, largely contributing to river-based trade, cultural mixing, and conflict in the region. Chiefly among them, the Tainã-Kan Empire was the first to control a substantial territory, subjugating the minor native societies that fell within its domain. Lasting for centuries, the empire eventually broke apart into warring dominions that competed against one another. Historians categorized the Tainã-Kan Empire's collapse and subsequent period the Post-Tainã-Kan Shift. Lasting for over one hundred years, the Post-Tatankan Shift saw the rise of the Iara, Jacira, Ubirajara, and Waman Empires. These four civilizations, categorized as the Four Grand Dominions, existed in a near constant state of warfare, barring sporadic periods of peace. Eventually, the Jacira and Waman people culturally and genetically merged into the Maiarans. As the final great empire to predate Auressian colonial rule, the Maiaran Empire exerted control over vast swaths of northern Marceaunian Minor, even reaching into portions of the rainforests. The expansion of the Maiarans lasted around 150 years until the empire's dissolution in 1653.

A number of smaller civilizations simultaneously existed and flourished under and around the Maiaran Empire. In modern day Sainte-Melitine, a number of indigenous societies derived from the Tainã-Kan Empire, especially sharing a genetic and cultural heritage with the Waman people before breaking off into distinct groups. As they developed, these civilizations thrived and existed outside the realm of the the Maiaran Empire. Notably, the Tchatcha kingdom of Calquouin grew into an influential power.

Vervillian Contact

Jean-Baptiste Amand II was born into a wealthy, royally connected family with long ties to the merchant profession. His informative years were spent in individualized education from regal, secular, and religious instructors that provided him with an extensive understanding of geography and mathematics. He eventually followed in his father's footsteps as a court-appointed courtier and merchant for a number of royal families. While he spent majority of his early work with royals from Blayk, Fortaine, and Vervillia, he became most financially associated with the Vervillians. His sharing of a humanist point of view in line with reigning queen Marianne II allowed for a blossoming relationship. Amand II gained greater insight into the court, which he leveraged when Marianne was succeeded by Thomas I who was far more critical of him. Using his accrued family and commercial wealth, Amand II rose to prominence after drawing the most accurate map of the eastern Galene Sea in 1501 and discovered the Archipelago of Hearts (Principean: Archipel des Coeurs) in the Hesperian Ocean near Sortenza in 1505. The island was named after the native red, pink, and white flowers that resembled hearts, with the wind gusts making the petals appear to beat.

After landing on the previously unknown island chain, Amand II became particularly interested in oceanic travel to the south. Like many of his contemporaries, he had spent the majority of his profession in the Galene Sea trading between coastal cities. Sea travel northward toward Rythene and Tyrnica was also preferred, due to the proximinity of the financially powerful Crowns. While others had traveled to southern parts of the Hesperian Ocean, Amand II believed that the Ocean promised more islands and resources than previously thought, along with gentler oceanic routes. Rather than through the rockier, icy, and volatile Breuvician Ocean that most Blaykish and Vervillian seafarers traversed, Amand II began to petition to his former Courts to chart out the southernmost areas of the Hesperian Ocean. While initially facing unanimous rejection, he finally received an agreement in 1509 with the Marianne II of Vervillia after presenting his map of the Archipelago of Hearts and drawings of other islands that he discovered in subsequent visits to the island chain. He also fabricated the size of many of the islands to increase their worth to the Crown. Marianne was pleased, and agreed with Amand's assessment that Vervillia's potential discovery of new lands would keep the country competitive in the burgeoning race to the western hemisphere. He eventually reached the New World after months of journeying, making landfall on small islands thousands of kilometers around the still undiscovered Marbon Island. On his first voyage, he and his men first reached an island he called "Promise" (Principean: Promesse). There, he discovered his first band of indigenous Marceaunians. He continued to island hop before returning to announce his discovery. He led four more explorations, each funded by Thomas I of Vervillia, with his second journey in 1510 most famously reaching the eastern coast of continental Marceaunia Minor. He would rise to even greater prominence after surveying for natural bays or ports, of which the continent was plentiful, while also coming into conflict with indigenous populations. He then established the Port of Colette for Vervillia. Thomas I made Amand II a viceregal representative of the territory for his contributions. His fifth voyage in 1526 was also notable for the charting of Conouco, modern day Sainte Baptiste. Illness prevented him from stepping foot onto the island. His notes to the Crown mentioned that he, in fact, did, but the historical record gives such credit to explorer Fidélias Tétreault in 1551. Amand II's health became grave on his voyage back to Vervillia, passing away two weeks before reaching the kingdom.

The discovery of eastern Marceaunia Minor, the Adrienne Sea, and parts of the Rum Gulf became widespread news over the early 16th century. Vervillia became the earliest and most financially dominant colonial empire during this period, but Blayk, Rythene, and Tyrnica would all fund successful explorations in the western hemisphere. In 1530, the Blaco-Vervillian Union formed, de factoconsolidating the colonial possessions under the Union, but in reality each colony remained under the administration of its respective monarchy. The Port of Colette, renamed the Imperial Port of Colette, transformed into a hub of economic activity as the region was developed by the Auressians.

The Maiaran Empire was seen as the most dominant indigenous power against the Vervillians on Marceaunia Minor. However, the combination of advanced weaponry, alliance networking with rival civilizations, and most impactfully, Auressian pathogens, led to the Empire's collapse in 1563. The disintegration of Maiaran regional power allowed for rapid expansion of colonies. Eventually, the Low Crown Colonies, with Colette as its seat of local governance, stretched into the more pastoral interior of Marceaunia Minor, before eventually touching the southern tip. The devastation of indigenous life underscored much of the 16th century, but pockets of heavy resistance held firm across the colonies. By the 17th century, forms of organized rebellion consolidated as remaining civilizations and tribes attempted to reclaim their lands. The 1716 War of Remembrance was the most violent eruption of violence, leading to early victories and the establishment of a collective known as the Kingdom of Caçapava. This small territory in the interior of the Vervillian colony of Maiara was burned to the ground in retribution, leading to the subsequent 1717 War of Remembrance that quashed the indigenous resistance and enforced strict colonial administration. Control over the indigenous civilizations in southern regions of the Low Crown Colonies was far more difficult at times, with a tradition of resistance never fully disappearing despite armed efforts by Vervillian and Blaykish farmers and soldiers to impose their will.

By the mid-18th century, Vervillia claimed the majority of claimed land on Marceaunia Minor, with Palia ruling much of the east.

Low Crown Colonies

The Low Crown Colonies were the collection of Vervillian–and later Blaykish–colonial possessions on Marceaunia Minor. Early under the Vervillian Crown and the Blaco-Vervillian Union before 1785, the colonial administrations enjoyed relative autonomy to pursue commerce and agricultural policies. The period of economic freedom allowed the colonies, especially on the coast, like Sainte-Marianne, Beaufort, and Nouveau Brençon to flourish in the developing region. The relaxed nature of colonization attracted private merchant companies to participate in the efforts. The Vervillian-based Far West Hesperian Company and recently established Adrienne Sea Company sought to expand their markets in the growing region, as well as become involved directly in the resource extraction process to maximize control of trade. The colonies of Beaufort, Sainte-Marianne, and Terre de Thomas were all privately chartered and approved by the Crown, under ultimate authority of the monarchy. The greater independence experienced by the private colonies attracted political and religious refugees. Others were attracted to the ongoing resource extraction boom, namely in cutting highly desired Pernambuco wood for dyes, minerals and silver, and crops. Exploitation of indigenous people became commonplace to undergo the process, oftentimes leading to conflicts with surrounding societies and tribes. The search for more resources also drove the colonial administrators to push their boundaries beyond the royal agreements. Border conflicts increased. The 1532 Clément and Sainte-Mélitine War broke out after Sainte-Mélitine Chief Administrator Fernand De Villepin issued maps that encroached on valuable salt mines in Clément. Clément intendant René Caillat, a second cousin of Vervillian ruler Thomas I, contested the claims by revealing his royal charter and deeming it to be superior to the private corporation's fabricated claims. Sainte-Mélitine colonists ignored the warning and began entering the mines, leading to open conflict. These inflammatory episodes were additionally facing scrutiny by Blaykish advisors in the Union; hence, the 1535 Acts of Consolidation passed, converting all Marceaunia Minor colonies into formal colonies of the Crown.

Now formally under complete Crown authority, each of thge Low Crown Colonies received an increase in monetary investment. The colonies soon garnered the status of being the "jewel" of Vervillia's overseas empire. Oversight by the mother country gradually increased to ensure that valuable raw resources were being sent directly to Vervillia for the monarchy's benefit. Mercantilist policies were enforced to limit the loss of any potential wealth to rival Auressian powers, like Tyrnica and Rythene. Piracy was frequent in the Adrienne Sea and Rum Gulf, but the Crown's more involved actions targeted the practice. Regardless, pirates took refuge in northern Marceaunia Minor small port towns, Audonia, and Saint-Baptiste. The colonial administrators, the intendants, frequently organized naval forces to protect merchant vessels. Land forces were simultaneously raised to secure farmers' plantations. Even with the royal policing, a tradition of military self-sufficiency was rooted in the colonies.

Each colony was run by a monarch-appointed intendant. Many had familial ties or had done a service to the Vervillian Crown to gain such a prestigious position in the overseas empire. Each intendant also had a council of advisors: some colonies gave the intendant direct power to select his advisors, while majority were chosen through the colonial legislatures. The colonial legislatures held a wide range of powers that mostly focused on the purse, while the intendant represented the colony and helped make armed decisions when necessary. While tensions occassionally rose between the two entities, the legislature's economic controls gave them an advantage. In times of extreme imbalance, however, the intendants could request permissions from the Crown itself. Some issues were raised directly to the Crown, but many were vested in the colonial royal judiciaries. The royal judiciaries representated the Crown's stances in each colony. Having the final word, they mediated disputes between the legislature and intendants, but typically being an extension of the latter due to their familial relationships to the monarch. Although they had sweeping authority, they were rarely used unless in dire situations, or the legislatures ignored the rulings. Alongside the royal judiciaries were the civil and criminal judiciaries that focused on interpreting the laws applied to subjects. The legislature appointed the judges as a means of creating representative forms of justice. On the local level, the colonies were subdivided into regions (later called counties) and further divided into communities. Departments overlaid the regions based on geography. The Departments operated as both region dispute mediators, facilitators of the law to ensure interregional compliance, and symbolically to connect subjects in public forums. The web of administration created a diversely run colonial regime that underwent continual change. Taxation codes were an area of complaint for system, with not each department levying taxes; yet, neighboring departments would raise taxes alongside the colony-wide, regional, and community levels. The ever-shifting borders of the departments and regions exacerbated the issue. Reforms were attempted, but intransigence by the colonial legislatures, intendants, and royal judiciaries prevented any lasting change.

By the 19th century, the colonies of Beaufort, Clément, Maiara-Jaci, Nouvelle Montingné, Nouvelle Avilême, Terre de Gaultiere (renamed from Terre de Thomas), Nouveau Brençon, Haut Matthieu, Baissi-Matthieu, Nanuq, Sainte-Marianne, Saint-Mélitine, and the Imperial Port of Colette were all developed polities in Marceaunia Minor. The centuries of colonial rule by Vervillia promoted an old-stock elitism from the Vervillian aristocrats who were the first generations of settlers since the early 16th century. They held many de facto privileges over the Blaykish colonial subjects, who made up the majority of the peasantry and working class. The middle and late 1700s saw a growing trend in Blaykish immigration and population explosions within the colonies that created new opportunities for social mobilization. The newer waves of Blaykish colonists became entrenched in the merchant profession while those who became successful demanded titles and government appointments due to newfound wealth. The population demographic shift appeared to threaten the Vervillian colonial elite order, so tensions between the groups rose. In the 1785 War of Tyrnican Succession, Blayk and Tyrnica's victory over Vervillia led to the dissolution of the Blaco-Vervillian Union. In the New World, the Low Crown Colonies were transferred to Blayk as part of the treaty demands. Such a shift to Chaudoir rule became an immediate threat to the colonial Vervillian elite, advancing their beliefs that the Blaykish planned to overtake their positions of power. Vervillian farmers similarly feared that the newly wealthy Blaykish classes would overtake their farms and plantations, or outright steal the land without any ability to object.

Centuries of the colonial system were beginning to come undone. The competing factors of outdated mercantilist policies, unprecedented demographic shifts, regressive taxation models, and the dissolution of the Blaco-Vervillian Union radicalized portions of the population into vocal protest. The disseminating knowledge of liberal ideals from Auressia trickled through the Blaykish immigration waves, catalyzing the mounting frustrations toward the House of Chaudoir, succeeded by the House of Sarbeliard.

The War of Tyrnican Succession and Great Upheaval

Amandine was a contributor to the Great Upheaval in the Marceaunian Theater, with the colony having two significant political and social revolutions and formally gaining its independence during this volatile period. It also brought the New World and Old World closer than ever, with new alliances and international relations rising to the forefront of affairs, such as the budding relationship between republican Rythene and Amandine. Amandine, as well as other successive Blaco-Vervillian Union colonies on the continent, would be the second in the Marceaunias to gain independence behind the Aillacan-Rocian Union in 1797.

The collapse of the Blaco-Vervillian Union and the Rythenenean Revolution were the primary macro-events for Amand independence; they highlighted the distancing relationship between the New World colonies and the seemingly collapsing Old World order that came about from radical anti-monarchist movements. However, they also represented the increasing class disparities, inpermanent borders and continual border disputes, and depletive mercantilist policies that drained Amandine’s financial & natural resources with little in return (leading to the rise of more laissez-faire economic theory to take its place post-independence). During and after the Rythenean Revolution, stories from the revolutionaries as well as veterans from the conflict largely found refuge in Amandine. Finding an opportunity in a disgruntled population within the Amand colony, these Rythenean veterans became entrenched in Amand liberation. Charles Belmont, a Beaufort-born aristocrat, lawyer, polymath, and sympathizer of the Rythenean republicans, became the leading figure in the initial fight for a free Amandine. The eventual named Belmont Revolution kickstarted in 1796 after support continually grew across the territory. The revolution was initially damaging to the Sarbeliard Monarchy and their financial security after a few major ports were occupied by the rebels. Though, because it was highly unorganized, it only took approximately one year for it to be suppressed. Many of the revolutionaries were hanged for their contributions to the effort while Charles Belmont and a group of other instrumental radicals successfully escaped to the Rythenean Republic and across Marceaunia. In Rythene, Belmont wrote extensively of his experiences, shaping his political beliefs along an Auressian model of republicanism.

In the subsequent years, the Sarbeliard Monarchy attempted to further quell riots and civil unrest by instituting economic reforms: chiefly, the Immunity Act of 1799. This was meant to give the Amand population greater control over international trade, allowing them to cooperate with other national powers in Auressia beyond just Blayk. In reality, though, the Immunity Act (1799) was never effectively implemented and only bolstered the royal Blaykish Upper and merchant class. Instead of these reforms ending the unrest, the anti-monarchists saw them as failed, backhanded bandages over the greater societal fabric of a collapsing colony split between long-time Vervillian settlers and more recent Blaykish elites. The reforms eventually became penal, when known anti-monarchists were imprisoned and indefinitely held without a fair or impartial trial. Colonial leadership became more anxious, paranoid, and authoritarian when the Blaco-Vervillian Union was visibly in peril. The Blaykish Civil War (1801) and Vervillian Revolution (1805) were the straws that finally severed relations. Charles Belmont and the other revolutionary refugees also returned in 1800, where they saw an opportunity to inspire a second, more effective revolution. During his four year refuge in Rythene, Flavien learned from revolutionary groups how to create organized bodies that could effectively unite under a common cause. It also became common legend that the blue-white-yellow flag was inspired by the sight he described when returning to Amandine’s northern coast, later painted and designed by fellow radical Frédéric Yves Arthur.

Upon the Blaykish Civil War’s outbreak in 1801, the Necessary Conscription Act of 1801 and the Royal Proclamation of 1801 came into law. The former enforced a conscription policy where healthy men of age were forced to serve against the proclaimed Blaykish Republic. Months later, the Royal Proclamation of 1801 asserted King Gilbert II of Blayk had ordained complete authority over the Amand colony, supplanting centuries of relative autonomy enjoyed by the colonists. Belmont and other outraged aristocrats and common people sympathetic to the Blaykish republicans rejected the administration’s authority which they saw as a violation of their natural right to self-governance and association. Another reason for such outward anger toward direct Blaykish control came from Amandine’s transfer from the War of Tyrnican Succession’s end in 1785, which saw the largely popular Vervillian Monarchy replaced. Mass demonstrations against the Acts sparked bloodshed in the populated port city of Nouvelle Valden, where the colonial military opened fire on the protestors allegedly without warning after the crowd grew in size and power. The news of this spread around the territory, essentially kickstarting the new revolt. While proper fighting began by 1801, the National Assembly declared the Republic of Amandine a sovereign state in 1802, with the unfurling of the blue-white-yellow tricolor to be used by all regional revolutionaries/republicans in the National Symbol Standardization Act of 1802, the second official act passed by the National Assembly. The Amandine War for Independence lasted until 1807, where it capitalized on the destabilizing situation in Vervillia following their own revolution. The Treaty of Priscille (1807) formally resolved the Amandine War for Independence and resulted in the Blaykish Republic, Vervillia and other Auressian powers recognizing the new nation’s sovereignty, along with the dissolution of the House of Sarbeliard’s claims to the territory.

Confederation & the Continental War

Considered the first major intra-regional war within Marceaunia Minor, the Continental War, also known as the Separatist War or the Amand Civil War, was a large-scale conflict involving nearly every nation on the aforementioned continent. The Continental War was an indirect consequence of the independence movements decades after the Great Upheaval alongside the rise of political factions that drove Amandine’s confederation apart.

Following its independence in 1802, the Republic of Amandine spent the next two decades uniting the Blaykish revolutions under the same government and flag. This was primarily the project of Amand statesman Augustin Olivier III who sought to bring about cultural hegemony, economic standardization across the continent, and a collective military capable of maintaining pan-continental sovereignty. Despite first President Charles Belmont’s objections, Amandine’s Constitution intentionally weakened the national government as a result of opposing the old monarchist system. Then President Olivier believed that a larger confederation would bypass these pitfalls of a centralized order. By the late 1810s, Amandine’s political hegemony was coming into question as regional governments demanded greater autonomy to make more representative decisions; such decisions included the State of Lorena’s plans to alleviate the 1826 Banking Crisis, State of Armelle’s border disputes with the State of Kawisenhawe, and the State of Baissi-Matthieu’s attempt to establish Perendism as a national religion. In 1819, the National Emergency Committee established the Confederation of Southern Marceaunia (CSM) to bolster the confederal-style government of Amandine. With greater distinctions between the newly formed provincial states and the new national government, it was believed that this new structure could give greater power to local authorities. Conversely, it only accelerated the union’s decline as political power was unfairly delegated to very few states. It also solved very few issues that it sought to resolve, with state borders arbitrarily redefined, banks left untrusted, and the economy splintered. In just 12 years, the Confederation of Southern Marceaunia fell into civil war after regional political parties with separatist leanings ripped the country apart.

The First Continental War was sparked in 1831 with the secession of [insert_nation_here], followed by the secession of Lorena and Armelle. Since the Confederation of Southern Marceaunia’s military was largely supported by the collective input of its member states, the separatists were able to overrun the loosely built federal government in only a couple years. Only two years into the war, the CSM was effectively defunct, with a faction fracturing into the Order of the Statesmen who sought to re-establish the Republic. In 1835, the re-established Republic of Amandine restructured its government into the Federal Republic of Amandine, where it largely abandoned the prospect of maintaining a continent-wide confederation. The First Continental War officially ceased with the signing of the Treaty of Anne-Marie in 1836. Most notably, the Confederation of Southern Marceaunia was formally dissolved and the young Federal Republic of Amandine was to recognize the independence of the freely declared governments. The Treaty also established the Organization of Belmont-Lavigne as the new state-mandated civic belief system. While some of the allied governments sought to reunify with Amandine, financial burdens of the war and reparations delayed this process either temporarily or indefinitely. The Order of the Statesmen, colloquially called the Statesmen, would establish themselves as the State Party until 1836 when it was renamed the Federalist Party.

The Continental War established the political, military, and economic order for Marceaunia Minor’s nations for decades until the War of the Adrienne Sea in the 1880s. The international conflict was also a jumping off point for many independent countries, while for Amandine, it introduced a period of internal development and eventually its return to the forefront by the end of the 19th century.

Great Wars

The Federal Republic of Amandine came of the War of the Adrienne Sea as a Great Power in the New World. While the nation was publicly opposed to Auressian imperialism, especially in the Rum Gulf and Marceaunia Minor, Amandine refused to go to war without a direct attack or threat on her sovereignty. Simultaneously, Amandine was also a major trade nation at this point and would have been commercial partners with both the Coalition and the Galene League. It aligned more with the Coalition nations, however, providing more resources to Blay and Rythene compared to Tyrnica.

Amandine maintained a neutral stance for the majority of the war until 1911. Both repeated attacks on Amand supply shipments to Auressia and skirmishes in the lower Hesperian Ocean would shift the Federal Republic into the column of the Coalition Powers. However, the Audonian Port Crisis brought the conflict to Marceaunia, forcing Amandine into the war. Most of Amandine’s wartime efforts consisted of funneling funds and resources exclusively to these Coalition nations and severing ties to the Galene League, while also engaging in naval campaigns in the Hesperian Ocean. Amandine’s dominance in the War of the Adrienne Sea came largely from a modernized naval force, so this same force was similarly successful in the Great War. Ultimately, Amandine’s support role allowed it to secure Marceaunia Minor’s waters and the Hesperian Ocean for her Coalition allies.

Upon the Great War’s conclusion, Amandine found an opportunity to increase its global presence beyond Marceaunia Minor. Without conflict on her borders, Amandine’s newfound stability allowed it to lead Auressian rebuilding initiatives alongside other New World countries like Albrennia. Meanwhile, Amandine would have heavily aligned with the newly created Vervillian Confederation based on cultural ties, becoming a close ally to the union’s member states. Onward from then, Amandine began to expand its foreign economic interests to political and cultural interests beyond the continent.