Hrastče

Tsardom of Hrastče Hrastčko Carstvo
Flag
Capital and largest city	Hrastče
Official languages	Hrastčan
Government	Tsarist Autocracy
• Tsar	Maximilián III
• Lord Regent	Stejpan Bočina
Legislature	State Duma
Population
• Estimate	14,521,000
Currency	Hrastče Ruble

Hrastče, officially the Tsardom of Hrastče (Hrastčan: Hrastčko Carstvo), is a sovereign state located within the Süd Depths. Hrastče has a moderate continental climate with hot summers and cold, snowy winters. In the central and eastern regions of the country, the geography is mountainous, in the northwest it is moderately hilly, and in the northeast it is predominantly flat.

Hrastče has been under a period of regency ever since Tsar Maximilián III took the throne at the age of 8. Stejpan Bočina has been serving as Lord Regent for 4 years, after the previous Lord Regent Radovan Koleno was removed by the State Duma and executed. The Lord Regent is subordinate to the authority of the State Duma, but otherwise rules absolutely when not in session. Tsar Maximilián III is currently 14 years of age, and upon reaching the age of 16 (legal adult age) he may decide to relieve the Lord Regent.

Hrastče's economy is primarily mining and manufacturing based. Hrastče extracts large amounts of iron ore, nickel, coal and phosphorous in it's vast mountain ranges in the central and eastern regions of the country. Most minerals are extracted via strip mines, utilizing steam shovels and rail-cars, or in underground shaft mines where extraction is far more difficult. Hrastče is home to a number of steel mills, which produce nearly all of the nations steel needs. Phosphorous mines feed Hrastče's fertilizer industry, a product that is exported to several other nations.

Centralne željeznice Hrastče (CZH) handles roughly 60% of the nations bulk freight nationwide. Short-line railroads service local industries, while CZH handles mainline freight to ports, where it is shipped out via bulk cargo steamships (typically owned by companies based out of Kouryssos).

Recent History

After Tsar Vasilije died his last surviving son, Maximilián, was the next legal heir. Maximilián's cousin Danilo was the only surviving son of Vasilije's older brother Vitomir, and had ambitions to claim the throne for himself. Merely weeks after the death of Vasilije, Danilo's first move was to take his small force of soldiers and supporters and seize Čilika, in northern Hrastče, the former seat of power of his father Vitomir as he believed it would boost his legitimacy for the throne. He then took control of the surrounding cities and rallied some public support as a capable young leader, and returned to Čilika to await the response of Maximilián's regent, Radovan Koleno, who had been chosen by the State Duma. Legitimists within the State Duma pushed for the assembly of an army to confront Danilo and restore order. Others praised Danilo as a worthy successor, as he was already 20 years old. Maximilián and his sister Princess Jošana were taken into hiding by Stejpan Bočina, a good friend and close confidant of late Tsar Vasilije. Bočina feared that Danilo would attempt to kidnap or kill them to remove any opposition. Bočina assembled an army of State Duma members as well as burghers and prominent commoners loyal to Maximilián and the wishes of the late Tsar Vasilije and moved to Ljuska, but Danilo refused to meet him in battle. He instead stayed at Čilika together with his supporters, seemingly preparing for a long stand-off. Danilo needed time for the State Duma to proclaim him Tsar, something which he was very confident of, so he only needed to maintain a stand off.

When Danilo began appealing for support and legitimacy from foreign realms, the attitudes of many state officials and citizens shifted. Instead of being seen as a throne pretender wanting to stabilize Hrastče, it made Danilo look like we was desperate and begging for support. Many believed this would result in Hrastče and Danilo being made a foreign puppet. The Lord Regent at the time, Radovan Koleno, had proclaimed his support for Danilo and encouraged members of the State Duma to join him and proclaim Danilo Tsar of Hrastče. As Danilo continued to appeal for foreign assistance, support for his cause in the State Duma started to collapse.

Lord Regent Stejpan Bočina

Tsar Maximilián III

By autumn, Danilo had gained support from a few minor island nations nearby Hrastče, and later he and his supporters decided to attack deep into the Mojić region, one of Hrastče's most important industrial regions, in an attempt to consolidate more of the nation and give the State Duma no choice but to accept his terms. Bočina and his legitimists retaliated before any significant strongholds were occupied, but were defeated and forced to return to Ljuska. Unknown at the time to the legitimists, during the battle for of the the Mojić region Danilo was killed, seemingly ending the civil war and succession crisis. The legitimists returned to the State Duma, along with many former supporters of Danilo, including Regent Radovan Koleno. Subsequently, Koleno was arrested, imprisoned and eventually executed for his actions. Stejpan Bočina was elected as the new Lord Regent for Maximilián. Several weeks after the end of the war, at the age of 8, Maximilián was proclaimed by the State Duma as Maximilián III, Tsar of Hrastče. Princess Jošana was declared the temporary heir-apparent as there are no other males directly related to Maximilián with a strong claim.