Schaumberg

Principality of Schaumberg Fürstentum Schaumberg (Gariman) Principauté de Schaumbourg (Audonian)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Dominus Nobiscum ("God with Us"; Latin)
Anthem: Ode to Our Savior
Location of Schaumberg in Belisaria
Capital	Züri
Largest city	Tannenburg
Official languages	Gariman Audonian
Ethnic groups	72.4% Gariman 21.59% Vannoisian 4.48% Livalian 1.53 other
Demonym(s)	Schaumberger
Government	Unitary semi-constitutional monarchy
• Prince	Johann VI
• Prime Minister	Johannes Uhlmann
Legislature	Tagsatzung
Formation
• Prince's Letter	1426
• State of Schaumberg (1946-1986)	5 January 1946
•	2 July 1986
Population
• 2020 estimate	3,576,438
• 2016 census	3,265,227
Currency	Krone (SCK)

Schaumberg, officially the Principality of Schaumberg (Gariman: Fürstentum Schaumberg; Audonian: Principauté de Schaumbourg) is a unitary semi-constitutional monarchy in central Belisaria. Schaumberg is bordered to the north and east by Ostrozava, to the west by Merovia, and to the south by Garima. Schaumberg is a landlocked country, and neither possesses a navy nor a coastline. Schaumberg has traditionally been in the middle of hostilities between its three neighbouring great powers, Garima, Ostrozava and Vannois, and as a result it has tried to maintain itself equally independent from all three.

Schaumberg has been occupied by Germanic peoples since ancient times, who fell under the rule of the Tervingian Empire. Following the Empire’s dissolution in the 5th century CE, Schaumburg was incorporated into the Kingdom of Livalia, where it became a frequent point of conflict with the Holy Audonian Empire. Schaumberg became an independent state in the 17th century as a Principality.

Since the Valley Revolution (1986) which re-established the monarchy in the Treaty of Timsuano and coronation of Anna Sophie II, Schaumberg has suffered from sporadic episodes of violence caused by a three-sided conflict between the pro-democracy National Liberation Army terrorist group and its paramilitaries, the International Democratic Revolution, a formerly Ostrozavan-backed terrorist group and its paramilitary branch, and the Schaumberger law enforcement agencies and military, however despite the occasional urban fights and bombings, the Schaumberger economy blossomed thanks to foreign investment (mostly from Garima), starting a transition from an agrarian nation to an economy based on winter tourism, dairy production and different financial services.

Schaumberg is an authoritarian monarchy in which the sovereignty is shared between the monarch, Dei Gratia and the people, represented by the Tagsatzung, the national unicameral parliament. The monarch still plays an important role in the government, leading the government and being in charge of the foreign and military policies as well as having both the right of legislative initiative and considerable veto powers.

History

Germanic peoples have occupied Schaumberg since ancient times, having migrated south from northern Belisaria in antiquity. Schaumberg’s location in the Bariga Mountains, with its many valleys, provided a natural buffer for early polities in the region, though they weren’t organized until the Tervingian High Kingdom conquered the area. The Schaumbergers resisted assimilation by the Tervingian Goths and retained much of their identity.

Schaumberg successfully resisted eastern expansion by the Latin Empire, which held vast territories directly west of Schaumberg. The mountain passes in Schaumberg presented avenues through which the Latins and Tervingians waged war, which the Schaumbergers avoided more often than not. By the 5th century, the power of Tervingia waned to the point that the empire was irreparably crippled, while the Latins eventually found themselves overextended across Belisaria, allowing Schaumberg to its own devices. Schaumberg served as a vital organ of trade between the outer provinces of the Latin Empire into the former Tervingia, with settlers along the trade route contributing to the genesis of the Livalians on the other side of the mountains.

However, it was from the west that Christianity was first introduced to Schaumberg, in the form of Latin and Audonian missionaries. This was in contrast to Nazarist Albans who proselytized the lands to the south and east of Schaumberg. Additionally, while the rest of present day Ostrozava received an influx of migrant populations from the north and east, Schaumberg remained mostly homogeneous. Differences in religion, culture and language gave Schaumberg a distinct identity relative to the rest of Tervingia and its various successor states, the burdgeoning states of Livalia and Rheigen chief among them.

The Grand Duchy of Ostrozava to the northeast was one of many successor states of the fallen Tervingian Empire, and the state assumed nominal control over Tervingia in the 6th century, though for centuries their authority was in name only. Various attempts by both the Livalians and Ostrozavans at asserting control over Schaumberg were met with resistance, and for the most part, the kings of Livalia were content to allow Schaumberg a great degree of self-rule, as their attention was often directed elsewhere.

With the Ostrozavan Wars of Expansion conquering and thus integrating both Livalia and Polnitsa to the kingdom, many in the former kingdom of Livalia set their sights on Schaumberg as a potential fallback from Ostrozavan rule. Though previously religously apathetic, a strong Alban Nazarist undercurrent swept Transkarminia. Eventually, differences in religion caused a rift between Schaumberg and the northern Polities. Following the failed attempted to impose Alban dogma from Livalian nobles in the Grand Duchy, Schaumberg, unable to oppose the growing power of Ostrozava on its own, turned to the neighboring Holy Audonian Empire for aid. The Fabrian Church sanctioned the Eastern Crusades starting in the 12th century. A result of this was the accession of Schaumberg to the Holy Audonian Empire during the reign of Emperor Louis I, under the guise of protecting the Catholics of Schaumberg. Audonian rule introduced new administration and laws that eventually formed the basis of Schaumberg’s government traditions.

However, the Ostrozavan Wars of Expansion proved a reversal of fortune, and Schaumberg was ceded by the Holy Aulian Empire in 1309 back to the now-Duchy of Livalia by Emperor Robert III. This development was met with renewed attempts to impose Albanism on Schaumberg, which was met with fierce resistance from Schaumberg. The Prince’s Letter of 1426 was the first attempt by Schaumberg to assert itself as a self-governing entity with unalienable rights and privileges, though its immediate impact was negligible. Livalian influence in the region would continue to grow as religious tension embroiled the region at large. Following the Declension of Realms in 1499, the re-established Kingdom of Livalia further expanded its power when it formed a personal union with the Duchy of Rheigen, forming the Kingdom of Livalia-Rheigen.

Schaumberg found itself drifting further into the cultural orbit of the Gariman states to the south, from which Lutheranism was introduced in the 16th century, and it quickly took hold in rural Schaumberg before being adopted by the aristocracy. While the Catholic Church had grown content with the status quo relative to Livalia, the Lutheran population proved more antagonistic towards their Alban overlords, to the point that in the 16th century, conflict seemed inevitable.

Rise of Protestantism and The Schaumberg War

In 1543, King Ion of Livalia-Rheigen passed away in his sleep, with the new Kingdom passing to his middle-aged son Sorin. King Sorin had been dealing with an increasing influx of Protestant refugees coming through the Bairga mountains for several decades prior as a result of the Belisarian Wars of Religion. The refugees, fleeing conflict caused by the end of the Nihort Audonian Emperors and the rise of the Kingdom of Garima, were often educated burghers and clergymen. While only missionaries had been sent before the beginning of Garima's religious conflicts, the ingress of the Burghers' financial capital had finally given the growing Protestant groups in the area a burgeoning level of political power and many new converts. Among these new converts was the Duke of Schaumberg, John of Siegenhal, who had converted to Lutheranism in 1545 and the majority of the population had begun to follow suit in the following years.

King Sorin found himself conflicted by the new religious complications, lamenting in writing that he was afraid that the Eastern Christian world was eroding to "newer and un-thoughtout heresies and misguidances'." He was unwilling to become brutal in his pursuit of the preservation of the Alban way, having been wary of more conflict after the peace brought by the Edict, yet he found himself pressured by his inner circle to act against growing heresies. As Lutherans, the Schaumbergers were not protected by the Edict of Tabova, which afforded Catholics in Livalia certain protections. Concerned about Livalia-Rheigen's legitimacy coming from its perception a to overt intolerance by the Ostrozavans, Sorin decided in 1552 to end the rumors of betrayal, and sent Duke John an "assurance of friendship" in the form of a ceremonial sword that had been recovered from the Alban Pentapolis during the Wars of Expansion centuries prior. This endorsement frustrated many Alban nobles inside the Kingdom, including his younger brother, Ciprian, but helped cement Livalia as a fulcrum to more lukewarm Ostrozava.

In Ostrozava, Albanism and Lutheranism had both begun to grow again as restrictions loosened, with several nobles renouncing their Fabrian faith at least in-part for either Albanism or Lutheranism; chief among Lutheran nobles were the northern lords of the Ostrozava-controlled Netherrheigen, while Alban converts included many historical noble families that had been pressured in the decades before to convert by Grand Duke Peter; this included newer additions to the noble paradigm, including the Vykopals of Baderia. Another prominent family to rise during this time was the ethnically-Livalian, yet Fabrian, Belododia family, which had amassed wealth as arbiters of trade between their two kingdoms of heritage as Dukes of Tabova. In response to pressure largely originating in these new and financially powerful families, Grand Duke Villiam enacted a series of important land reforms in 1572, giving wealthy Fabrians throughout the nation an ability to buy land contained inside of the city; larger agricultural regions were banned from the same effects, with their non-Fabrian minorities intended to maintain power through the reform in an act of compromise. In 1581, Grand Duke Villiam died aged 76; he is considered by many modern historiographers to have been a beacon of tolerance in a very tense time, and his death is considered to be the beginning of the end of the Vaşkory dynasty.

In 1589, with King Sorin of Livalia-Rheigen ailed by old age, and seen generally as a pure-hearted but ineffectual ruler by the greater population of the Kingdom, his younger brother, the now 57-year-old Ciprian, began plotting an acquisition of power. It is commonly supposed that Ciprian smothered his brother in his sleep in 1590, but regardless of the method of his death, the childless Sorin's kingdom went into the hands of his brother. The King implemented several land reforms in his own time, but two subsequent injuries in riding accidents in 1593 and 1595 respectively left him bedridden and later paraylzed. A withering Ciprian died in 1596 in extremely poor health, making his sixteen-year-old son Emilian the new King of Livalia-Rheigen.

A depiction of the Defenestration of Tannenburg by Rovalt Siegenberg, 1781.

The Schaumberg War, depicted here just before the Battle of Praldav, 1603.

Emilian was young, brash, and, during his brief pre-regal education, had been pampered by many advisors who continued to enable his worst instincts out of fear of retaliation by his father. As devout of an Alban as his grandfather had been, Emilian turned again to the growing Lutheran influence over the regions of Livalia-Rheigen especially. In 1599, with the New Year approaching, Emilian appointed his Minister of Coin, Count Werner Andelfingen of Bettingstatt, as the Royal Governor of Schaumberg, and ordered the Duke of Schaumberg’s murder, which was due to take place two days before the Royal Governor's arrival. After Duke John II's corpse was found macabrely embedded in the flash-frozen waters of a canal not far from the Tannenburg Palace on New Year's Day 1600, Count Werner assumed his position as Royal Governor of the region, to huge discontent from the local populace, especially in the Schaumberger capital of Tannenburg, where the governor had been staying. On the 2nd of January, an angry mob of educated Schaumbergish burghers and peasants alike stormed the former Ducal palace where the Count was staying and defenstrated into the square, where he landed in a pre-placed dung heap and subsequently drowned in it; this event came to be known as the Defenstration of Tannenburg.

In Ostrozava, Grand Duke Villiam's son, Viktor III, had grown into a strategically talented but rather politically and administratively confused leader, often delegating tasks to his larger council. Concurrently with the tension boiling over in Schaumberg, Viktor III began giving increasingly important landed titles to several of his closest friends in the nobility; this included a consolidation of Baderia and Strakosko under the increased power of the Dukes Vykopal, giving the controversially religiously lax dynasty even more power than before, at the cost of having secured their loyalty.

In the south, another complication arose soon afterwards with the ascent of Conrad of Suedia to the Gariman throne. In an act of defiance, the Lutheran Conrad had separated Garima from the Holy Audonian Empire, disinteresting the imperial northern provinces from intervening in Transkarminia but also giving the population of Garima a more concrete identity as that of southern Germanic consolidation. With Schaumberg being culturally closer to Garima's northernmost provinces than towards Garima, many in Livalia-Rheigen felt that the Schaumbergers were not worth reconquering.

King Emilian, on the other hand, was reportedly infuriated by the display of defiance by the Schaumbergers, and mobilized his armies in an attempt to militarily subdue the rebellious province in 1601. As Emilian marched towards Schaumberg, he was given two letters of important content; the latter one had stopped his army. Conrad had occupied Schaumberg, and it seemed the local Schaumbergers were again supportive of rejoining the vestiges of the Empire they had been separated from centuries before. Worse, still, was the roundabout failure of the murder plot. In addition to causing the death of Count Werner, the Dukes of Schaumberg had not been totally obliterated; Duke John II's son, John III, was alive, and had been seeking refuge at the Gariman court for some time. Thus began what is now known as the Schaumberg War, with Livalia-Rheigener and Gariman forces clashing across several battlefields both in Schaumberg and beyond for the next several years, vying for regional and religious influence as well as territorial possessions.

Eventually, Schaumberg prevailed and was granted its status as an independent state, with John III of the House of Sigenhal becoming the first Prince of Schaumberg.

Geography

The town of Geraszell in central Schaumberg.

Schaumberg is located in central Belisaria in the northern hemisphere of the world and is bordered by land by Ostrozava to the north and east, Vannois to the west and Garima to south. Schaumberg is landlocked, and therefore lacks access to the sea. Most of this water coverage is composed of rivers, the longest of which is Schaum River.

Schaumberg is a very mountainous country as it is located within the Bairga mountains which cross east-central Belisaria. The Bairgas cover most of the country save for southwest Schaumberg, which opens up into plains on the border with Vannois. The tallest mountains in Schaumberg can be found in the northeast part of the country. Mont Schwarz is the tallest mountain in Schaumberg at 4,807.81 metres (15,774 feet) above sea level. Schaumberg's mountains are one of its most important natural assets, offering some of the best mountaineering and skiing anywhere in the world.

The Thur Valley in the west of the country connects Schaumberg with the plains of northeastern Vannois. The valley has historically been an important trade route in and out of Schaumberg into the west as it was one of the few passages that remained open year round. Dozens of small streams and rivers flow down the mountains in Schaumberg, often into larger rivers and small laikes. The Schaum River is the largest and longest river in the country, starting in the northeast close to the border with Ostrozava and flowing southwest towards Vannois. This waterway was an important source of water and power for the early industrial workshops in Schaumberg and in recent years has become essential for the generation of hydroelectricity.

Climate

A multitude of climates are found within Schaumberg. These are influenced primarily by the geography and by the latitude of the country. The primary climate found in most areas of the country is humid continental climate which is characterized by four seasons with large seasonal temperature differences, though the summers tend to be cooler than those found in the south and the winters colder as well.

Most of the populated valleys and flat areas, especially in the south and west, are under the influence of a oceanic climate. This climate consists of mild summers and cool but not cold winters without extremes in temperature. Precipitation is consistent throughout the year. Thunderstorms are frequent during the summer months when humidity and warm temperatures combine with cool air from the Bairga Mountains. Temperatures in these regions vary between an average minimum of -3.5°C during winter and an average maximum of 25°C during summer.

Winter can bring large amounts of snow to the vast majority of the country. Heavy snowfall often blocks roads and railway lines through mountain passes as well as create avalanche hazards. Since the 1990's, the government has been actively working to control avalanches and mitigate the effects of heavy snowfalls during winter, with varying degrees of success. In some parts of the country, freezing temperatures can last until mid-March.

The highest recorded temperature in Schaumberg is 39.2°C, observed on July 7, 2018. The lowest recorded temperature is -44°C, observed on December 23, 1979.

Biodiversity

The Aurochs is the national symbol of Schaumberg.

Although Schaumberg is a small country, a large variety of bird, animal, insect and fish species can be found within the country. Most of these species have adapted to live within the mountainous environments of the Bairga Mountains. Schaumberg’s national symbol, the aurochs, can be found across Schaumberg but is especially prevalent in the hill country of the southeast.

Schaumberg is one of Belisaria’s most heavily wooded countries, with 40% of its area under forests. Deciduous trees (particularly beech, birch, and oak) and conifers (fir) cover the mountains up to about 1,200 m (4,000 ft); above that point fir predominates and then gives way to larch and stone pine. There is a large variety of wildlife. Although chamois are now rare, deer, hare, fox, badger, marten, Alpine chough, grouse, marmot, partridge, and pheasant are still plentiful. The ibex, once threatened, has begun breeding again. Hunting is strictly regulated.

Governance and politics

Main article: Politics of Schaumberg

Schaumburg is a unitary parliamentary semi constitutional monarchy, which features the Prince as the head of state, and the Prime Minister as the head of government. Since 2012, the House of Luneburg.

The Prince, as head of state, has wide-reaching constitutional authority, akin to that of a president in a presidential system. First among these is to serve as the representative for Schaumberg abroad, and leading the Principality in international relations. The monarch appoints the Prime Minister, of whom the Prime Minister is chiefly responsible. Likewise, the monarch is conferred legislative responsibilities by the constitution. Namely, the monarch may veto laws passed by the legislature, and may call referendums, directly propose legislation, and dissolve the legislature upon approval of popular referendum. Additionally, the Prince appoints judges of the District Courts, the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court and the Court of Appeals.

Executive authority is exercised by the Prince through the Cabinet, which consists of the Prime Minister and government ministers who lead the executive ministries. Ministers are often not members of the legislature, and are appointed by the monarch and serve at his pleasure. The legislature can petition the monarch to remove members of the cabinet or dismiss the entire ministry.

Legislative authority is vested in the Tagsatzung. The Tagsatzung is a popularly elected, unicameral legislature, with elections held every 4 years from single-member districts. While the monarch appoints ministers, the Tagsatzung approves the appointments and may call for a vote of no confidence.

Citizens of Schaumberg enjoy the rights of direct democracy. Referendums on any law, at the county or national level, can be initiated with a petition signed by at least 100,000 citizens at the national level, or 10% of the population at the county level. Referendums may suspend parliament or amend the constitution if the prerequisite threshold of votes (50%+1) is met. New laws and amendments to the constitution must be adopted by the Tagsatzung, signed by both the Prince and the Prime Minister. Counties reserve the right to secede from Schaumberg pending a successful referendum and approval under this criteria.

The judiciary of Schaumberg is independent of the executive and legislature. It broadly features the traditional general court, appellate court, and court of last resort structure. The County Courts are the courts of original jurisdiction for all public (criminal) and private (civil) matters. The Princely Court of Assizes is the intermediate level, and first court of appeal. Each county features its own Court of Assizes from which matters originating out of the respective County Courts are heard. The court of last resort for all public and private matters is the Supreme Court. A separate supreme court, the Princely Court, deals with matters of constitutional significance, while the Cabinet conveines an ad hoc court for administrative law.

Security and defence

Military

Main article: Schaumbergish Army

Camouflaged canons and fortifications in rural Schaumberg.

Schaumberg lacks a navy as well as an independent air force, and as a result, the Schaumbergish military is formed by the the Schaumbergish Army. The commander-in-chief of the military is the Prince of Schaumberg, currently John VI, however the actual control of the military lies with the Minister of National Defence, Hans Mitten and the Commander of the Army, Klaus Oberweis. The Schaumbergish Army is in a relatively high state of alert, because of traditional border incidents and the volatile relationship with Ostrozava. As a result, Schaumberg spends around 6% of its GDP on the army.

After the Schaumberg Civil War ended in 1946, Schaumberg began building infrastructure to counter the threat of invasion. Homes were built with concrete ceilings in order to withstand sustained bombing from planes. Commercial and Industrial buildings were required to accommodate blast shelters that could provide shelter to people in urban areas, while rural towns developed large underground shelters, many of which are able to feature hospitals and administrative centers. For many years, families and businesses were taxed to support these structures unless they had a qualifying shelter at their personal residence. Many personal residency shelters serve as wine cellars or storage basements today.

Tank traps and demolition charges can be found throughout Schaumberg’s highways, railroads, bridges and tunnels. Permanent, and often secret bases litter the Bairga mountains, from which counterstrikes can be launched in the event of foreign invasions that retake the valley regions. Many of these bases include subterranean air bases adjacent to runways, the crew of which are housed in these mountain fortifications.

During the Republican era, any invasion was anticipated to come from Vannois to the west or Garima to the south, as both of those nation’s governments were hostile towards the republican regime. As a result, many of these defensive measures were built in the southwestern part of the country. However, following the Valley Revolution in 1986, the monarchy was restored, backed by Vannois and Garima. From that point onward, the anticipated source of invasion changed to Ostrozava in the northeast, which was the main supporter of the republican regime. As a result, new defenses and fortifications have been built in the northeastern parts of the country.

Economy

Skyline of the historic downtown district of Tannenburg, Schaumberg’s largest city, which has grown rapidly since the 1980s.

Schaumberg is a developed economy that has been growing steadily since the 1980s. Foreign investment from Vannois and Garima facilitated Schaumberg’s transition from an agrarian nation to an economy based on Template:WpI, dairy production and various banking and financial services. Tourism is the largest single sector of Schaumberg’s economy, accounting for slightly over 15% of the economy with diverse options, including winter tourism as well as a large offer of spas.

Schaumberg’s currency is the Schaumberg krone.