Emerstari
Federated Kingdom of Emerstari Førebundedt Kuingerike Emerige | |
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Motto: "Ervigner Årafuld åg Fri" "Forever Honorable and Free" | |
Anthem: Ervigner Rike | |
Capital | Køroenets and Rontseljere |
Largest | Erk |
Official languages | Emerstarian |
Recognised regional languages | Norðurmál |
Recognized auxiliary languages | Estelian sign language Estelian handprint |
Ethnic groups | Emerstarians Canarians Coelansers |
Religion | Lutheranism |
Demonym(s) | Emerstarian |
Government | Federal representative monarchy |
Erik XII Georg | |
Georg Lukas Johannssen | |
Hosse Ragnvald Malmø, Duke of Malmø | |
Kristoffer Jakob Holm | |
Njel Olaf Perssen | |
Johann Nathanael Theorissen | |
Legislature | Førebundskongress |
Herrers Hus Sammråd | |
Folks Hus | |
• First settlement of Emerstari | 2400s BC |
• Christianization of Emerstari | AD 81 – 322 |
• Unification of Emerstari | AD 1047 |
• Proclamation of the Emerstarian Empire | AD 1520 |
Area | |
• | 644,050 km2 (248,670 sq mi) Emerstari proper without territorial waters |
• Water (%) | 3.72 |
Population | |
• 2035 census | 61,201,281 |
• Density | 95.02/km2 (246.1/sq mi) |
GDP (nominal) | 2034 estimate |
• Total | 3.91 trillion NSD |
• Per capita | 63,887.55 NSD |
HDI (2034) | 0.873 very high |
Currency | Skille ( S ) (ESK) |
Time zone | Western Seaboard Time (WST+0) |
• Summer (DST) | Western Seaboard Time Summer (WST+1) |
Date format | AD dd-mm-yyyy |
Driving side | right |
Internet TLD | .em |
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Emerstari (Emerstarian: Emerige, pronounced [ˈɛmərjɛ]), officially the Federated Kingdom of Emerstari, is a sovereign country and nation state in the eastern portion of the Scanian Peninsula, in the continent of Eurevia, within the region of Arda en' Estel. Emerstari proper consists of its mainland and 416 named islands, the largest of which are the Isles of Haller and Långeholt immediately north of the mainland in the Halleran Isles. It is the northernmost and easternmost of all the nations in the Scanian Peninsula and lies of north of Canaria and east of Coelans. The land is generally fairs mild temperatures due to its maritime influence, and it is characterized by its many rivers, its forests, and its expanses of mountains. Emerstari has a total area of 644,050 km2 (248,669 sq mi) and a water area of 24,474 km2 (9,252 sq mi), excluding territorial waters.
According to Emerstarian tradition, Emerstarians first came to their land of habitation after the Deluge and are descendants of Hemar, a great-grandson of Noah, and his sons (from whom the clans descend). Prior to and during the first several centuries of the Christian era, Emerstari was home to an innumerable number of small tribal entities led by a jarl, which is today the second rank within Emerstarian peerage. However, by the sixth, seventh, and eighth centuries, the whole of Emerstari had been converted and was divided into several petty kingdoms which would be unified by Eirikr Segersælla in the mid-eleventh century, which is when the modern Emerstarian state was founded. This period after Christianization and before unification is known as the Flerarikrian Era from the Emerstarian roots flera meaning several and rike meaning country. The Great Mortality of 1355 nearly halved the Emerstarian population in the late fourteenth century, resulting in numerous social changes, the Marseilian Conquest of Emerstari, and the War of the Emerstarian Succession. Emerstari became Lutheran during the Estelian Reformation in the mid-fifteenth century, and in the beginning of the sixteenth century, Georg I Erik of Emerstari commenced the Scanian Era of Exploration, turning Emerstari into an imperial power. An Emerstarian Golden Age of music, art, and thought transpired from the mid-eighteenth century, in the wake of the Scanian Wars of the Coalitions, until the late-nineteenth century, ending with the Scanian Ten Years' War and the Downturn of 1922. Since the mid-twentieth century, the Emerstarian foreign doctrine has turned away from imperialism and expansionism and has focused on a construction of non-interventionalism known as Engeherdtism for its forthbringer, former Lord Steward Karl Ludvig Engeherdt, Duke of Upper Kjorland.
In the present day, Emerstari shares close political and economic relations with its neighbors, who it has cultural and linguistic kinship with. It is a founding member of several international alliances in Arda en' Estel and Markion, including the Venson Union, the Ostensted Monetary Union, the North Scanian Interrelation Pact, and the Allied Security and Assistance Force, formerly the Coalition Defense Union. Emerstari is a federal representative monarchy wherein executive power is invested in the Emerstarian monarch by God, per the constitution of Emerstari. Legislative power and judicial power are also invested in the Emerstarian monarch but are delegated to the Førebundskongress and the Furstdomehus respectively. The country is divided into seventeen provinces and thirty-eight duchies; there dual-capitals, Køroenets and Rontseljere. The national language is Emerstarian and the state religion is Lutheranism.
Etymology
The earliest surviving written reference to a land of Emerstarians is dated to AD 72 in an Old Marseilian text whose authorship is unknown but is sometimes attributed to a companion of Saint Sigebert known either as Theudebert or Theudebald. It is written on the so-called 'both in-tact and corrupted Noahic practices' of the Emerstarians, and it refers to the land they inhabit as Emarlaand. Emarlaand is, in fact, also cognates with the former English term for the land of Emerstarians, Emerland; however, English has since adopted (in the late-sixteenth century) an Anglicized form of the modern Marseilian word for the land of Emerstarians, Emerterre from the roots Emer meaning an Emerstarian and terre meaning earth or land.
Written language, in the form of the Old West Scanian Script, was adopted by Emerstarians sometime after their Christianization, and the first written reference to a land of Emerstari by Emerstarians comes from AD 302 on a stone tablet and refers the land as Hemerslandą. This is from the Old Scanian or Old North Scanian roots Hemer which is a reference to the first Emerstarian according to Emerstarian tradition, a great-grandson of Noah, and landą meaning land. Subsequent writings refer to the land as Hemersland (Kveld's Saga, 600s AD) then Emersland (Saga of the Children of Hemar, 900s AD). The modern word in the Emerstarian for the land is Emerige and this comes about from after the unification of Emerstari in 1047. The root Emer is a reference to Hemar whereas the root rige is a softened deriviation of the word rike, which means country. The first mention of a country of the Emerstarians was made in 1047, supposedly by Eirikr Segersælla according to an unnamed scribe at the royal court, who claims at the coronation of Eirikr, Bishop of Uppsalle Bivorr Eylirsson said, "[f]or we live not anymore in the land of Emerstarians, but the country of Emerstarians, and Eirikr Segersælla is its king, chosen by God and anointed so in His witness on this day..."
Variations of the name Emerstari, Emerterre, and Emerige are used in most languages, with the exceptions of the Kolgraic languages where Eomurinmaa (Soumian) and Eumursimo (Lorivian) are used. In the Bohish and Marugiran, distantly related to the Kolgraic languages, Omaruzága is used, and in the Caloudish languages, Dúthaicomar and Tuairomar are used. In the Kolgraic languages, Eomur and Eumur are the names of Hemar whereas in the other languages listed, he is known by his Hebrew name, Omar.
History
Early History
According to the folklore and tradition of Emerstari, the first Emerstarians emerged in history sometime between the 2400s and the 2300s BC with the arrival of Hemar and his family, his wife Elseh and his sons Rudulh, Oller, Erval, and Oggeh, and his sons' wives. Hemar and his brothers, who were great-grandsons of Noah via Japheth and Magog, had been promised by God lands that He rose from the seas after the Deluge wherein their descendants would become a great nation. The Saga of the Children of Hemar states that Hemar settled in the central of the country where many rivers flowed and that he dwelt there with his firstborn Rudulh, who would inherit the land and father the Hrudolfung clan. This saga moreover states that he sent his secondborn son Oller, who would father the Ullerung clan, to the south to keep his herds; his thirdborn son Erval, who would father the Hervalding clan, to the west to farm his fields; and his lastborn son Oggeh, who would father the Heggenling clan, to the north to hunt for meat. From these sons and their clans, all other clans of Emerstari and all Emerstarians are said to have descended.
Regardless of the validity of the traditional histories of Emerstari, both traditionalists and non-traditionalists are generally in agreement that the first settlers of Emerstari arrived about 3,500 years ago. Furthermore, they are generally in agreement that the Emerstarian climate, and the climate of all of Scania, was generally warmer during this period, likely wetter as well. It is believed that a Mediterranean climate persisted in the area until the 1200s BC when a regional cooling and drying period occurred, causing the climate to become somewhat colder than it is today, possibly disrupting numerous ancient Scanian societies, but it is believed to have had little affect on the inhabitants of Emerstari.
The inhabitants of Emerstari at this time are believed to have spoken Proto-Scanian, an ancestor of all the modern languages of the Scanian Peninsula today. It is figured that the inhabitants of Emerstari during this period, from the religion they are known to have had in later periods before Christianization, were monotheistic, and Emerstarian traditionalists figure they practiced a faith based on the knowledge that Hemar and his sons had on Noah's interactions with God, as well as the interactions with God of the Old Testament patriarchs before him. The Emerstarians of this era are suspected to have lived in clan-like and tribal societies with large family structures led by chieftains, and they are believed to have been semi-sedentary, herding and farming.
Christianization
Emerstarian society remained resitant to the centralization of power for sometime, but by the final centuries BC, organized entities to the likes of earldoms began to form, typically by a specific clan whose chieftain sought to extend his influence. In AD 81, Saint Sigebert, a Marseilian a bishop, made a journey to Emerstari to proselytize, and his efforts were welcomed by the jarl of the Hrudolfung clan, Niel Gorma, who is supposedly the first Emerstarians to convert to Christianity. Indeed, his name at birth was Niel, but he took the name, according to Sigebert, and has become known in history as 'Gorm of Flodland' due to the fact that Gorm is an Emerstarian name meaning he who worships God. However, it took until AD 322 for the majority of Emerstarians to convert, the Christianization of Emerstari traditionally ending with the conversion of Bjorn of Haller in that year. Saint Sigebert, in addition to Christianity, also brought the concept of writing to Emerstari, bringing the Old West Scanian Script. Though, writing remained rare in Emerstari outside of scarce religious texts and short markings on stone before the first sagas in the AD 600s. Kveld's Saga, written sometime between the AD 600s and 700s, is generally recognized as the first greate piece of Emerstarian literature, an alliterative verse epic poem, though its authorship is unknown. Starting in the fifth century, a period of warming occurred in the Scanian Peninsula, creating a climate similar to today's.
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages in Scania is considered to begin in the AD 600s, coinciding with the first written sagas in Emerstari, which were likely based on oral traditions. This leaves a period between the end of the Christianization of Emerstari in AD 322 and the beginning of the Middle Ages: this period is known as the Consolidation of Emerstari for the fact that the jarldoms of previous eras grew into what may be equated to duchies and petty kingdoms. In the following centuries, Emerstari would become dominated by ten petty kingdoms: from north to south, the Kingdoms of Haller, Marland, Whentii, Flodland, Valerige, Erk, Verni, Ljund, Onørkien, and Almapien. The Middle Ages in Scania is divided into the Early Middle Ages (600s–1000s), the High Middle Ages (1000s–1300s), and the Late Middle Ages (1300s–1500s).
Early Middle Ages
The most famed character of the Early Middle Ages in Emerstari is Kveld, who is recorded in Kveld's Saga. Also known as Kveldur or Kveldr, even though his saga is semi-legendary, he is known to have been a chieftain of the Hrudolfung clan and a King of Flodland. He is, moreover, also supposed to be a direct ancestor of Eirikr Segersælla; according to Kung Eirikr Segersælla's Saga, he is Eirik's fourteenth-great-grandfather, and Kveld himself is supposed to be a direct descendant of Gorm of Flodland, Hrudolf, Hemar, and Noah according to Emerstarian tradition. Kveld was, per his saga, a skilled warrior and a beloved king, and he greatly expanded the territory of the Kingdom of Flodland, absorbing several smaller petty kingdoms, some of which have had their names lost to history, but one of which was the Kingdom of Sydstromming in the present-day Duchy of Fjellborg. Kveld is also supposed to have had tense relations with the Kingdom of Valerige but have been quite cordial with the Kingdom of Haller.
In addition to the above, some Emerstarians, especially those from the northern and eastern coasts, also participated in vikings from the Old North Scanian word víkingar, a víking or viking being a waterborne expedition. Most of these vikings were for the purpose of fishing, trade, or even sometimes to find glory, and the large majority of Emerstarian vikings were towards the east and the south, whereas the vikings of Coelansers and Ermanders were often towards the west. Some vikings ended up establishing Emerstarian communities elsewhere in Arda en' Estel, such as the Northern Isles, Eisenland, and Caloudia.
High Middle Ages
In 1007, there was a marriage between Ingmar Gylla, the King of Flodland, and the eldest daughter of Odkjel Valfödda, the King of Whentii. Ingmar died in 1034, passing the throne of Flodland to his eldest son Eirikr, and Odkjel died in 1039, but his only son was drowned by the nobility, so the throne of Whentii passed to the eldest son of his eldest daughter, Eirikr. According to Kung Eirikr Segersællas Saga, sometime shortly thereafter, the nobility of the Kingdom of Valerige promised him that if he invaded, he could ascend to their throne. The saga claims that within the following years, the other petty kings of Emerstari either submitted to his rule or were conquered, but not much is known on the process of Emerstarian unification outside of his saga. Regardless, by the year 1047, Eirikr is known to have proclaimed himself Konungr allra Emerskar, or King of all Emerstarians. Traditional Emerstarian histories describe Eirikr and his father Ingmar as direct descendants of Kveld, thus of Gorm of Flodland, Hrudolf, Hemar, and Noah as well.
Eirikr died in 1078, and the Emerstarian kingship was split between two of Eirik's three sons, Jakob Eldri and Olaf Örn. Emerstari remained a diarchy for several more decades until the death of Jakob Eldri's son Jakob Kjáni, who had no chilren of his own, and when Olaf died, the throne passed through his line to his son Karl Eldri. When Karl died in 1122, however, his son, who inherited the Duchy of Flodland, did not inherit the throne because he was seven at the time, so the nobility elected the son of one of his cousins, a daughter of Jakob Eldri, to the throne, Harald Sigfredsson, giving rise to the Sigfredsson or Sigfredung dynasty. The dialect of Old North Scanian spoken in Emerstari at this time also began to develop into Old Emerstarian through the twelfth century.
The Sigfredung dynasty reigned until 1235 when Karl Yngra died without a male heir. The nobility of Emerstari elected his nephew by his sister, who would end up becoming his grandson-in-law, Villem Persson, as King of Emerstari. His nephew was a member of the Rhenish House of Wassen, which would rule Emerstari until 1250. As a result of the House of Wassen's Rhenish relations, Emerstari began to seek closer ties with central Scania as opposed to with Marseile. Villem's son, Olaf Villemsson died childless, and the Emerstarian nobility elected the Malmø branch of the House of Eirikr to the throne. The Malmø branch, who took their name from the Duchy of Malmø over which they ruled, were descended from the son of Karl Eldri, Eirik Bjorna, who had three sons. The youngest of his sons, the Earl of Malmø, would father the House of Malmø via an illegitimate son he had with a daughter of the Duke of Stenburg. The Malmøs were the first Emerstarian monarchs to use regnal numbers as well as regnal names after their regnal numbers.
The son, Erik IV Jakob, of the first Malmø king, Gustaf I Erik, died fighting in the Rhenish-Polsnian War without a male heir. Gustaf had a brother, but he was deemed unfit for the throne by the nobility, and his son, Ervin was seen as too young, so a pact was made between Ervin and the nobility of Emerstari at large that the throne would pass through his line after the death of the next monarch. The husband of Gustaf's eldest daughter, Knudt I Henrik, who was a member of the House of Wesse, another Rhenish family, was elected to the throne. Knudt died in 1303, but his brother, Folke I Villem usurped the throne with the backing of the Kingdom of Coelans. When Folke died childless in 1313, the throne was returned to the Malmøs via Ervin, ruling as Ervin I Knudt. Ervin died in 1338, and there was a diarchic rule between his wife, Elsa I Annikke, and his son Olaf III Kristoffer.
Letter from Olaf III Kristoffer to Charles VII and III.
Late Middle Ages
In 1357, the daughter of Olaf was married to the son of the King of Marseile, Charles VII. However, she died shortly after as a result of the Great Mortality of 1354, which was a result of a disease which Scanians had not built an immunity to that was brought back to Scania by Itrisian merchants. Between 1357 and 1359, the disease nearly halved the Emerstarian population until a particularly cold winter began to halt the spread of the disease. This winter was the start of a period of cooling in Scania that brought temperatures slightly lower than they are today and lasted until the seventeenth century.
Charles attributed Olaf for the death of his daughter-in-law and cited his relation to her as sufficient reason to claim the throne of Emerstari upon Olaf's death in 1380. Charles conquered Emerstari; however, in 1381, the Emerstarian nobility made a pact with him, that they would accept Marseilian rule if his brother-in-law, Pers IV of Jacquesse was made King of Emerstari. In 1390, Pers was overthrown, and the grandson of Olaf III Kristoffer, Sigismund I Kristoffer of Emerstari became king. Upon his death, his wife Erika I Henriette usurped the throne from her son; however, her brother, Harald II Håkon proclaimed himself diarch alongside her, claiming that a woman couldn't be the sole monarch of Emerstari. Both were from the House of Sverrer, a branch of the House of Eirikr. In 1421, Harald died, and the nobility elected Sigismund's son's brother-in-law, a Rhenish noble from the House of Aldburg to the throne. The second Aldburgian king, Kristien I Karl died suddenly in 1438, and the nobility looked to elect a new house to the throne, but there was no clear consensus, and the War of the Emerstarian Succession began.
Early Modern Era
Rise of the Emerstarian Empire
The War of the Emerstarian Succession ended in 1444 with the coronation of Georg I Erik, a Eirikrian, as the King of Emerstari. He is often known as 'the Great Reformer King' because of his many reforms to the Emerstarian government and military and indeed, his conversion to Lutheranism and creation of the Church of Emerstari. Georg I Erik's ascension to the throne marks, in the eyes of most historians, Emerstari's ascension to an imperial power. Early in his reign, Erik established the Folks Hus and commissioned an Emerstarian translation of the Bible, today known as the Kuing Georg Utsattering. He was highly religious, and in 1504, he sent Kristoffer Lorens Ljundstrom, Baron of Ljundstrom to sea to find the Garden of Eden; later, he would also send explorers to find the Holy Grail and the North Pole. Ljundstrom ended up discovering Durradon in Markion, and in subsequent voyages, he sailed farther into Markion and landed in Kophavien, North and South Ling Shou, and Fyrland in the Green Union. In 1520, the Shogunate of Gijeong in Kophavien became an Emerstarian protectorate and other Kophavien shogunates followed suit before Kophavien became a colony in the late-sixteenth century. In the mid-sixteenth century, Fyrland was colonized. Emerstarian colonialism in Markion often marks the beginning of the Emerstarian Empire. Georg was the longest-reigning Emerstari king, dying in 1512. His son, Erik VI Georg, who succeded him is not nearly as remembered for his actions as King of Emerstari, but he saw through the colonization of Emerstarian territories Markion and Arda en' Estel whereas his father had started it. This second restoration of the House of Eirikr ceased the use of the title King of all Emerstarians, instead using the title King of Emerstari. The House of Eirikr–Wolnbach ascended to the throne in 1570, with the death of Georg's granddaughter, Elsa II Nathalie whose husband, Ernest Wilhelm Friedrich von Wolnbach, Prince-Elector of Rhenland, became the first King-regent of Emerstari.
In 1600, the War of the Poiy League broke out in the Scanian Peninsula between the Catholic Poiy League and the Protestant Lutheran Veedenschloett League. The greater war had begun with a declaration of war on Canaria by Marseile, whose king sought to install Carl VII of Canaria's Catholic younger brother to the throne. Emerstari fought on the side of the Veedenschloett League from the beginning of the war until its end in 1621; the war was a Protestant vicotry which resulted in few territorial changes but kept Canaria's Lutheran monarchy in power. In 1623, the great-granddaughter of Elsa II Nathalie and Queen of Emerstari, Katarina I Solveig, died, but her husband and children were Catholics, so the throne passed to the son of her younger brother. Ervin II Gustaf was part of the House of Eirikr–Wolnbach by birth, but he had formed the House of Eirikr–Wolnbach–Leijonhuvud, adding his mother's house by birth to his surname. Prior to his ascension to the Emerstarian throne, he had been elected King of Soumeland, and thus, Emerstari and Soumeland entered into a personal union which would not desolve until 1904. Ervin's son, Erik VI Georg, who ruled Emerstari from 1650 until 1669, wed the only child of Carl VII of Canaria, his daughter Freia van Leeuwen, so upon the death of Carl in 1672, Canaria entered into a personal union with Emerstari as well.
Carolinian Era and Golden Age
Carolinian Wars
In 1690, the great-grandson of Ervin II Gustaf of Emerstari ascended to the throne, Karl IV Lorens. He was the youngest monarch at the time of his ascension to date at that point, being eighteen-years-old, but he was surpassed by Erik X Gustaf in 1916, who was sixteen-years-old. Karl IV Lorens is oftened proclaimed as one of the best military minds who has ever come out of Emerstari, and while he is often admired as a king as well in the present-day, contemporarily, he was seen as neglectful of his royal duties and the widowmaker of thousands of Emerstarian wives. Karl IV Lorens was briefly married, but his wife, a Canarian noble, was killed in an anti-Emerstarian revolt in Emerstarian Canaria, and he never fathered any children. Karl created the Emerstarian allotment system.
The King of Saurland, Henrik II Johan, sought to take advantage of the Emerstarian king with his youth and inexperience and invaded Emerstarian Soumeland with the goal of greatening Saurish prestige and influence on northern shipping and trading routes. Karl IV Lorens responded by personally invading Saurland with a force of some 10,000 Emerstarians who were members of several regiments which would later come to be termed as the Karlineraskeregemeter and become part of the Royal Life Guard. He is the last Emerstarian king to have led soldiers in combat during a war; he continued his invasion of Saurland while his third cousin, General Georg Erik Uppskjold, went to Soumeland to recruit another army, one of the Soumish people and one to defend Soumeland. Within a year-and-a-half of fighting, the Saurish had been subdued, and with the Treaty of Kjirkens in 1693, Henrik II Johan was dethroned, and Karl ascended to the throne of Saurland.
Henrik had found refuge in the court of his cousin, Emperor Przemysł Augustus II of Polsenland, and in 1695, Polsenland declared a war on Emerstari to restore Henrik to the throne and partition Soumeland. The war with Polsenland, known as the War in Siesland lasted for just over two years, and ended with the Treaty of Jalav wherein Kuistia and Erngia were absorbed into the Emerstarian Empire, previously being part of Polsenland.
An uneasy peace came upon the Scanian Peninsula for three years, and during it, a coalition formed that looked to halt Emerstarian expansion. In 1700, the four nations of Asturland, Ermanland, Polsenland, and Saubland, all of which were Catholic, declared war on Emerstari, whose allies Coelans and Saexeland, both Lutheran, came to its aid. Since the war was against Catholics and Lutherans, it is sometimes dubbed as the 'Second War of the Poiy League.' The war was the final of the Carolinian Wars and the longest of them, lasting until 1706, even past the death of Karl IV Lorens. He died during a cavalry charge he led in the Battle of Kääjoki, shot through the skull by Polsnian infantry. Legends surrounding his death claim that his final words were, "Carry on, men, for the battle is not yet won!" It is known that on the eve of his death, he wrote the poem "Far Dig Val", which was later put to music and is now sung at royal funerals in Emerstari.
With no children of his own, when Karl IV Lorens died in 1704, the nobility of Saurland revolted against Karl's heir, his nephew by his sister, joining the coalition against Emerstari, but the Second Polsnian–Emerstarian War ultimately ended in 1707 with the Treaty of Malmø, which is widely regarded as a white peace. In 1718, Karl's nephew, Ervin III Karl, who was part of the House of Leijonhuvud–Pfach, was murdered on the order of Villem Ingvalde Borgerstyrer, Duke of Vasterland. As he had only a daughter, who was not even of age yet, the throne passed to the the husband of his mother's cousin, Erik VIII Olaf by election. The succession laws of Saurland and Siesland operated differently, however, so the thrones passed to his brother and daughter respectively.
Second Eirikrian Restoration
Erik VIII Olaf is sometimes known as the 'Father of Scania' because he had eleven children, who through, many of the present-day monarchs of Scania are related. Othertimes he is known as 'the Diplomatist' or 'the Peaceable' because his reign, from 1718 to 1744, was a time of relative peace for Emerstari after the wars of Karl IV Lorens. Breifly, between 1738 and 1742, he was elected Emperor of Polsenland by a faction of Polsnian nobles, but he never pursued this claim, and the nobles supporting him lost sway in the following years. Erik was a naval enthusiast, and his reign saw the beginning of Emerstarian naval dominance in Scania, taking the title away from Marseile.
In 1742, he commissioned, after several years of pressure from the representatives of the Folks Hus, a consitutional committee to be established to begin work on an Emerstarian constitution. However, Erik died in 1745 of cardiac arrest while en route to Soumeland, and the work of the commitee was halted for several years by his grandson, who succeeded him, Erik IX Johann. However, in 1749, his grandson reëstablished the committee, and in 1756, the constitution of Emerstari was ratified. Initially, the peerage of Emerstari and the Herrers Hus were opposed, figuring it would take away their ancient rights as Emerstarian nobles, and drafts of the constitution were amended several times because of this. The Sammråd was created as a result of this. One of the most prominent changes that came with the constitution was the organization of creation of provinces, which had one or several duchies within them. There are numerous examples of provinces whose borders were formed because dukes of the same house sought to come together. Other times, provincial borders were formed on the basis of where clansfolk of a certain clan lived.
In 1763, in the wake of several sea skirmishes between Emerstarian and Marseilian vessels known as the Euteni Encounters, a treaty was brokered between the two nations, putting an end to five centuries of hostility between them. The treaty, signed in Emerstarian Canaria in the town of Voendenvelt, known as the Voendenvelt Accords, was made on a mutual fear that either country might declare war on the other, and then, both of them might become weakened, and the other nations of Scania would take advantage of them. It is sometimes viewed as a precurser to the Venson Pact, later the Venson Union, signed in 1814 between Emerstari and Marseile among other nations.
In 1778, Erik IV Johann died, but his eldest son, Karl was bedridden with some illness (modern historians are still unsure what he was suffering from) and abdicated the throne for his uncle, Olaf III Aleksender. Olaf ruled for two years until Karl had made a full recovery from whatever he had been suffering from, and he proceeded to abdicate the throne for his nephew. During the reign of Karl V Erik, in the 1780s, a pro-Sjovenian uprising in Emerstarian Baveska began, and with the aid of Sjovenia, Baveska freed itself from Emerstarian rule. Karl V Erik additionally saw the beginning of the Scanian Wars of the Coalitions.
The Scanian Wars of the Coalitions were a series of intertwined wars between the nations of Scania from 1789 until 1831. Throughout the early 1790s, conflicts arose in the eastern Rhenish Empire, in the Renochesvian Empire, and in the Scanian Lowlands. Emerstari was highly involved in the Wars of the Coalitions from its beginning until the creation of the Venson Pact in 1818, whereafter Emerstari's involved lessened considerably; in the years after the Venson Pact, peace gradually came to the eastern parts of Scania, but conflict continued in the west until 1831. The Venson Pact, now the Venson Union, was founded as an ensurance of peace between the powers of eastern Scania: Coelans, Emerstari, Marseile, Rhenland, and Saexeland. After the Scanian Ten Years' War, it would become an economic pact and a military cooperative pact in the form of the Venson Union. In addition to the Venson Pact in the wake of the Wars of the Coalition, Emerstari also progressively began to loosen its grip on its Scanian possessions. In 1867, Hüllen was released; in 1849, Canaria was released, on the death of Folke II Knudt; in 1880, Hussea was released; in 1904, Soumeland was released. Both Canaria and Soumeland retained Eirikrian monarchs, however.
Golden Age
The end of the Scanian Wars of the Coalitions also saw increased industrialization across Scania as nations recovered from the war. Emerstari also saw a Golden Age, what some historians refer to as the Emerstarian Empire's 'final hurrah' as it slowly let territories go, including Emerstarian Fyrland in 1872 to the Green Union. This Golden Age was an age of increased Emerstarian influence in literature, music, and art. Some of the most famous Emerstarian authors, such as Georg Karl Anderssen and Theodor Lorens Kierke, and composers, such as Villem Karl Stenhammer and Frederik Lars Alfssen, and artists, such as Osvald Ragnvald Strom and Karl Johann Dal, came out of this era.
In 1862, Canaria, Emerstari Saurland, and briefly the Frieidsh Confederation established the Ostensted Monetary Union which still survives to present-day. Its initial goal was to facilitate trade and strengthen the economies of all the Scanian states in the aftermath of the Wars of the Coalitions. However, this plan did not come to fruition due to, primarily, the Marseilian rejection of the bimetallic standard. In actuality, the Otsensted regulates the currencies of each of the member-nations, whose currencies are all on a bimetallic standard. In 2035, one Canarian thaaler, Coelansish kron, Emerstarian skille, Saurish krona, and Soumish sjaåla are all equal to 0.1 g of gold or 0.56 g of silver. One troy ounce of gold is set as 940.57 NSD and one troy ounce of silver is set as 16.80 NSD.
The Emerstarian Golden Age began to see its end with a brief war between Emerstari and Saubland between 1873 and 1878. Ultimately, the Golden Age would come to its true end with the Scanian Ten Years' War in the early-twentieth century.
Modern Era
20th century
In 1911, the Emerstarian Golden Age officially came to an end with the beginning of the Scanian Ten Years' War, in which Emerstari participated as part of the Veidmaar League. Emerstarian forces engaged primarily in central Scania in Rhenland as well as along the coasts of Inkelland and Istrisia. Briefly, Emerstarians fought along the southern borders of Soumeland. The war was fought between the Veidmaar League and the Utten League over the fate of the Rhenish Empire as well as over what nations would became the dominant powers of the Scanian Peninsula. It is sometimes termed the 'War that Brought Peace' since there has not been another major war between Scanian nations since then. The Veidmaar League won, and the monarch of Rhenland was established as the Rhenish Emperor. Out of the war, Coelans, Emerstari, and Marseile affirmed their positions as the powers of Scania, lessening the influence of Astenland, Polsenland, and Renochesvia.
Amidst a ceasefire during war, in 1916, Erik X Gustaf had acceded his mother, who had abdicated under political pressure, as monarch of Emerstari. Erik X Gustaf has emerged in history as one of the favorite monarchs of the Emerstarian people, ruling from 1916 to 1972 and guiding Emerstari through the Downturn of 1922. He was additionally, the longest-living monarch of Emerstari, having been born in 1900 and dying in 2019. He was known for his opposition to liberalization of Emerstari, even dismissing the national legislature once when a bill to liberalize divorce laws was in the works. During his reign, Emerstari intervened with Rolanes in the Blusten Affair and with the Venson Union in First Slovyan Insurgency. His Lord Steward Karl Ludvig Engeherdt, Duke of Upper Kjorland is known for his development of the standing Emerstarian foreign doctrine, a construction of non-interventionalism known as Engeherdtism.
21st century
The twenty-first century in Emerstari has been dominated by the rule of Erik XII Georg, the grandson of Erik X Gustaf who succeded his father in 1994. Emerstari engaged in the Nivijegdian War with its ally, Arcadia, with whom its currently in the Allied Security and Assistance Force, from 2016 until 2018. During this war, Emerstari made its first territory gain since the late-nineteenth century in the form of Emerstari Nivijegdna. In 2019, Emerstari and the Venson Union aided Slovya in the Second Slovyan Insurgency, ultimately, pulling their forces out by 2021. Between these conflicts, Emerstari hosted the Hastiludia in 2017 and again in 2029. In 2035, Erik XII Georg's second cousin and the Duke of Ekkesburg, Thomes Adulf Lorenssen–Eirikr claimed the throne of the civil war-struck Green Union, whose King Wolfe VI is claimed to either be dead or dissappeared.
Geography
Emerstari lies in the northeastern portion of the Scanian Peninsula, south of the Halleran Sea and west of the EStelian Sea; its borders with these seas provide the country with an extensive coastline. Emerstari is bordered in the west by Coelans and in south by Canaria. There is a maritime border with Roele as well. Emerstari proper 644,050 km2 (248,670 mi sq), which makes it one of the larger nations in Scania. Jættenshjem is the highest elevation (2,411 m; 7,910 ft above sea level) within Emerstari, located in the northern regions of the Vittoppar Mountains along the Coelansish-Emerstarian border. Emerstari's lowest elevation is Kveldskerr (−2.41 m; −7.91 ft below sea level).
Some one-seventh of Emerstari proper lies north of the Arctic Circle, the northernmost part of Marland and several of the Halleran Isles. About 42% of Emerstari's land area is covered with forest, mostly towards the north, whereas the south is predominantly cleared agricultural land. Rivers run through much of the country, many of them meeting in the center of it, and there are three predominant mountain ranges within Emerstari: the Vittoppar along the Coelansish border, the Hogberger Mountains within Verni and West Verni, and the Midtenlinjer Mountains throughout the middle of Marland. In addition to these mountains, all of the Halleran Isles have mountains towards their centers. The most dense population centers of Emerstari are on the country's eastern coast, but comparable centers are located around the capital in the north-central part of the country. In whole, though, there are large rural expanses all around Emerstari. Lake Ar is the largest Emerstarian lake by area and volume.
Climate
Despite its northern location, the majority of Emerstari harbors a humid continental climate with four largely distinct seasons and mild temperatures throughout the year. The winters of the Emerstarian far south are typically weak, with few short periods of snow and sub-zero temperatures; sometimes, the autumn may even turn into spring without distinct periods of cold weather. More northward, the winters are more apparent, and there may even be periods of snow and cold weather into the months of April and May. The northernmost reaches of Emerstari even have subarctic and arctic climates. As a result Emerstari's location, the country experiences varying hours of daylright throughout the year. In the dual-capitals of Køroenets and Rontseljere, daylight may last for up to or even more than eighteen hours in the height of summer but only for about six hours in the depth of winter. Generally, Emerstari receives about 1,668 hours of sunshine annually. Average temperatures for July in Emerstari are within the range of 12.2°C (54°F) and 21.5°C (70.7°F) while the average January temperatures are within the range of –6.8°C (19.8°F) and –1.8°C (28.8°F). The highest temperature which was ever recorded in Emerstari was 36°C (97°F), recorded in Ljund in the July of 1940; in contrast, the coldest temperature which was ever recorded in Emerstari was –52.6°C (–62.7°F), recorded in Væggenholm in 1971.
On average, Emerstarians in the middle of the country will see 763 mm (30.04 inches) of precipitation per year. Overall, the eastern half of Emerstari receives more precipitation annually than the western part. Emerstari is on the windward side of the Vittoppar Mountains, whereas eastern Coelans is in the rainshadow of them. Some parts of the country, those in the north and in the mountains especially, may have up to 2,000 mm (79 inches) of precipitation per year.
Climate data for Rontseljere, Emerstari (1874-2018) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 12.5 (54.5) |
12.8 (55.0) |
17.0 (62.6) |
21.8 (71.2) |
27.7 (81.9) |
32.2 (90.0) |
30.5 (86.9) |
34.2 (93.6) |
24.9 (76.8) |
21.0 (69.8) |
14.4 (57.9) |
12.4 (54.3) |
34.2 (93.6) |
Average high °C (°F) | −1.8 (28.8) |
−0.9 (30.4) |
3.5 (38.3) |
9.1 (48.4) |
15.8 (60.4) |
20.4 (68.7) |
21.5 (70.7) |
20.1 (68.2) |
15.1 (59.2) |
9.3 (48.7) |
3.2 (37.8) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
9.6 (49.2) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −4.3 (24.3) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
4.5 (40.1) |
10.8 (51.4) |
15.2 (59.4) |
16.4 (61.5) |
15.2 (59.4) |
10.8 (51.4) |
6.3 (43.3) |
0.7 (33.3) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
5.7 (42.2) |
Average low °C (°F) | −6.8 (19.8) |
−6.8 (19.8) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
0.8 (33.4) |
6.5 (43.7) |
10.6 (51.1) |
12.2 (54.0) |
11.3 (52.3) |
7.5 (45.5) |
3.8 (38.8) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
2.4 (36.3) |
Record low °C (°F) | −24.3 (−11.7) |
−24.9 (−12.8) |
−20.2 (−4.4) |
−9.8 (14.4) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
1.4 (34.5) |
5.0 (41.0) |
3.7 (38.7) |
−2 (28) |
−7.4 (18.7) |
−16 (3) |
−20.8 (−5.4) |
−24.9 (−12.8) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 49 (1.9) |
36 (1.4) |
47 (1.9) |
41 (1.6) |
53 (2.1) |
65 (2.6) |
81 (3.2) |
89 (3.5) |
90 (3.5) |
84 (3.3) |
73 (2.9) |
55 (2.2) |
763 (30.1) |
Average precipitation days | 6 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 77 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 40 | 76 | 126 | 178 | 220 | 250 | 246 | 216 | 144 | 86 | 51 | 35 | 1,668 |
Source: Emerstarian Meteorological Institute |
Ecology
Montane snow forest and grasslands cover the northern portions of Emerstari, whereas farther south there is the Scanian conifer forest ecoregion. Southmost, there is the temperate mixed forest ecoregion. Portions of the Halleran Isles and the northern tip of Marland have the alpine tundra ecoregion. Coastal conifer forests apear along the coasts of Emerstari. Ultimately, the ecoregions of Emerstari are palearctic, as are the ecoregions of Scania as a whole.
Flora
Coniferous forests occur throughout the northern and central parts of the country. Within these forests, the northern spruce and the redwood fir, espeically in drier locations, dominate. Oftentimes, these trees are complimented with an understory of short fir. In mixed forests and broad-leafed forests, aspen, birch, elm, ash, lime, and oak trees appear.
Other important trees, shrubs, and plant species in Emerstari include the alder buckthorn, the alder tree, the beech, the blackthorn, the bird cherry, the dogwood, the elder, the fly honeysuckle, the goat willow, the hazel, the holly, the hornbeam, ivy, the larch, the linden, the maple, spindle, rowan, the water lily, the whitebeam, the wild cherry, and the yew.
All kinds of grass species including clover, feathergrass, bunchgrass, beachgrass, and meadowgrass among others are found within Emerstari. The country is also home to an innumerable number of algae, lichen, moss, fungal, fruit, vegetable, grain, berry, and flower species; blue iris, heather, holly, and daisy are all prominent Emerstarian flowers.
Fauna
Land mammals who dwell in Emerstari include the hedgehog, the mole, and various species of shrews and of bats. Rabbit, hare and mountain hare, beaver, red squirrel, mice, brown rat, and a number of other species of small rodent live in Emerstari. Hooved Emerstarian animals include wild boar, fallow deer, roe deer, red deer, reindeer, and moose as well as domesticated animals, especially those considered livestock. Brown bear, wolf, white fox, lynx, badger, otter, stoat, weasel, polecat, the pine marten, and wolverine are among the Emerstarian carnivoric species on land. Emerstarian coasts host at least three species of seal and around thirteen species of whale, dolphin, and porpoise.
There have been 535 distinct bird species recorded in Emerstari, many of these species are migratory, making their way to Emerstarian breeding grounds before returning farther south for the winter. Emerstari's lakes, wetlands, and coasts provide especially good nesting and hunting opportunities for water birds and seabirds. Countless species of reptile, amphibian, and insect live throughout Emerstari. Emerstari has some 108 species of butterfly and 60 species of dragonfly.
Politics
The concept of Emerstarian sovereignty is derived from the theory that the monarch of Emerstari is invested with divine right by God to govern the Emerstarian nation and thus, the physical country of Emerstari and the Emerstarian state. Indeed, the constitution of Emerstari even is empowered by the divine right of the monarch of Emerstari, currently Erik XII Georg. The Emerstarian constitution, which is sectioned into three bills, does not so much regulate the monarch so much as it describes what he ought to do; it moreover forms the basis of the Emerstarian state, how it should operate and what the rights of the individual are compared with the rights of the state. The Emerstarian constitution divides the government into three branches: the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch, all of which are in theory under the jurisdiction of the monarch of Emerstari, but in practice, many legislative and judicial responsibilities are assigned to lesser officers of governance.
In his role as head of state in the executive branch, the monarch of Emerstari is the foremost representative of the nation abroad, and he is responsible for the appointment of Emerstarian ambassadors to other nations and the receive foreign ambassadors to Emerstari. He is sole appointer of the officers of the Royal Court, several of which administer the various departments of the Emerstarian executive branch, including: the Department of State, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Justice, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Trade and Labor, the Department of Post, the Department of Health, the Department of the Army, the Department of the Air Force, and the Department of the Navy. Typically, the appointments to lesser offices within these departments are left to the officers which the monarch appointed to head the departments. The President-citizen of Emerstari is an officer of governance elected by the Emerstarian people in a first-past-the-post system to be their personal advocate to the Emerstarian monarch. The Emerstarian monarch is the commander-in-chief of the Royal Emerstarian Military and the head of religion in the Church of Emerstari.
In his role as head of government in the legislative branch, the monarch of Emerstari is closely involved with the affairs of the Herrers Hus, which is the uppermost chamber of the Emerstarian federal legislature, the Førebundskongress. In the Herrers Hus, he may appoint and dismiss peers and gentry to 210 seats within the house at his leisure (unless the seat is revoked, it passes to the heir of the former holder on their exit from the house); he may also appoint one of the lords of the Herrers Hus to be his Regent in the Lords' House to administer the chamber in his name. There are an additional 40 seats within the Herrers Hus, but they are reserved for clergymen appointed by the Bishop of the Synod. The monarch has considerably less impact on the middle chamber, the Sammråd, and the lower chamber, the Folks Hus, save for the fact that laws must be passed or vetoed by him; although, his veto may overruled by a two-thirds vote by the Sammråd. The monarch may also open and dismiss the legislature. Representation in the Folks Hus is based on the population of each gravate of Emerstari, one representative for every people as of 2035 (representation is realloted every census to account for population growth); representation in the Sammråd is equal for all provinces and territorial jursidictions of Emerstari, with each district receiving three representatives. The goal of the Sammråd is to check the Folks Hus, so large population centers do not overpower more rural districts with their votes, whereas the goal of the Herrers Hus is to protect the establishment and traditional hierarchy as well as Christian law and the Church within governance. Bills concerning taxation, the Home Guard, and the rights of the individual constitutionally must be started in the Folks Hus.
In his role as foremost judge in the judicial branch, the monarch of Emerstari may issue pardons and partake within the procedures of the First Court of Emerstari, which is composed of seven judges. However, it is rare for the monarch to directly participate in the judicial process of the First Court. The first judge of the First Court of Emerstari is the Lord Sheriff of Emerstari; below him are six lesser judges who serve for life and are nominated by the King and confirmed by the Folks Hus and the Sammråd. The First Court performs judicial review and interprets the Emerstarian constitution. Below the First Court are ducal courts, gravate courts, county courts, and local courts.
Administrative divisions
Largest cities or towns in Emerstari
2035 census | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Name | Region | Pop. | Rank | Name | Region | Pop. | ||
1 | Erk | Eastern Seaboard | 5,803,692 | 11 | REVISION | Greater Malmå | 1,386,025 | ||
2 | Malmå | Greater Malmå | 4,492,748 | 12 | Ålburg | REVISION | 702,481 | ||
3 | Kalamer | Greater Kalamer | 3,703,718 | 13 | Eidfjord | REVISION | 690,012 | ||
4 | Hrenshallå | Midlands | 3,404,236 | 14 | Stoghjem | REVISION | 630,458 | ||
5 | Kronsborg | Midlands | 2,893,572 | 15 | Hoonderstad | REVISION | 608,821 | ||
6 | Hoonderstad | Greater South | 2,772,398 | 16 | Olskrone | REVISION | 597,091 | ||
7 | Strand | Eastern Seaboard | 2,405,533 | 17 | Arhus | REVISION | 538,810 | ||
8 | Kœpping | Greater Malmå | 2,062,731 | 18 | Ekkesburg | REVISION | 512,762 | ||
9 | Upsæl | Eastern Seaboard | 1,635,026 | 19 | Koburg | REVISION | 442,478 | ||
10 | Nyhœfven | Eastern Seaboard | 1,405,244 | 20 | Undersalle | REVISION | 417,872 |
|
Emerstari is composed of seventeen provinces, which are collectively termed the Rikesprovinser. The provinces' borders were drawn with the Emerstarian constitution in 1756, each province being formed of one or more duchies. Typically, duchies next to each other with the ducal house or inhabited by the same clan were put into the same province. Within duchies, there are gravates, then earldoms, then baronies, and then localities such as cities, towns, and villages. Under Emerstarian law, to be considered a city, or burg, a town, or stad, must receive a letter patent from the monarch of Emerstari. A town, or stad, is a village, or by, which has been recognized as such by its duke or provincial government. A by is a more broad term for any permanent settlement with a local government and defined borders. A hamlet, or hjemming, is a small, unorganized settlement without defined borders. Emerstari proper is legally defined as the seventeen provinces and the Halleran Isles.
The provinces of Emerstari function mainly for purposes of representation and organization in the federal legislature, as well as for the purposes of the modern allotment system; in contrast, the duchies within provinces serve more of a local purpose and form an important part of Emerstarians' identities. There is currently a total of thirty-eight duchies in Emerstari. In addition to provinces and duchies, there is an additional layer of organization of division in Emerstari: within the Church of Emerstari, there are bishoprics and parishes.
Outside of Emerstari proper, there are the Interior Territories, or the Inrelander, and the Exterior Territories, or the Utrelander. The Interior Territories are legally defined as the Duchy of Mailes, Northern Isles, the Eastern Isles, and any other Emerstarian possession within Arda en' Estel. The Exterior Territories are legally defined as any Emerstarian possession outside of Arda en' Estel.
Foreign relations
The foreign doctrine of Emerstari is currently based on a construction of non-interventionalism formed by the Lord Steward under Erik X Gustaf, Karl Ludvig Engeherdt, Duke of Upper Kjorland; thus, the doctrine is known as Engeherdtism. Emerstari had previously held an imperialistic and expansionistic approach on foreign affairs. This former position began to change after 1763, with the Voedenvelt Accords with Marseile. Emerstari and Marseile generally act as the custodians of Scania.
Emerstari is a member-state of numerous international organizations, several of which it was involved with founding, including the Venson Union, formerly the Venson Pact, the Estelian Council, and the North Scanian Interrelation Pact, sometimes called the North Scanian League. Emerstari additionally is in the Allied Security and Assistance Force, formerly the Coalition Defense Union, with its longstanding ally, Arcadia. There are two major international economic organizations in which Emerstari is a part of: the Scanian Economic Cooperative and the Otsensted Monetary Union. Foreign embassies within Emerstari are located in the dual-capitals, Køroenets and Rontseljere.
Emerstari is often said to have a special relationship with Soumeland and Canaria, two nations with whom it had been in a longstanding personal union for several centuries. Moreover, Emerstari has strong ties with Coelans, Marseile, Saexeland, and Rolech. Contrarily, Emerstari has tense relations with the Congress of the Green Union, Eisengard, Kaltura, the Pacifican Republic, and the United Renochesvian Socialist Republics.
In 2035, Erik XII Georg stated that he was looking to open up further relations with the nations of Aels, including the Joseon–Vedoric Protectorate and Rhamos.
Military
The armed forces of Emerstari are collectively grouped as the Royal Emerstarian Military, of which the Emerstarian monarch is commander-in-chief. It comprises three executive departments and one independent office with five service branches. The Royal Emerstarian Army is under the jursidiction of the Department of the Army, the Royal Emerstarian Navy and Royal Emerstarian Marine Corps are under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Navy, and the Royal Emerstarian Air Force is under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Air Force; the Home Guard of Emerstari is under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Home Guard. The Home Guard is a reserve force of land and marine units, organized via the modern allotment system, which can be merged into the Army or Navy during times of war or called upon in the wake of natural disasters. There are around 8,000,000 Home Guard levies, three-fourths of which are terrestrial and the rest are marine. In the regular branches, there are some 150,000 individuals employed by the army; some 59,000 individuals employed by the navy and marines; and some 41,000 individuals employed by the air force. The regular armed forces of Emerstari are purely voluntary.
Historically and in modern day, Emerstari's navy has been recognized as one of the foremost in the world. Today, the Emerstarian navy operates just over 250 ships, primarily throughout Arda en' Estel and Markion. The Emerstarian army, as well, is viewed as a leading force comparatively. The current annual Emerstarian expenditure on the military is 52 billion NSD. Emerstari does not maintain a known nuclear arsenal.
Law
The system of law in Emerstari is known as Emers Law, which is a hybrid of civil law and common law that developed upon ancient Emerstarian judicial practices. Private prisons are illegal under Emerstarian law, and the Emerstarian penal system is more focused on reparation and rehabilitation than on punishment. Still, capital punishment is not illegal throughout any Emerstarian territory; although, for crimes such as murder, a weregild is oftentimes sentenced (in accordance with the reparation outlook of the Emerstarian penal system). Corporal punishment is not illegal either in Emerstari, and for certain crimes such as rape, there is a precendent for castration alongside a fine similar to weregild. There is a murder rate of 0.77 victims per 100,000 persons in Emerstari, and in February 2035, there was a prison population of 69,721.
Law enforcement in Emerstari is the responsibility of police departments of several levels. The highest level is national police, or rikespolis. Rikespolis are divided into several agencies, including the Rikes Grænsvaktting, the Rikes Fogtemåndeting, the Rikes Undersøgingsting, the Rikes Sakvaktting, and the Rikes Hjemskyldingting. The Rikes Grænsvaktting, or National Border Guard Department, is dedicated to enforcing Emerstarian border, customs, and immigration laws. The Rikes Fogtemåndeting, or National Sheriff Department, ensure the safety of courts and judges and transport and guard prisoners. The Rikes Undersøgingsting, or National Investigation Department, enforce federal laws and engage in law enforcement too large for more local police forces. The Rikes Sakvatting, or National Wares Department, enforces laws on drugs, weapons, and other controlled goods. The Rikes Hjemskyldingting, or National Shielding Service, protects Emerstari from foreign threats, criminal and terroristic.
The next level is provincial police; provincial police are primarily tasked with patrolling the highways of Emerstari outside of population centers. Additionally, provincial police provide security for public reservations, historical sites, and parks. Below provincial police are gravatial police, whose foremost task is to provide general law enforcement for rural areas within a gravate that may not have a police department and areas between towns. Local police, like gravatial police, provide general law enforcement but for a specific city or town.
Economy
Economic indicators | ||
---|---|---|
Nominal GDP | 3.91 trillion NSD (Q1 2035) | |
Real GDP growth | 1.5% (Q1 2035) | |
CPI inflation | 0% (January 2035) | |
Employment-to-population ratio | 70.2% (January 2035) | |
Unemployment | 3.6% (January 2035) | |
Total public debt | 412.21 billion NSD (January 2035) | |
Median adult wealth | 63,887.55 NSD (Q1 2035) |
Emerstarians enjoy a comparatively high GDP (63,887.55 NSD) along with a high standard of living. The Emerstarian economy is a mixed economy. There is an unemployment rate of 3.6%, and 70.2% of the population age 15–64 are employed. No federal or provincial minimum wage exists in Emerstari, but trade unions, which find membership in 84% of Emerstarians in the workforce, negotiate wages and benefits for employees. In addition to unions among workers, most Emerstarian small business owners are engage in guilds.
There are some sectors over which the Emerstarian state has large ownership, such as the petroleum sector and the nuclear power sector. Of Emerstari's 178 airports, 72 of them are owned by local governments and 106 of them are owned by the state-owned company, Emeriges Luftting. Another state-owned company, Emeriges Tågvagting, also owns the vast majority of Emerstarian train stations as well as the vast majority of the Emerstarian rail network. Emerstari has a merchant fleet of 1,691 registered vessels.
Despite significant public ownership in certain sectors, most of Emerstari's industry is privately-controlled. In the fourth quarter of 2034, the twenty largest (by profit) registered Emerstarian companies were Faroe (automobiles), Emeriges Oljeting (petroleum), Henrik Ljund (automobiles), Oster åg Vaster (airline), Finnssen (insurance), Erikssen–Strandmann (telecommunications), Marlands Trafabrik (paper products), Ingmar Ulf Borg Selskepp (energy), Holms (banking), Blå Sjo (shipping), Georg Ulfssen (automotive manufacturing), Niyborgs (banking), Vittra (paper products), Perssen åg Nordin (insurance), Jölker (firearms and sporting goods), Bjorns Ljus (utilities), Heller (mining), Ragnerssens Inkomme (telecommunications), Furst Lekern (pharmaceuticals), and Olskrone Stål (steel).
Emerstarian maintains a national currency, the Emerstarian skille (ESK); however, it is set to a bimetallic standard with several other currencies per the Otsensted Monetary Union. In addition to the Otsensted Monetary Union (OMU), Emerstari is a member-state of the Scanian Economic Cooperative, which promotes inter-Scanian trade. Accordingly, Emerstari's largest trade flows are with Canaria, Coelans, Marseile, Rolech, Soumeland, and Saexeland.
Resources, exports, and imports
Emerstari is the largest crude oil producer in Scania, followed by Coelans and Saurland, as a result of its maritime territory within the Halleran Sea. The Emerstarian state-owned company, Emeriges Oljeting, holds a monopoly over the Emerstarian petroleum industry; between 1962 and 2035, Emeriges Oljeting has opened 119 oil rigs, ten of which have since been retired and dismantled. The Aldvatten Oil Field is both the oldest Emerstarian operated oil field in the Halleran Sea as well as the oldest operated oil field in the Halleran Sea in general; it extracts some 170,000 barrels of oil per day. Oil reserves in the Halleran Sea are expected to last for sometime, but the future of the petroleum industry in the Halleran Sea is unsure, with various environmentalist movements throughout the oil-producing nations thereof.
In addition to petroleum, there is a large fishing industry in Emerstari; although, many fishing companies throughout Emerstari are locally-based, mostly in the Halleran Isles, Marland, Valerige, and the eastern coast. Fish products, primarily fresh fish, form nearly one-tenth of Emerstarian exports. Lumber and paper products, processed from primarily northernly forests of Emerstari, compose another important Emerstarian export. The northern spruce and the redwood fir are two most prevalent and most important, in terms of production, trees in Emerstari.
Emerstarian mines have historically given abundant amounts of gold, copper, iron, and coal. Since the ability to mass produce steel in the mid-nineteenth century, however, much of the iron mined in Emerstari has been sent to Soumeland, an Emerstarian possession until 1904, where it was smelted into steel. Today, large amounts of Emerstarian iron are sent to Saexeland as well.
Infastructure
There are several levels of roads in Emerstari; of them, riksvågor are the highest tier. Riksvågor, or national roads, are upkept on a federal level, and they cover nearly 8,584 km (5,334 mi). Provinsvågor, or provincial roads, upkept on a provincial level, cover an additional 13,007 km (8,082 mi) of Emerstari. Lesser levels of roads, known as burgsvågor, or city roads, cover thousands more kilometers of Emerstari and are upkept by local governments. The Emerstarian rail network is 8,002 km (4,972 mi) long, and there are some 14,500 km (9,010 mi) of major lakes, canals, and rivers throughout Emerstari. There are 178 airports in Emerstari besides an unknown number of airstrips, private and public. All of the rail network throughout Emerstari as well as 106 of the airports of Emerstari are owned by the state-owned companies, Emeriges Luftting and Tågvagting. The additional 72 airports are owned by local governments. The majority of ports are owned and operated by local governments. In all territories in Emerstari proper and the Emerstarian Empire, there is right-hand traffic.
The oldest train station in Emerstari is Stor Tågsstad in Rontseljere. Construction on it began in 1869, and it was opened in 1872. Although the rail network in Emerstari is state-owned, the transport companies which operate on them or privately-owned. There are only two underground subway systems in Emerstari, one in Erk and one in Kalamer. Several ferry lines operate domestically in Emerstari, most notably the ones which connect Hoonderstad and the Skergård Isles, Erk and the Eastern Isles, and Olskrone and the Halleran Isles. The national road and rail systems are managed by the Office of Transport.
The Emerstarian postal system is administrated by the Lord Postmaster and the Department of Post. Postal service is provided throughout Emerstarian territories by the Department of Post via the state-owned Emeriges Postting company. The headquarters of Emeriges Postting is located in Køroenets, near Køroenets Allander Flygstad. Among the other Scanian national postal systems, it ranks third in speed of delivery after Roele's and Saexeland's postal systems.
Energy
With the exception of the petroleum industry, the energy market in Emerstari as well as the utilties of Emerstari are mostly privatized. The Census and Statistics Office of the Department of State of Emerstari reports that in 2034, the sources of energy were fairly diversified: petroleum (32%), hydroelectricity (30%), coal (29%), natural gas (20%), and other sources (9%). Despite a federal poll issued in 2024 showed results with a general support of nuclear power, there have been no new nuclear power plants built or opened in Emerstari since 1992. Currently, there are twelve active nuclear power plants in Emerstari, one of which is undergoing retirement. In 2021, the Emerstarian government announced its intention to see the expansion of the hydroelectric sector, taking advantage of the nation's expansive waterways.
Science and technology
Ervin III Karl founded the Royal Emerstarian Academy in 1716, and a year later, the Royal Emerstarian Society of the Sciences was established in 1717. Many Emerstarian scientists and inventors were involved with or part of either one or both of these organizations, including Karl Olaf Meijer, Gustaf Lorens Nordin, Erik Benjamin Johanssen, and Frederik Adulf Faroe. Karl Olaf Meijer is possibly the most prominent innovator to ever come out of Emerstari, pioneering many developments within the fields of agriculture and forestry. Gustaf Lorens Nordin and Erik Benjamin Johanssen were noted for their work in the mathematic fields, whereas Frederik Adulf Faroe considerably advanced the Emerstarian automobile, founding Faroe in 1907. The majority of the technological advances made in Emerstari today are still within the traditional fields such as engineering. Though there have been patents given by Emerstarian monarchs to certain individuals since the Middle Ages, the Emerstarian Patent Office was established in 1889, and since its establishment. In 2034, granted 62,081 patents and 37,910 trademarks.
Demographics
Historical population | ||
---|---|---|
Year | Pop. | ±% |
1795 | 30,984,198 | — |
1805 | 32,058,192 | +3.5% |
1815 | 33,027,901 | +3.0% |
1825 | 33,991,579 | +2.9% |
1835 | 35,389,192 | +4.1% |
1845 | 36,378,514 | +2.8% |
1855 | 37,105,791 | +2.0% |
1865 | 38,048,912 | +2.5% |
1875 | 39,212,427 | +3.1% |
1885 | 40,489,098 | +3.3% |
1895 | 41,248,915 | +1.9% |
1905 | 42,084,018 | +2.0% |
1915 | 43,209,051 | +2.7% |
1925 | 44,089,520 | +2.0% |
1935 | 45,080,821 | +2.2% |
1945 | 46,184,099 | +2.4% |
1955 | 47,304,812 | +2.4% |
1965 | 48,609,024 | +2.8% |
1975 | 49,887,512 | +2.6% |
1985 | 51,290,893 | +2.8% |
1995 | 52,608,260 | +2.6% |
2005 | 54,082,145 | +2.8% |
2015 | 56,121,495 | +3.8% |
2025 | 58,446,218 | +4.1% |
2035 | 61,201,281 | +4.7% |
Census Statistics (1795-2015) |
The population of Emerstari proper, according to the 2035 census, is 61,201,281. The overall population density 95.02/km2 (246.1/sq mi); although, there is variance throughout the country, especially away from population centers. About 33% of the Emerstarian population lives in an urban setting, whereas 27% of the population lives in a suburban setting and the remainder, 40%, lives in a rural setting. Emerstari's largest city in terms of population is Erk, which has a population of 3,090,254; it is followed by Kalamer (2,690,657), Malmø (1,922,745), and Koppingburg (1,272,489), the three other cities with a population surpassing one million. The Køroenets–Rontseljere metropolitan area, though, known as Kuingsholmer, has a population of 1,884,430. Erk and Inepolien are the most populated provinces with 8,767,815 and 8,267,755 people respectively; they are followed by Valerige, which has a population of 6,114,463. The least populated Emerstarian province is Kjorien, with a population of 946,952. Kjorien is also the least densely populated province, with the majority of its populace living in Ljund.
Between the 2025 and 2035 censuses, there was a 4.7% growth of the Emerstarian populace: 2,755,063. Approximately 276,000 children were born in each year between, with an infant mortality rate of 2.1 deaths per 1,000 infants. Altogether, the mortality rate per 1,000 persons in Emerstari between 2025 and 2035 was 9 deaths per 1,000 persons. Conversely, the birth rate was 13.5 births per 1,000 women. The total fertility rate of the average Emerstarian woman was 2.09 children between 2025 and 2035, this is over a replacement rate is 2 children per woman.
As of the time of the 2035 census, there was an average male to female ratio of 0.96 to 1, and the average age of an Emerstari was 38.2-years-old. The population is further distributed as follows:
- 0–14 years: 18.62%, 1.05 males (5,982,731 males; 5,412,947 females)
- 15–24 years: 13.12%, 1.03 males (4,135,248 males; 3,894,360 females)
- 25–54 years: 39.29%, 1 male (12,022,992 males; 12,022,992 females)
- 55–64 years: 12.94%, 0.99 males (3,920,126 males; 3,999,320 females)
- 65+ years: 16.03%, 0.78 males (3,088,584 males; 4,830,862 females)
The life expenctancy for an Emerstarian is 80 and 84, for men and women respectively, giving a national life expenctancy of 82. Emerstari has an human development index (HDI) score of 0.873, which remains steady from previous years. It is based upon the ten mandated years of primary and secondary education in Emerstari, the thirteen years of education that the average Emerstarian experiences, the average life expenctancy at birth (82), and the GDP per capita (63,887.55 NSD)
Immigration and naturalization
In 2035, there were a total of 601,390 foreign born persons residing within Emerstari at the time of that year's census. Of these, 129,719 had attained Emerstarian citizenship. Moreover, a further 179,091 were in the process of seeking citizenship. The remaining 292,580 were either residents of Emerstari or seeking residency in Emerstari, primarily for purposes of work or education. Under Emerstarian law, residency differs from citizenship in the fact that a resident may legally live and work in Emerstari, but they are not guaranteed certain rights which citizens are gauranteed. Additionally, residency often expires after a certain period of years. Residents are not considered Emerstarians. The Emerstarian monarch may grant and revoke residency and citizenship; in 2035, Erik XII Georg granted permanent residency to several thousand Rudonic refugees.
Emerstari does not practice jus soli, or birthright citizenship, in which you become a citizen of a country by being born within that country. Rather, Emerstari practices jus sanguinis, or right of blood, in which you become a citizen of a country by having a parent who was a citizen. In Emerstari, the law of jus sanguinis extends to women as well as men; that is, to receive Emerstarian citizenship by birth, either your mother or father could have been a citizen. This law applies whether or not you were born within Emerstari, but if you were born outside of Emerstari, you must have had a grandparent who lived in Emerstari at some point in their life. Therefore, if you were born to Emerstarian parents in a foreign country, your child will be born an Emerstarian citizen as well, since their grandparents were born in Emerstari. If you had a great-grandparent who was born in Emerstari, you may return to Emerstari and become a citizen without subjection to naturalization (so long as you prove good moral character, show proficiency in Emerstarian, and take an oath of allegience to the Emerstarian monarch) by the Emerstarian Lag om der Rettighedter fur Tilbaging ved Blod law. If your connection to Emerstari is more distant than a great-grandparent, then you may still return under that law, but you are thereafter subject to naturalization, albeit a shorter naturalization. Regardless of your connection to Emerstari, you must prove it by a documented family tree or a DNA test.
The Emerstarian naturalization process begins for one upon an acceptance of their request for a category of residency known as folksbyng, or national residency. One may attain this at an Emerstarian consulate or embassy within their country of origin or at Inundrarnsø, an island off the coast of Emerstari. Having attained a folksbyng, one must permanently live within Emerstari for three years (one year for ethnic Emerstarians returning by jus sanguinis). Afterwards, one is eligable to apply for citizenship. If one's application for citizenship is accepted, one must take the Emerstarian citizenship test under the supervision of an authorized immigration proctor. The citizenship test examines basic understanding of Emerstarian values and customs, of general history and government, and of the Emerstarian language. It is a verbal twelve question tests which selects questions from a bank of sixty questions, and if one answers at least three-fourths of the questions in each category correctly, the process culminates with an oath of allegience to the Emerstarian monarch, which goes as follows, in Emerstarian (the language in which it is recited) and English:
Jeg svar med All Kraftfuld God som mine bevisser, at nar jeg ar en Emersk inmann, at jeg skal værer tro until Hans Majestet, Erik XII Georg, åg at jeg skal værer trofast until ham åg hans arvinger ved der lag. Jeg skal værer merdærover godt i Emerige åg årar hennes rettighedter, frihedter, åg hveder. Jeg skal vissedt kyndhedt until de Emersk folk, fur jeg ar nu lig dem, åg jeg bodt nu med dem. Amen åg halelyja. I swear with God Almighty as my witness, that when I am an Emerstarian citizen, that I shall be true unto His Majesty Erik XII Georg and that I shall be loyal unto him and his heirs according to the law. I shall moreover be good in Emerstari and honor her rights, freedoms, and traditions. I shall show kindness unto the Emerstarian people, for I am like them now, and I live among them now.
Emerstari allows the possession of dual citizenship by Emerstarian citizens; however, it does not recognize the concept of dual citizenship, and one may lose Emerstarian citizenship if they, among other things: renounce allegiance to the Emerstarian monarch, in an oath or otherwise; ignore their obligations to Emerstari (such as paying taxes); or serve in a foreign military.
Emigration
As a result of the overseas expansion of Emerstari in the late sixteenth-century and into later centuries, up until the early-twentieth century, Emerstarians migrated elsewhere throughout the Emerstarian Empire, creating numerous diasporas in regions that have since been released, such as Fyrland in the Green Union nation of Arasland, Bavejska in Sjovenia, and Öste in Phoenixia. While the diasporas of Fyrland and Baveska retain certain Emerstarian traditions such as Lutheranism, the Emerstarians of Öste differ, in that they originate from a community of Catholic Emerstarians from South Whentii and and Erk along the east coast, who emigrated outside of the Emerstarian Empire to establish communities of their own. The Emerstarians of Öste emigrated between 1697 and 1709. There were not notable periods of emigration from Emerstari either during the nineteenth century, which was the period of the Emerstarian Golden Era, or during the twentieth century as there are in various other countries.
As of 2035, the Census and Statistics Office reports that some 700,000 Emerstarians citizens were abroad, for work, education, or residence. About 120,000 Emerstarians leave and return each year. The largest group of Emerstarian expats were in Canaria, then Coelans, Marseile, Saexeland, and Soumeland.
Language
Proto-Scanian | |||||||||||||||||
Proto-Rhenish | |||||||||||||||||
Old North Scanian | |||||||||||||||||
Eastern North Scanian | |||||||||||||||||
Emerstarian | |||||||||||||||||
The Emerstarian language is the official language of Emerstari. It is a North Scanian language, which is related to and holds a certain amount of mutual intelligibility with Coelansish, Ermandish, and Saurish. Another North Scanian language with which Emerstari has less mutual intelligibility with is spoken in some far northern communities of the Halleran Isles and the Northern Isles as a whole as a regionally recognized language: Norðurmál. Linguists often suggest that there is the most mutual intelligibility between Emerstarian and Coelansish, then Ermandish, then Saurish, and then Norðurmál. All five languages descend from Old North Scanian, which is descended from Proto-Rhenish. The Proto-Scanian language is ultimately descended from Proto-Scanian and sister-languages with the Proto-Polusian, Proto-Itric, and Proto-Caloudic.
Many among those born after 1970s, when additional languages began to be pushed in Emerstarian schools, have at least some knowledge in a language aside from Emerstarian, especially in languages also spoken around the Scanian Peninsula. A variety of polls and studies by various organizations assert that about 38% of Emerstarians can hold a conversation in an additional language, 18% can hold a conversation in two additional languages, and 8% can hold a conversation in three or more languages, while 36% of Emerstarians do not possess proficient knowledge of another language or cannot speak another language at all. Rhenish is the most spoken second language in Emerstari, followed by Canarian, English, Marseilian, and Soumish.
Religion
Affiliation | % of Emerstarian Population | |
---|---|---|
Christianity | 96.1 | |
Protestantism | 93.6 | |
Church of Emerstari (Lutheranism) | 92.2 | |
Pietism (Lutheranism) | 1.2 | |
Religious Society of Friends | 0.2 | |
Catholicism | 2.4 | |
Other Christian denominations | 0.1 | |
Other faiths | 1.1 | |
Irreligion | 1.6 | |
Atheist | 0.8 | |
Agnostic | 0.4 | |
Nothing in particular | 0.4 | |
Don't know or didn't state | 1.2 |
The ancient inhabitants of Emerstari until their Christianization practiced a religion known as Emerstrú, which varied according to the region of Emerstari it was in. Overall, it was a monotheistic religion which Emerstarian tradition holds as descending from Noahic religion. Saint Sigebert, a Marseilian bishop, arrived in Emerstari in AD 81 and converted Niel Gorma, the chieftain of the Hrudolfung clan, who would emerge in history as Gorm of Flodland. The Christianization of Emerstari is generally seen to have been completed in AD 322, with the conversion of Bjorn of Haller. Emerstari was a Catholic nation until the Scanian Reformation in the mid-fifteenth century, when Georg I Erik converted to Lutheranism and established the Church of Emerstari.
Today, Emerstari is a predominantly Lutheran nation, wherein some 93% of Emerstarians profess the Lutheran faith. Christians as a whole compose about 96% of the population. Other religious populations form around 1% of the population, and nonreligious individuals form 2% of the population.
A study done by the University of Uppsalle in 2031 which consisted of 10,291 Emerstarians showed that
- 93% of Emerstarians believe there is a God.
- 4% believed there is some sort of god, spirit, or life force.
- 3% did not believe in any sort of god, spirit, or life force.
Another study by the University of Kalamer in 2034 had the following results:
- 77% of Emerstarians considered themselves to "deeply believe" in religion.
- 18% of Emerstarians considered themselves to "believe" in religion.
- 5% of Emerstarians considered themselves to possess "doubts" about or "not believe" in religion.
Health
The national life expentancy in Emerstari is 82 years, from an average of 80 years for men and 84 years for women. Between the 2025 and 2035 censuses, there was a mortality rate of 9 deaths per 1,000 persons, whereas there was an infant mortality rate of 2.1 deaths per 1,000 infants. A maternal morality rate of 2 deaths per 1,000 births exists in Emerstari. The Census and Statistics Office released a report in 2033 stating that the most prominent premature causes of death in Emerstari were diseases of the heart, diseases of the respiratory system, injuries, diseases of the nervous system, and diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
In Emerstari, the pharmaceutical industry is subject to significant government regulation, and all non-medicative drugs are illegal in Emerstari. Nonetheless, tobacco and alcohol are accepted items of dependance. Chewing tobacco is more widespread in Emerstari than cigars or cigarettes, partially as a result of Erik VI Georg's animosity towards the smell of tobacco when it was first introducted to Emerstari in 1530 from Markion. Despite various temperance movements throughout Emerstarian history, alcohol poisoning remains a notable cause of death in Emerstari, more so than tobacco.
There is not national system of healthcare coverage in Emerstari; however, the Church of Emerstari manages the Sankta Margaret Sykting, which works as a public healthcare bank. Moreover, there are various private equivalents throughout Emerstari.
Education
Pubic education in Emerstari is provided through local taxes; however, most primary and secondary schools require tuition if you are not within their district. Primary and secondary education is federally-mandated in Emerstari and is divided into nine grades, which start at age six. Upon graduation, there is a 89% enrollment rate into public vocational schools known as gymnasjomner in Emerstarian. There are twenty-one different programs provided in gymansomner which are designed to prepare Emerstarians for specific fields of work or for entrance to college. Some 48% of Emerstarians conclude their academic careers after gymnasjomner, while 41% of Emerstarians go on to attend a college. The Census and Statistics Office released a figure in 2031, stating that in that year 54% of Emerstarian children attended public schools, 34% of children attended a private school, and 12% of children were home-schooled. Emerstarian public schools are affiliated with the Church of Emerstari and teach theology in class.
There are 389 universities, colleges, and institutes in Emerstari, with the oldest of them being founded in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Uppsalle University was founded in 1450, Rensulier University was founded in 1467, Duke of Ekkesburg's University was founded in 1502, and Malmø University was founded in 1531. The average annual tuition of an Emerstarian university in 2034 was 5,430.88 ESK, or 16,457.21 NSD, with public universities generally costing less and private universities generally costing more.
Culture
Music
A strong folk music tradition prevails in Emerstari, with the use of fiddles, flutes, frame drums, and pipes. A sort of Emerstarian folk music known as feldsmusik also features the use of guitars as well as some other less traditionally Emerstarian instruments. Emerstarian folk songs are prevalently ballads, often based upon poems from the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries.
The Emerstarian Golden Age of the ninteenth century was the first time that many Emerstarian composers began to gain international renown, as opposed to Rhenlanders or Marseilians. Villem Karl Stenhammer, Frederik Lars Alfssen, and Håkon Per Ljunden are some of the most influential Emerstarians, all of them finding royal patronage at some point or another. Ultimately, the popularity of classical music declined after the Scanian Ten Years' War, with the deaths and retirements of many of the Golden Age composers, but swing music arose from it. Emerstarian folk music and swing music hold the majority of the Emerstarian music market today. Most pop, rock, and other genres of music aside from folk and swing come from foreign markets, first arriving in Emerstari in the late-1970s and early-1980s. There is generally a poor attitude among many Emerstarians towards genres such as rap and metal, which are sometimes seen as culturally invasive.
Literature
The history of literature in Emerstari begins sometime after the Christianization of Emerstari, during which the Old West Scanian Script was introduced. The oldest still-surviving texts from before the AD 600s are often religious texts and short markings on stone tablets, but these are scare in number. By the AD 600s, however, the first written sagas began to appear across North Scania, likely originating from previously oral traditions. Kveld's Saga, an alliterative verse epic poem written sometime between 600 and 700, is often cited as being the greatest early piece of Emerstarian literature; although, it was originally written in the northern dialect of Proto-Rhenish spoken in present-day Coelans, Emerstari, and Saurland which would become Old North Scanian. In the following centuries, up until the end of the Middle Ages, many other Emerstarian sagas were written, most famously Kung Eirikr Segersællas Saga, Vilhjalmr Silfurtonnas Saga, and Aleifr Rauðas Saga.
The next great era of Emerstarian literature commenced sometime after the establishment of the Emerstarian Empire. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, even into the late-nineteenth century, many Emerstarian books were written on the adventures of various individuals to various lands. An early example of this genre, known as travel literature, in Emerstari is Frederik Kierke, whereas a later example of it is Han's Besøging til der Valdes Underjord. Beginning in the early-twentieth century, the mystery genre replaced travel literature for some time as the dominant genre of fiction in Emerstari; however, by the mid-twentieth century, the publishing industry experienced a surge in activity and grew much larger than it had been in previous centuries.
Philosophy
Up until the Scanian Reformation and the establishment of the Emerstarian Empire, much of the philosphy coming out of the Scanian Peninsula had originated in Rhenland, Marseile, and Itrisia to some extent as well. However, by the sixteenth century, and especially by the eighteenth century, numerous philosphers of note had come out of Emerstari, including Ingmar Henrik Riksborg, Lars Villem Mann, and Jakob Martin Gjordessen. Perhaps the most famous Emerstarian philosopher is Gustaf Karl Geijer, who was active during the Emerstarian Golden Age, and was an advocate of Christianity, evangelism, and monarchism. A historian of Emerstarian history as well as an author, poet, and composer, his had great influence on the Emerstarian Empire in the second half of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. Geijer is known to have had influence on the court of Erik X Gustaf, from which many modern Emerstarian processes of governance come, including Engeherdtism. He was, moreover, a mentor to another famed Emerstarian philoshoper, Olaf Anders Hogstrom, who wrote extensively on theology as well as life, folklore, and the afterlife.
Art and photography
Like philosophy, art in Emerstari was dominated by foreign influences, including Canaria, Marseile, and Rhenland in the case of art, for some time. The first memorable wave of Emerstarian artists came after the end of the Carolinian Wars in the early-eighteenth century, with an era of patriotism. The Emerstarian artists of this era, to the likes of Jakob David Engfeld and Lorens Olaf Erikssen, were noted for their portrait work, especially for their portraits of the Emerstarian gentry, peerage, and royalty. A second wave of Emerstarian artists came after the Scanian Wars of the Coalitions, during the Emerstarian Golden Age. Artists from this era in Emerstari, such as Osvald Ragnvald Strom and Karl Johann Dal, were prominently landscape artists, who painted the many fjords, rivers, mountains, and forests of Emerstari. With the end of the Emerstarian Golden Age, however, the second era of Emerstarian art is said to have ended. In present-day, Jakob Valdemar Karlssen is often recognized as Emerstari's predominent artist through his work as the royal portraitmaker beginning in the 1990s.
Photography has existed in Emerstari since the 1830s, and in the mid- to late-ninteenth century, there was a significant importance to photography with the rise of nationally-read newspapers. During the Scanian Ten Years' War, Ulrik Lorens Sjomann gained prominence as a wartime photography; he is oftened remembered for his pictures of pilots during the war, many of whom were members of the lower nobility. In 1959, Ingmar Ludvig Njelssen become the first royal photographer in Emerstari under Erik X Gustaf. Modern Emerstarian photographers Jakob Bjorn Ljundburg and Astrid Klasa Johannssen actively participate in principal exhibitions through Arda en' Estel.
Architecture
As a result of Emerstari's many expansive forests, especially of spruce and pine, the earliest surviving structures and ruins in Emerstari are often woodwork. These include motte and bailey castles as well as stave churches, the oldest of which are suggested to have been built during the beginning of the Christianization of Emerstari. By the Middle Ages, though, stone became an increasingly common material for the construction of important structures. Some buildings of this era which still stand are Olskrone Castle, the Old Castle in Rensulier, Hjemgren Fortress, and Koppingburg Cathedral. The base for Koppingburg Cathedral was originally set in 1227 in limestone; however, the building took until 1466 to finish. It is was building in Emerstari until Duke of Ekkesburg's University was founded in 1502. Both were later surpassed by Arhus Cathedral which was finished in 1603 and is 119 m (389 ft). Arhus Cathedral remained the tallest building in Emerstari until the rise of the skyscraper in the mid-twentieth century.
After the era of the stave church, variations of the Itric architectural style dominated Emerstarian buildings of note in the Middle Ages until the early modern era, in which baroque and rococo architecture prevailed. Both Midtenland Palace and Rensulier Palace, two residences of the Emerstarian royal family are built in the baroque style. After the Scanian Wars of the Coalitions, with the Emerstarian Golden Age, the national romantic style came to prevalence in Emerstari. By the twentieth century, it came to evolve into the northern classicism style, which is still implemented in Emerstarian construction in modern-day.
Cuisine
The culinary traditions of Emerstar originate in the local produce and resources of the country, featuring many dishes with seafood, vegetables, berries, and bread. Several dishes may be considered the national dishes of Emerstari, including: underbrod (an open rye bread sandwich with salmon and a variety of vegetables on top), which is typical of Emerstarian light midday meals as a result of Church-endorsed midday fasting; potatensskål (baked potatoes with meatballs, pickled cucumber, and lingonberry jam), which is typical of Emerstarian diners; and gravleks (salmon cured with salt, sugar, and dill), another dinner meal. Commonplace ingredients in Emerstari include venison, rabbit, and poultry for meats in the north, whereas in the south beef and pork are more prevalent. While fruits, excluding apples and pears, are not traditionally consumed in Emerstari, berries, potatoes, cabbage, turnips, cucumbers, and (since the eighteenth-century) tomatoes are all prevalent. Dairies such as cheese, yogurt, and milk form part of the Emerstarian diet as well; milk provides another north-south divide, where goat's milk is more common in the north and cow's milk in the south. Alcohol has a special place in the culture of Emerstari, and the nation is known for some of its beers which are brewed around Malmø and in the Halleran Isles.
Grocery stores generally don't exist in Emerstari outside of some of its larger cities; although, still in its cities, there is a tradition of regional farmers coming to market squares and selling their goods. As opposed to grocery stores, Emerstarians often will either produce their own food (especially, milk and eggs if not other things) or buy their food from local specialized tradesmen, such as a dairy farmer or a butcher. There is a farm culture in Emerstari, and foreign countries are sometimes looked down upon for their processed foods.
Large feasts in Emerstari typically take place during Christian holidays to the likes of Christmas and Easter. The Christmas dinner is generally larger than the Easter dinner, but both are generally several-course meals with meat, vegetables, and breads. The Easter in Emerstari is sometimes distinguished for the consumption of alcohol that traditionally occurs during it.
Dress and fashion
The traditional dress of Emerstari is marked for the importance placed on representing your clan and familial associations. Mådkladder, or maud clothing, is the most formal level of traditional Emerstarian dress. For both men and women, it consists of wearing a maud with their clan patterns; for men, around the shoulders and the non-dominant arm, and for women, around the neck, clipped by a brooch. Both men and women also wear hats with mådkladder, men wearing Sallian bonnets and women wearing Elsian bonnets. High-cut tweed jackets and vests atop of white dress shirts are common wear for men. For legwear, men will wear slektentrys, or clan trousers, which are high-waisted trousers with one's clan patterns on them. Additionally, they will wear belts with a sporran on it. On men's left hands will be their wedding and signet rings. Women often will wear red, blue, or white calf-length or ankle-length dresses with mådkladder. Both Emerstarian men and women will wear brogues, but whereas men's are flat-heeled and closed, women's may be high-heeled and open. Less formal than mådkladder is flatsjakke kladder, or flat coat clothing. Under that is degskladder, or day's clothing, gångskladder, or walking clothing, and lettskladder, or light clothing.
Emerstarian clothing, similar to the food of Emerstari, is locally-made. Oftentimes, more simple items of clothing, such as socks, underwear, sleepwear, and informal shirts, trousers, and skirts or dresses will be made within the family of the person who will be wearing it. More complicated, formal, and/or decorative items of clothing will be made by a local seamstress or tailor. Emerstarian clothing is generally made out of natural materials that are native to Emerstari like wool, linen, and tweed as opposed to polyester. Although non-native, cotton has become more common in in Emerstarian clothing.
Facial hair is somewhat prevalent among Emerstarian men, who often wear either a beard or a mustache. Traditionally, and still to some extent in the modern-day, sideburns were also a prevalent style of facial hair. Emerstarian men often keep their hair somewhat short. Among women, hair is worn long, often generally simple styles, whereas elaborate styles, often where the hair is put up, are reserved for formal occasions.
Holidays
Aside from traditional Christian and Protestant holidays, which are widely celebrated in Emerstari, there are number of national and cultural holidays which are celebrated in Emerstari. Among these, there is Walpurgis Night, or Valborgas Nigte, on 30 April and 1 May, which celebrates Saint Walburga, a missionary who came to North Scania, continuing the work of Saint Sigebert, and Midsummer, or Midsommer, which celebrates the summer solstice, coming from a pre-Christian tradition. Eirik's Day, which celebrates the life of Eirikr Segersælla, the first King of Emerstari, is a uniquely Emerstarian holiday. It is celebrated on the date of his death, 21 July, and often consists of families coming together. The second of November is another unique Emerstarian holiday, Elgsdeg, or Deer's Day, in which the deer, the national animal of Emerstari is celebrated; it is a crime to hunt deer on this day. Name days are also prevalently celebrated in Emerstari, as are birthdays.
The Emerstarian Christmas season traditionally begins with Saint Nicholas Day on 6 December, and it lasts until Ephiphany on 6 January. Between, alongside Christmas Day and Christmas Eve, the day in which Emerstarian families usually gather to celebrate, there are several days for various saints, patriarchs, and other Christian figures which are recognized by Emerstarians.
Media
Mass media in Emerstari goes back to a tradition of local men gathering at an inn to drink and discuss regional news. Sometimes innkeepers had apprentices who would write down recent happenings and post them outside of the inn. The Emerstarian constitution, ratified in 1756, guaranteed free press to Emerstarians, and in the following century, by the mid-ninteenth century, certain newspapers, especially those of major cities, had become nationally-read. Within towns and cities, there would often be printing apprentices calling the news and selling newspapers on the streets to businessmen and farmers who came in to sell their produce. In the following decades, some newspapers began to associate themselves with certain coalitions in government, certain guilds, and certain trade unions. Newspapers are still widely-read in Emerstari, especially local ones; though, the largest newspapers in the country are der Rontseljeres Kronikke, der Kuingsblad, der Ljunds Post, and der Erks Tider. Since the rise of radio and the rise of television throughout the twentieth century, several large broadcasting companies have arose in Emerstari. They typically operate under different stations and different names by region, but they are, by order of viewership, der Rikes Utsendingting, Emeriges Folks Utsendingting, der Osterlig Utsendingting, and der Bjorn Ingmar Karlssen Utsendingting.
Sports
Sports and sporting events have been a core part of Emerstarian culture for thousands of years. Oftentimes, dukes and other noblemen will host regional fairs for several weeks during the summer in Emerstari, during which there are traditional Emerstarian games like repskraft (rope's strength), trabaring (tree carrying), and bolkasting (ball throwing) are played. Other competitions such as for archery and running, both long-distance and sprinting, are held. In general, handball, rugby, and bandy are popular team sports in Emerstari. Golf is considered the national sport, and badminton and tennis are important traditions as well. Derbies are seen as one of the sports of the Emerstarian upper class; many of the horses participating are owned by the peerage or gentry. Erik XII Georg, the current Emerstarian monarch, is a proponent of activity among the Emerstarian population, and during his time as crown prince, he was on the Hastiludia Committee as the Emerstarian representative and went on an expedition to northern Fyrland. He has hosted and run in several long-distance races during his kingship.
The Emerstarian men's national bandy team, sometimes called the Tred Kroner for their logo, which is based off the arms of the House of Leijonhuvud, is regarded as the best in Scania. It was won in the winter Hastiludia twelve times. Einar Villem Holm is an Emerstarian tennis player, who has won gold at the summer Hastiludia several times and is regarded as the best tennis player in Scania. Other Emerstarian athletes of note include Mikael Per Strandberg, Andrea Sonja Erikssen, and Olaf Thomes Frederikssen. Emerstari has participated in the Hastiludia since its conception and has hosted the 1915, 1931, 1936, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2011, 2017, and 2029 Hastiludias.
Tourism
According to the Venson Union Council on Tourism, Emerstari is the fifth most visited country in the Scanian Peninsula, after Marseile, Canaria, Soumeland, and Itrisia. Tourism to Emerstari's many historical sites, palaces, castles, and cathedrals is seasonal due to the Emerstarian climate; as a result of this, more than half of all tourists coming between the months of May and August. In contrast, though, tourism to Emerstari, especially its north, to see the natural landscape of Emerstari is often year-round. Ski resorts in Marland are also a major attraction for some international visitors to Emerstari.