Brumen

Kingdom of Brumen Königreich Brumen
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Einheit, Wohlstand, Frieden "Unity, Prosperity, Peace"
Anthem: Vorwärts Brumen Forward Brumen Royal anthem: Die Ewige Krone The Eternal Crown
Location of Brumen highlighted in dark green Continent of Belisaria highlighted in dark grey.
Political Map of Brumen
Capital	Dinsmark
Largest Metropolitan Area	Anfang Metropolitan Area
Official languages	Brumenese
Recognised regional languages	Losh Gariman Gresiye
Ethnic groups (2020)	Brumen 81% Lushyod 12% Ludz 3% Gariman 2.8% Greznean 1.2%
Religion	Irreligious 57% Aletheic Church 33% Alban Nazarism 10%
Demonym(s)	Brumen
Government	Federal Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy
• Monarch	Anne-Marie I
• Chancellor	Immanuel Von Dinsmark
• Chief Justice	Brigitte Schäfer
Legislature	Bundeskammern
• Upper house	Bundeskonklave
• Lower house	Bundeskongress
Establishment
• Allied Kingdoms Established	28 October 1198
• Articles of Union	10 June 1305
• First Reformation	3 September 1589
• Second Reformation	11 May 1850
• Constitutional Monarchy Established	15 January 1851
Area
• Total	334,912 km2 (129,310 sq mi)
• Water (%)	7.95
Population
• 2020 estimate	35,784,336
• 2020 census	32,893,755
• Density	98.21/km2 (254.4/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2020 estimate
• Total	$759 Billion
• Per capita	$23,074
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	$684 Billion
• Per capita	$20,800 (45th)
Gini (2020)	28.3 low (7th)
HDI (2020)	0.855 very high
Currency	Bon (Bn)
• Summer (DST)	Not Observed
Date format	DD/MM/YYYY
Driving side	left
ISO 3166 code	BRU
Internet TLD	.bru

Brumen, officially the Kingdom of Brumen (Brumen: Königreich Brumen), is country located in South-East Belisaria and is comprised of nine realms. Its location at South-East Belisaria connects its entire coastline to the Periclean Sea. The country shares land borders with Garima to the north west, Drevstran to the North as well as a maritime border with Greznea to the north east. Brumen covers an area of 334,912 km² (129,310 sq mi) and has a population of 32 million people, making it one of the less-populated countires compared to its immediate neighbors. It is colloquially known as the "Drei Flüsse Reich" (Realm of Three Rivers) due to the three river systems that extend from Brumen's interior to the Periclean Sea. Brumen's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) extends 200 nautical miles from the continent's baseline and covers an area of approximately 764.876 km² (475,272 sq mi). During the classical and late antiquity eras Brumen was part of Tervingia, a gothic political state and significant cultural power in East Belisaria that existed from 323 BCE until its dissolution in 429 CE. Due to this the nation has strong-gothic roots. However after Tervingia's dissolution the gothic peoples that inhabited present-day lands of Brumen developed its own unique Gothic-derived cultural identity that is distinct from its neighbors. The nation's capital is Dinsmark whereas its financial center and largest city is Anfang.

Originally a decentralized collection of various kingdoms located in Brumen's present-day lands, the threat of Audonian invasions during the Conquest of Garima as well as during the Alban Crusades of the 12th and 13th centuries, prompted the most powerful of these kingdoms: the Principality of Waldreich to rally the smaller Kingdoms together. Formed in 1198, the Allied Kingdoms is often considered the predecessor of the modern Kingdom of Brumen and served as a military coalition led by Waldreich. While the eastern lands were occupied the Allied Kingdoms ultimately repelled the Audonians, freeing the lands from Audonian occupation. Using the momentum from these victories, on 10 June 1305 Waldreich used its political capital to co-opt the other kingdoms and establish the Kingdom of Brumen, a sovereign nation uniting all the kingdoms with Waldreich elevated to a position of first among equals amongst its constituent realms. Since its inception Brumen was established as a secular state, its constitution known as the Vereinsartikel (Articles of Union) intentionally omitting any mention of religion or a monarch's divine right to rule. This large shift from a religious to secular society as largely influenced from Brumen's observation of Audonia's conquests, where religion is used to instigate conflicts. The shift within Brumen's society as a whole however happened more gradually. Originally Brumen was a unitary absolute monarchy, but through various reformations and a decade long insurrection throughout its realms, the nation gradually transitioned first into a federation until eventually the monarch's powers were rendered largely ceremonial in nature.

In the present day Brumen is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy with a directly elected bicameral legislature known as the Bundeskammern holds legislative power. Meanwhile executive power is divided between the Chancellor who serves as the head of government, and a monarch who serves as a ceremonial head of state. Brumen maintains a mixed economic system which is reflected in the significant presence of both private enterprises and state owned enterprises playing significant roles in the nation's economy. The government exercises some degree of econmic intervention in order to promote the general welfare of the people. Brumen is a developed country and provide a wide range of benefits for its citizens such as: a universal healthcare system, various social welfare programs, free tertiary level education at public universities and vocational schools. Brumen considers itself as a middle power of the Belisarian continent. The nation's unified military arm is the Große Armee des Reiches (GAR) comprised of the Landstreitkräfte, Luftwaffe, Königliche Marine, Küstenwache and the Staatsgarde, the latter forming the nation's organized militia component. The armed forces is comprised of a relatively small number of personnel with approximately 180,000 active personnel across all branches except the State Guard and is supported by a substantial domestic arms manufacturing industry.

History

Classical Age

Not much is known about the details of the region during ancient times. What is known however is that Tervingia used to hold influence over the region.

Medieval Era

During the medieval era the lands of modern-day Brumen was inhabited by various city states and small kingdoms and fiefdoms. Over the centuries prior to Brumen's establishment one kingdom rose to a position of significant influence over the region and is known as the Principality of Waldreich. It was during the 11th century that the Audonian invasions begun. The eastern lands were conquered by the Audonians during the Alban Crusades of the 11th century and occupied until the late 13th century. In an attempt to halt Audonian advancements in the region, Waldreich rallied the remaining Kingdoms & city-states to repel the Audonians and established the Allied Kingdoms. The Allied Kingdoms succesfully halted further Audonian advancements into Brumenese lands but it was not until after a century of warfare were the Audonians were fully driven back, liberating the eastern lands. After its completion Waldreich sought to establish itself as the dominant political, military and economic force of the region. The level of economic & political integration under the Allied Kingdoms was minimal with each polity was largely free to pursue its own foreign policies. During this time religion was one of society's central pillars with all members of the Allied Kingdoms adhering to the Aletheic Church as the state religion of the area. However the impact of the Alban Crusades has had a profound impact towards society. Experiencing first hand of the effects of wars of conquest caused by religious beliefs, the Allied Kingdoms sought to diminish the influence of religion within its day-to-day and strategic decision making process. The Allied Kingdoms was dissolved and in its place the Kingdom of Brumen was formed. Led by Waldreich the founders of the Kingdom wrote down the Vereinsartikel (Articles of Union) establishing Brumen as a unitary absolute monarchy representing nine constituent realms. While the autonomy and responsibilities of each realm was largely unmentioned implying a high-degree of autonomy for realms, Waldreich's status was elevated as first among peers as it spearheaded the defense of the Allied Kingdoms with the Monarch of Waldreich serving as the supreme monarch of Brumen. The Articles of Union explicitly left out the usage of divine right, or God's will, strongly implying the separation of the church and state.

First Insurrection

See main article: First Insurrection

The First Insurrection was an undeclared civil war in Brumen between Loyalists (realms that are loyal the Monarch of Brumen), against Insurgents (realms that demanded reforms). The First Insurrection was relatively bloodless and began in the January 1588 and ended in August 1589 and was caused by disgruntled realms of the Kingdom who perceived Brumen's unitary government structure as unfavorable towards the realms except for Waldreich. While the constitution implies each realm has a high degree of autonomy, as a unitary state, by law the Monarch of Brumen held supreme authority to bestow or revoke autonomy from each realm. The powers of the Crown, while written and specified in the nation's constitution, was written in a largely vague manner which gave the Monarch broad and near complete authority over the realms. Initially only the reform of Frieden, Kusten, and Tauberg voiced their concerns in the Oberhaus (House of Lords), the predecessor of the Bundeskammern. These realms advocated for greater autonomy to be granted to the realms and that the central government should be restricted from intervening in internal realm affairs. The root cause of the First Insurrection could be traced back to 1585 when Eckhard IV of house , the then-King of Brumen and known for his extravagant and lavish life style, announced a series of controversial pieces of legislation such as unilaterally reformed tax laws that favored realms that were politically more loyal to the Crown rather than those who were more independent of the Crown's influence. Insurgent realms primarily employed methods of passive resistance and civil disobedience against the Grand Army, which was deployed to enforce Eckhard IV's will upon the realms. However not all realms adhered to the policy of passive resistance. Reports of low-level skirmishes in the realms of Sudentor and Bewahren were reported. While not large-scale in nature it was enough to tie down resources and personnel from the Grand Army in both realms, preventing them from achieving their primary objective which was to retrieve gold for taxes. Meanwhile since the start of the First Insurrection, Eckhard IV's popularity and domestic support in Waldreich began to wane with the other noble houses of Waldreich openly questioning the legitimacy and necessity of the King's policies and actions. Fearing a further escalation of the conflict by the King, on August 1588 led by House Mayer, the high noble houses of Waldreich launched a coup against the Eckhard IV, forcefully removing him from the throne. This marked the beginning of the end of the First Insurrection, with Arndt I succeeding Eckhard IV who was eventually put on trial and exiled from Brumen for his part in intistigating the Insurrection. Arndt invited the other realms to Waldreich in order to properly discuss much needed reforms for Brumen.

The coronation of Arndt I marked the de facto end of the First Insurrection. Command elements of the Grand Army had grown wary of Eckhard IV's competency in commanding & leading the army. Officers who continued to be loyal to previous monarch were removed from command. Although no declarations of war were declared between Waldreich and the other realms, Arndt I called for an emergency session of the Oberhaus where he opened discussions amongst the realms to reform the nation in order to prevent another insurrection from occurring again. The primary concerns of the realms were the near-absolute authority the Monarch & Waldreich has over the other reform and the lack of autonomy each realm has, whereas the Monarch's & Waldreich's concerns were primarily centered around granting too much autonomy to the realms. The first round of deliberations resulted in no clear results although both the Monarch and the realms agreed a series of short term solutions & commitments. Monarch & Waldreich agrees to revoke some of Eckhhard IV's most controversial laws & policies primarily the tax & Oberhaus reforms. Meanwhile the realms, in good faith, reaffirm their loyalty to the Crown and normalize relations with the Crown & Waldreich. One month after this agreement a second round of talks took place which resulted in a more comprehensive agreement. The nation's constitution was amended, establishing clear and comprehensive set of boundaries between the Monarch and realms. The Oberhaus was vested with greater powers, transforming it from a consultative body to a full-fledged unicameral legislative body of the nation. The Oberhaus's powers include among others: legislative initiative in certain areas of the government, power of the purse and to conclude international treaties. The nation remained as an absolute Monarchy although certain powers of the Monarch were ceded to the Oberhaus in order to better reflect these changes. These transformations are collectively known as the First Reformation.

Second Insurrection

See main article: Second Insurrection

The Second Insurrection was a period of political and societal turmoil that engulfed the entire nation of Brumen from 14 May 1821 and ended on 24 April 1850. It was a civil war between those that were loyal to the Monarch of Brumen (referred to as Stoics) and various insurrectionist factions referred to as the Reformists. These were comprised primarily of peasants led by members of the middle-class such as merchants, artisans & scholars who were not of noble descent. Historians have generally agreed that the primary cause of the Second Insurrection was a due to a combination of various political, social & economic factors. For the peasants the continued usage and enhancement of feudal practices angered an already large and suppressed population. For the merchants, artisans & scholars, it was due to their demands for more participation in their country's governance. Prior to the insurrection, only the Monarch and members of the nobility were able to actively participate in the governing of Brumen. Members of the Oberhaus, the Kingdom's unicameral legislative body, was elected only by members of the nobility. All other classes of society were not permitted to take part in the election process but were expected to abide by all laws passed by the Oberhaus and the Monarch. The Second Insurrection is divided into two distinct phases: the first phase is known as the Awakening (1821 - 1842), and the second phase known as the Revolution (1842 - 1850). The Awakening was mostly centered around sporadic uncoordinated armed conflicts between the Grand Army and various armed groups of peasants. The Revolution however saw major battles between the Grand Army and organized groups of insurrectionists. After twenty nine years of war the Reformists emerged victorious over the Stoics. With their victory the noble houses who were part of the Reformists faction implemented sweeping and radical changes to Brumen's constitution and system of governance. Three of the most significant reforms include: Suffrage was granted to all men aged 24 years and above, Brumen's system of governance changed from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy, and finally the Oberhaus was dissolved and replaced with the Bundeskammern, a bicameral legislative body comprised of the Conclave as an upper house and Congress as a lower house.

Government & Politics

Anne-Marie I, Queen of Brumen

Immanuel von Dinsmark, Chancellor of Brumen

Brumen is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Its system of government is a unique hybrid model incorporating elements of both federalism and a constitutional monarchy. Since the mid 19th century Brumen has been able to maintain a stable democratic political system with citizens at the age of 18 and above granted universal suffrage although this was not achieved until the early 20th century. Under the constitution Brumen is a federation of nine constituent realms under the permanent presidency & guidance of Waldreich, the largest and most politically influential reakn. In spite of having a monarch, this position has been largely rendered ceremonial in nature with the functions of head of government held by the Chancellor and legislative powers transferred to the Bundeskammern, Brumen's bicameral legislative body. General Elections are held once every five years where both houses of the Bundeskammern are dissolved and citizens elect new members to establish a continuing or even new government. The government is divided into three distinct branches: executive, legislative and judicial.

• Executive: The Monarch of Brumen is the ceremonial head of state of the nation. Within this capacity they serve as a guarantor of the Kingdom's constitution, holds limited reserve powers in the event of a political instability and can veto unconstitutional laws before they become law. The Monarch does not have the power of legislative initiative and by tradition are expected to refrain from commenting directly towards current issues especially political related ones. By doing so it is hoped that each Monarch can provide an unbiased voice of reason when it comes to matters related to the constitution, legislation and others. The Monarch of Brumen is a hereditary position from Waldreich, the line of Monarchs in the modern era have all came under the House of Braun. In 2018, Anne-Marie I was crowned as the Queen of Brumen, at 30 years old she is also the youngest female to be crowned as monarch. The Monarch of Brumen also serves as the commander-in-chief of the nation's armed forces with all soldiers swearing allegiance to the Monarch. Howevever in spite of this the Chancellor of Brumen holds the authority to make decisions on how to utilize the armed forces. The Chancellor of Brumen also serves as the head of government and the director of domestic governance, policy-making, and foreign affairs. The Chancellor also chooses a council of ministers who is required to not be affiliated with any political parties.
• Legislative: The Bundeskammern is the supreme bicameral legislative body of Brumen. Members of the Bundeskammern are all democratically elected and is comprised of an upper house and lower house known as the Bundeskonklave (Conclave) and Bundeskongress (Congress) respectively . The Congress shares the powers of legislative initiative together with the Chancellor, all laws proposed from within Congress and/or the Chancellor must be approved by members of Congress. It also monitors the nation's executive body. The Conclave meanwhile is vested with significant powers as all legislation approved by Congress must be approve by the Conclave first before it becomes law. The Conclave is given the capacity to pass or block legislation that has been passed by Congress. The power of impeachment rests with the Conclave. At its early years the Bundeskammern did not exist and so the ''Oberhaus'', predecessor of the Bundeskammern, acted as the nation's de-facto unicameral parliament. Its duties were similar to a modern upper house, representing the voices of each noble house from every constituent realm of the Kingdom, with the monarch of Brumen bound by law to listen to their advise and opinions on certain matters. Over time this evolved and in the 16th century both the Bundeskongress and Bundeskammern were established to represent the voices of the common citizens and host both seats of parliaments respectively.
• Judicial: The ''Brumen Gerichtshof'' (Brumen Court of Justice - BCJ) is the country's highest court and hears final cessation appeals and conducts case reviews of civil matters. The BCJ may only oversee cases pertaining to federal law, it may not intervene in the cessation of realm laws although realm courts may refer cases to the BCJ if the court deems it necessary. The ''Königliches Verfassungsgericht'' (Royal Constitutional Court) hears matters in regards to the legality of laws, general elections and the scope of the authority of realm institutions. Judges of both courts are nominated by the serving Chancellor of the time and appointed by the Monarch.

Constituent Realms

Brumen is comprised of nine constituent realms: Waldreich (WAL), Tauberg (TAU), Bewahren (BEW), Frieden (FRI), Graben (GRA), Hoffnung (HOF), Küsten (KUS), Sturmwolf (STU) and Sudentor (SUD). Under the constitution the Federal Government may only legislate in areas where the realms have given the Federal Government express permission as written in the constitution. For example: realms have plenary powers to legislate on matters concerning education, local government, realm criminal law and police. However all matters related to: economic & monetary policy, law & justice, foreign relations & defense are matters where only the Federal Government may legislate. Each realm retains its own ceremonial lesser Monarchs who holds various titles. The Monarch of Waldreich however holds the additional title of Queen of Brumen. Realm legislatures are known as the Realm Chambers (Reichkammern), a realm's equivalent to the Kingdom's Federal Chambers. All are bicameral and are led by a Premier who serves as a realm's head of government.

Name	Postal abbreviation	Capital	Population	Area (km2)	Conclave seats	Congress seats	Legislature	Monarch	Premier
Waldreich	WAL	Dinsmark	9,952,102	120,448	XX	110	Reichkammern of Waldreich	Anne-Marie I	TBD
Tauberg	TAU	Vermögenwald	1,471,341	22,176	XX	27	Reichkammern of Tauberg	Warin X	TBD
Bewahren	BEW	Hafenstadt	5,389,002	50,084	XX	60	Reichkammern of Bewahren	Garrit II	TBD
Frieden	FRI	Ruhewalde	1,824,561	15,264	XX	36	Reichkammern of Frieden	Otto V	TBD
Graben	GRA	Berggarten	2,372,418	12,160	XX	45	Reichkammern of Graben	Annaliesa I	TBD
Hoffnung	HOF	Zeitfeld	3,471,445	34,208	XX	49	Reichkammern of Hoffnung	Renate III	TBD
Küsten	KUS	Flusstadt	1,112,878	18,048	XX	20	Reichkammern of Küsten	Frederick IV	TBD
Sturmwolf	STW	Feierbach	3,113,787	19,712	XX	48	Reichkammern of Sturmwolf	Wilhelm VII	TBD
Sudentor	SUD	Südendorf	4,186,211	42,848	XX	55	Reichkammern of Sudentor	Brigitte XX	TBD

17184

Military

Mechanized Infantry of the Land Forces.

See main article: Grand Army of the Realm

The Grand Army of the Realm is the unified armed forces of the nation and is comprised of the Land Forces, Royal Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and State Guard. Brumen maintains a personnel strength of 630,000 (180,000 active and 450,000 reserves) and supported by 30,000 full time civilian staff for administration & support purposes as of 2020, a relatively small number of personnel compared to its continental neighbors. It is administered by the Department of Defense (Ministerium der Verteidigung) a civilian federal government body that administers and establishes the defense policies of the nation. Civil wars during the early and mid 20th centuries from neighboring countries such as Drevstran and Greznea prompted the Brumenese government to allocate a significant amount of government spending for its armed forces to ensure that a spillover of these conflicts do not occur in Brumen by providing an effective deterrence in the form of a well equipped professional standing army. It was during these turbulent times that conscription was introduced, a practice that has continued to the present day although aspects of its implementation such as service duration for conscripts has changed significantly. However since the stabilization of Greznea in the early 21st century military spending has been gradually reduced from a peak of 7.8% of GDP throughout the late 20th century, to a more stable and sustainable 2.85% of GDP in the present day. The primary duties of the GAR includes: maintaining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Brumen, defend the nation from enemies both foreign and domestic, foster friendly & cooperative military relations with Brumen's neighbors as well as participating in regional humanitarian missions. Brumen currently has an active compulsory military service known as the Federal Service (Bundesdienst) mandate where all able-bodied male citizens between the ages of 18-28 years old are required by law to serve for 24 months in one of the following three bodies: the GAR itself, the Federal Police (Bundespolizei) and the Civil Defense Corps (Zivilschutzkorps). The Grand Army is supported by a substantial domestic arms manufacturing sector, a direct result of the volatile political situation Brumen found itself entrenched in during the early 20th centuries. Traditionally Brumen has maintained a strict defense-oriented defense doctrine, maintaining equipment & infrastructure to reflect said doctrine. In the modern era however this doctrine has changed slightly with the introduction of the Monarch-class Landing Platform Helicopter. While officially it is used for humanitarian, law enforcement, search & rescue & peacekeeping operations, its introduction signals a potential change for the Kingdom's defense-oriented military policy.

Economy

Brumen's economy is valued at approximately $684 Billion and is the 44th largest economy in the world by nominal GDP. It is categorized as a developed country with a high-income economy and maintains trade relations with its neighbors. It currently imports liquified natural gas as well as agricultural products and exports fishery products and refined petroleum to and from Gresnaya. The country has maintained a mixed economic system where both the private and government sectors contribute to the nation's economy. The government exercises some degree of economic intervention in certain areas of the economy, specifically those tied with public goods. This hybrid combination of free market and state intervention elements makes Brumen an example of a successful mixed economic system. The concept of welfare and egalitarianism are deeply rooted in the nation's economic policy, which is why the government plays a significant role in the commercialization of public good. A publicly funded universal health care system is in place for all citizens of Brumen, whereby all citizens are eligible to receive free health services in public health institutions. This system is funded by, in part, a 2% income tax levy from all workers in the country. An additional 1.5% is imposed on those considered as high income workers. Brumen's economy is primarily driven by four areas: resource extraction & refinement, manufacturing, fishery & the services sectors. Brumen's commercial fishing industry is supported by a large trawler fleet and its exclusive economic zone which encompasses an area of 764.876 km2 (475,272 sq mi). The country possess large amounts of natural resources primarily in petroleum, minerals & fisheries. A competitive commercial banking sector and the embracement of the digitalization of the economy are among the hallmarks of Brumen's economy. The Reserve Bank of Brumen (Reservebank von Brumen) is the nation's central bank, managing the country's currency (Bon) & establishing its monetary policy. The Financial Services Authority (Finanzdienstleistungs Behörde (FSB)) is an independent government agency that regulates, monitors the financial services sector of Brumen and investigate financial crimes. All forms of both domestic & foreign financial institutions must register and be certified by the FSB, who then conduct regular audits & inspections of all registered & certified institutions in Brumen. Originally the role of regulating & monitoring the nation's financial sector was the responsibility of the Reserve Bank of Brumen but since 1999, this function has been delegated to the FSB. Brumen's large arms manufacturing industry was the result of the politically turbulent early 20th century era in East Belisaria. This prompted the Brumenese government to become self-reliant in terms of the acquisition of arms, the government promoted & supported a strong & advanced domestic arms manufacturing industry. A majority of the equipment used by the Grand Army are produced domestically.

Science & Technology

See main article: Institute of Aeronautics & Space Exploration

Transportation & Infrastructure

See main article: Rail Transport in Brumen, Realm Railway Group of Brumen