Asucki

Federal Republic of Asucki Reapuublikae Aesuucki
Flag Seal
Motto: Libertaera Bie Vuenaura Liberty is Peace
Anthem: Vaektrana, Asuckianin!
Capital	Novaera
Largest city	Aurinnen
Official languages	English, German
Recognised national languages	Aubauna
Demonym(s)	Asuckian
Government	Federal Presidential Constitutional Republic
• President	Sean Cooper
• Vice President	Callen Reynolds
Legislature	Congress
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Establishment
• Middle Waters Confederation	1748 - 1933
• Unification	October 7, 1933
Population
• 2020 census	7,050,169
HDI (2021)	.79 high
Currency	Florin (ƒ) (ASG)
Time zone	UTC0 (MWQ)
Date format	mm/dd/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+388
Internet TLD	.asck

The Federal Republic of Asucki is a small nation situated on the largest island landmass in the Teremaran Middle Waters. Census data lists the population as approximately 7.1 million people, the majority of which are scattered throughout the nation in small towns and rural villages. The geographically largest city is Novaera, which lies on the country's eastern coastline where it serves as a center of industry and government. The most populous city is Aurinnen on the opposite coast.

Celtic and Polynesian tribes migrated to the Asuckian Isles from at least 700 B.C. up through the first century A.D. These largely nomadic tribes eventually found the region to be highly suitable for agriculture, leading to feudalization and the formation of various small city-states and kingdoms. Christianity was brought to the Isles in the sixth century by missionaries from continental Teremara, which would culminate in the Schismatic Wars between Roman Catholic and Orthodox states between 1054 and 1065. With the rise of international trade and colonialism, the area's relative isolation and easy access to to the sea caused a mass migration of pirates seeking fortune. These pirates dominated the smaller Asuckian states before being pushed out by the major Teremaran colonial powers as well as the large kingdoms of Aurinnen and Novaera. As time went on, the various smaller states became more heavily influenced by Novaera and Aurinnen, eventually resulting in the formation Middle Waters Confederation in 1748 and ultimately in the consolidation of all territories into one federal republic in 1933.

Asucki is a developing country economically, with performance in various metrics ranging from below-average to good. Historical policies of autarky and political isolationism have resulted in a largely subsistence-based domestic economy with an emphasis on exporting services. Economic liberalism and regional integration have resulted in major gains in both nominal and PPP GDP statistics in recent years. Politically, it is considered to be a free and highly developed country, scoring a 98.3 on the International Freedom Index. The constitution upholds, among others, the freedoms of speech, press, religion, and makes other guarantees, such as freedom to create trade unions, protection from unlawful imprisonment, and firearm rights. Asucki is a member of the United Teremaran Economic Conference and a prospective member of the Teremaran Security Organization.

History

Early History

Archeological records show that the Asuckian Isles had permanent human inhabitants as early as 700 B.C. with nomadic groups being likely even further back in history. The earliest permanent inhabitants were Celtic, most likely originating from the territories of modern day Greater Orcadia and Osatana and elsewhere in far-western Tavlyria. Over time, the remoteness of the Isles led to the cultures, languages, and religious beliefs of these tribes to develop along separate lines than their mainland counterparts.

Hujana nomads hailing from the areas of modern-day Hutanjia and Kenega in Wishtonia made landfall sometime towards the turn of the first century. Seeing the region as rich enough in farmland and fishing to support themselves, they settled in the west. Though this left them mostly separate from the eastern Celts, skirmishes and disputes arose between them almost immediately and continued as territories expanded and they were forced closer together.

This political situation resulted in the two groups influencing each other through invasion and trade. By the sixth century, the two had become more or less melded into one largely homogenous cultural group. The Aubauna, or originals, as this ethno-cultural would come to be known to contrast from arrivals from later eras, became completely distinct from any earlier Polynesian or Celtic cultures, developing their own traditions, practices, language, and religious pantheon.

Christianization and Schismatic Wars

In the early sixth century, Christian missionaries from continental Teremara arrived and began conversion efforts. The specific doctrines and loose nature of Séaiil, the predominant pagan faith system at the time, left many open to conversion. The increasingly Christian populace caused it to soon become politically convenient for rulers to convert as well. By the seventh century, Christianity was the majority religion in the Isles and a self-governing patriarchate had been established.

The early Church was fundamental in the development of the Isles. Christian missionaries helped develop systems for written Aubauna, which had only been expressed orally until that point. They also made the first efforts to unify the Aubauna dialects into one system, now called Church Aubauna, which remains in use in Asuckian liturgical rites of various denominations.

In 1054, the Great Schism between the western and eastern churches greatly affected Asuckian religious practice and resulted in several conflicts. The insular nature of the Asuckian Church left it largely politically separate from either side, so there was no consensus as to which to remain in communion with. Rulers chose one or the other either due to personal conviction or in attempt to separate from their neighbors. Others chose to use this period to justify expansion with religious reasons, causing a period of violence between Orthodox and Catholic states. The Schismatic Wars, as these conflicts came to be called, ended in 1065 with the Treaty of Raun, in which all major rulers involved entered a mutual agreement to permanently stop utilizing religious differences as justification for war.

Nameless Republic

The colonial era brought a number of small trading posts organized by Terre des Gaules and Asuckian nations, especially with the then-kingdom of Aurinnen. News of the Isles' ease of access and advantageous position soon reached continental Teremara and beyond. Its location between the two major Teremaran continents attracted large numbers of pirates who sought to raid trading vessels passing through the Middle Waters. Secret enclaves were established across the Asuckian coastlines, which were then utilized as bases for raiding and storing stolen goods. It is widely suspected that dozens of these hideouts remain undiscovered to this day, hidden throughout the rugged and deadly northern coasts.

In some areas, especially smaller city-states, the pirates' accumulated wealth and martial skills aided them in rising to positions of power within the various legitimate governments of the Isles. By 1645, the vast network of buccaneers had transformed into a system of ruling which operated as the de-facto executive of the island. This government, referred to as the "Nameless Republic" for its underground and covert nature, ruled most areas of modern Asucki from the shadows for the next few decades.

The trading convoys of various colonial powers were popular targets for raids, which brought undesired military attention. Aeksaen Evaer, a legendary Aubauna captain with great influence among the bands of pirates, made deals with various powers at various times for privateering contracts and non-aggression agreements. This arrangement continued until his death in 1689.

Without Evaer's charismatic leadership, the pirates of Asucki found themselves squabbling among themselves. The Novaeran and Aurinnenite governments began cracking down on piracy within their territories and began offering aid to other infested Asuckian nations in doing the same. This, combined with major naval defeats by fleets of anti-pirate coalition forces, all but eliminated piracy by the turn of the eighteenth century.

Middle Waters Confederation

For their aid in dismantling the Nameless Republic, The Kingdom of Novaera (Caelriggaen Novaera) and the Grand Principality of Aurinnen (Tiilriggaen Aurinnen) emerged among the other Asuckian nations as respectable entities willing to and capable of defending the Isles. For much of the early eighteenth century, the numerous smaller independent states began to align themselves with one or the other. As this continued, both sides feared a major conflict. The Vinae Conventions, held between 1746 and 1748, sought to create an agreement that would prevent such an occurrence and strengthen the Asuckian nations against outside colonial powers.

These conventions culminated in The Articles of Free Association of Novaera, Aurinnen, and the Territories of the Isles, which established the Middle Waters Confederation. The MWC included 92 territories, some of which were simply independent homesteads and villages. The Articles accomplished much in unifying the Isles, including formally recognizing their shared cultural identity and establishing intergovernmental means of resolving issues between the various signatories.

Republican Era

Around the same time, the ideas of the Enlightenment Era, previously relatively limited in influence due to the isolated geography of the region, began taking a foothold in the Isles. Members of Beaufort's republican Chartist Movement fled to Asucki to avoid persecution by royal authorities. Local governments allowed these Chartists to freely publish their ideas, which were then disseminated among both Asuckian and eventually Beaufortian audiences.

With the spread of the Enlightenment, the traditional monarchist structures of the larger Asuckian nations became highly controversial. The Grand Principality of Vinae, a neighbor to Novaera, was the first hereditary monarchy to collapse, with reigning Prince Eilain II abdicating peacefully after a series of referenda. Several other small, independent principalities and duchies experienced similar scenarios throughout the next several decades.

The capstone of the Republican Era, as the extensive period between 1760-1804 came to be called, was the dismantling of the Aurinnenite monarchy. In 1798, the League of Silver, a legally unrecognized union of workers mining silver in crownland mines, began a series of strikes over low pay and hazardous working conditions. Reigning Prince Aeliin IV utilized military force to end the strikes, which sparked riots across the Principality. Tensions continued to build for two years, until armed conflict broke out in the early months of 1800. Most of those in mining or adjacent careers either stopped working to join the revolt or were forced out of work by the revolutionaries seeking to cut off the government's income. The Aurinnenite Revolution continued until 1804, when revolutionaries were able to forcibly depose Aeliin IV and the royal family. A democratic government of the workers and peasants took over the nation in an arrangement that some modern historians consider to be proto-socialist in nature.

Despite the revolutions and reforms in neighboring states, the monarchy in Kingdom of Novaera retained its power, owing to the heavy influence of the Church on internal politics and the general popularity of the ruling House of Viiraen. Although the monarchy remained strong, several liberalizing reforms were introduced throughout the nineteenth century which competed with similar laws being carried out by republican neighbors. The General Council, a parliament which had evolved out of the councils of landowners, nobles, and representatives of the peasantry held since time immemorial, expanded and became more influential. The peasant class, empowered by this, began pushing for various reforms. The last vestiges of feudalism were eliminated from the Novaeran economy by the middle of the nineteenth century. Nobles were soon forced to surrender their holdings to the peasants who lived on them, in turn bringing about the rapid growth of rural agricultural landowners and a decrease in centralization.

Unification Era

Many prominent Asuckian thinkers of the early 1900s put forth serious suggestions for a full unification of the Asuckian peoples into one state. Among these were Aerael Schaen, an economist and political theorist who believed it necessary for the region's economies to unite to defend themselves from the overwhelming monetary resources of the continental powers, which now had easy access to the Isles due to globalization. Novaera's United Federalists, heavily influenced by the philosophy of Schaen and other similar theorists, as well as the general rise of nationalistic ideas worldwide, began political and paramilitary campaigns to promote a unified Asucki.

Between 1920 and 1933, the United Federalists and other similarly-oriented smaller groups across the various member states of the Middle Waters Confederation consolidated power, resulting in the formation of the modern-day Federal Republic of Asucki on October 7, 1933.

The ideology of the United Federalists following unification and through the majority of the twentieth century existed in the form of a nationalistic republican system with influences within the membership of the party itself ranging from Enlightenment liberalism to classical fascism. The economy was nationalized and transitioned into an autarky in order to fit the party's nationalistic grounding. Neo-Schaenism became the formal policy of international interaction. In contrast to the traditional understanding of Schaen's economic work, which was largely focused on the financial benefits of a united economy against the encroaching economy of larger powers, neo-Schaenist thought translated this concept into all areas of governance, including foreign relations. The Isles were to unite and manage themselves completely free from any kind of international influence. As a result of this dominant ideology, Asucki remained removed from the majority of the events of the twentieth century.

The new federal government also enacted several policies with aims to restore and preserve pre-Nameless Republic Aubauna cultural identity. Among these were the re-introduction of Aubauna, albeit in a simplified form, as a national language utilized alongside the vastly more common English and German. The party pushed for devolution of power to the provinces and localities, intending to maintain the traditional cultural acceptance of and preference for smaller governing units which had been present throughout the Isles since antiquity.

Liberalization of the 1980s and 1990s

Cracks began forming in the strong neutrality and autarky of the 20th century towards the end of the 1980s. The Asuckian Liberal Democratic Party was formed in 1987, supporting free trade and international relations. Congressional elections in 1990 saw them gain several seats, disrupting United Federalist domination of the political sphere. The first major Liberal Democratic legislative victory was the Nuclear Energy Act of 1991, which replaced all government managed coal and wood power plants operating on domestic fuels with nuclear plants that required the importation of uranium.

Modern Day

Asucki made its way into the twenty-first century as a rising power dealing with a series of internal political conflicts. The ultra-conservative block of the United Federalist Party began a campaign of pushback against the liberalization of the eighties and nineties. The office of the chancellor slowly lost much of the power it had possessed since the founding of the nation as the legislature responsible for his election became more and more divided. Political analysts often refer to the "Ten Year Slump," a period between 2000 and 2010 where they argue the chancellor accomplished nearly nothing in the way of a political agenda, as representative of the era.

In 2022, United Federalist political candidates in active military service won a large number of seats in the legislature, prompting outrage from liberal factions and fear of a potential military takeover and reversal of reforms. In response, the provinces of Aurinnen, Vinae, Esail, and Archipelagiae protested, calling for a convention to be held regarding the potential of a restructuring of the nation's constitution, which had been unchanged since its writing in 1933. Under pressure from these provincial governments as well as scattered groups of citizen protestors, the federal government authorized the second Asuckian constitutional convention. Votes were held at a provincial level, and any individual capable of acquiring more than ten percent of the popular vote in their province was sent to the convention.

After two months of deliberation, the new draft was finalized, and eventually approved by overwhelming majority vote on June 27, 2022. The most significant alteration was the replacement of the chancellor with a popularly elected president with full executive authority. With the people still concerned about a potential military takeover, presidential candidates were given a remarkably short period of only ten days to make their campaigns. Then-Minister of Defense Sean Cooper, who campaigned primarily on economic issues and restoring the people's trust in the military, eventually went on to win the presidency. On July 6, 2022, he was officially named the first president of Asucki and remains the incumbent.