Azmaran Confederation
Azmaran Confederation Azmaariś Bund | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1623–1810 | |||||||||
 Flag | |||||||||
| Motto: Strânghed komeþ fân ânhed en wyn Fader ("Strength comes from unity and our Father") | |||||||||
| Capital | Aalmsted | ||||||||
| Common languages | Azmaran (Westmaarkish, Groonbankish, IJssentaal, Hytklifer) | ||||||||
| Religion | Amendist Sotirianity | ||||||||
| Demonym(s) | Azmaran | ||||||||
| Government | Aristocratic confederal republic | ||||||||
| Chancellor | |||||||||
• 1623-1641 | Mikel fan Ryksmark | ||||||||
• 1809-1810 | Stefan fan Ryksmark-Halte-Haldorf | ||||||||
| Thingspeaker | |||||||||
• 1624-1633 | Þurisas fan Lilijenwaald | ||||||||
• 1709-1722 | Leif fan Woodensmont | ||||||||
• 1807-1810 | Helmut fan der Wejl | ||||||||
| Legislature | Alþing of the Estates | ||||||||
• Upper estates | Landsmot | ||||||||
• Lower estates | Folksmot | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Proclamation of Azmaran Independence | 18 January 1623 | ||||||||
• Annexation of Nordberg | 1721 | ||||||||
• Coronation of Stefan I | 25 January 1810 | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1805 | 1,912,000 | ||||||||
| Currency | Azmaran gylder | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of |  Azmara | ||||||||
The Azmaran Confederation, sometimes referred to as the Azmaran Republic or occasionally as the Union of Groonbank, Westmaark, Haadland, Hytklif, Sompland and Ostlaak in official documents, was a confederation proclaimed in 1623 by Amendist nobles in the Rudolphian state of Groonbank-Westmaark dissatisfied with the ruling Catholic nobility. Widely considered a predecessor state of the modern-day Commonwealth of Azmara and the first example of an independent Azmaran state, it lasted until 1810 when Chancellor Stefan fan Ryksmark-Halte-Haldorf was crowned Stefan I of the Azmarans and an enlightened monarchy was established in the Confederation's place.
Establishment
Economy
Politics
The Azmaran Confederation, as its name suggests, was a confederal entity consisting of six provinces, which had significant control over their own affairs, yet bound together under the common authority of the Alþing of the Estates. The six provinces were as follows:
- Duchy of Groonbank
- Margraviate of Westmaark
- County of Hytklif
- County of Haadland
- Viscounty of Ostlaak
- Viscounty of Sompland
However, the provinces of the Confederation did not cover the entirety of its area, and two notable independent areas existed: the Free City of Aalmsted, which was granted independence from Groonbank in order to ensure that the Alþing of the Estates was headquartered outside of the jurisdiction of any province, and the Free State of Nordberg, which upon its 1721 annexation was placed under the official control of the Alþing as it was felt admission as a full province would disrupt the balance of power between the six existing provinces.
The Alþing of the Estates served as the governing body of the Confederation and consisted of both the Landsmot and the Folksmot. The Landsmot represented the various noble houses of the confederation and senior clergy within the Church of Azmara, with all six provinces being given representation. The Folksmot, meanwhile, represented the burghers and the peasants of the Confederation; propertied citizens within the limits of the confederation's cities elected two representatives each, while land-owning commoners from each province elected four representatives and the land-owning commoners of Nordberg elected two representatives. These bodies were, in theory, equal, however in practise the Landsmot had more power as proposals from the Folksmot were often blocked.
The Confederation was led by the Chancellor of Azmara, who was nominated by the provinces to serve for life. In theory, while any member of the nobility could serve as Chancellor if nominated, almost all nominees came from the House of Ryksmark or its successor, the House of Ryksmark-Halte-Haldorf. The initial reason for this was that the Duchy of Groonbank and the Margraviate of Westmaark did not wish to give each other the position when the Confederation was founded, and thus the Ostlaak-based House of Ryksmark's candidate, Mikel fan Ryksmark, was chosen as a compromise candidate, and in future elections the house managed to re-elect its members as Chancellor due to its growing influence. The position of Chancellor controlled the country's armed forces, as well as over its treasury and over restoring peace in revolts, and thus the members of the House were particularly powerful in Azmara.
The Thingspeaker of the Alþing was also a particularly important political role, as they were responsible for chairing meetings of and mediating between the Folksmot and the Landsmot, and thus had immense power over confederal legislation. However, the position saw its power limited as its holder served at the Chancellor's whim, and while they had to be a member of the Alþing and hold its confidence, this placed them at best as a clear second-in-command in confederal politics.
Each province was ruled by a hereditary monarch who shared power with the Provincial Estates. However, uniquely, the Provincial Estates could block the accession of a monarch that they considered a danger to the province: while implemented in order to block the accession of a Catholic to the throne of either province, this became a common political tool used to remove monarchs who disagreed with the local nobility or clergy on key issues. Furthermore, each province had its own Chancellor appointed by the Provincial Estates who, mirroring the central government, exerted significant the treasury, armed forces and peacekeeping efforts, and thus the monarch's power in each province was severely limited and in many cases served merely as a figurehead.