Valduvia

Federated Valduvian Council Republics Federatīvās Valduves Padomes Republikas (Valduvian)
Flag State Emblem
Motto: "Vienota cīņa, vienota uzvara" "United struggle, united victory"
Anthem: "Padomisms slauka planētu" "Councilism Marches Through the Planet"
Location of  Valduvia  (dark green) – in Euclea  (green & dark grey) – in MASSOR  (green)
Capital and largest city	Priedīši
Official languages	Valduvian
Recognised regional languages	Weranian Martish Dellish
Ethnic groups (2020)	67.8% Valduvian 20.3% Weranian 2.8% Martish 2.0% Dellish 7.1% Other
Religion	56.3% Sotirianity 37.6% Irreligion 6.1% Other
Demonym(s)	Valduvian
Government	Federal socialist directorial council republic
• Presidium	Zigmārs Hermanis (President) Liesl Abelshauser Rūdolfs Auziņš Lauris Brastiņš Lavīze Krūmiņa Kristaps Laizāns Matīss Rozītis
• Premier	Janis Vilks
Legislature	Saeima
Formation
• Platavian Union	5 February 1450
• Treaty of Zeltvalis	15 August 1582
• Proclamation of the Valduvian Empire	20 August 1721
• Valduvian Revolution	19 June 1921
• Current constitution	7 January 1987
Area
• Total	406,865 km2 (157,091 sq mi)
Population
• 2020 census	55,279,300
• Density	135.9/km2 (352.0/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2021 estimate
• Total	$2.723 trillion
• Per capita	$49,266
GDP (nominal)	2021 estimate
• Total	$1.706 trillion
• Per capita	$30,853
Gini (2021)	26.7 low
HDI (2021)	0.884 very high
Currency	Valduvian zelts (VAZ)
Time zone	UTC-1
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right

Valduvia (Valduvian: Valduve), officially the Federated Valduvian Council Republics (FVCR, Valduvian: Federatīvās Valduves Padomes Republikas, FVPR), is a sovereign state in northern Euclea. The nation shares land borders with Kantemosha & Ambrazka to the west, East Miersa and Gaullica to the south, Kesselbourg, Hennehouwe, Estmere, and Alsland to the east, and Werania to the north. Valduvia's capital and largest city is Priedīši, with other major cities including Zeltvalis, Svētavots, Kirchhof, and Dzērbene. With a population of approximately 55 million and spanning an area of 406,865 square kilometers, Valduvia is the 6th most populous and 7th largest state in Euclea.

Valduvia is a socialist state governed as a federal council republic. The nation is divided into 12 constituent republics, each of which enjoys substantial autonomy over its own internal affairs. Valduvia possesses a directorial head of state consisting of a seven member Presidium, with a rotating presidency currently held by Zigmārs Hermanis. The Premier, currently Janis Vilks, serves as head of government and is held responsible to the federal legislature, the Saeima. Despite being one of the world's most repressive states during the 20th century, Valduvia has democratized considerably since the 1980s, and today scores highly on most freedom indices.

Modern day Valduvia has been inhabited by Ruttic peoples since classical antiquity, and served as the northern boundary of the Solarian Empire at its height. The collapse of the Empire during late antiquity created a power vacuum in the region, allowing the Valduvian tribes to consolidate into several petty kingdoms, duchies, and principalities during the early middle ages. These early states initially remained largely overshadowed by the more powerful Verliquoian Empire and Rudolphine Confederation, both of which controlled much of southern and eastern Valduvia at their respective territorial peaks. The modern Valduvian state begin to take form during the 15th century, when the monarchs of the Kingdom of Platavia inherited the thrones of several other Valduvian states. This personal union, known as the Platavian Union, quickly established itself as a regional rival to the Rudolphine Confederation. The Amendist Wars of the 16th century brought the Platavian Union into a personal union with Scovern and led to the establishment of the Valduvian Confederation, a loose defensive alliance between the Platavian realms and several other Valduvian and southeastern Weranian states. Tensions between Valduvia and the Rudolphines culminated in the Ten Years' War during the early 18th century, resulting in the consolidation of Valduvia into a federal state, the eastern expansion of the nation's borders, and the emergence of the Valduvian Empire as a great power in Euclea.

After enjoying a long period of stability, prosperity, and military dominance throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries, Valduvia's strength declined markedly following the nation's defeat in the War of the Triple Alliance. The onset of the Great Collapse in 1913, as well as the subsequent Airdale War with Estmere, caused popular support for the monarchy to collapse, culminating in a successful socialist revolution in 1921. Although initially founded on democratic principles, the new councilist regime quickly fell victim to corruption, ethnic nationalism, and weak constitutional checks and balances, allowing authoritarianism to take hold of the country by the end of the 1920s. Valduvia joined the Grand Alliance and entered the Great War in 1931, emerging victorious as a reinvigorated world power and sparking an economic boom. Tensions between Valduvia and the liberal powers of Euclea led the Grand Alliance to fracture quickly in the post-war era, leading to the Valduvian-Weranian War in 1949. The war exacerbated tensions between the federal government, which was dominated by ethnic Valduvians, and the Weranian-speaking minority in the eastern region of Burland.  Burlanders were widely accused of harboring reactionary and pro-Weranian sentiments, leading to a crackdown on suspected Weranian sympathizers by federal security forces and the outbreak of a low intensity conflict in eastern Valduvia. Nevertheless, the Valduvian regime remained largely stable as a result of its victory against Werania, becoming the first nation to develop nuclear weapons in 1955 and experiencing a long period of economic growth lasting through the 1970s.

Valduvia suffered a particularly sharp economic downturn during the Recession of 1980, allowing ethnic councilists to seize power in the 1981 Valduvian federal elections. Under Premier Andrejs Miezis, the Valduvian government intensified its campaign of repression against the Weranian population. After the 1983 Kirchhof attacks, Miezis declared martial law in Burland and ordered the military to quell the rising unrest. Several hundred thousand Burlanders were killed in the ensuing 18-month long crackdown, which is now widely recognized to be an act of genocide by most nations. In 1985, a group of moderate and reformist military officers staged a coup d'état against the Miezis regime, bringing an end to the genocide. Civilian rule returned in 1987 under the nation's first democratic constitution, which established a power sharing agreement that gave Burlanders increased political representation within the federal government. Relations between the Valduvian and Burish communities continued to improve over the next several decades, aided by the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission in 1989, the official recognition of the Miezis-era military crackdown as genocide by the federal government in 2010, and the 2011 approval of an economic reparations package for the Weranian community. The post-1987 Valduvian government also began to transition the nation's economy away from state socialism and towards market socialism, a process which was mostly complete by the early 2000s. Relations between Valduvia and the liberal powers of eastern Euclea have warmed considerably since democratization, and today the nation enjoys close economic ties with several major liberal economies on the continent.

Modern day Valduvia is a great power, boasting a developed market socialist economy and ranking highly in measures of education, life expectancy, health, income equality, and overall quality of life. The nation is widely recognized as the home of international socialism, and its councilist system of government has formed the basis for most of the world's socialist states. Valduvia plays an active role in the international community and is a founding member of the Mutual Assistance Organisation, Association for International Socialism, and Community of Nations. A dominant military force within the socialist world, Valduvia remains a major land power in Euclea, possesses a modest blue water navy, and is a recognized nuclear weapons state under the Treaty of Shanbally.

Etymology

The native Valduvian name Valduve is taken from the Valduve river, a major waterway which passes through the traditional core of Valduvia in the republics of Platavia and Vējstāda, as well as the capital city of Priedīši. The name is derived from the Valduvian verb valdīt, meaning "to govern, rule, dominate", along with the toponymic suffix -uve. The Embrianisation Valduvia, a derivation of the native form, initially appeared on maps in the 9th century in reference to the immediate area surrounding the Valduve river, but its use was expanded in the 16th century to include all of the lands ruled by the Platavian Union.

History

19th century

• Great power at start of century, but War of the Triple Alliance results in territorial concessions and raises ethnic tensions
• Empire cracks down on separatism, first instances of ethnically-charged gun control used against Burlanders
• The Diehlites emerge in Burland as an early socialist movement led by Werner Diehl, creating agrarian communes in rural Burland based around a shared Burish identity
• Ties with Church of Burland cause government crack down, Emperor favors Church of Platavia and labels Burish church as heretical

Early 20th century

Valduvian troops march towards the front lines during the Airdale War.

The onset of the Great Collapse in 1913 hit Valduvia particularly hard, plunging an already moribund economy into a state of crisis. Radicals in western Valduvia, inspired by the Diehlites, turned to socialism as a solution for the nation's economic and societal woes. In early 1915, tensions between authorities and the rising socialist movement erupted into violence when imperial troops opened fire on protesters in Dzērbene. In response, a wave of unrest broke out across the nation, with revolutionaries demanding an end to absolutism and the establishment of an elected legislature. Emperor Kārlis III relented on 30 March, ratifying Valduvia's first constitution and providing for the creation of the Saeima. Although presented as democratic, these reforms did little to weaken the power of the Valduvian monarchy. The Emperor retained extensive reserve powers, including the abilities to veto legislation and dissolve the Saeima by proclamation. In practice, the Saeima functioned as little more than a rubber stamp for the actions of the Emperor, who continued to control the nation's political direction.

Consequently, Kārlis's reforms had only a temporary effect on Valduvia's rising internal tensions. A wave of strikes brought economic activity to a standstill during the winter of 1916–1917, hampering the nation's recovery from the Great Collapse. At a meeting with his advisors in late 1917, Emperor Kārlis privately acknowledged that the Valduvian state faced an existential threat from the ongoing turmoil, and resolved to unify the nation through a military victory against neighboring Estmere. Kārlis believed that retaking the Airdale region, which had been lost in the War of the Triple Alliance, would spark a nationalist revival and restore confidence in the Valduvian monarchy. In January of 1918, Emperor Kārlis ordered his military commanders to secretly draw up plans for an major offensive in the Airdale region. The Valduvian plan, which was completed by the end of March, called for a rapid advance that would take Estmerish forces by surprise and reach the X River within the first four weeks of the conflict. Valduvian commanders hoped that the speed of the offensive would catch their Estmerish counterparts off guard, allowing them to seize the key terrain before the Estmerish Army could be fully mobilized and forcing their opponent to sue for peace.

On 8 May, Valduvia officially declared war on Estmere. Although initially successful in penetrating Estmerish defenses, the Valduvian offensive was halted at the city of X after a lengthy and costly battle. The conflict settle into a war of attrition that would last for the next two years, forcing both sides into a state of total war as they mobilized the entirety of their respective industrial capacities. By 1920, hopes for a decisive Valduvian victory had faded. Far from promoting unity, the conflict resulted in support for the Valduvian monarchy to plummet among the war-weary population. Strikes and protests further hampered Valduvian war efforts, and socialist militias began to stockpile arms in anticipation of an armed revolution. Facing imminent supply shortages, Valduvian commanders attempted a final offensive in the spring of 1921. The Valduvians advanced less than 10 kilometers before almost completely exhausting their supplies, allowing Estmerish forces to quickly transition to the counter-offensive.

Rioting in the streets of Eulenstadt during the Diehlite Uprising, which marked the start of the Valduvian Revolution.

By the end of May, Estmerish forces had driven to within 30 kilometers of the Valduvian border. The complete collapse of the Imperial Valduvian Army resulted in panic on the home front, and socialist militias began to stage armed attacks on local police and imperial troops. On 12 June, Valduvian troops attempted to seize an illegal weapons stockpile held by a Diehlite militia in Eulenstadt, with the ensuing skirmish escalating into an armed rebellion throughout the region of Burland. News of the uprising in Burland resulted in a nationwide revolution as socialist militias, led by revolutionary leader Elijas Plāksnis, clashed with Imperial troops on the streets of Valduvia's major cities. Emperor Kārlis fled to X on 18 June, and Plāksnis declared the abolition of the Valduvian monarchy the next day.

Plāksnis's transitional government negotiated an armistice with Estmere on 23 July and agreed to the Treaty of Rimmington two weeks later, reaffirming the status quo ante bellum international border. In November, the government ratified a new constitution, establishing the Federated Valduvian Council Republics as the first council republic and constitutionally socialist state in the world. The new councilist state quickly became embroiled in a power struggle between the Diehlites, who still consisted primarily of Burlanders, and a Valduvian nationalist faction led by Artūrs Ulmanis. Ulmanis and his supporters were skeptical of allowing the Diehlites too much power within the councilist movement, and sought to limit the involvement of ethnic Burlanders within the state apparatus. Additionally, Ulmanis was a staunch anti-clericalist, and viewed the connections between the Diehlites and the Church of Burland as reactionary.

After the death of Plāksnis in 1925, Ulmanis successfully secured the support of the Valduvian Section of the Workers' International and was appointed Premier. The Diehlites were largely unable to resist Ulmanis's rise, lacking the support of the nation's ethnic Valduvian majority and absent any centralized leadership since the death of Werner Diehl in 1916. Ulmanis quickly consolidated power, installing his supporters in positions of power at all levels of Valduvian government and party leadership. Burlanders were increasingly excluded from party membership, and existing members were often expelled under charges of counter-revolutionary activities. Ulmanis used the outbreak of the Great War as a pretext to expand the powers of the Premier, and initially avoided entering the conflict while he continued to consolidate his position. Additionally, the regime openly embraced Ulmanis's anti-clericalism, revoking the party membership of churchgoers and imposing legal restrictions on the teachings of church leaders.

Valduvia entered the Great War after the X incident in 1931, intervening on behalf of the Grand Alliance. The introduction of Valduvian forces helped turn the tide of the war against the Entente, ultimately leading to its capitulation in 1935. Ulmanis continued to expand his grasp on power throughout the conflict. As the war ground to a close in early 1935, Ulmanis passed sweeping gun control legislation that required licenses to transfer or possess firearms, as well as the registration of all personally owned weapons. While billed to the public as an effort to account for the weapons that had flooded into the country over the course of the war, the new restrictions effectively worked to disarm Burlanders. Local police officials, many of whom were handpicked by Ulmanis, had broad discretion over the issuance of firearms licenses, and frequently denied applications by ethnic minorities.

Contemporary history

Valduvian tanks in Velmerių during the Valduvian-Weranian War.

The post-war era saw relations between Valduvia and the liberal democracies of eastern Euclea deteriorate almost immediately. Valduvia's support for councilist insurgents in Miersa foiled plans for a unified Miersan Republic in the aftermath of the war, leading to the region's partition between a socialist East and an authoritarian West. The creation of a socialist state in East Miersa sparked fears of Valduvian expansionism among its former allies, which were exacerbated by Valduvia's support for the ODRE movement in Alsland. Valduvia's refusal to join the Community of Nations coalition during the Solarian War effectively shattered any remaining goodwill between eastern Euclea and the socialist world, prompting Valduvia to begin a clandestine nuclear weapons program in 1944.

Internally, the Ulmanis regime's authoritarian tendencies had begun to erode national unity. Valduvia's Burish, Martish, and Dellish populations had become second class citizens as a result of Ulmanis's consolidation of power, and more than 95% of all government officials were ethnically Valduvian. Riots broke out in the majority-minority east on several occasions during the 1930s and 1940s, meeting a heavy-handed response from the government. In 1947, a particularly destructive series of riots in Burland prompted a partial military crackdown, resulting in dozens of fatalities. The growing ethnic tensions in Valduvia prompted Werania to invade in 1949, hoping to take advantage of its weakened neighbor and strike a decisive blow on the Euclean socialist movement. Although the invasion initially succeeded in capturing large swaths of Valduvian territory, a counteroffensive during the early spring of 1950 halted the Weranian advance and turned the tide of the war. By May, Valduvian forces had reached the Justa River, forcing Werania to sue for peace. The subsequent Etten Ceasefire saw Valduvia annex the Zingebirge Basin and Western Uschupes, while Werania annexed the Acupis Strip.

The war with Werania prompted Ulmanis to intensify his repression of the Burish community, which he accused of supporting Werania during the war. The regime passed a new round of gun control legislation in 1951, restricting the issuance of gun licenses to party members. As Valduvia's ethnic minorities had been mostly purged from the party's ranks, Ulmanis's new law effectively limited legal gun ownership to ethnic Valduvians. The Directorate for the Investigation of Counterrevolutionary Activities, frequently referred to by its Valduvian abbreviation KDID, was established as a secret police for Ulmanis's regime to suppress dissent and quash the growing Burish nationalist movement. In November, a series of armed attacks on Valduvian security forces were carried out by a Burish militant group known as the Free Burish Army (BBA), igniting a protracted armed insurgency.

The Valduvian-Weranian War also spurred an increase in funding for scientific and military research as Valduvia sought to compete with its eastern Euclean counterparts. Valduvia became the world's first nuclear power in 1955, when it carried out the Akrobāts test in Oberburland. The nation also entered the space race in 1964 with the launch of the Koncerta Roze satellite.

Ulmanis's death in 1968 allowed moderate councilists led by Raimonds Ķirsis to take power. Ķirsis sought to rebuild ties with the Burish community over the course of his premiership, and took steps to accommodate Burish interests within his administration. Ķirsis abolished restrictions that prevented churchgoers from obtaining party membership and sought to increase Burish representation within both the government and the broader party apparatus. Most notably, Ķirsis nominated General Lukas Weber as Chief of the General Staff, making him the first Burlander in history to hold the highest position within the Valduvian military.  Weber refocused Valduvian military efforts in Burland towards winning "hearts and minds", forging relationships between security forces and the local Burish community to rebuild trust. These initiatives did succeed in dampening violence somewhat, but the government's failure to address several major wedge issues prevented the conflict from subsiding. Ķirsis made no effort to repeal or amend the 1935 or 1951 gun control laws, a key demand of the BBA, and was largely unable to replace local party officials who continued to disproportionately deny section membership to ethnic Burlanders.

The global recession of 1980 caused faith in Ķirsis's government to collapse. In the 1981 elections, a faction of ethnic councilists led by Andrejs Miezis won a majority of seats in the Saeima. Miezis immediately reversed the conciliatory policies of his predacessor, reinstating bans on party membership for religious Valduvians and systematically removing ethnic Burlanders from positions of power. Violence in Burland spiked beginning in early 1982, and Miezis's government began a concerted propaganda campaign to frame Burlanders as a scapegoat for the nation's economic woes. The Valduvian media sensationalized attacks by Burish nationalists on government forces, claiming without evidence that intelligence officers from Euclean Community member states were working with insurgents to destabilize the councilist system. Burlanders were often depicted as reactionaries, religious fundamentalists, Weranian spies, feudal lords, or capitalists, all of whom were conspiring with foreign powers to bring about the collapse of the socialist system.

Former Premier Ķirsis, who remained with the Saeima as a backbencher, continued to oppose Miezis and his allies. On the night of 23 July 1982, Miezis recommended that the Presidium suspend the party memberships of Ķirsis and 61 of his supporters within the Saeima. Under the Firearms Act of 1951, the gun licenses of Ķirsis and 37 other legislators who were affected by the decision were automatically suspended, resulting in their arrest on federal firearms charges less than four hours later. The suspensions and arrests, colloquially known as Bloody July, effectively removed any organized opposition to Miezis's government, allowing him to rule nearly unchecked.

The KDID field office in Kirchhof following the 1983 attacks.

On 29 July, Burish nationalists carried out two coordinated attacks on Valduvian security forces in Kirchhof, detonating a car bomb outside the KDID field office and launching nearly two dozen mortar rounds at the Valduvian Land Component barracks in Kleinhausen. The attacks caused 71 deaths and more than 200 injuries, the most casualties sustained by Valduvian forces in a single day up to that point in the conflict. The next day, Miezis mobilized the 2nd Guards Army and declared martial law in the republics of Oberburland, Niederburland, and Kirchhof, announcing an extensive counterinsurgency operation to quell the rising unrest in Burland.

• Military crackdown ends in genocide that lasts until the 1985 Valduvian coup d'état
• Valduvian transition to democracy begins, new constitution ratified in 1987
• Mārcis Balodis, who led the coup, becomes first democratically elected leader in the country's history in the 1988 elections
• Valduvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission held from 1989 until 1993
• Transition from state socialism to market socialism during the 1990s
• Recognition of the Burish genocide in 2010, reparations in 2011

Politics

Foreign relations

Valduvian President Sandis Gailītis with Chistovodian President Viktor Martynenko at the 2019 AIS summit in Bazadavo, Dezevau.

Valduvia is a great power in the international community, and is widely regarded as the leader of the international socialist movement. The nation is a founding member of the Community of Nations, Mutual Assistance Organisation, and Association for International Socialism, with the latter two headquartered in the nation's capital of Priedīši. Although extremely hostile towards the Euclean Community in the decades following the Great War, tensions have eased considerably since the transition to democracy of the late 20th century, and today Valduvia maintains a working relationship with most EC member states.

Although its economy has grown substantially in recent decades, Valduvia has traditionally lagged behind its eastern counterparts in economic power. Nevertheless, the nation maintains the largest socialist economy in Euclea, and is the primary trading partner for most of the continent's socialist states. Valduvia's hard power is derived mainly from its traditional status as a land power, maintaining the second largest military ground force in Euclea behind Soravia. It also maintains a substantial military presence internationally, particularly in the MASSOR member state of East Miersa, and is one of the leading suppliers of arms within the socialist world. However, Valduvia has historically struggled to project power overseas. Traditional adversaries such as Soravia and Werania have historically controlled the entrances and exits to the Perovo Sea, keeping the Valduvian Navy confined to north Euclean waters in times of war. The modern Valduvian naval fleet is considered to be a blue-water force, but most military analysts rank it below that of its Euclean peers.

From a soft power perspective, Valduvia remains influential within the socialist world, and is widely regarded as a "trend setter" in the international socialist movement. The nation has maintained warm ties with Chistovodia since the latter's socialist revolution in 1931, and the close partnership between the two nations is often described as a special relationship. Valduvia is also a fervent supporter of socialist causes in the global south, cultivating a strong relationship with the member states of the Brown Sea Community that has expanded its diplomatic, cultural, economic, and military ties to Southeast Coius.

Historically, Werania and its predecessor states have served as Valduvia's primary geopolitical rival since the Amendist Wars. Despite rapprochement during the Great War era, Valduvian-Weranian relations quickly deteriorated in the aftermath of the conflict, leading to the Valduvian-Weranian War of 1949−50. Relations with Werania remained hostile through the mid-1980s due to Valduvia's persecution of the Weranian-speaking Burish population, as well as its vigorous promotion of international socialism. Werania was the last country in eastern Euclea to normalize relations with Valduvia following its transition to democracy, and remains the most outspoken opponent of Valduvian foreign policy in the Euclean Community.

Military

A Valduvian Velmierų PH-06 self-propelled howitzer during an exercise in Oberburland.

Main article: Valduvian Workers' Army

The Valduvian Workers' Army (Valduvian: Valduves Strādnieku Armija) is the national military force of Valduvia, and is divided into Land, Naval, Air, Space and Missile, and Cyber components. The role of commander-in-chief is collectively held by the Presidium, with day-to-day operations managed by the Directorate of the Workers' Defense. Valduvia spent $40.8 billion, approximately 3.8% of its GDP, on national defense in 2021. The nation is one of the leading suppliers of arms to the socialist world, holding an X% share of all international arms exports.

Military service is compulsory for all Valduvians over the age of 18, with conscripts serving a minimum of 12 months in a reserve capacity. Woman have served in an equal capacity with men since the establishment of the councilist state, making Valduvia one of the first nations with a gender integrated military. As of 2022, the Valduvian Workers' Army consists of 410,000 active and 952,000 reserve personnel, making it the largest military force in MASSOR and the Xth largest in Euclea.

The Land Component has traditionally been the military's dominant branch, reflecting Valduvia's traditional status as a land power that dates back to the 15th century.  Modern Valduvian doctrine emphasizes combined arms warfare, making heavy use of ground based, sensor-directed fires to support maneuver units by disrupting and suppressing enemy forces. Valduvia is also capable of conducting expeditionary warfare, with a modest blue-water navy that allows the nation to project power on a global scale.

Demographics

Religion

Religion in Valduvia (2020)

  Amendist (50.9%)

  Solarian Catholic (2.9%)

  Other Sotirian (2.5%)

  Badist (1.8%)

  Irreligious (37.6%)

  Other (4.3%)

Traditionally one of Euclea's most fervently Sotirian societies, Valduvia has maintained an official policy of state atheism since the Valduvian Revolution of 1921.  Irreligion has risen dramatically since the establishment of the councilist state, but Sotirianity remains the majority religion at 56.3% of all Valduvians. However, religious attitudes around the country vary dramatically based on ethnic lines. Sotirianity maintains its strongest support among ethnic minorities in the nation's east, with 88.4% of Burlanders, 84.6% of Martilanders, and 85.1% of Dellanders reporting Sotirian beliefs. Conversely, a majority of ethnic Valduvians do not identify as Sotirian, with only 46.2% identifying as believers.  Among Sotirians nationwide, 90.4% consider themselves to be Amendist, with 5.1% identifying as Solarian Catholic and 4.5% identifying with other denominations.

Although Sotirianity has declined markedly in parts of the country, cultural Amendism remains an important element of national identity.  The formation of the Valduvian Confederation in 1582 was based primarily off of religious identities, with the Weranian-speaking states of modern day Burland joining with their ethnic Valduvian neighbors based on a shared opposition to the Catholicism of the Rudolphine Confederation. Valduvia became a major destination for religious migration throughout the early modern period, with many Witterite, Gospelite, and Kasperite groups fleeing from persecution in majority Catholic countries. Although the councilist movement in Valduvia was heavily anti-clericalist between the Great War and the 1985 coup, the militant repression of Sotirians during this period, particularly during the Burland conflict, has turned the prevailing nationwide attitude towards religion to one of pluralism. 64.7% of Valduvians supported removing state atheism from the 1987 constitution prior to its ratification, but narrowly failed to reach the two-thirds majority necessary to enact changes from the previous constitution.  However, support for a constitutional amendment has grown since the transition to democracy, and 70.5% of the population supports the official adoption of religious pluralism as of 2022. In addition, more than 71.9% of all Valduvians celebrate important Sotirian holidays such as Nativity and Easter, and 62.2% consider the celebration of one or more Sotirian holidays to be significant to their identity.

Irreligion, which encompasses atheism, agnosticism, and those otherwise not identifying with any belief system, holds a growing presence in Valduvia at 37.6% of the total population. Valduvians who practice no religion are centered in the major population centers in the country's east, with the capital of Priedīši ranking among the most irreligious cities in the world at 60.2%.  Of non-Sotirian religions, Badi is the most common (1.8%) due to immigration from the socialist states of the Brown Sea Community. Other faiths such as Irfan, Zohism, and Atudism also maintain a minority presence in the country.