Commonwealth of Rigjord

Commonwealth of Rigjord Foreningen af Rigjord
1900–1915
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Motto: Frihed, Ligestilling, Broderskab!
Capital	Dybøll
Common languages	Lhedwinic (Rigjordic dialect)
Religion	Secular humanism
Government	Confederal non-partisan directorial republic
Folkskonsul
• 1900-1907, 1909-1913	Sven Jakobson
• 1900-1915	Dagmar Katrinsdottir
• 1907-1909	Lykke Arðurson
• 1913-1915	Tomas Svenson
Legislature	Folkeråd
Historical era	Post-Great War
• United Kingdom of Lhedwin surrenders	31 December 1899
• Millenial Peace	1 January 1900
• Constitution	27 February 1900
• Unification with Lilledel and Nausikaa	31 March 1915
Area
1914	24,376 km2 (9,412 sq mi)
Population
• 1914	821765
Currency	Sølvmønt
Preceded by Succeeded by United Kingdom of Lhedwin Principality of Crylante

The Commonwealth of Rigjord was a short-lived former nation now consisting of the Crylantian states of Dybøll, Glostrup, Gunderslev, Kattinge and the Vestplan.

It was founded in 1900 following the Millenial Peace, which dissolved the United Kingdom of Lhedwin, dividing it between six new nations, with Rigjord being one of these. Due to the loyalty of many of the Rigjordic people to the Grand Alliance and their resistance against the United Kingdom, the nation was free of much of the reparations that were given to some of the Lhedwinic nations, such as Navack. However, the nation was dissolved in 1915 as the nation was absorbed into the new Principality of Crylante.

The nation was a representative democracy, with yearly elections for two Folkskonsular, who were joint heads of state, and elections every three years for the Folksråd, a legislative body which made laws, however it notably lacked political parties. It was also a confederation of five states, which had significant powers of their own. The nation ensured freedom of speech, expression and assembly as well as equal rights for all adults, inspired by the radical beliefs of its founder Sven Jakobson. While its immediate legacy is very slim, it is hailed by many as an example of radical thought, and one of its Folkskonsular, Dagmar Katrinsdottir, who served throughout the republic, was the first elected female head of state or government.

Independence

During the early existence of the United Kingdom of Lhedwin, the Grand Duchy of Rigjord was a rather poor province of the nation. During the early 19th century, the province started to industrialise, with industry coming to towns such as Dybøll and Aversi. Dybøll’s location on the river Usserød meant that it could easily transport produced goods away toward’s Lhedwin’s colonial empire. However, the industrialisation did little to alleviate the poverty that the residents of Rigjord lived in, as much of the wealth went to a rich landowner class, who dominated the politics of the region.

While the Grand Duchy had an elected Parliament, the Grand Duke of the province was able to veto laws passed by it, and dismiss it to call new elections at any time he liked. The Grand Dukes came from a line of Navish nobles, and thus often acted against the interests of the province. In addition, the rich landowners dominated the parliament, leaving little say for the farmers and workers of the province.

This inequality and lack of a voice in the political process led to many of the workers and farmers resenting the United Kingdom and its policies, and there were many riots against the government, although they were crushed by the law enforcement. In 1895, the Kingdom declared war on the Grand Alliance, leading to the Great War coming to North Asura. Many young men from Rigjord were drafted to join the military and fight against the Asuran powers, but many resisted the draft through various methods. An organised resistance movement started emerging in late 1897, led by a man called Sven Jakobson from the town of Hasselbro. He had been radicalised by the execution of his brother, Magnus Jakobson, for treason back in 1887, and thus carried a grudge. He declared that the Rigjordic people would be free by the end of the century, and led a resistance campaign against the government of the province.

The rebels led an attack on the Parliament of Rigjord in late 1898; the Parliament was burned down while in session, leading to the deaths of many of the officials of the province. A state of martial law was declared in the province, as well as neighbouring Lilledel, but the aligned resistance movements fought back against the law. In late 1899, Vestplan declared itself independent from the United Kingdom of Lhedwin, naming itself the LaBlancite Republic of the Vestplan, in reference to the popular radical Lilledic thinker, Alexandra La Blanc. The declaration was followed by Glostrup and Gunderslev in November, and by December the three allied states were marching on Dybøll with support from the Grand Alliance.

The rebels were invited to discuss the Millenial Peace after Lhedwin’s surrender on December 31, 1899. The former United Kingdom was restricted to the traditional Navish territory, while Rigjord, as well as Glanodel, Lilledel, Nausikaa and Vrnallia, were to form new countries independent of Lhedwin.

Consolidation

A provisional government was declared in Dybøll, with Sven Jakobson becoming Interim Consul of the Commonwealth of Rigjord. Delegates from the territories of Glostrup, Gunderslev, Kattinge and the Vestplan came to Dybøll to form a new government. It was decided that the nation would follow the idea of popular sovereignty, with the nation being controlled by the people and their wishes. The Folksråd was created as a body elected by the people, that would have the chief authority making laws, and the nation would be headed by two individuals, who were required to come from two different states, known collectively as the Folkskonsular. The nation would not have political parties unlike in other democracies; in stea, recallable delegates representing the wishes of their local areas would be chosen through single transferable vote, Power was to be very decentralised; the government would have to keep in mind the interests of the five constituent territories, and each of the five territories could succeed if they do wished. Municipalities would also have autonomy from their territories and be governed by meetings of residents; the municipal issues would be decided by consensus among their residents.

The first election happened on the 1st March 1900, two days after the constitution was signed in Dybøll. The Folksråd election produced a diverse body of people from across the country representing different interests, while the election for the Folkskonsular led to Sven Jakobson becoming one of the two Folkskonsular, as well as a farmer from Gunderslev called Dagmar Katrinsdottir, who had been chosen by the people of Gunderslev to represent them in the constitutional convention, making her the first woman to be elected as head of state.

Rule

The Commonwealth almost immediately set out pursuing its radical agenda. A national education service was created, which gave all children in the nation no matter their background a free education to prepare them for life. Trade unions were legalised and the organised labour movement allowed to organise, allowing for workers to campaign for better pay and conditions. On top of this, Lhedwinic political prisoners were freed and war criminals were put on trial for their crimes; many were given the death penalty for crimes against humanity. Trúathi was made independent from the state and the religion’s structure was democratised; the nation was officially to follow a secular humanist doctrine, although the people were given the inalienable right to practise their religion.

In 1903, a new five-year infrastructure rebuilding project took place. The nation put its funds towards rebuilding the infrastructure of the nation; hospitalis, roads, schools, houses and municipal buildings were rebuilt to guarantee the strength of the economy. Emerging companies were subsidised to help start up the economy; one large benefactor of this plan was the Dybøll-based confectioner Mælkeagtig, which is now one of the world’s largest producers of confectionary.

However, in 1907, Sven Jakobson announced his resignation as Folkskonsul, stating health reasons as his reason for stepping down. Another major player in the resistance movement. Lykke Arðurson, was elected in his place. Arðurson continued with the infrastructure program until its end in 1908, then extended it, tearing down slums in towns such as Dybøll, Kattinge, Hasselbro and Slot-på-Bakken and replacing them with modern housing; some of Lhedwin’s most cramped slums in the city of Dybøll, where as many as ten families shared one room, were torn down and replaced with apartments, allowing the standard of living to increase.

Jakobson returned to the consulate in 1909, pursuing detente with the nearby Grand Duchy of Lilledel. Him and Prime Minister Gaius de Venne created a single market between their two nations, and open borders and non-aggression between the two. In 1910 this extended to include the Republic of Nausikaa; the policy was known as the “New Crylante” policy, in reference to the old Crylantian Empire.

Union with Lilledel and Nausikaa

The policy proved very beneficial; the economy of Rigjord had drastically improved following it, however an aggressive case of lung cancer in 1913 meant that Sven Jakobson did not live to see his policy’s culmination. His son took his position as Folkskonsul after an early election, and pursued a closer relationship with Lilledel and Nausikaa; he supported a growing movement in favour of a unified Crylantian state.

In a summit in 1914, Tomas Svensson, Sven Jakobson’s son, proposed the idea of a United Crylantian state consisting of a union between Nausikaa, Lilledel and Rigjord. Due to the three states’ belief in popular sovereignty and liberal democracy, the proposal gained ground, with even more people calling for a new state based upon liberal democracy and a common national identity rooted in values of liberty, equality and fraternity.

In January 1915, an act was put before the Folksråd. The act would dissolve the Commonwealth of Rigjord, uniting it with the Grand Duchy of Lilledel and the Republic of Nausikaa to create the Principality of Crylante, a federal parliamentary constitutional elective monarchy based on Lilledel’s system; the states would retain their relative independence while presided over by a parliament and cabinet, democratically elected by all, with a Prince or Princess serving as an elected figurehead until recall, abdication or death. The proposal manages to gain support to pass; many thought that a stronger union in southern Lhedwin would allow for further economic growth.

Thus, on March 31, 1915, the Commonwealth ceased to exist as it became part of the Crylantian Principality. However, Tomas Svensson and Dagmar Katrinsdottir, the two final Folkskonsular, became members of Crylante’s Parliament following elections.