Havmark

Kingdom of Havmark Kongeriget Havmark Kongeriket Havmark
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Fra Hav til Bjerg, under Kongen" "From Sea to Mountain, under the King"
Anthem: Gud og Kongen
Havmark centred on the globe
Location	Nordic Lands
Capital and largest city	Kystenslot 55°43′N 12°34′E
Official languages	Danish
Ethnic groups (2022)	Haven 92% Other 8%
Demonym(s)	Havmarkic, Haven
Government	Unitary Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy
• Monarch	Frederick IV
• Crown Prince	Christian
• Statsminister	Frida Damgaard
• Landsted President	Johan Storgaard
• Retspræsident	Amalia Svendsen
Legislature	Storting
History
• Unification	1245
• Loss of Odsherred	1514
• Odsherred Accession	1783
• Constitution	1892
Area
• Total	9,764.1 km2 (3,769.9 sq mi)
• Water (%)	1.74
Population
• 2023 estimate	2,711,461
Gini (2022)	29 low
HDI (2022)	0.893 very high
Currency	Haven Krone (HKR)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy, CE
Driving side	right
Internet TLD	.ha

Havmark, formally the Kingdom of Havmark (Danish: Kongeriget Havmark), is a Nordic island country in Northern Europe. The country is made up of 4 major islands and over a hundred smaller ones in the Haven Straits in which the country shares its maritime borders with Vinslott, Eltopiq and Askerike. The capital and largest city in Havmark is Kystenslot.

Havmark is a unitary constitutional parliamentary monarchy which has existed since 1245. Initially an absolute monarchy, over the centuries the power of the hereditary monarch has reduced whilst that of the Landsted (Parliament) has grown over time. The Monarch now plays a mainly ceremonial role but retains strong influence, both legal and by precedence, in foreign and military affairs. Since the Constitution of 1892, most executive powers are vested with the Council of State which is led by the Statsminister who is, by convention, the leader of the largest party or governing coalition in the Landsted. Parliamentary Democracy and Constitutional Monarchy are closely protected ideals in Havmark and their advantages instilled in the population through the education system.

Modern Havmark is considered a middle power with particular influence in Scandinavian geopolitics. A maritime nation, the country's navy plays an active role in anti-piracy missions and patrolling the Baltic and North Seas. The Kingdom maintains close political and cultural ties to its maritime neighbours and has a shared language with Askerike. Most Havmarkic citizens speak Danish, Norwegian and English with the later two being a compulsary foreign language studied in primary and secondary education.

Etymology

The name "Havmark" is derived from the words "Hav" meaning ocean in Norwegian and the work "mark" which is traced back to mean borderland. The earliest use of the name Havmark dates back to the 8th Century when the Vikings would refer to the land that now makes up Havmark as the border between seas. This very early use can be seen on runestones which are thought to have been erected by the vikings to mark geographical spots such as the one in Krystenslot "ᛖᚨᛊᛏᛖᚱᚾ×ᚺᚨᚢᛗᚨᚱᚲ" (Eastern Havmark, meaning eastern sea border). Citizens of Havmark are referred to as "Haven" in the adjective and "Havmarkic" in the accusative.

History

Prior to unification in 1245, the islands that now make up Havmark were divided into a range of fiefdoms of varying sizes. From the early 7th Century, the Principality of Norfort emerged as a major fiefdom in northern Havmark and began a series of conquests which would ultimately lead to it dominating the north western peninsula of Zealand. During this period, the Kingdom of Sydmark unified the territories of Falster and Lolland. Over the next five centuries the two fiefdoms would expand to dominate their hold over the islands that now make up Havmark, forcing out other nations such as Hlaðir and Askerike. In 1198, the two countries entered into a peace treaty following the Fyrre War which finally settled the borders and vested permenant control of Masnedø and Møn (to Norfort), and Farø and Bøgo (to Sydmark). In 1245, after decades of peace, the Royal Courts of Norfort and Sydmark signed the Treaty of Union, marrying the daughter and only child of the Sydmarkic King to the eldest son of the Norfick High Prince. Upon the death of the latter, which occured five years after the death of the Sydmarkic King, the two ascended to the joint thrones of Norfort and Sydmark and the nations united under one Royal Court becoming known as the Kingdom of Havmark. Askerike would return to the islands in the 16th Century and would continue to hold a portion of north-eastern Zealand, Odsherred, until 1783 when, after years of Havmarkic movements, the Askerike administration of Odsherred was overthrown and the newly independent province immediately acceded to the Kingdom of Havmark.

Government and Politics

Frederick IV,
King of Havmark

Frida Damgaard,
Statsminister of Havmark

The Government and system of politics in which the Kingdom of Havmark operates is derived from the Constitution of 1892 which established a sovereign state with a Parliamentary Unitary Constitutional Monarchy. The Constitution of 1892 is a cherised sovereign document and it's introduction is celebrated each year on "Constitution Day", a national holiday in July.

Initially, the Constitution enshrined the Monarch as the chief executive over the nation with the Council of State taking direction from the Crown and the Landsted (Parliament) approving legislation created by the Monarch. Over the decades, various amendments to the Constitution, and the introduction of other laws and precedents, has shifted this balance of power from the Monarch to the Landsted and Council of State. In modern times, the Monarch plays a mainly ceremonial role but retains many significant powers including the royal prerogative, the sole right to appoint and dismiss the Statsminister and other Ministers, chairing meetings of the Council of State, being a consultative body to Government and having direct influence over foreign and military affairs. The current Monarch is Frederick IV who ascended to the throne in 2015.

Since the 1970s, the balance of executive power in the Council of State has also shifted from the Statsminister formerly being "First among Equals" to to a more presidential style of premiership, however, this is usually dependent upon the influence that the Statsminister has over their political party and coalition. The Statsminister is also the chief advisor to the Monarch which grants them access to influence decisions made via Royal Prerogative. The current Statsminister is Frida Damgaard of the Conservative Party and has been in office since the 2020 general election.

Foreign Relations

The foreign relations of the Kingdom of Havmark are conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed by the Foreign Secretary. The Monarch, Statsminister and Council of State also play key roles in setting foreign policy, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the Landsted also plays a role in guiding and scrutinising foreign policy. The current Foreign Secretary is Anders Laugesen of the Conservative Party.

Country		Status of Relations				Visa requirements?	Embassy?	Foreign policy dispute?
		Direct	Indirect	None
Askerike			N/A	N/A				N/A
Eltopiq			N/A	N/A				N/A
Rolven			N/A	N/A				N/A
Stervonia			N/A	N/A				N/A
The Baltic Alliance			N/A	N/A				N/A
Vinslott			N/A	N/A				N/A