| The Republic of Valentia | |
|---|---|
 "Senatu Valentiae" | |
|
Honorifics |
The Citadel, Jewel of Aurelia |
|
Continent |
Borealis |
|
Founding Date |
November 24, 10 P.A. |
|
Population |
5 |
|
Government |
Unicameral Republic |
|
Demonym |
Valentian |
The Republic of Valentia is an independent, unicameral republic located in southwest Borealis.
History[]
Valentia has thrived and grown throughout a long history, but she has only very recently developed into a republic. In her earliest days as a unified polity, Valentia was nothing more than a loose collection of family groups that hunted, built, and fought against enemies together. The first permanent structures built by the Valentians neighbored those of the Ancelstierrans, and very soon they allied themselves together for mutual benefit. Lacking a cohesive national structure, the Valentians simply called themselves by the names of their tribes, now known as the seven tribes of Valentia: Aventinii, Caelii, Capitolii, Esquilii, Palatinii, Quirinii, and Viminii. These names have been preserved even to the present in the names of the seven provinces of the Republic: Aventina, Caelia, Capitolina, Esquilia, Palatina, Quirina, and Vimina.
In those ancient days, the sun had yet to emerge from the inky blackness that covered all things, and life under the endless night was brutal and short. As the sun rose for the first time, and the first Auroram lit the earth and drove away the darkness, those first Valentians and Ancelstierrans named the world Eleutheria, in honor of the freedom that the Auroram granted. Soon thereafter, Valentia's assorted tribes quickly began to coalesce into a society which culminated in the foundation of the first city on November 24, 10 PA. The Valentian people then called themselves Aventinii, after their largest tribe, and their capital city was called Aventinus. The first Lord of Aventinus hailed from the Aventinii, and called himself Flavius, beginning the dynasty which continues to the modern day.
On Sextilis 24, 13 PA, Lord Flavius led his Aventinus into the first official alliance with another people, forming an alliance with the uniquely bifricated autocratic Ostia. The close friendship between Lord Flavius and the Lords of Ostia, Iax and Timbrelaine, culminated in the political melding of the two cities into a single entity called the Dominion of Aurelia. This was the first political entity of its kind in Eleutherian history, and Flavius was named High Lord of the Dominion.
Less than a year later, on Aprilis 26, 14 PA, the Dominion of Aurelia experienced a flood of new citizens from other tribes and peoples in the area. To great rejoicing, Flavius was named King of Aurelia in a ceremony performed in the yet-unfinished Chamber of Lords--the building Valentians now know as the Senate. For fourteen years, Flavius ruled over Aventinus, allying with Ancelstierre, bringing the city of Aberglen into the kingdom, and guiding his people through famine and plenty alike. However, the burdens of the throne weighed heavily on him, and inspired by the slow but steady progress of the building of the Basilica of St. Martin, suddenly abdicated his throne on Maius 18, 28 PA. He left the throne at the height of his power and pledged himself to a life of asceticism, founding the Flavian Order of St. Martin, which continues to provide solace to travelers and to maintain the Basilica to this day.
Ten days after the abdication, on Maius 28, 28 PA, Flavius II took the throne, cementing the principle of semisalic primogeniture in the minds of Valentians and providing a foundation for the Flavian dynasty.
November 26, 31 P.A. - Hiems Perpetua begins. The oceans begin to freeze over, snow covers the farms.
Quintilis 6, 33 P.A. - The Council of Lords holds an emergency session and decides that a migration is necessary for survival.
Quintilis 25, 33 P.A. - The migration across the ice begins.
October 2, 33 P.A. - The end of the ice floes. With the open ocean ahead, ships are built and the journey continues.
Martius 7, 34 P.A. - Arrival at the new continent. The city of Valentia is founded, named in memory of the old continent..
Maius 28, 35 P.A. - The Kingdom of Aurelia is formally dissolved by King Flavius II, and the continent named Aurelia to perpetuate the memory of Eleutheria's first organized multi-city political entity.
Geography[]
The City of Valentia, the capital and heart of the Republic, hugs the southwestern shore of the continent of Borealis, nestled between the Citadel island and the mouth of the Edirnos River, with the Encircling Sea providing a border to both the south and west. The Republic of Valentia spreads to the north and east of the City, encompassing seven provinces: Capitolia (which contains the City itself), Aventina, Caelia, Esquilia, Palatia, Quirina, and Vimina.
To the northwest, the Republic borders the lands of Nysa, a small, technologically-advanced, maritime state. Nysa and the Republic of Valentia have long shared an unwritten friendship through the ancient bonds of blood and iron. The border between the two states is represented in part by the Isara, a small river with a mouth on the western coast. While the Isara emerges from a small lake close to the sea--thus terminating its utility for marking the border--the amiable relationship between Nysa and Valentia has allowed a line relatively following the Isara to serve as the de facto border.
To the north and northeast, the Republic is bordered by the Kingdom of Ancelstierre, an old ally from the long ages before the Hiems Perpetua. The border with Ancelstierre follows the southern shore of Lake ????. A single major highway connects Valentia, Nysa, and Ancelstierre, cutting east past Nysa and then north again to the southern gate of Firien, Ancelstierre's capital. Another smaller road connects the two powers by passing through the Anfangberg Monastery.
To the east, the Republic shares a border with the newly-revived trading empire of Ostia, an unusual nation comprised of twin city-states, Kellenheim and Ostia proper. The Via Kellenheim connects Valentia's eastern gate to Kellenheim. The border is drawn from the sea along the river Trajanis.
Due to its southern location and long coastline, Valentia possesses a warm climate and a higher-than-average temperature. Snow rarely falls in Valentia, and the nearest forests are deciduous in nature, although the vast majority of Valentia's lands are rolling grasslands and prairies. Iron and anthracite coal are both abundant below the earth, but the winding mineshafts of ancient civilizations have removed many of the diamonds that formerly studded the deep chasms of Eleutheria.
Government[]
The Republic of Valentia is a unicameral republic headed by dual executives with a third, extralegal Princeps in authority over both legislative and executive branches.
The Senate holds legislative, executive, and judicial power in varying magistracies within its prestigious walls, with six permanent seats representing each of the provinces (the Princeps represents the City and its province, Capitolia), and a shifting number of additional Senators based upon the population of the Republic. Every five years, the Senate elects two of its number to be Consuls, the executive magistrates of Valentia. These Consuls hold absolute executive and judicial power to enforce and execute the laws and customs of Valentia--although they are subject to a veto from a two-thirds majority of the Senate. Former Consuls, once returned to the ranks of the Senate after their terms are completed, may be referred to as Consular Senators, and hold great persuasive power through the prestige of their former title, although no official power remains from their previous office.
The six permanent seats are held by Proconsuls, appointed to five-year terms of office by the executives and confirmed by the Senate; the senatorial title of these Proconsuls--or of former Proconsuls returned to senatorial position--is Proconsular Senator. Having held this high office, they are often given deference by other senators, although no official additional power remains in their hands after their magistracy ends, much like the Consuls. The chief power of the Proconsuls, though, is in their own provinces, where, as their title suggests, they hold absolute executive and judicial authority over the province.
All magistrates may be elected for unlimited subsequent terms, and take office on the 1st of Ianuarius every five years.
The final member of Valentia's governmental system, the Princeps, is both simultaneously powerless and omnipotent, a curious relic from the days of the valentian monarchy. Princeps means "first among citizens," and the title reflects the official humility of the position. However, the Princeps possesses auctoritas, a concept best translated as "absolute moral and political authority." While the Princeps does not hold Consular position, he sits above them in the Senate; while his proposed legislation is not senatorial in origin, the Senate defers to his guidance. In effect, he is autocrat and Imperator, while legally little more than a common plebeian. The Princeps may also act as Consul or Proconsul, whether to fill vacancies or to fulfill his whims.
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