Livaria

The Regal Republic of Livaria Королівська Республіка Ліварії (Livarian)
Flag	Coat of arms
Motto:
Anthem: Arise from the Sea, O Child of Vind! (Livarian: Вставай з моря, дитино Віндру!)
Locator map
Capital city	Rubizhne
Largest city	Rubizhne
Official language	Livarian
Other languages	Medovenian, Vordinian
Ethnic group
Religion	Peratolian Orkanan, Mellanhand Orkanan
Demonym(s)	Livarian or Livaryan
Government
Government Type	Unitary parliamentary monarchical republic
King-elect	Yaromyr III
Chancellor	Eryka Vasylenko i Kolisnyk
Legislature	Noble Assembly (upper house) Rada (lower house)
Establishment
Regal Republic established
Area
Total	397,190.13 km2
Water %
Population
Total	123,816,597 (11th)
Density	311.73/km2
Economy
Economy type	Open-market capitalist
GDP (total)	Ꞡ 4.49 trillion
GDP per capita	Ꞡ 36,304.76
Currency	Livarian Voran (฿) ()
Inequality index
Development index
Other information
Time zone	-3
Driving side	left
Calling code	LIV
Internet code	.li
Nation number	{{{nation number}}}

Livaria (Livarian: Ліваря), officially the Regal Republic of Livaria (Livarian: Королівська Республіка Ліварії; Korolivs'ka Respublika Livariyi), and often referred to eponymously as The Regal Republic, is a unitary parliamentary monarchical republic in north-eastern Anaria. The nation encompasses the Cheltic Isles, namely Vorshchyna, Belohor and Zolotar islands. The islands are sandwiched off the north-eastern coast of Anaria Major, the eastern coast of Thultannia and the southern coast of Stoldavia, controlling the strategic straits that lead to the North Settant Sea and the Stolvic Ocean beyond. The country shares maritime borders with Halland and Auresia to the west, Zelezmia to the south, Helreich to the east and the United Royal Provinces to the north. Rubizhne is the nation's capital and largest city, followed by Rivnya, Zra-Rostyslav, Uzherehins'ke, Chervone and Andrushivka. The total area of Livaria, excluding its overseas territories, is 397,190 km².

Livaria is the 11th most populous state on Gotha, with 123,816,597 inhabitants as of 7690, as well as the third most densely populated. The Greater Rubizhne Metropolitan Area, colloquially known as the 'Rubokruh', is one of the largest urban metropoleis in the world. The nation was one of the leaders of the industrial revolution of the 7300s and has since then remained a foremost economic power. Livaria has the third-largest economy by nominal gross domestic product (GDP) in the world and has amongst the highest GDP per capita and standards of living on Gotha. Its economy is dominated by the services sector, but it has a large and highly developed electronics and manufacturing sector which makes it one of the world's largest importers and exporters. It also has a significant research and development sector.

The constitution of modern Livaria is governed by the Regal Compromise of 7386, which sought to reconcile the position of the elected king with other republican traditions, and transformed the country into a constitutional parliamentary monarchy. Some political scientists have described Livaria's system of govenrment as a crowned republic. The head of state of the Regal Republic is the King (or Queen)-elect, a noble elected to the office for life, while the head of government is the Chancellor, who wields de facto executive authority in the country. Livaria is governed under a bicameral parliament, made up of the Noble Assembly (the upper house) and the Council (the lower house), mostly known as the Rada.

Livaria is a Great Power and one of the Nuclear Five. It has one of the most technologically advanced and capable armed forces in the world, with a large blue-water navy and a number of military bases across the planet in the country's various overseas territories as well as allied nations. Livaria is a prominent member of a number of international organisations, including ICoN, OSSO and the Triarchy.

Etymology

The name Livaria (Livarian: Ліваря) derives from the Pastanan name for the Cheltai, the Livarii , a Malorski tribe that came to settle the modern-day region in the 57th century. The ultimate origins of this name, however, remains unclear, though linguists and historians have posited various theories. Some argue that the Dragars bestowed the name Livarii upon the tribe and lands they came to inhabit in reference to the Pastanan word lividus, which translates either to 'slate-coloured' or 'spiteful'. The former is the often preferred interpretation, as the western shore of Livaria does contain large concentrations of slate, with further archeological evidence of the early Dragaric period confirming that the inhabitants of Livaria did use slate in their construction of various buildings. This theory would therefore render Livaria to mean 'the slate-coloured land'. However, others argue that the Dragars labelled the inhabitants as literally 'the spiteful people', given the reputation of the Malorski inhabitants of the island during the early Dragaric colonisation of the island for retaliative justice and cycles of blood feud.

It remains unclear when the inhabitants of Livaria began referring to themselves as Livarian - Livarskyi (Livarian: Ліварський). However, the earliest recorded non-Dragaric instance of the use of Livaria to refer to the modern-day island comes in the Chronicles of Valderyk written in the 62nd century.

History

Migration Period

Main article: Migration Period

The Migration Period brought a period of profound instability to what would become known as the Cheltic Isles, and the native Ambesii peoples (also sometimes referred to as Amberians) that inhabited them. While archeological evidence remains inconclusive, ancient chroniclers and historians maintain that the Ambesii were a race of warrior women that occupied the Cheltic Isles since time immemorial. Archeological evidence indicates that the ancestors of the Ambesii peoples arrived in the Cheltic Isles some 14,000 years ago.

Beginning in the 5670s, waves of migrant raids and eventually invasions began harrying the southern coasts of Vorshchyna, Belohor and Zolotar. By the mid-5600s, the Cheltai, a Malorski-speaking people originally from central Anaria, were establishing settlements across the region, and gave their name to the islands they settled - the Cheltic Isles. While open conflict pushed many of the native Ambesii peoples into the hills and island interiors, marital alliances between Cheltai warlords and Ambesii warrior queens did take place, resulting in interbreeding between the peoples.

The ancient Dragaric chronicler Torrenius maintained that the intermarriages of the Cheltai-Ambesii formed the aristocratic ruling class that would dominate much of Livarian history, with many royal and aristocratic lines claiming descent from legendary Cheltai-Ambesii warriors up to the present day. Nevertheless, major turbulence and warfare in Anaria encouraged further waves of Cheltai migrations, which by the early 5700s resulted in the Cheltai achieving dominance across Vorshchyna and Belohor, and the assimilation of the remaining Ambesii. By contrast, Cheltai rule of the island of Zolotar for much of the following centuries was indirect, with genetic studies confirming that the modern inhabitants of the island have a high proportion of Ambesii ancestry. Historians and archeologists disagree over the precise end of a distinct Ambesii people in the Cheltic Isles, but it is thought that the Ambesii had been fully integrated by the late 60th century. Nevertheless, elements of Ambesii culture and heritage persisted in the practices and culture of Zolotar in particular for many centuries. Meanwhile, over time the specific sub-branch of Cheltai that came to settle the Cheltic Isles became known as the Livarii, which likely came from the Dragaric name for the island and people.

By the 59th century, the rate of Cheltic migrations had reduced significantly, and the population of the Cheltic Isles had become more homogeneous and stable. Early efforts by the Orkanan Realm of Stoldavia to send missionaries and convert the Ambesii in the previous centuries had proven unsuccessful, with the warrior queens heavily resisting the influence of the Stoldavic princes. Nevertheless, centuries of attempted conversion eventually established nascent Orkanan populations amongst the peasantry across the Cheltic Isles. However, it was not until 5726 when Exemplar Valderyk (Waldemar) successfully converted King Yoritslav, ruler of Belohor, to a form of Fyrirhugun Orkanan. Thereafter, Yoritslav's fellow monarchs and princes steadily converted, with the exception of the Queen of Zolotar, whose descents resisted conversion for many years.

Dragaric Period

Main article: Dragar Monopoly

A map of the major cities of the Dragar Monopoly, including the Dragaric colonies on the Cheltic Isles.

Amid the turbulence of the Migration Period, the nascent Dragar Monopoly in the Medio Sea began exerting influence across the region, facilitating trade and supplying coastal strongholds facing migrant invasions. By the 60th century, Dragaric merchants had established contacts and colonies across central and northern Anaria, penetrating the Hattaro Straits and journeying to the Cheltic Isles in search of grain supplies as well as precious materials, such as amber, silver and other resources. Around 5960, Dragar traders from Cadria established their first colony in the Cheltic Isles at Torrenium. Thereafter, Dragar settlers established further colonies across the western Cheltic Isles, at times entering into alliances with the local Livarii tribes and at others fighting them.

During these centuries, missionaries spread Dragaric Orkanan, a precusor to modern Peratolian Orkanan, across much of the islands, challenging the dominance of a branch of Sunna Orkanan which had established itself following the centuries of evolution since Exemplar Valderyk (Waldemar)'s initial conversion of Belohor. Dragaric Orkanan would come to supersede that of Sunna Orkanan by the 62nd century. Meanwhile, aside from incorporating Livaria in the Peratolian world, the wider influence of Dragaric settlement is still felt across much of the western Cheltic Isles in its modern place names.

During the centuries of Dragaric influence, the Cheltic tribes were deeply divided, preventing a unified Livarian kingdom from emerging. Given its geographic location at the crossroads of Anaria Major to the south, Thultannia to the west and Stoldavia to the north, the Cheltic Isles were a frequent target of raids and invasions, with the islands being a melting pot of different cultural influences through much of the 7th millennium. Amongst the most significant invasions and influences in this period were the Aldsay, raiding and invading from the north of Stoldavia, as well as the Dolmer, raiding from modern-day Helreich in southern Stoldavia. Both established marriage alliances and set up petty kingdoms and principalities across the Cheltic Isles during this period.

The Dragaric Schism in 6234 marked a significant increase in the direct influence of Auresia across Livaria during the 63rd century. The schism, which saw the establishment of the Dragar Imperium under the centralising control of Auresia, resulted in numerous Dragaric colonies in Livaria becoming direct vassals of the Auresian emperor, while others broke away. Auresian influence over these colonies nevertheless effectively ended by the 6350s, with the remaining Dragaric-speaking colonies increasingly joining forces with various Cheltic kings and princes during the internal conflicts that dominated this period of Livarian history. Many cities maintained their independence, while others were conquered and subsumed by Cheltic tribes.

In 6383 King Sigmyr of Mazovia, himself of Stoldish ancestry, succeeded in becoming the first person to create a unified Kingdom over both Vorshchyna and Belohor. As a popular monarchy, Sigmyr took the title High King of the Livars and Chelts, though he has often been referred to as the King of Livaria. His united realm would not last, however, as his death in 6401 saw his three sons fight a bitter war that fragmented the realm and reverted the Cheltic Isles to a disparate patchwork of petty kings and princes fighting one another. Nevertheless, Sigmyr of Mazovia remains an important figure in Livarian history today and is often considered the first King of Livaria by many historians and chroniclers.

Government and politics

Modern Livaria is a unitary parliamentary monarchical republic. The modern system, also sometimes referred to as a crowned republic, has come about over hundreds of years of evolution from complex forms of mixed government, which sought to combine and reconcile monarchy, aristocracy and democratic traditions. Modern Livaria nevertheless has strongly embedded democratic and republican ideals, though given its traditionally mixed form of government, aristocratic and monarchical elements are still important parts of the constitution and political values of the country today.

Executive

Since the Regal Compromise of 7386, the head of state is the King- or Queen-elect (Livarian: Коро́ль-оби́раний (Korol-obiranyĭ); Короле́ва-оби́раний (Koroleva-obiranyĭ)). The monarch-elect is elected by universal suffrage and holds the post for life, though there is precedent for abdications. Upon the death of the previous monarch-elect, the Noble Assembly convenes and an elective council of 50 members is drawn by lot. Those 50 members then elect five candidates, which are then put forward to a universal suffrage vote, using a two-round election process. This system has evolved through various reforms in recent centuries, and was considerably more complex and less democratic in previous eras.

The current King-elect is Yaromyr III, who has held the office since his election in 7682. The monarch-elect's powers are today broadly ceremonial, but they retain important appointment powers within the Noble Assembly. However, the monarch-elect also has a number of reserve powers at their disposal, which are rarely used, to uphold responsible government and prevent constitutional crises, including by dissolving parliament. The monarch-elect is also the commander-in-chief of the Livarian armed forces.

The head of government is the chancellor, who is appointed by the monarch-elect conventionally after they are elected by the party or coalition with the most seats in the Rada, though this is not always the case. The chancellor, currently Eryka Vasylenko i Kolisnyk, exercises executive power through the Cabinet of Ministers.

Legislature

The legislature consists of the Livarian parliament, a bicameral body made up of the appointed upper house, the Noble Assembly, and the elected lower house, the Council, also known as the Rada (Livarian: Рада). For general elections to the Rada, the country is divided into 750 constituencies, each of which is represented by a poslanik (Livarian: посланик), literally 'representative' in parliament. Representatives are elected under a mixed voting system, where 50% of the seats are distributed under party lists with a 5% election threshold and 50% through first-past-the-post in single-member constituencies. They hold office for five year terms, whereafter they run for re-election to maintain their seat.

In contrast to the Rada, the Noble Assembly (Livarian: Благоро́дне Зібра́ння; Blahorodne Zibrannya), is a mixed representative body made up of hereditary peers, appointed peers and elected peers that hold their seat for life. The majority of the 689-strong assembly are made up of the heads of the leading noble stims of Livaria. The rules around these hereditary seats vary, with no single convention or law that stipulates how they are selected. However, most are by convention or law either inherited or elected from within the stim itself, with the monarch-elect subsequently appointing the individual chosen thereafter. Outside of these stim seats, 100 seats are constitutionally reserved for non-noble stim heads, and are elected. These seats are held for life, but are non-inheritable. Elections for these 'reserved' seats are conventionally held at the same time as Rada general elections, though the process has been highly criticised for being overly complex and often results in low-turnout. In a similar process to the election of the monarch-elect, the Noble Assembly collectively draws up a short list of candidates for those seats that are vacant (i.e. replacing those members that have died, been expelled or relinquished their seat in the intervening years since the last vote), with the general voting public then electing their replacement.

Administrative divisions

The Regal Republic of Livaria is divided between Metropolitan Livaria, made up of the three home islands of Vorshchyna, Belohor and Zolotar located in Anaria, and various overseas territories across Gotha. The administrative and geographic division of Metropolitan Livaria dates back over a thousand years, and the modern administrative system has evolved from the ancient regions and various acts of Parliament since the 7490s which attempted to formalise and rationalise the complex traditional systems of administration.

Today, Metropolitan Livaria is divided into 15 regions (Livarian: округа; okruha), which are in turn divided into 112 povits (повіт) and the smallest administrative level, districts, known as raions (район).

Military

Main article: Livarian Armed Forces

The Armed Forces of the Regal Republic of Livaria (Livarian: Збройні Сили Королівської Республіки Ліварії, tr. Zbroyni Syly Korolivsʹkoyi Respubliky Livariyi), sometimes abbreviated to the ZSL, are the combined military forces of Livaria, with the King-elect as Supreme Commander-in-Chief. They are divided into three main branches, the Livarian Army, the Livarian Navy, and the Livarian Air Service. The ZSL is managed by the Ministry of Defence and controlled by the Supreme Defence Committee, nominally chaired by the King-elect but by convention directed by the Chancellor as head of government.

Livaria is a nuclear armed global power and her military, naval, aerial and strategic forces are amongst the largest and most advanced in the world. The country retains various power projection assets, including a navy that operates multiple aircraft carriers and amphibious warfare vessels, as well as long-range strategic bombing and nuclear strike capabilities. Livaria's annual defence expenditure in 7689 was Ꞡ 166.3 billion, representing 3.7% of its GDP - making it one of the largest military spenders on Gotha. As the largest military in terms of capability and spending in Anaria, Livaria is also a major arms producer, and is one of the largest exporters of defence equipment on Gotha.

Livaria is one of the Nuclear Five and is party to the Accord for Restrained Arms and International Harmony (ARAIH), and as such has a stockpile of intermediate-range nuclear missiles. The Livarian Navy and Air Service form the cornerstone of Livaria's nuclear deterrent, operating the Vodyanyy Wyrm-class (Livarian: Водяний змій; Vodyanyy zmiy, literally water dragon) submarines equipped with submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and the Vigilance (Livarian: Пильність; Pyl'nist) long-range strategic bombers, alongside various other tactical bomber aircraft capable of deploying medium-range air-to-ground Nightingale (Livarian Соловейко; Soloveyko) cruise missiles with nuclear warheads. Given her geography and geopolitical rivalry with the neighbouring Stolvic Commonwealth, Livaria also has one of the most advanced and dense air defence networks in Gotha, known as the Integrated Home Air Defence Network.

The ZSL operates numerous overseas bases across Gotha, in directly controlled Livarian overseas territories, leased sovereign bases as well as in allied states. Aligning with Livaria's minilateral foreign policy, Rubizhne cultivates varying degrees of military cooperation with a large number of states across the planet, including as a member of the North Anarian Air Defence System and contributing military resources to ICoN's Security and Peace Committee. However, Livaria's most prominent international military relationship is its role in OSSO and the Triarchy, wherein it takes part in minilateral military operations with its principal allies Ithrien and Kamura.

Demographics

With a population of 123,816,597 inhabitants as of 7690, Livaria is the second most populous state in Anaria (after Helreich), and the 11th most populous state on Gotha. Since the industrial revolution, Livaria has had a very high population density, which currently stands at around 311.73 inhabitants per km2. This makes the Regal Republic the third most densely populated country on Gotha that isn't a city or island state. Over 90% of the Livarian population live in cities, and there are particular concentrations of high density in the eastern regions of Vorshchyna island, including the highly-built up string of cities around the capital, Rubizhne. The Greater Rubizhne Metropolitan Area, colloquially known as the 'Rubokruh', is one of the largest urban metropoleis in the world.

In 7688, the average total fertility rate (TFR) across Metropolitan Livaria stood at 1.81 children born per woman, which is notably below the replacement rate of 2.1. Livaria's natural birth rate has been in decline for the last couple of centuries since its demographic transition in the 7300s. Nevertheless, Livaria's overall population has continued to grow steadily given relatively high migration rates in recent decades. Foreign arrivals and Livarian-born children of migrants currently account for an estimated half of the population increase in Metropolitan Livaria. Given lower birth rates and relatively low death rates, Livaria has an aging population, with an average age of 36.8 as of 7690.