country
United Republic
The United Republic is the largest sovereign entity by population in Zemia.
The United Republic is the largest sovereign entity by population in Zemia. It is a republican federation consisting of a large number of smaller countries, headed by the Ironborne Republic.
In the aftermath of the Collapse of the Midborne Empire, the newly-formed Ironborne Republic could no longer hold their former territory via military force. Instead, they turned to diplomacy and bureaucracy to attempt to exert control, even if indirectly, over their former lands. Through sword and pen, they formed individual contracts with each member state to bring them into a union with largely joined law, coin and military operations, although each by nature of each contract being negotiated separately, the extent to which each member is centralised into the federation has high variance.
To this end, the union is structured to avoid an anti-core coalition by allowing Ironborne to tighten it's control over any specific member without directly facing the others.
Governmental Structure
The this.abbr consists of a parliamentary system with seats awarded to each constituent member according to it's assessed influence, which chiefly means population and wealth, but is broad enough to allow any number of other factors, such as retained influence from offices within the Empire. This is why members such as the Falconmar Duchy are able to retain more influence than their middling population would suggest
This apportionment is regularly reassessed, which maintains a constant state of political struggle between members and allows the IR to project themselves as peacemakers and tactically pit members against each other where advantageous.
Executive power lies in the Lord Protector, which is a title tied to the current president of Ironborne. The Protector commands the federal army, chairs parliament, and oversees each member's charter.
Tiers of Membership
Due to the individualised nature of membership in the Republic, it has a multifaceted gradient of sovereignty that typically roughly correlates to distance from Ironcrag. When members reach spcific thresholds of integration, they are eligible for higher tiers of membership.
- Full Members
- share the currency, citizenship status, and contribute most or all of their army to the federation.
- Associate Members
- typically retains choice over their currency and much of their own law.
- Protectorates
- surrender only their foreign policy.
Practically every member bends these rules in one way or another, so these typically act as rough markers.
Some members, like the Silverkeep Stratocracy, exist entirely in their own tier wherein they act more as a direct vassal of the Lord Protector.
Admission
New members are brought in via conquest and negotiation. Ironborne has a reputation for backing pro-federation factions within target states to help them get to power. The resulting government then owes its position (and often its debts) to Ironborne.
An example of this would be The Crystal War.
Union Members
```dataviewjs
const pages = dv.pages('#organisation')
.where(p => p["member-of"]?.path === dv.current().file.path);
if (pages.length > 0) {
dv.list(pages.file.link);
}
```