Gwynnedd (The Kalmar Union)

The Principality of Gwynnedd, Gwynnedd, is a small constitutional monarchy on the island of Britannia. To the south and East lies Wessex-Normandy and to the East lies Man. Across the Menai Strait, and connected by a bridge, is the newly independent country of Ynys Mons. The capital is Caernarfon and the population around 700,000.

The Head of State is Prince Llywelyn III.

The official language is Welsh. Manx and North Saxon are also spoken in the industrial towns of the East.

Following a financial collapse in the mid 1980s that led to the fall of two governments Gwynnedd adopted the Manx Pound (MXP) which has given it more stability. Plans to re-float the Gwynnedd Pound (GWP) are often announced but soon shelved due to costs.

History
Squeezed by the Wessex marcher lords to the South and East and Manx/Norse adventurers to the North, Gwynnedd slowly came out on top of the various small Welsh principalities as it married and out-competed its rivals. Faced with hostile neighbours the Princes looked to the continent for support, securing a marriage with Brittany. The Welsh-Breton dynasty and alliance that followed kept Wessex from extending its power into the North but could do little to loosen their grasp on the South. Man was eventually satisfied merely with occupying Ynys Mons and settled on the current land border in 1587.

Frequent local rebellions in the 13th century led the Princes to construct a ring of castles around their territory. Many of these still remain forming some of the finest examples of medieval castles in Europe. To vent the nobles' energies Gwynnedd would often involve itself in various disputes in Ireland as well as providing regular auxiliaries for Brittany.

In the midst of the Wessex-Kalmar War (1687-1701), Gwynnedd declared itself neutral to avoid being drawn into the war. This neutrality would in time be confirmed by both the 4th Kalmar Union in 1832 and Wessex in 1838. It maintains a small well-trained defense force but otherwise has no military capacity.

Government
Largely allowed to function without interference from the royal family, the single chamber assembly is elected every four years. The head of state is Prince Llywelyn and the Chief Minister is Bryn Fflur.

To a large degree Gwynnedd is dependent on the industrial cities of North Wessex and Man as it provides a significant proportion of the coal burned there. Indeed both Wessex and Man have invested heavily in Gwynnedd to ensure their industrial heartlands are well-supplied. Industrial union movements, even socialism, seen as subversive over the border in Wessex, are an important part of Gwynnedd's political mix.