Borealia (Principia Moderni III Map Game)

The United Commonwealth of Borealia (also known as Boralia or the UCB, formally known as New Austria or New Galicia) is a commonwealth state located on the northwestern coast of Borealia on the western hemisphere. It was originally a colony of Hispania before it was annexed by Bavaria during the Spanish Colonial War. After a period of civil unrest, unofficially called the Borealian Revolution, the colony was granted independence from Bavaria. Since that time, it has become the forefather for all colonial independence.

Original Native Settlements
The oldest evidence of human settlement in this area goes back to the Paleolithic Era, as seen from evidence such as the Kenniwick man. After the end of the Ice Age, Amerindian peoples crossed over the Bering Strait and populated throughout the continent. The tribes that settled in this area were mostly the Salish and Chinook tribes.

Under Hispanic Rule
The Spanish first arrived in this area in 1570. The settlement was started by a few opportunistic missionaries from New Granada as a way of organizing the local tribes into better trading partners. Although originally just a church with the sole purpose of converting, it quickly grew into a great town surrounded by heavily-armed forts. This church is now a popular tourist attraction as one of the oldest buildings still standing in Borealia.

Although this mission reached thousands of converts in the area, most of the natives retreated further north around 1577.

While the mission enjoyed relative autonomy for a long time, it was eventually absorbed into the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1725, and thereafter divided into smaller provinces. This was during Hispania's last great push for more territory in the New World. After this absorption, however, the land was relatively forgotten as it fell behind much of the world economically and culturally. Buildings from the 1730's and 1740's are famous for having an almost medieval style to them.

The Spanish Colonial War (1737-1749) was one of the major campaigns of the War of the Grand Coalition, in which most of the states and dependencies of the New World allied against the Empire of Hispania. New Granada was dismantled mostly by French forces, aside from a single invasion across the Klamath Mountains by New Bavaria. It was during this invasion that Juan Detend, the only Hispanic governor of that region, was severely wounded and taken out of action. He would later die of infection in 1751.

Under Article VIII of the Treaty of Toledo, the northern portion of New Granada (later known as California) was ceded to Bavaria, while the rest of the colony when to France.

Under Bavarian Rule
Queen Frances of Bavaria was sure to keep a gentle hand on the Spanish territories, knowing well that the people won't take a sudden change of government too easily. Reestablishing the colony as New Austria, she ensured that the people enjoyed quite a bit of autonomy aside from a few standard stipulations. Her only mistake, it would seem, would be to use the colony as an outlet for all Austrians who felt oppressed back in Europe. This sudden mix of cultures caused immense friction, leading to a completely riot in 1752. But the situation was dealt with by the shrewdness of the new governor, Gaspar de Portola. He diverted the issue by proposing constant building projects, a policy that continued well after his time. Once the new infrastructure of New Austria was complete, he separated peoples of German and Hispanic origin until their cultures more peacefully mixed. He certainly helped to speed up this mixing process by requiring both German and Spanish languages to be taught.

Interest in the plains began in 1766 when the entrepreneur Johann Baptist de Fages discovered the potential of buffalo products. He established a trading village near a great salt lake, which later became known as Kristallstadt. Soon after its establishment, the bison trade became the most stable facet of Borealian economy and culture, eventually making its way to the Borealian flag in 1796. Trade for bison with the Nehilaw Sachemate (later known as Algonquia) began in 1767, and this later contributed to the two nations' close alliance. A big trading city in the plains quickly became New Munich, which was established in 1765. This sudden expansion eastward, however, made it necessary to establish semi-autonomous governments out of the city councils in the far east. After a series of attacks from the Sioux in 1770, these city governments were also authorized to raise their own militias.

As other aspects of their culture, rifles started becoming popular for sport in 1760, and this later became a potent feature in the eastern militias. The first printing press in Borealia appeared in 1764, and this became key in spreading ideas and philosophies across the continent.

There was great mourning across the country with the passing of Queen Frances in 1759, which also meant the end of the House of Wurtemburg in favor of the House of Hapsburg. And in general, Queen Mary is looked on with great disdain by most people in Borealia. She was considered to be high-handed with the colonies and her own people, and outright callous when it came to individual complaints. Some say that if her decisions were not mediated by the Deutsche Diet, there may have been outright rebellion.

The Borealian Revolution
Things officially started to unravel in relations to France. The French had previously claimed area around the southern plains, including the city of Kristallstadt itself. Fearing France's threats of war, Queen Mary offered to give the land directly to French control in 1780. By 1785, this statement had blown up into violent protests all throughout the colony, particularly in the east. And Governor Ortega, unfortunately, could live up to his predecessor. He tried his best to peacefully negotiate with the French and Bavarians, even in the face of Kristallstadt and New Munich insisting on going to war. Where he did give a strong hand turned out to be his undoing. He had a number of seemingly-treasonous newspapers in New Vienna arrested in 1786, an act interpreted as tyranny among the Borealians. This unrest seemed to be confirmation from the perspectives of New Munich and Kristallstadt, who were feeling that Bavaria had sold them out to the French. The rebels were also capitalizing on general unrest in Europe cased by the War of Scandinavian Aggression.

In 1789, Governor Ortega organized a general meeting of the city presidents from across the colony. This plan completely backfired, however, as it gave the radicals from the east the opportunity to reorganize the council as a conspiracy for rebellion. This was the first time the alternate name of "the United Commonwealth of Borealia" was first used, and acknowledged by Algonquia in 1791.

After hearing that Bavaria was willing to capitulate with the rebels, the general council was reconvened in 1792, and voted to dissolve the colony. The first president was elected in 1793, and the Constitution was ratified in 1796. The period form 1785-1792 is usually referred to as the "Borealian Revolution", although not a single shot was ever fired during this time.

Independence
During its independence, Borealia has presented itself as the senior member of independent states in Borealia. The New Munich Declaration, issued in 1797, officially declared that all states of Borealia should be free and independent. The commonwealth's involvement in Arcadia, Reme and California have thus far proved their determination to enforce it.

The industrial revolution first appeared soon after its independence, including the invention of the factory in 1793 and the steam engine in 1800. These steam engines are already being added to the navy, in the hopes of becoming a more modernized military in general.

Colonial and Provisional Governments
As the province of New Galicia, and later New Austria, the colony was treated as a subdivision of the greater Californian colony. As such, it was administered by a regional council at New Vienna. This council would elect a governor from among themselves, who would then serve for life. Beneath them, every city and village had a local city council with an elected president. As the colony grew very quickly, these local councils became very powerful as they controlled all the land in the metropolitan area. The regional council acted as the city government for New Vienna. The main courthouse of New Vienna was completed in 1761.

The first flag of New Austria was delivered from Bavaria in 1759, and by the 1760s it was mandatory to fly this flag over every public building. This caused some tension among the Hispanic inhabitants, and some diehards in the north of the colony continued to fly a Hispanic flag until at least 1764. When disparate cultural differences put a strain between the conservative northern and radical eastern cities, governor Ortega attempted a more legislative approach. in 1789, he called the presidents of all the major cities in New Austria to come together in New Vienna to discuss their grievances. After two years of deadlock, however, the eastern presidents walked out and formed a new government in New Munich. This rebellion, claiming the entirety of the plains, referred to themselves as a new government known as "the United Commonwealth of Borealia". After the end of the Borealian Revolution, and the end of colonial rule in general, this name stuck and the official name of the new state.

Under the Constitution
The Constitution, drafted in 1793 and ratified in 1796, outlined a more reasonable independent government for Borealia, and clearly listed the unalienable rights of its citizens. The power of the city councils was officially expanded to act as provincial governments over Borealia's divisions. The council of Presidents, now knownas the Curia Borealia, meet regularly as the leading legislature over the state, and elect a General President among themselves every six years. A second house of senators are elected directly from the common people, and act as an advising staff for the Curia.

The standing military is always fixed in the constitution as 3% of the population, not counting local militias. Thus, the current size of the military is approximately 54,000 men.

Demographics
The colony was entirely populated by Hispanic settlers since its first formation in 1570. After the annexation from Bavaria in 1751, a large wave of German immigrants flooded in throughout the 1750s and 1760s. Seeing the great tension between these ethnic groups, Governor Portolo separated the settlers between Hispanics in the north, and Germans in the east. As the following generation between these peoples learned both Spanish and German, these two cultures began fusing together into a distinctive, Borealian one. The term "Borealian" as a demonym was first coined in a novel by Martin de la Venn in 1760. Today, the main languages in Borealia are distinct branches of Spanish and German, with many loan words mixed between. New children commonly have Germanic names, with Hispanic surnames.

Even after these cultures merged, however, there is still many differences between the society of the northern forests and the society of the eastern plains. The northern provinces tend to be much more conservative on all issues, while the eastern provinces tend to be more liberal.

There are also a few salish tribes that still live in the area; however, they are not considered citizens of the state are not counted in each census.

Population to date

 * 1750: 800,000
 * 1760: 1.1 million
 * 1770: 1.2 million
 * 1780: 1.4 million
 * 1790: 1.5 million
 * 1800: 1.6 million
 * 1810: 2.6 million

Philosophy
Borealianism is a branch of anthropology that first appeared in 1770s in New Vienna, and quickly took off with the spread of printed material. This philosophy holds that humans born on different continents, having developed under radically-different climates, are predisposed towards different modes of thinking. So while people of Borealia are predestined for a culture of practicality, generosity, and equality, people from Europe are considered to be bred for exploitation, greed, and imperialism. Some branches of Borealianism attempt to identify the identities of other continents, such as Africa and Hisperia, but so far none of these theories have dominated. The main corollary of this theory is an insatiable drive for total independence, believing that Europe no longer "deserves" to hold colonies.

Romanticism first came over with German immigrants in the 1780s, and has likewise spread across the continent. In general, however, the New World version of Romanticism is a clear twist on the German original, with many elements of Borealianism mixed in. Still, some publications for "pure" Romanticism are still found in the north, particularly Santiago.

Economy
The main industrial centers of Borealia are located along the eastern face of the Klamath Mountains, especially near New Vienna. Companies working to manufacture carpentry, textiles, and metalwork are mostly located in this area, along with many industrialized mining companies. With the introduction of the industrial revolution in in the 1790s, factories and other industrial theories began sweeping across the country, particularly in the plains for processing bison. After the steam engine was invented in 1799, this has been appearing as a common mechanism across many factories.

The main source of economy across the country is the processing of buffalo. This commodity was first discovered by Johann Baptist de Fages in 1766, and to this day his company in Kristallstadt monopolizes the entire industry. It first became very popular among people throughout the colony, and later was accepted internationally with Algonquia. This created a direct trading network up the Eastern Mountains and across the northern forests to connect Kristallstadt with the Nehilaw. Some consider this to be the main reason why Algonquia accepted Borealian independence so quickly. A small bison trade is also kept over seas with the Kiatagmiut Bands in Alaska.

Publication businesses are also extremely popular, as both newspapers and pamphlets have been sold across the continent since 1764. The main recipients of these currently have been Arcadia, Vineland, and California. Along with literature, other unofficial frontier trading is also popular throughout both the French and German colonies. From 1773-1775, a massive gold rush created a lot of new settlements around the Adelheid Lakes, but so far very few precious minerals have been found in that area. This rumor first appeared in a small newspaper in New Vienna, probably picked up from some Nehilaw traders.

Art
The various arts of Borealia, particularly architecture, is generally considered to be behind the rest of the world. Much of the architecture from before the Colonial War is almost medieval in design, and some of the older buildings still standing have been converted into museums. After the reforms of Governor Portolo, The architecture was pushed forward to reflect a more baroque style, which much of New Vienna it maintains to this day. However, with the disappearance of baroque style from Europe, the constructions of Borealia are once again out of date. Still, the more impressive buildings such as the University of New Vienna are well maintained, and are considered some of the most ornate examples of baroque style in the world.

There was a brief revolution in artwork throughout the 1760s, which has unfortunately died out after the Revolution. It was primarily led by Johnn de la Franz, most famous for constructing the bronze statue of Queen Frances in 1761. That statue still stands in the main square of New Vienna as one of the greatest icons of the state.

The University of New Vienna
The University of New Vienna was constructed between 1752 and 1761. It originally began as a military academy, but after the academic wings were completed it began producing new generations of intellectuals and engineers. It was here that Borealianism as a scientific study was first developed. The first prototype steam engines were constructed in 1786, and in 1800 a steamship was first used to sail up the Amerigo River, to the astonishment of passer-byes. Since then, The navy has been redesigned to include steam engines on all ships. Theories on electromagnetism were first discovered in 1785. This led to the development of electrical devices for entertainment in 1793, and ultimately to the invention of the telegraph in 1801. At first, the telegraph was used only for fast communication between public buildings in New Vienna, as stringing wires across the country seemed ludicrous to most.

Timeline of Inventions and Discoveries

 * 1764: the printing press is introduced
 * 1765: the newspaper is invented
 * 1770: The Great Comet of 1770 is measured and cataloged
 * 1771: first publication of a Borealian theory of anthropology
 * 1785: new theories appear on the nature of electromagnetism
 * 1786: prototype steam engines are constructed
 * 1791: new economic theories contribute to the industrial revolution
 * 1793: small electrical toys for sound and light appear
 * 1794: first factory built in New Munich
 * 1799: first steam-powered factory
 * 1800: steamships constructed
 * 1801: the telegraph is invented.
 * 1809: the telegraph is used for public broadcasting
 * 1811: The Great Comet of 1811 is measured and cataloged
 * 1816: the camera is invented

The New Munich Pact
In 1797, the New Munich Declaration stated that all nations on the continent of Borealia should be free and independent from European intervention. In order to enforce this, the state is hoping to establish close alliances with all the current independent states on the continent, and pool their resources to liberate all other colonies and dependencies. These mutual defense alliances are collectively known as the New Munich Pact.

Current Members

 * The Commonwealth of Borealia
 * The Algonquian Sachemate
 * The Remian Republic
 * The Dominion of Arcadia

Offered, but not accepted

 * The Dominion of California

Trade Expeditions
In addition to these sovereign states, there are a number of colonies or dependencies that have official or unofficial trade relations with Borealia. These will hopefully develop into political alliances eventually.
 * The Colony of New Bavaria
 * The Kiatagmiut Band
 * The Dominion of Mexeca
 * The Dominion of New Orleans
 * The Colony of Vineland

Other Important Relations

 * The Crown-Union of Germany is seen as the motherland by most people in Borealia, especially among conservatives. A very tight economic thread remains with the Germans, and even the currency between them remains the same. Although Bavaria has denounced the New Munich Declaration, it is nonetheless one of its strongest political friends in Europe.
 * The Kingdom of Aragon is the most friendliest of European allies, almost as an honorary member of the New Munich Pact. Its economic and political support for the state has proved to be very helpful in the face of threat from other Europeans.
 * The Kingdom of France is favorable economically. However, it has been seen as very threatening since the beginning of the Revolution. As France continues to claim Kristallstadt and surrounding plains as part of their territory, most people of Borealia have become very bitter against the French, and most things french in general. The former colonial government continuously offered compromises to the French government, but all falling on deaf ears. The current government is still debating of the next move, while the more radical groups in the east insist on going to war.
 * The Duchy of Oldenburg has no direct connection with the commonwealth, aside from a couple of colonies in Newfoundland that have yet to make any contact with Borealia. However, it has condemned the New Munich Declaration with Bavaria, and thereby alienating themselves from Borealian affairs.
 * The Britannic Empire is generally uninvolved with Borealian affairs after the War of Britannic Succession. After Arcadia declared its independence, it has been considered to be in a state of conflict with Britannia. As such, Borealia has sent 2000 men to the dominion for their protection, and warned Britannia that any aggression will be met with force.