Aragon (The Once and Never Kings)

The Crown of Aragon, or simply Aragon, though not to be confused with Lesser Aragon, is a large Federal composite monarchy spanning much of the western Mediterranean. To the West it borders Castile and Granada to the north it borders numerous member states of Francia, while its territory of Naples borders the Papal States.

Aragon is famously (or infamously, depending on your home country) a nominal member of both Francia and the Holy Roman Empire, the result of opportunistic deal-making and inheritance. The County of Toulouse and the Kingdom of Naples are electorates in both empires respectively.

History
Founded as a Carolingian feudal county in the ninth century, Aragon became a vassal of the Kingdom of Pamplona (later Navarre). Ramiro I would win Aragons independence around 1035. The marriage of Queen Petronilla of Aragon and Count Berenguer IV of Barcelona put those two states into a dynastic union, and they would be united in 1162.

Aragon would join in various wars against the ever-retreating Al Andalus, and would create the Kingdom of Valencia as another possession out of territory gained from it. Over the years, it grew weary of the growing confidence of Castile, but had an equally concerned ally in Leon. But when Leon was inherited by Castile, and it turned its gaze back to Granada, Aragon decided a weak Muslim state was a better option for controlling Gibraltar than a powerful, potentially hostile, Castile. It was that reasoning that lead Aragon to intervene on Granadas side in the First Granadan War. Its victory would sap the momentum out of Castiles steamroll.

It would inherit the Duchy of Athens in 1381, thanks to Byzantium's lax policy of marriage concerning its Despotates. A subsequent war would see its one-time Greek territory lost, thanks in part to the distance of the war zone from Aragon proper. The episode would cause Byzantium to reform its policies regard its Despotates' privileges.

Aragon would become an opportunist in the frequent wars between the Holy Roman Empire and Francia, bettering its position within both organizations. First, it offered Austria its assistance in the First Francian-Imperial War, in return for Naples joining the Empire as an electorate. Austria would be forced to appoint a Lutheran elector to keep the electors an odd number, but it was accepted. Aragon would also be given the vacant County of Toulouse, a Francian electorate, in return for entering the Second Francian-Imperial War.

Aragon would be relatively calm during the Reformation, remaining a majority Catholic state (though a few Lutheran communities would spring up in northwest Toulouse). Despite this, it joined the Forty Years War on the side of the Protestants, seeing a chance to undermine the authority of both Francia and the HRE. It territory would remain unchanged, though its status as a nominal member of both empires would be confirmed in the 1658 Peace of Hamburg.

Aragons distractions in Europe would keep it from exploiting the New World immediately. However, it would establish a series of forts in Antillia in the late fifteenth century. These forts would expand in territorial size, and would be organized as the colony of New Sicily in 1602.

Aragon would clash with the Hafsids of North Africa on several occasions, trying to solidify its control over the western Mediterranean. But three wars and a covertly supported Christian revolt only left its coffers empty. It has been conducting a military buildup in recent years, and have been softening ties with Egypt, leading some to believe it's preparing for another war with the Hafsids.

Government
Each component of the Crown of Aragon has its own parliament, though their abilities are somewhat limited, and are all subservient to the central parliament in Zaragoza.

The Monarch retains a number of powers, though the past few have begun the process of transferring many those powers to the Prime Minister.

Naples, as a member of the Holy Roman Empire sends a delegation to the Imperial Diet in Frankfurt. Toulouse, Catalonia, Andorra, and Roussillon, as members of Francia, send another delegation to the Francian parliament in Tours. Both delegations are often instructed to obstruct legislation that could possible form a more united policy in either entity.