Lebanon (Pharaonic Survival)

Kingdom of Lebanon مملكة لبنان (Arabic) Mamlakat Lubnān Timeline: Pharaonic Survival
Flag Coat of Arms
Anthem:  كلّنا للوطن Kullunā li-l-waṭan "All of us, for our country!" Royal anthem:  الملكة الأكثر هدوءًا almalikat al'akthar hdw'an Most Serene Queen
Location of Lebanon (Pharaonic Survival)
Capital (and largest city)		Beirut
Official languages		Arabic
Recognised minority language		French
Religion		Christianity (Dominant)
Demonym		Lebanese
Government		Multi-city-state constitutional federal monarchy
-	Queen	Tamar V
-	Prime Minister	Joseph Aoun
Legislature		Parliament
Establishment		Formation
-	Unification	1 January 1200
-	Ottoman Rule	24 August 1516
-	French Rule	1 September 1920
-	Independence	2 April 1946
-	Current Constitution	26 May 1964
Area
-	Total	9,511 km2  3,672 sq mi
Population
-	estimate	--
GDP (PPP)		2025 estimate
-	Total	--
-	Per capita	--
GDP (nominal)		2025 estimate
-	Total	--
-	Per capita	--
Gini (2025)		28
HDI (2025)		--
Currency		Lebanese pound (LBP)
Time zone		UTC+2 (EET)
-	Summer (DST)	(UTCUTC+3 (EEST))
Drives on the		Right
Internet TLD		.lb .لبنان
Calling code		+961

Lebanon, officially known as the Kingdom of Lebanon, is a sovereign monarchical state located in the Middle East between Anatolia, the Levant and Mesopotamia, with its capital in Beirut. Its borders are organized to the east and southeast, bordering the Syria; to the west, the Israel; to the south, it borders the Mediterranean Sea, therefore having a connection in the territorial waters with five nations which are Byzantium, Turkey, the Kingdom of Cyprus (part of the Egyptian Empire), the Kingdom of Syria and the Kingdom of Israel.

Established as a federal monarchy composed of multiple city-states that have their own monarch, which is established under the supreme authority of the Lebanese monarch. The structure of the kingdom has been very representative of its past and ancestral heritage as one of the most important seats of the Phoenician civilization, of whom the Lebanese are their direct heirs and recognized worldwide by all organizations. Its cultural heritage is extremely vast and important dating back to the establishment of the first trading posts and city-states, its time where it was part of important empires such as the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Ottomans, French until independence until today.

The modern history of Lebanon began after the outbreak of World War I, where its position as one of the most important cities and commercial centers within the Ottoman Empire was the site of a failed and ambitious landing plan by the French and Egyptians during 1915. The territory remained mostly neutral throughout most of the conflict by the participants, with a strange and delicate situation of balance where the Lebanese did not show themselves in favor of the forces of the Entente until the conquest of Jerusalem and the Levant in 1916, at which time, the Lebanese forces under the leadership of the monarchies rose up in arms against the Ottomans supported by Assyrians, Syrians, Egyptians and Mesopotamians, having special importance the rejection of the Ottoman force sent to end the rebellion by the Ottoman leader Mustafa Kemal in February 1917.

Lebanon finally achieved its independence in 1946 from the French after the signing of the Beirut Agreement where Its sovereign independence was established before all international organizations, immediately establishing ties with its Christian and Egyptian neighbors. It maintained a neutral stance but a clearly allied position towards Israel and its confrontation against the Islamic countries during the Arab wars throughout the Cold War. In recent years, the Lebanese nation has been establishing strong ties in international trade issues with many nations around the world, being known again as one of the most important commercial centres/centers not only in the Levant but in the world in general.

History

Pre-World War I

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TBA

World War I

Anne V, Queen of Lebanon during World War I.

At the start of World War I, Lebanon was one of the richest and most prosperous regions of the Ottoman Empire and had strong ties to the Kingdom of France (of which it was practically its protector). This was a fact that caused great concern when the Ottoman Empire joined the war after attacking Russian ports and the Russian Black Sea Fleet with its fleet, which opened the possibility that the Lebanese could join in a possible revolt against the Ottomans. However, factions within the kingdom were not convinced to join in a rebellion against the government in Istanbul, this latter was strongly reinforced when French and Egyptian emissaries sent proposals for the Lebanese to join the war and allow the French to land in Lebanese ports and thus support the invasion of the Ottoman Empire. However, Queen Anne V and the other monarchs initially refused to rebel against the Ottomans, as the forces that Lebanon had to carry out such a rebellion were insufficient to repel a possible Ottoman retaliation, and the permanence of an Ottoman formation in the Muslim regions would frustrate such ideas. This was reinforced when the Entente failed in its direct invasion of Istanbul in the Gallipoli Peninsula, which was reinforced by the unexpected difficulties of the Egyptians in entering the Levant and reaching Jerusalem. Because of this, the queen and the kings of the Lebanese cities maintained their neutrality.

The situation was changing rapidly in early 1915, when thousands of refugees from Assyria, Armenia and Pontus arrived in Lebanon, many of whom were escaping the genocides carried out by the Ottomans and their Muslim allies. The horrific stories of looting, torture and rape of refugees changed the minds of the Lebanese about uniting against the Ottomans, as the victims were actually Christians and the rumours that the Ottomans were seeking to exterminate all Christians in the empire and carry out a process of mass Turkification at sword point made the Lebanese fear for their very existence. The moment of truth came when several Ottoman divisions were sent to the cities of Lebanon and several members of the most important families (including the second daughter of the queen) were arrested, this caused a great scandal for the population and the local elite against their rulers. The reason behind the Ottoman actions was due to the enormous paranoia of the Ottoman elite led by Enver Pasha who feared a Lebanese revolt and even more so when word of the Ottoman atrocities in Assyria, Armenia and Mesopotamia became known, thus seeking to ensure that this did not happen he sent formations to the territory and detained several members of the most important families to hold them hostage to prevent possible rebellions. However, as the Allies advanced towards Jerusalem from 1916 onwards led by the Egyptians, the Ottomans feared a possible Lebanese revolt even more and in an act of madness, Enver Pasha ordered the execution of the hostages. This was a total trigger for the revolt and the vengeful Lebanese rose up against the Ottomans in revenge, the same revolt was more successful due to the collapse of the Ottoman front in northern Jerusalem, forcing a considerable retreat to Damascus, which was taken advantage of by the Lebanese forces to expel the garrisons on the coast and cities of Lebanon, Queen Anne V herself would proclaim the Holy War against the Turks for their crimes against Lebanon and its population and allowed them to seek allies from France, Egypt and Greece to enter their ports and disembark troops and equipment.

The French Royal Battleship Lorraine fires its gun batteries during operations in Lebanon.

The war in Lebanon was quite cruel, because the Ottomans responded by massacring the inhabitants of the inland territories causing rape and torture in equal parts, which was also added to the defense established in the mountains of Lebanon and the occupation of fertile areas that caused a strong famine in Lebanon. The fighting like the rest of the front was a fairly static trench warfare, where the mountains of central Lebanon held the front line stagnant for the rest of 1916 and 1917, until finally in early 1918, a joint offensive between French, British, Greek, Egyptian and Lebanese forces in conjunction with an offensive from Mesopatamia by British, Assyrian, Iranian and Arab armies finally broke the front, and by May 1918, the Allied forces finally liberated the rest of the occupied Lebanese territory and later in December 1918, occupied Damascus leading to the fall of the Ottoman Empire and its armistice.

Interwar

TBA

World War II

Tamar IV of Lebanon, led her people during the world war.

In 1939, Lebanon was one of the richest areas in the entire region thanks to its strong commercial development. In those years, Lebanon was beginning its slow but sure development towards its future independence from France, thanks to the agreements with Paris and Beirut, since due to the negotiations between both governments an independence would be established that would not harm the power or prestige of France in any way. This last was also arranged by Queen Tamara IV with a marriage alliance between members of the royal family of France and Lebanon but clearly ensuring their commercial relationship and the presence of France in the region with the Mandate of Syria. This was established in the Treaty of Tyre of August 1938, which established the independence of the new Lebanese kingdom in ten years, which was seen as a great victory for the future nation.

In this sense, Lebanon was rather expectant when the Second World War finally broke out, closely following its development during 1939-1940, this exacerbated by the fact that Turkey could join the conflict in favour of Germany also made the Lebanese fear a possible invasion, therefore, while a significant pause was established between the end of 1939 and the beginning of 1940, the French under Lebanese pressure reinforced the military bases with personnel and weapons to face a possible war against the Axis, this also due to Italian ambitions in Lebanon, likewise, defensive ties were strengthened with Egypt, Greece and Rome with whom they shared the same fear of a large-scale war against the Axis forces. Although the hopes that a conflict similar to the Great War would avoid such a situation.

French Dewoitine D.520 fighter at Rayak, Lebanon in 1941.

In 1940, surprises terrified the Lebanese as much as the rest of the world, with the Germans driving the French out of their territory after the failed Saar offensive, then invading and conquering Scandinavia and shamefully humiliating the navies of France and Britain. However, the turning point of terror that changed everything was when the Germans carried out the invasion of the Netherlands and France, defeating the entire coalition in less than six weeks, with the French government fleeing and being occupied by the Germans. Italy would declare war soon after, starting the war in the Mediterranean at that very moment, with the aim of conquering Egypt and reaching the Levant where they would conquer both the Holy Land and Lebanon under Mussolini's ambitions to revive the ancient Roman Empire.

Government and politics

Abigail VIII, current Queen of Lebanon.

Lebanon is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy established after its independence, inspired by its Phoenician heritage, which is characterized by its federal monarchical state composed of several semi-independent city-states and with much autonomy. Likewise, Roman and Greek influences have had a strong importance within the Lebanese government structure. Its formal constitution was born in 1919 after the end of the world war, but it was not truly implemented until after the end of the war of supremacy and its independence in 1946. The Lebanese constitution is a set of laws, regulations and jurisdictions that generally require a two-thirds majority of Parliament; the articles guaranteeing fundamental rights, the separation of powers, the federal structure, and the right to resist attempts to overthrow the constitution are valid in perpetuity and cannot be modified.

The Queen of Lebanon is the semi-executive head of state within the nation, she has the particularity of being an exclusively female monarchy, this due to the vision that women are better at settling and establishing balance between all the city-states within the kingdom than men. Her role is also based on the Roman characteristic of "Primum inter pares" (First among equals), establishing her figure as a mediator and director within the kingdom, this is why her powers are established as a mediator or leader within the state structure of both the city-states, the parliament, the direction in case of war, the dismissal of the Prime Minister, the election of the heads of government, marriages between noble families among other functions.

The executive Head of Government is the Prime Minister who is in charge of most of the functions of the government both at the executive and legislative level within the kingdom. The Prime Minister may be removed from office (other than in the event of death or physical or mental incapacity) by a motion of no confidence which must be tabled in Parliament and accepted by the Queen, and a successor is elected by a majority of its members. The third most important official is the Speaker of Parliament, who is elected by Parliament and is responsible for overseeing the sessions of the body.

Foreign Relations

Lebanon is one of the nations with the best diplomatic relations in the world due to its mostly neutral outlook on the world stage, often acting as the headquarters for most diplomatic efforts on political, economic, cultural and social issues between the different nations of the world. In this sense, it has a strong presence in many embassies around the world and often establishes good commercial and political relations without many problems; this is due to the respect for the independence and sovereignty of countries due to its Phoenician past, basing its international position on a mostly neutral stance and based on establishing ties and trade agreements with the entire world. This is also framed in its secular stance with the multiple religions within the nation, with Christians, Muslims, Zoroastrians and Jews living within it, therefore, it has good relations with many neighboring countries and has mostly strong alliances with most of the world.

France is the country with the closest and strongest relationship with Lebanon. Since its founding as a unified kingdom in 1200 AD, this alliance has always resulted in the protection of the French towards Lebanon constantly and over time it has been establishing its position as a defender of Lebanese Christians and its monarchy even during its alliances with the Ottoman Empire. Because of this, France has a special respect for Lebanon, having a special relationship between the French consuls and the Lebanese kings, with the first international visits of all French consuls having always been Lebanon. This has been established with exercises and exchanges between French and Lebanese military personnel.

Armed Forces

The armed wing of the Lebanese state is the Royal Lebanese Armed Forces (RLAF). Its commander-in-chief is the Queen and its main command center is based in the capital of Beirut. Its origins are based on the armies of local city-states that after several years were unified in 1200, forming an army that would fight during the Crusades before becoming a semi-independent force during Ottoman rule until finally reappearing during the Second World War. Its current version was born after independence in 1946 and has had a partial participation in military conflicts around the Middle East and North Africa. They are considered one of the most important military forces in the region.

The RLAF is divided into four specialized arms, established in the following branches:

• Royal Land Army: It is the main land force of Lebanon. Its personnel is established at more than 123,000 active duty personnel, with a force of 43,000 reservists and can call up another 100,000 militiamen if necessary. Its military equipment is one of the most modern in the region with the standard rifle being the French-made MAS-2012 rifle. Its armored force has 130 main battle tanks, whose main battle tank is the French-made Leclerc tank, PUMA armored transport and combat vehicles and other types of armored vehicles. Its artillery has French and Italian models.
• Royal Air Force: It is the main air force of Lebanon. Its personnel is composed of 28,000 active members and its combat force is composed of fighter, transport, logistics and electronic warfare aircraft. Its main fighter aircraft are French-made fighters, with the Bloch Mirage 4000 heavy fighter and the Bloch Rafale medium fighter, with 23 and 34 aircraft (each), with attack aircraft it has the MBB J-8 of German origin, of which it has 14 units. With light transport aircraft it has 14 units, medium type it has 6 and heavy type with 1. In electronic warfare aircraft, electronic warfare and in-flight refueling it has a total of 8.
• Royal Navy: It is the main naval force of Lebanon. Its personnel is made up of 42,000 active members and it is the second largest branch of the armed forces. Its fleet is made up of a light cruiser as the flagship of the fleet, three destroyers, three corvettes and 9 helicopter carriers (one heavy type and the rest medium and light). Likewise, its embarked wing is composed of transport helicopters, naval, submarine and electronic warfare, as well as 2 VTOL combat aircraft (one for the flagship cruiser and another for a heavy helicopter carrier). Its main base is located in Sidon.
• Royal Guard: It is the force in charge of protecting the royal family of Lebanon, as well as the other members of the monarchies of the city-states within Lebanon. It is a force that is composed of 1,100 highly trained and equipped personnel for the different missions they must fulfill in the service of protecting not only the ruling class of the nation but also foreign delegations and leaders.