Rhomania (An Honorable Retelling)

Roman Empire Ρωμαϊκή Αυτοκρατορία
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:  βασιλεὺς βασιλέων, βασιλεύων βασιλευόντων "King of Kings, Ruling over Kings"
Anthem:  Τῇ ὑπερμάχῳ, Κοντάκιον της Μητέρας του Θεού "Ti Ipermaho, Kontakion of the Mother of God"
Location of Rhomania (green)
Capital (and largest city)		Constantinople
Other cities		Athens, Thessaloniki, Nicosia, Limassol, Pafos, Adrianople, Ankyra, Manzikert, Florina, Nafplio, Smyrna, Prusa
Official languages		Greek
Religion		Orthodox Christianity
Demonym		Rhomanian, Roman
Government		Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
-	Emperor	Manuel II
-	Prime Minister	Katerina Sakellaropoulou
Legislature		Senate
Establishment
-	Establishment of the Roman Empire	27 BC
-	Formation of the Eastern Roman Empire	395
-	Constitutional reform	December 25, 1824
Population
-	estimate	93,109,173
-	census	2021
GDP (nominal)		estimate
-	Total	2.87 trillion
Currency		Pyron (η)
Date formats		dd/mm/yy
Drives on the		right
Calling code		+30

Rhomania (Greek: Ρωμαϊκή), officially the Roman Empire (Greek: Ρωμαϊκή Αυτοκρατορία), is a country located in Southeast Europe and Western Asia, bordered by Bulgaria, Albania, Kurdistan, Persia and Armenia. It also shares borders with the Mediterranean Sea at the south and the Black Sea at the north. Rhomania is internationally known for being the last remnant of the Roman Empire and Ancient Greece, two of the most important civilizations in Europe.

Rhomania stands as the most populated country in its region, with a population of over 93 million people. Rhomania is a member of the League to Enforce Peace, the Global Treaty Organization, the Eurasian Community and the Orthodox Christian Economic Community.

History

Formation and early years

In the year 330, the Roman Empire was divided in two separate entities, one in the west and one in the east. The Western Roman Empire would enter into crisis for various reasons, eventually falling in 476.

Despite this, the Eastern Roman Empire would remain existing and ruling over the entire eastern Mediterranean for centuries. Eventually, they would lose most of Egypt, only managing to preserve Suez. The same thing would almost happen with Syria, but order would be restored shortly after.

The Eastern Roman Empire would remain the dominant power in Southern Europe and Western Asia throughout a vast majority of the 1st millennium. Whereas Western Europe had begun to stagnate politically and societally, the Roman Empire in the east had remained culturally and politically dominant. The empire had won several victories including a repulsion of Persian intrusions into the Levant and Syria Palaestina, continued subjugation of the Bulgarians and other southern Slavs who threatened Roman rule in southeastern Europe, and a successful reconquest of the Italian peninsula which lasted from 650 to 960 which saw Hungary force them off the peninsula.

Reign of the Angelids (1185-1628)

Rise of the Angelids (1185-1302)

Prior to the ascension of the Angelids to the Roman throne in Constantinople, the Roman Empire was under the rule of the Komnenos dynasty, which had grown increasingly violent and brutal in its methods of governance. This ultimately resulted in the Roman citizenry growing increasingly hostile to Komnenid rule, leading to the last Komnenid Emperor, Andronikus I, to be killed by his own guards in the city of Constantinople, ending the dynasty in 1185.

The Angelids, a prominent noble family hailing from Epirus, took advantage of Andronikus' deposition to establish control over the empire in a brief period of chaos. While other families were vying for control of Constantinople, some backed by foreign powers such as Venice and Western Europe, it was ultimately the Angelos dynasty who won out due to support from the Roman masses who mobilized in favor of their reign. Alexios Angelos would be crowned Roman Emperor under the name Alexios III in 1185.

Alexios III, Emperor of the Romans (1195-1257)

Alexios III, unlike his pro-Western predecessors, was actively hostile to the Catholic Church and perceived Catholic intrusions into the empire. As a result, he dismissed Venetian colonists from Constantinople in 1190 and prolonged the massacre of the Latins into the 13th century, causing outrage within the Catholic world. Following the news of the formation of a Fourth Crusade, Alexios III sent a surprise force to intercept the crusaders in modern-day Montenegro, resulting in the destruction of Catholic forces before they could even reach Constantinople or the Holy Land. With the bold actions against the Catholic Church and Kingdom of France, any efforts to mend the Great Schism of 1054 were officially abandoned under Alexios III. This also marked the last attempt at a crusade in the Old World to expel the Manicheaist Persians and Muslim Arabs from the Levant. Alexios III continued to reign until 1257, becoming infamous for his vicious pogroms against Catholics, Manicheaists, Muslims, and the Jews of Thessalonica. He infamously gained the nickname "Alexios the Latin Slayer."

Subsequent rulers after Alexios III focused on consolidating Roman rule in their peripheral territories. The empire would triumph over Persia in the Roman-Persian War of 1302, officially forcing the Persians east of Ankyra and solidifying Anatolia firmly under Roman rule for the next three centuries. At the same time, the empire had successfully subjugated the Second Bulgarian Empire and Albania and forced both kingdoms into a tributary status. With most external threats neutralized and the empire experiencing internal stability, many mark the 14th century as the start of the "Angelid Golden Age."

Angelid Golden Age (1302-1610)

After the end of the wars against the Bulgarians and Catholics, the Roman Empire would see a great period of prosperity. Increased income from the Silk Road and taxes levied against traders in the Eastern Mediterranean would bolster the economy of the empire, allowing for greater investment into the imperial navy and infrastructure to connected peripheral territories to Constantinople. Emperors such as Theodore I (1335-1392) had also encouraged promotion of the arts and intellectualism among the nobolity, resulting in a cultural renaissance which benefitted Constantinople and Anatolia. While the Kingdom of Hungary remained an insurgent power in Southeastern Europe, the Roman army remained organized enough to repel Hungarian intrusions into their Serbian client states and the rest of the region.

Port of New Athens (pictured), the only Roman colony in the New World

In the 14th century, the Mali Empire would successfully complete a trans-Atlantic voyage and land in modern-day Muqaddas. Over the next 100 years, the powers of Western Europe had begun to travel to the so-called "New World" in order to seek out resources and bypass strict trade tariffs levied against Catholic vessels by Constantinople in the Eastern Mediterranean. Despite a modern loss of revenue, the Roman economy would continue to experience nominal growth well into the 15th century. There were no serious efforts by the Eastern Roman Empire to colonize the New World except for a small group of Attic settlers who would venture to the modern-day island of New Athens in 1599. However, this island would end up under Dutch occupation in 1628 following the Fall of Constantinople.

Civil War, rise of Hungary and the Fall of Constantinople (1610-1628)

Constantine XI, last Angelid Emperor of the Romans (1610-1628)

The centuries-long Golden Age benefitting the empire would come to an end following the death of Emperor Alexios VI in 1610. Alexios VI did not have any children, leading to a succession crisis between his nephew John and his younger brother Constantine. The crisis escalated into a civil war in July 1610 when Constantine's forces attacked Roman soldiers loyal to John. The civil war raged from 1610 until 1613 and ultimately ended with John's execution on 8 October 1613 in the city of Adrianople. Despite Constantine XI's victory, lasting damage had been done to the Roman Empire's military and civil society, with trust in the Angelid government permanently eroded and the Hungarians securing more victories against the Romans, this civil war is often marked by historians as the moment the Angelos dynasty went into decline.

The Fall of Constantinople (1628)

With the Roman government severely weakened, the Hungarians would win a series of victories against the Romans starting in 1614 with the capture of Belgrade. After Belgrade fell, the Hungarians would attack and conquer Roman vessels and territory including Albania (1620), Bulgaria (1622), Montenegro (1623), Thessalonica (1624), Adrianople (1625), and Larissa (1626). By 1627, the city of Constantinople had been encircled while the Persian Empire was making a resurgence in Anatolia. Sandwiched in between two hostile empires, Constantine XI recalled any remaining Roman soldiers in Thrace back to Constantinople to defend the city. Despite the presence of Roman soldiers, the Varangian Guard, and Dutch mercenaries all defending the city, the sheer numbers and brutality of the Hungarian forces would eventually overwhelm Constantinople's walled defenses. The Hungarians captured Constantinople and Constantine XI on 18 June 1628, taking over 50,000 casualties in the process. With the Angelids and Constantine XI slain, the Hungarian monarch, Nikolaus, would appoint his brother as Emperor of the Romans. This would reduce the Roman Empire into a Hungarian vassal state ruled by the House of Esterházy.

Hungarian Vassalage (1628-1810)

Instability and the Orthodox Enlightenment

A map of the Hungarian Empire at its territorial peak, including the vassalized Roman Empire (1628)

With the Patriarch in Constantinople being coerced into recognizing the Catholic Esterházy clan as Emperor of the Romans, the Roman masses and nobility had grown to view the Hungarian vassal government in Constantinople as illegitimate and various peasant and noble-led revolts had occurred throughout the 1600s and 1700s. The Hungarians often put these revolts down with vicious brutality, often involving indiscriminate slaughter and enslavement of Roman civilians. Hungarian rule would be shaken in the mid-1600s following the Great Plague of Jingshi, which disproportionately killed Hungarians due to Hungarians being more urbanized than the average Roman. The devastation of the Hungarians by this plague would only intensify Roman revolts against the Hungarian Empire and its puppet government in Constantinople. However, the Hungarians would only double down on their repressive violence in order to desperately retain control over the sprawling Roman Empire. Many Romans sought to escape Hungarian brutality by entering indentured servitude, which roughly 10,000 Maniots did to Scottish colonist Andrew Turnbull, who had begun sending them to the colony of Scottish Pahokee. The culture of brutality cultivated by the Hungarians only served to undermine their rule and stability even further as more Romans, Serbians, Albanians, and Bulgarians had begun to work against Hungarian rule in the region.

Roman philosopher Leonardos Philaras, one of the leading figures in the Orthodox Enlightenment

Roman philosopher and soldier Leonardos Philaras had begun to write against Hungarian rule in Southeastern Europe and called for an indigenous Roman dynasty to be restored to the thone of Constantinople. Philaras' writings mirrored many other philosophers in the Age of Enlightenment and emphasized inalienable rights, popular sovereignty, and social contract theory. Philaras alleged that the Hungarians were in violation of all these principles and thus lost the right to rule. Philaras' rhetoric would be echoed by other Roman philosophers such as Dionysios Skylosophos and is marked as the start of the "Orthodox Enlightenment", which saw the Age of Enlightenment come to the Orthodox Christian world. Spyridon Georgios Theotokis had also worked to translate the works of Rousseau and John Locke into Greek, furthering the spread of enlightenment ideas among the Roman nobility. With the nobility beginning to turn against the Hungarians by the early 1700s, Hungarian rule in the Roman Empire had only grown more tenuous.

Losses to the Persians

The continued instability of the Hungarian-controlled Roman Empire would also help to accelerate the country's territorial decline as neighboring empires such as Persia took advantage of the dysfunctional state of the empire to acquire large swaths of territory. Due to the brutality of the Hungarian Empire, many Roman citizens had begun to assist the Persians in their conquest due to the fact that the Hungarians appointed indigenous Greek-speaking Romans to gubernatorial positions and allowed Romans to practice Orthodox Christianity in exchange for paying taxes. Famously, Roman-Hungarian General Tzanetos Grigorakis mutinied to the Persian Empire and assisted Persia in their conquest of Prusa. By 1798, most of Anatolia had fallen to the Persian Empire and the Hungarian-Roman vassal had been reduced to Constantinople, the Anatolian coasts, and Greece.

Despite continued losses to the Persians, the Hungarian Empire continued to neglect their administration of the Roman Empire in favor of more lucrative colonial projects in San Esteban and Vizifold. As a result, Persia's march deep into the Roman heartland went unopposed for a time and the few Roman noble families still loyal to the Hungarian throne in Constantinople grew increasingly disatisfied with the reign of Emperor Theodore II. After nearly 2 centuries in power, Hungarian rule over the Roman Empire would be firmly challenged by France at the outbreak of the Second Great War.

Rhomania in the Second Great War

The Hungarian-controlled Roman Empire would join the first coalition against Napoleon in 1796, with the intention of stopping the revolutionary ideas of the French Republic which posed an existential threat to the despotism that was widespread in both Hungary and the Eastern Roman Empire at the time. The coalition would quickly fail after Napoleon's unstoppable military victories, and it left Hungary humiliated as Napoleon successfully blitzed both Venice and Buda.

During the War of the Second Coalition, Napoleon invaded the Roman-controlled Ionian Islands and successfully laid waste to the Hungarian navy in the Adriatic Sea. Afterwards, Napoleonic commander Michel Ney invaded Morea and Central Greece, effortlessly defeating demoralized Hungarian troops stationed in Patras and Athens. Following a decisive victory in the Second Great War on 17 June 1810, Napoleon would conquer Constantinople and proclaim himself "Emperor of the Romans." With Napoleon as Roman Emperor, Hungary's rule over the Roman Empire would be broken and the Roman Empire would be forced into a personal union with the First French Empire. Noble families such as the Tarchaneiotes pledged allegiance to Napoleon and used the ensuing chaos of the Hungarian withdrawal from Constantinople to massacre Hungarian loyalists, ethnic Hungarians, and Catholics still present within the empire.

Napoleonic Vassalage and the end of Hungarian rule (1810-1824)

Napoleon I, Emperor of the Romans (1810-1824)

Under Napoleon, the Roman Empire would experience a series of reforms ordered by French leadership in Paris. Unlike the Hungarians who ruled by force, brutality, and tribute, the French attempted to implement a legal code and comprehensive governing system over the Roman Empire. In 1811, the Napoleonic Code was implemented as the official Roman Civil Code over the Empire and the power of the Greek Orthodox Church was significantly restricted.

Despite these Napoleonic reforms, France had begun to neglect their holdings in the Roman Empire outside of key port cities such as Constantinople, Piraeus, and Heraklion which hosted the French navy. Napoleon’s new empire was drastically overextended and he was seeking to consolidate his rule in Western and Northern Europe via the Continental System rather than hold all territories in the long term. As a result, Napoleon never stepped foot in Constantinople after his initial conquest and left the Roman Empire to be largely administered by the French military. This led to many Roman noble families who sided with Napoleon to feel resentful towards the Emperor as he continued to neglect infrastructure in a similar manner to the Hungarians. In 1824, with Napoleon distracted in a prolonged campaign against the Polish-Lithuanian-Ruthenian Commonwealth, the Napoleonic-aligned Roman Governor of the Theme of Morea, Ioannis Kapodistrias, led a mutiny against Napoleon and ambushed French forces in Nafplio, starting the Roman War of Independence.

Ioannis Kapodistrias, President of the Nafplio Republic

Roman War of Independence

Entering the 19th century, the Roman Empire had lost its sovereignty for nearly 180 years. Being bounced between French and Hungarian subjugation, a strong nationalist movement had developed among the Roman nobility and peasantry, seeking to restore the empire and define the Roman Empire as a singular nation with a singular people and religion rather than the multiethnic empire it has historically been. The people were upset and against the neglectful rule of the French. This resentment culminated in Kapodistrias’ assault on French forces in the city of Nafplio on 16 March 1824.

In the immediate aftermath of the assault on Nafplio, Kapodistrias would expel any French administrators from the city and would soon conquer the entire Peloponnese by the end of the week. All land under control of Kapodistrias was reorganized into the Nafplio Republic and would act as a rally cry for the Roman people who sought to topple their Napoleonic government. Led by the charismatic Ioannis Kapodistrias, the revolution would be active in the Theme of Greece and the majority-Jewish areas of Thessalonica. Despite the viciousness of the revolution, Napoleon did not directly intervene in the conflict due to having his hands tied with a prolonged war against English revolutionaries and the Polish-Lithuanian-Ruthenian Commonwealth. As a result, the Revolution had continued unopposed for a while due to the shortage of French troops in the Roman Empire and overwhelming support for Kapodistrias by the masses. Following the fall of Athens, Thessaloniki, and Adrianople to the revolution, revolutionary general Andreas Zaimis would lead a final assault on the city of Constantinople in March of 1824.

However, before the final assault on the city of Constantinople, Michel Ney, the representative of Napoleon in the Roman Empire, was ordered by Napoleon to negotiate with the rebels in order to not completely jeopardize French interests in the Eastern Mediterranean. After an initial tense meeting between Ney and Kapodistrias, negotiations over Roman independence had begun on 7 November 1824. After over a month of negotiations, the Treaty of Adrianople would be signed which saw nearly all territory under Napoleonic control transferred back to Kapodistrias, who took over the Roman Empire as regent until a new monarch could be selected. However, the northern docks of Constantinople, the islands of Kythira and Crete, and the Port of Piraeus were ceded to France in order to maintain French presence in the Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean. The treaty also would see France recognize the Roman Empire as Rhomania rather than using the term "Greek Empire" in diplomacy which the Catholic World had done for centuries. This signified France as the first Catholic nation to officially recognize Rhomania's connection to the Roman Empire.

The Eastern Roman Empire in 1824 (shown in purple)

Domestically, this treaty established a constitution for the Empire, formally reducing the power of the emperor and the imperial bureaucracy while also transforming the Imperial Senate into a parliament in the style of the Henrylandic system. The constitution also established a proper system of federalism, with the themes/thémata of the empire being granted privileges such as electing their own governors and forming their own local Senates and parliaments. This system of federalism gave more power to minorities within the empire, such as the Armenians of the Anatolian countryside and the Jews of Athens and Thessaloniki. While many revolutionaries were disappointed with the concessions to France, many were ultimately satisfied that the Roman government was finally removed of both French and Hungarian vassalage. Through these reforms, the Rhomanian Empire was able to enter the mid-19th century with strong reforms and increased ties with the powers of western Europe.

The Kapodistrias regency would come to an end on 15 June 1830 when the Tarchaneiotes, a Roman noble family who were exiled to Chora by the Hungarians, were offered the throne. Micheal Tarchaneiotes was crowned as Justinian III, becoming the first non-French or non-Hungarian Roman Emperor in nearly 200 years.

Thrasyvoulos Zaimis, Prime Minister of Rhomania (1870-1882), was a big proponent of the Megali Idea

Megali idea and territorial expansion

The Roman Empire in 600 AD. Southeastern Europe, Anatolia, and even Italy were considered part of Rhomania's "natural borders" by Megali Idea proponents

With the official formation of Rhomania on December 25, 1824, the nation would once again enter a period of economic growth, which would last for the rest of the 19th century. During this period, Rhomania would begin to exert further influence and control over its region. The desire behind territorial expansion was driven by the Megali Idea which sought to restore Rhomania to its "natural borders" spanning the entirety of Anatolia and Southern Europe. As a result, Prime Minister Kapodistrias began recruiting Dutch and French industrialists with the goal of transforming Rhomania's economy into a war economy and to build what would become known as the "Roman war machine."

War with the Persians (1825-1876)

Almost immediately upon its independence from the French, Rhomania was dragged into a war with Persia to re-establish control over the Anatolian heartland. Despite superior Persian tactics and the Rhomanian army being weakened by the revolution, the Greek-speaking inhabitants remained more loyal to the Emperor in Constantinople than to Persia, and thus joined in open revolt against Persian rule on the peninsula. Ankyra was liberated in 1826, followed by Adana in 1827, and Sebasteia in 1830. Despite Persian reinforcements arriving from the east, weapons being supplied by the French and Russia gave Rhomania the technological edge over the Persian armies. By 1843, the empire had reconquered all land in Anatolia between the Aegean Sea and the Armenian Highlands. However, the highly coveted city of Trebizond would remain under Persian rule until the end of the 19th century and would dictate Rhomania's foreign policy going into the early 20th century.

During the Perso-Rhomanian War of 1876, Rhomania retook control of Cyprus from Persian control for the first time since the 1700s. Following the acquisition of Cyprus, Rhomania would re-establish itself as the dominant power in the Mediterranean, using Cyprus as a means to limit Persian access to the Mediterranean via Syria. The expansionism and nationalism of the Megali Idea would revive Rhomania's standing in the Orthodox Christian world and amongst the other powers of Europe. However, the reconquest of former Anatolia lands came with vicious pogroms against followers of Manichaeism, ethnic Persian settlers, Armenians, and Kurds who collaborated with Persia.

War with the Hungarians (1832-1880)

Emblem used by Albanian rebels during the Roman-Hungarian War of 1832

By the 19th century, the once-dominant Hungarian Empire had entered a state of rapid decline. Humiliated by Napoleon and isolated from the rest of Europe, the Hungarian Empire's economy and military had begun to decline and become obsolete in their tactics and performance. In contrast, Rhomania was industrializing due to financial assistance from France and Russia, allowing them to modernize their tactics and experience sustained economic growth. By the 1830s, Rhomania, under the leadership of Ioannis Kapodistrias, had begun to eye expansion in Southeastern Europe and to directly challenge Hungarian leadership in the region. The first opportunity would come in 1832 following a border skirmish between Hungarian and Rhomanian troops near the town of Ersekë in modern-day Albania. The Roman-Hungarian War of 1832 lasted approximately 7 months and resulted in a crushing defeat for the Hungarians due to collaboration between the Rhomanian army and Albanian rebels which overwhelmed Hungarian reinforcements in the city of Tirana. The war ended on 8 November 1832 with the Treaty of Tirana that established Albania as an independent kingdom under Rhomanian vassalage.

A map detailing the decline of Hungary in Southeastern Europe

The liberation of Albania would only cause further conflicts between Rhomania and Hungary as Hungary attempted to reinforce its claims in Southeastern Europe and quell the insurgent Rhomania from further establishing hegemony in the region. Inspired by recent independence movement in Albania, the Principality of Kotor broke its vassalage with Hungary in 1833, proclaimed a "Kingdom of Montenegro," and signed a mutual defense treaty with Rhomania. As the center of Orthodox Christianity, funding foreign rebellions within the Hungarian Empire had become a crucial part of Rhomanian foreign policy during the mid-19th century. Weaponry used in the failed Bulgarian uprising of 1843 was directly tied to Rhomania, who used checkpoints along the border to smuggle weapons to the rebels. Once Rhomanian subversion within Hungarian affairs was revealed, the Second Roman-Hungarian War began on 8 April 1843. when Hungarian troops attacked Rhomanian soldiers in Metaxades. Following the Rhomanian army blitzing Hungarian forces in Plovdiv, the few Bulgarian noble families still loyal to Hungary revolted. With the support of Rhomania and under the leadership of Angel Voyvoda, a second "Kingdom of Bulgaria" would be proclaimed on 3 March 1844. After two years of fighting, Rhomania pushed Hungary out of Bulgaria and achieved protectorate status over Bulgaria.

Going into the late 1800s, conflict between Rhomania and Hungary continued as the Hungarian Empire continued its decline. In 1878, the Treaty of Dublin would be signed which formally saw Hungary recognize Serbian and Bosnian independence. Using its position as the center of Orthodox Christianity, Rhomania had successfully established extensive political control and influence over Orthodox countries in Southeastern Europe which weren't under its direct control. For instance, while Serbia wasn't a Rhomanian protectorate in the same way Albania or Bulgaria were, over 87% of imports going into Serbia in 1880 alone came from Rhomania. With Hungarian influence in Southeastern Europe permanently broken, Rhomania had emerged as the new hegemon in the region after decades of vicious combat against Hungary.

Purchase of Crete (1886)

Flag of French Crete (1824-1886)

Despite French rule in Crete being uncontested by the government in Constantinople, citizens of the island grew increasingly frustrated with French rule. In order to appease native Cretan discontent, the Napoleonic government in France recalled Gustave Borgnis-Desbordes as Governor-General of Crete and replaced him with Aristeidis Stergiadis, an ethnically Rhomanian politician who was in favor of greater autonomy on the island. Despite increased calls for Cretan independence and integration into Rhomania, France was unrelenting towards giving up the island as the French did not want to sacrifice their naval bases in the eastern Mediterranean.

However, following an open revolt against French rule in 1884 led by future Rhomanian Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos, French Emperor Joseph II had begun to view Crete as a long-term liability to France rather than a strategic advantage. The number of French forces slain in the Heraklion revolt and hefty funds needed to maintain increased French presence on the island proved too much. As a result, an agreement was reached between France and Rhomania which saw France sell the island to Rhomania for roughly 50 million francs. With the loss of Crete, France had begun to increase its naval presence in the Aegean Sea through the French-owned Port of Piraeus. This only served to further deteriorate relations between Rhomania and France going into the 20th century despite the resolution of the Cretan conflict.

Conquest of Egypt (1884-1890)

Despite not being controlled by the Roman Empire since 641 AD, Egypt became a vocal point of the Megali Idea and Rhomanian irredentism. Egypt at the time was controlled by the Persian Empire with the exception of the Suez Canal which remained under French control. Due to Egypt being a historically important part of the Roman Empire and controlled by Persia, a recurring Rhomanian enemy, calls for military intervention in Egypt only grew more vocal going into the 1880s.

The consolidation of the eastern Mediterranean under Rhomanian rule would come just in time for outward colonization. Due to the empire's heightened position, Rhomania expanded its port access further south. By the end of the decade, it was agreed that Rhomania would take control over Egypt. In 1890, Rhomania would solidify its control over Egypt, gaining further prominence through the reconquest of the Suez Canal, forcing both France and Persia out of the region. It was this position of economic and geopolitical strength that Rhomania entered the 20th century in. However, the conquest of the Suez Canal only furthered to deteriorate relations between the Great Powers of Europe and is often cited as one of the precursors to the Third Great War.

Modern era

Eleftherios Venizelos' tenure as Prime Minister (1905-1917, 1923-1935), is credited with the birth of modern Rhomanian liberalism.

Early 20th century and the Third Great War

Solidifying its position in Southeastern Europe, the eastern Mediterranean, and North Africa; the Rhomanian Empire entered the 20th century during a period of economic prosperity and renewed nationalism. This period of prosperity largely coincided with the election of Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos in the 1905 general elections. Venizelos, an ardent liberal and nationalist, sought to transform Rhomanian society through civil service reform, weakening the power of the Orthodox Church in politics, and elevating the Roman Empire to be able to compete with France, the Polish-Lithuanian-Ruthenian Commonwealth, Russia, and Sweden as a dominant power on the continent.

Under Venizelos, Rhomania began to strengthen its ties with Serbia, Dacia, and Russia in order to strengthen ties between Orthodox Christian countries while simultaneously weakening the political power of the church domestically. At the same time, relations with Bulgaria deteriorated as Venizelos' liberal nationalist ideals clashed with the autocratic nationalist ideals of the Bulgarian monarchs. The transformation of the Venizelist era also ushered in women's suffrage, economic liberalism and increased free trade, and limited civil rights for Armenians, Catholics, Jews, and Kurds within the Empire. Because of the ambitious reforms championed by Venizelos, he often found himself at odds with Rhomanian Emperor Constantine XIII. Constantine XIII, a pro-French conservative, was vocally opposed to Venizelos' liberal reforms. Rhomania was defined by these internal divisions in the decade leading up to the Third Great War. Following Bulgaria attacking Serbia in 1913, Rhomania would officially enter the Third Great War as Southeastern Europe was brought into the conflict.

Rhomanian soldiers on the border with Bulgaria (c. 1916)

Under the leadership of general Alexandros Papagos, the Rhomanian Army would successfully repel several attacks into the country from Italy and Bulgaria. During the first 4 months of the war, Rhomania had successfully captured the French naval base in the Port of Piraeus and had retaken the French Quarter of Constantinople. With the Adriatic Sea secured and Bulgarian invasions into Rhomania defeated by 1916, the biggest obstacle to Rhomania throughout the Third Great War remained the Persian Empire led by Anahita the Great. The West Asian theater between Persia and Rhomania was primarily fought in the lands of the eastern Levant in what is modern-day Kurdistan. Following stalemates in crucial battles such as the Battle of Arbela, the Battle of Baghdad, and the Siege of Hakkâri, the war had largely turned into a war of attrition by 1917 and the frontlines fell stagnant. Rhomanian victory in the front wouldn't be achieved until Persia fell into a socialist revolution in 1919 and a new Kurdish state was proclaimed, giving Rhomania a buffer state to separate itself from the new socialist regime in Persia.

Interwar years and the Fourth Great War (1920-1946)

Dragoumis, Skouloudis, and the second Venizelos ministry (1920-1935)

The years after the Third Great War would see Rhomania experience a period of political upheaval. Soldiers returning from the frontlines felt that they weren't adequately compensated by the state despite the horrific conditions they faced in their war of attrition against Persia. The establishment of communism in Persia also resulted in a red scare consuming Rhomania as paranoia over socialist Persian agents operating within the empire had grown. This crisis in Rhomania resulted in incumbent Prime Minister Stefanos Dragoumis granting the military more power to crack down on civil unrest and labor strikes. With the military gaining more power at the expense of civil society, Rhomania experienced a period of democratic backsliding throughout the early 1920s.

Prime Minister Venizelos in 1923

Dragoumis' drastic actions cost him support from his United Parties, resulting in a vote of no confidence that ousted him on 16 June 1922. His successor, Stefanos Skouloudis, called a snap election for 10 June 1923. Despite Skouloudis's efforts to distance the United Parties from Dragoumis, his party would lose in a landslide to Eleftherios Venizelos and the Liberal Party primarily because of the several crises impacting Rhomania at the time. Venizelos was sworn in as Prime Minister by the Emperor on 13 June 1923 and began his second term in office.

The second Venizelos ministry would see a return of political stability to the battered Rhomania. By 1924, the economy had recovered from any Third Great War losses and was experiencing an economic boom. Rhomania had profited greatly from making inroads with the newly established Russian Republic, Kurdistan, and the states of Southeastern Europe. The resurgence of Rhomanian nationalism, caused by the rise of Socialist Persia and victory over Bulgaria during GW3, also resulted in the Rhomanian military continuing to expand throughout the 1920s. Beginning in 1925, Rhomania had occupied Southern Italy which had fallen into dysfunction following the end of Napoleonic rule on the peninsula. Rhomania exploited Italy's warring states period to push its maritime boundaries further west and block competing economies, such as Croatia and Albania, from access to the greater Mediterranean without having to pay Rhomanian fees.

Greek merchant ship en route to the Port of Pireaus

The onset of the Great Depression in the late 1920s and early 1930s also resulted in the creation of the modern Rhomanian welfare state. While Venizelos was an economic liberal who championed free market reforms, fears that Socialist Persia would exploit the depression and poverty it brought to boost the underground Communist Party led to the more left-wing factions of the Liberal Party to convince the elder Venizelos to pursue more progressive economic reforms. These reforms resulted in the Rhomanian government providing unemployment insurance to its citizens and sponsoring public housing and infrastructure projects. Despite these reforms, Rhomania's GDP had continued to stagnate throughout the remainder of the 1930s until the outbreak of the Fourth Great War in 1938.

Rhomania in the Fourth Great War (1938-1946)

Following the death of Eleftherios Venizelos in 1936, Ioannis Rallis of the United Parties would be elected Prime Minister of Rhomania during that year's general election. Unlike the more interventionist Venizelos, Rallis was an isolationist who sought to avoid the politics of Europe and instead focus on containing Socialist Persia. The outbreak of war in Europe in 1938 only further solidified Rallis' support in the Senate while interventionists such as Themistoklis Sofoulis of the Liberal Party were temporarily sidelined. Rallis had taken a hardline neutrality stance, meeting with both Charles Maurras of France and Andrei Ivanovich Shingarev of Russia in order to balance relations between both countries. However, calls for Rhomanian intervention had begun to intensify as French forces invaded Poland and Hungary had joined the fascist powers.

Themistoklis Sofoulis, Prime Minister of Rhomania (1941-1949)

By early 1941, Rallis' doctrine of unwavering neutrality had begun to grow increasingly unpopular among both citizens and Senators alike. While Rallis managed to fend off critics and any serious challenges to his government, everything would change on 17 April 1941. On that day, a whistleblower within Rallis' administration had revealed that Rallis was taking direct bribes from Maurras' France in exchange for withholding aid from countries under French assault such as Germany and Czechoslovakia. This scandal instantly resulted in a vote of no confidence within the Senate and a snap election was scheduled for the following week. Themistoklis Sofoulis and the Liberal Party had defeated the United Parties in a landslide, winning 285 out of 300 seats in the Senate. With a supermajority behind him, Sofoulis led Rhomania to declare war on France on 1 May 1941 on the grounds of foreign interference within Rhomanian politics and in Southeastern Europe more broadly. Rallis commited suicide on 2 May 1941 before he could be charged for high treason.

Rhomanian tanks patrolling the streets of Novi Sad, Serbia (c. 1944)

Following Rhomanian entrance into the war, a wave of patriotic fervor overtook the country and 100,000 soldiers had enlisted in May 1941 alone. Due to its strategic geographic location in Southeastern Europe, Rhomania was able to avoid similar devastation seen in Central and Western Europe due to the various countries in Southeastern Europe that acted as a buffer between Rhomania and the Franco-Hungarian forces. Despite this, Rhomanian forces were stationed in frontline countries such as Serbia and Dacia and still saw combat. On 12 June 1943, Rhomanian forces made the difference at the Battle of Novi Sad and were able to halt the Second Hungarian Empire from conquering Serbia and thus preventing further Hungarian expansion into Bulgaria and Dacia. Prime Minister Sofoulis had visited Belgrade and Curtea de Argeș to further military ties with both countries. In a 1945 speech to Russia's Duma, Sofoulis delivered his famous "Defense of Orthodox Democracy" speech which painted the Fourth Great War as a struggle between the "Orthodox Christian liberal democracies and the hordes of Catholic fascism, which threaten the very existence of our peoples." This speech is often considered the precursor to the modern Orthodox Christian Economic Community and Pan-Orthodox political activism. Ultimately, the war benefitted Rhomania's foreign relations, and the country had emerged as one of the dominant players in the European theater of the Fourth Great War.

Cold War and the 20th century (1946-1999)

Early Cold War (1946-1960)

Following the collapse of fascist France in 1946, the Fourth Great War officially came to an end and three dominant political blocs had emerged in Europe: the remaining fascist nations consolidated around the Union of England under Oswald Mosley, the Communist nations led by Germany and Persia, and democracies which consisted of countries such as Ireland, Russia, Cordoba, and Rhomania. Following the partition of France into a capitalist West France and a socialist East France, relations between both blocs deteriorated and Europe found itself in the midst of a "Cold War."

Rhomania had emerged as one of the several prominent anti-fascist and anti-communist powers on the European continent, with Prime Minister Alexandros Papagos creating the “Constantinople Shield,” an economic relief fund that helped to provide money to war-torn Czechoslovakia and Bosnia to prevent communism from spreading in these regions. In 1946, the Italian socialist forces of Antonio Gramsci had forced Rhomania out of southern Italy and unified the peninsula under a socialist republic. This defeat in Italy, coupled with Persian intervention into Kurdistan and German intervention in Croatia, resulted in renewed red scare paranoia in Rhomania as political leaders became more concerned about the expansion of socialism into Rhomania's sphere of influence. As a result, Rhomania was a founding member of the Global Treaty Organization in 1947 which sought to unify the democracies of the world against the rising forces of fascism and communism. Prime Minister Papagos also became a symbol of anti-communism within the country, actively advocating for more defense spending and the continued criminalization of communist and fascist organizations within Rhomania. Rhomania had also joined the European Community in 1950 in order to increase its economic ties to fellow anticommunist and antifascist European nations.

Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Socialist Egyptian leader who defied Rhomanian colonial rule

In 1953, the Rhomanian colonial government in Egypt would be ousted in a coup led by General Gamal Abdel Nasser. Nasser proclaimed a short-lived Socialist Republic which was soon backed up by Persian military troops on 4 March 1953, starting the 1953 Roman-Persian War. Rhomania, backed up by Arabia, was able to defeat Persian forces outside of Cairo and successfully hold the Suez Canal from being seized by Egyptian rebels. Despite securing a military victory against Persia, the calls for decolonization by the LTEP only grew going into the summer of 1953. As a result, Rhomania agreed to withdraw from Egypt in exchange for holding the Suez Canal. Egypt was partitioned into two states: one for Muslims and one for Coptics, securing Persia a geopolitical victory in the conflict despite losing militarily. Despite being forced out of its colonies, Rhomania would continue to intervene in the Global South throughout the remainder of the Cold War, funding anti-communist militias in Borneo during the Borneo War and providing weaponry to Novanglia and Al-Bayd during the Great Muqaddian War.

Arms race against Persia (1960-1987)

Konstantinos Tsaldaris, Prime Minister of Greece (1960-1966) and the namesake of the Tsaldaris Doctrine

On 6 June 1960, the Socialist regime in Persia had successfully detonated their first nuclear warhead in a remote area of the Hindu Kush. News soon reached Rhomania and there was concern among several top politicians that Rhomania was unprepared in the event of a nuclear conflict. As a result, Prime Minister Konstantinos Tsaldaris had announced the formation of a new foreign policy called the Tsaldaris Doctrine which sought to modernize Rhomanian military doctrine for the nuclear age. Part of the doctrine included the creation of a Rhomanian nuclear program, though these plans were abandoned by 1963 due to high costs of the project. Instead, an agreement was reached with the Russian Republic and Russian nuclear warheads were stationed in Anatolia for the defense of Rhomania. The doctrine had also resulted in the construction of nearly 15,000 fallout shelters throughout the country and the creation of a new military protocol in the event that Constantinople was destroyed in a nuclear exchange.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the threat of nuclear war and escalation with Persia persisted. Border skirmishes with Persia persisted and occasionally turned violent. Efforts at negotiations were often cut short due to both sides alleging interference in their internal politics. Throughout the 1970s, Rhomania held that Persia was supplying the Kurdish communist separatist group, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) with weapons that were used to attack Rhomanian soldiers and policemen in the eastern part of the country. In 1982, Persian Secretary-General Saddam Hussein accused Rhomanian intelligence of supplying weapons to Afghan separatists in eastern Persia. Due to mutual distrust, both sides continued to prepare for war and seldom prepared for negotiations. However, the dynamic had begun to shift in the late 1980s following a worldwide trend of détente.

The Dukakis Thaw and the end of the Cold War (1987-1996)

Michalis Dukakis, Prime Minister of Rhomania (1987-2000)

In 1987, the Governor of Pontus, Michalis Dukakis, was nominated by the Liberal Party as their parliamentary leader going into the general election. A charismatic politician from the rural part of Eastern Rhomania, Dukakis easily won the general election against Democratic Renewal candidate Konstantinos Stephanopoulos and secured the Liberal Party 197 out of 300 seats in the Senate.

Unlike his predecessors, Dukakis emphasized peace with Persia and the need to rebuild relations with Rhomania's neighbors as a key part of his foreign policy. On 7 May 1987, Dukakis became the first Rhomanian leader to ever visit Persia and met with several ranking members of Persia's politburo. The following year, both Persia and Rhomania would agree to scale back troop presence at the Persian-Rhomanian border and to continue negotiations. Dukakis had also visited Croatia, China, and Germany throughout the late 1980s, three other nations that Rhomania had a previously uneasy relationship with. These efforts to improve became known as the "Dukakis Thaw" as he continued to thaw out previously cold relationships with Rhomania's former adversaries. By 1993, the Cold War had ended and many within Rhomania praised Dukakis as the Prime Minister who had brought the country out of the Cold War and into the modern era.

Domestically, Dukakis was a social liberal and economic progressive who sought to expand the Rhomanian welfare state and reconcile with the country's ethnic minorities. On 16 June 1995, Dukakis issued an official apology to Rhomania's Jewish, Armenian, Roma, and Kurdish populations for previous pogroms and discrimination they experienced. The 1996 Rhomanian budget would also see an increase in funding for public housing as Dukakis pledged to end homelessness in major cities such as Athens, Constantinople, and Trebizond. Despite pushback from more conservative parties in the Senate, Dukakis remained relatively popular among the general population, leaving office in 2000 with an approval rating of 67%.

Rhomania in the 21st century (2000-present)

Going into the 21st century, Rhomania was experiencing a budget surplus and steady GDP growth. In his last address as Prime Minister, Dukakis emphasized the economic growth as one of his proudest achievements. In the 2000 general election, Dukakis would be succeeded by Georgios Papandreou of the Socialist Party. Papandreou continued Dukakis' economically progressive reforms but further expanded them to include railroad modernization and universal healthcare as part of his agenda.

Rhomanian soldiers in patrolling the border with Persia (c. 2008)

Papandreou's government was relatively stable, but the resurgence of Persian nationalism and the deterioration of Rhomanian-Persian relations led to him losing re-election in 2007. The driving force behind deteriorating relations in both countries was the election of Bakhshal Thalho as Prime Minister of Persia in 2004 and continued maritime disputes in the eastern Mediterranean over Rhomanian Cyprus and Persian Phoenicia. Papandreou's successor, Antonis Samaras, was more hawkish on the issue of Persia and stationed 15,000 soldiers in Kurdistan in order to prevent potential Persian intervention into the country. Unlike during the Cold War, many countries in the region did not back up Rhomania during their confrontations with Persia due to a desire to avoid reigniting tensions in the region. Leaders such as Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili threatened to withdraw diplomats from both countries due to what he perceived as the pointlessness of continued hostilities. After Rhomania forces would shoot down a Persian aircraft over Kurdistan in 2009, the GTO began putting pressure on Samaras to resign in order to avoid dragging the organization into an unnecessary war with a nuclear-powered Persia.

Nicos Anastasiades, Prime Minister of Rhomania (2009-2020)

In 2009, Samaras resigned and was replaced by Nicos Anastasiades as Prime Minister. As Prime Minister, Anastasiades sought to balance Rhomanian military interests while also maintaining the country's diplomatic image. As a result, he ended up being less hawkish than his predecessor and was more willing to cooperate with international organizations such as the League to Enforce Peace, the Global Treaty Organization, the European Community, and the Orthodox Christian Economic Community. Under LTEP pressure, Anastasiades controversially relinquished control over the Suez Canal in 2010 to Cairo and the Sinai. At the same time, Anastasiades continued to improve diplomatic relations with China, Novanglia, Germany, and England while retaining an increased military budget to deter the Persian navy from expanding in the eastern Mediterranean.

Nicos Anastasiades remained a relatively popular Prime Minister, but his party lost the general election in 2020. He was succeeded by Liberal Party politician Katerina Sakellaropoulou as Prime Minister. Sakellaropoulou became the first female Prime Minister of Rhomania and has advocated for reducing gender inequality within the country and greater investment into Rhomania's foreign affairs ministry. As of 2024, Sakellaropoulou is the incumbent Prime Minister.

Government and politics

System of government

Manuel II, the current Emperor of the Romans (1999-present)

Rhomania is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy following the Henrylandic system. In practice, this means that the emperor has symbolic power while the real executive and legislative power is exercised by the Prime Minister and the Senate. The Prime Minister is elected by the Senate and usually comes from the party with the majority or plurality within the legislative body. Prime Ministers are not term limited in Rhomania and have the ability to decide when elections are called, but elections cannot be postponed indefinitely and must occur within a 4-year timeframe. Prime Ministers can also be removed midway through their tenure if the majority party loses confidence in them, resulting in a vote of no confidence.

A map detailing the themes/themata of Rhomania

Due to the federal nature of Rhomania's government, regional governments (known as themes/thémata) also have their own regional parliaments, which are responsible for electing governors, who carry out legislation and policy related to that specific theme. However, due to the supremacy clause, the national Senate in Constantinople is able to overrule regional legislation in the themes if that policy directly contradicts the Senate's policies.

The highest court in Rhomania is the Supreme Court of Rhomania, which functions as the judicial branch of government. While the Supreme Court's decisions in Rhomania are final, Rhomania's membership in the European Court of Human Rights often results in cases being deferred to the organization. Supreme Court judges are appointed by the Prime Minister and are tenured until the age of 67, which is the age that all judges must retire in Rhomania.

Political parties

The Senate Chamber in Constantinople

Since the 1980s, Rhomania has primarily been dominated by three political parties: the center-left Liberal Party, the center-right to right-wing Democratic Renewal party, and the left-wing Progressive Party. As of the 2023 legislative election, the Liberal Party is the largest party in the Senate with roughly 142 seats, followed by Democratic Renewal at 102 seats, and the Socialist Party at 27 seats.

Outside of the three main political parties, there are also smaller political parties which representation in the Senate. Legalized in 2000, the Communist Party of Rhomania holds 4 seats in the Senate while the Libertarian Party, another fringe party, holds 3. These two parties are often excluded from governing coalitions and instead tend to act as obstructionists.

Other prominent political parties in Rhomania include ethnic-based parties which represent the ethnic minorities in the country. Notable ethnic-based parties include the Thessaloniki Alliance, representing the Romaniote Jews of Thessaloniki with 2 seats in the Senate, the People's Democratic Party representing the Kurds in eastern Rhomania with 11 seats in the Senate, the Egalitarian Party representing the Roma community in Rhomania with 3 seats in the Senate, and the Highlander's Alliance representing the Armenian community of Pontus with 6 seats in the Senate.

In total, there are roughly 10 political parties represented in Rhomania's Senate, though the country remains dominated by 3 large political parties that are capable of holding senatorial majorities.

Foreign relations

Political Assembly of the Orthodox Christian Economic Community, hosted in Constantinople

Most geopolitical analysts consider Russia to be Rhomania's closest ally due to their shared religion and culture, their dual membership in the European Community and Global Treaty Organization, and mutual economic integration through the Orthodox Christian Economic Community. Since 1963, Russia has stored part of their nuclear arsenal in Rhomania in order to defend the country from adversaries such as Persia. Outside of Russia, Rhomania also has good relations with many of its immediate neighbors such as Albania, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Dacia due to cross-border commerce and multilateral trade and defense agreements. Outside of the European continent, Rhomania has positive foreign relations with the United States, Novanglia, Mali, Saint Photios, Japan, and Samriddhi.

Another close ally of Rhomania is Arabia. Despite a historically tense rivalry, both countries began improving their relationship and cooperation starting in the late 1800s due to the mutual threat of Persia. Following the rise of socialism in Persia, this cooperation and alliance only continued to intensify as weapon sharing and free trade between both countries became commonplace. Rhomania was the country which sponsored and advocated for Arabia's membership in the Global Treaty Organization from 1965 onwards.

Despite many allies and trade partners, there are still numerous nations that Rhomania is on bad terms with due to past and present disputes. The most notable dispute being that with Persia. For several millennia, the Roman Empire and Persia have been fighting over their border in the levant. This has often resulted in bloody border skirmishes and often outright wars fought over this valuable piece of land. While Persia would eventually conquer the levant in the 18th century, the border conflict shifted north towards Anatolia. Ever since, Rhomania and Kurdistan continue to deal with border disputes and skirmishes with Persia, with the last war between both countries being fought in 1953.

Rhomania has also had maritime disputes with the Italian Socialist Republic. Following the end of Rhomanian rule in Southern Italy in 1946, both countries have been engaged in a low-intensity border dispute over where the Rhomanian-Italian borders in the Adriatic Sea begin. Throughout the Cold War, Rhomanian commerce ships would often be seized by the Socialist Italian navy and redirected towards Corfu. Likewise, Rhomania seized an Italian maritime vessel in 1979, sparking diplomatic outrage from Italy. Despite efforts by both countries to improve relations, the maritime dispute has continued and remains a strain on diplomatic relations. The most recent ship seizure was in 2015, but the incident was able to de-escalate due to intervention from the European Community. A similar dispute also existed between Rhomania and Cairo-Sinai, but this dispute was resolved in 2010 when Rhomania withdrew its ownership of the Suez Canal.

Armed forces

Tracing its history back millennia, the Armed Forces of Rhomania are a direct continuation of the Roman Empire's military and are therefore the oldest continuous armed forces on the European continent. As of 2024, there are five branches of the Rhomanian Armed Forces. These branches consist of the following:

The Imperial Army of Rhomania is the land service branch of the Rhomanian military. Established in its modern iteration in 1824, it is the largest branch of the military in terms of both funding and active personnel.

Economy

Maritime trade

Aristotle Onassis, the Rhomanian-Novanglian shipping magnate and the father of the modern Rhomanian shipping economy

By far the largest sector in Rhomania's economy is shipping and maritime. Being the gateway between the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea, port cities within Rhomania such as Constantinople, Piraeus, Smyrna, and Limassol serve as the engine for Rhomania's massive shipping industry. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, men such as Aristotle Onassis led Rhomania's shipping industry to experience rapid growth and development. With Western European port cities still recovering from the Fourth Great War and Rhomania controlling strategic trade locations such as Pireaus, the Hellespont, and the Suez Canal, Rhomania surpassed the Dutch Republic as the world's largest shipping economy in 1967. In the present day, Rhomania still has the largest shipping economy in the world, though rising shipping economies such as the Majapahit and China have shown the potential to rival Rhomanian shipping.

Despite this, Rhomanian shipping companies such as Arcadia Shipmanagement, Greek Line, and Navios Maritime Holdings remain some of the largest shipping companies in the world. As of 2024, the World Trade Organization estimated the Rhomanian shipping industry to be worth over 1 trillion European guilders, by far the largest shipping sector in the world.

Agriculture

Rhomanian farmer in Central Anatolia (c. 2018)

While shipping magnates dominate the coastal cities of Rhomania, agriculture remains a very important economic sector for inland Rhomania. Regions such as Central Greece, inland Anatolia, and the Cypriot Troodos Mountains remain some of the most agriculturally productive regions of Rhomania in the present day. Since 2010, Rhomania has been the world's largest grower of hazelnuts, apricots, and oregano. The agricultural sector of Rhomania is estimated at around 600 billion European guilder and remains the second-largest economic sector in the country.

Transportation

The E75 Highway passing through Thessaly, Rhomania

As part of the Trans-European Railway and the European Highway System, transportation infrastructure has become crucial to the continued success of the Rhomanian economy. Highways such as the E75 are utilized by Rhomanian farmers to export their produce to European markets and make a profit. At the same time, transportation companies, such as Onassis Transit are responsible for maintaining and updating cargo ports and ferry terminals, the crucial infrastructure which maintains Rhomania's dominant maritime shipping industry. As a result, transportation infrastructure has become a large sector within Rhomania's economy and is currently estimated to be the third largest sector in Rhomania's economy after shipping and agriculture.

Demographics

Ethnic groups

Basil II, Emperor of the Romans (976-1025) was of Laconian Rhomanian origin

Rhomanians, also called Romans, Rhomaioi, and informally referred to as Greeks or Hellenes, are the largest ethnic group in the country of Rhomania. As of the 2024 Rhomanian census, they are estimated to make up roughly 76% of Rhomania's population and form ethnic majorities in ever Rhomanian theme with the exception of the Armenian Theme, Cilicia, and Koloneia. While the Roman Empire was always a multiethnic society, the aftermath of the Roman War of Independence and establishment of modern Rhomania saw the Rhomanian government reorganized along ethnic lines. From 1824 until 1869, the Rhomanian government would be entirely dominated by Rhomanians until non-Rhomanian groups were permitted to run for Senatorial seats. Every Rhomanian Prime Minister, with the exception of 2, have all been ethnically Rhomanian.

Inhabiting the regions of eastern Rhomania, Kurds or Kurdish people are the second largest ethnic group by percentage within Rhomania. As of the 2024 census, Kurds make up roughly 14% of Rhomania's population and form an ethnic majority in the theme of Koloneia. Historically, Kurds faced discrimination and persecution in Rhomania due to fears of Kurdish separatism threatening the nation. However, following the independence of Kurdistan after the Third Great War, the remaining Kurds within Rhomania were gradually granted civil rights. The Kurdish Right of 1950 unbanned the Kurdish language in eastern Rhomania and also allowed for Kurdish-interest parties to run for the Senate. Notable Kurds include Senator Sezai Temelli and footballer Stavros Mushir.

Hrant Dink, a famous Armenian-Rhomanian journalist from Constantinople

Behind Rhomanians and Kurds, the third-largest ethnic group in Rhomania are the Armenians, who reside primarily within the Armenian Highlands. As of the 2024 census, Armenians make up 6% of Rhomania’s population and are largely concentrated in the theme of the Armenians. Armenians have historically faced discrimination at the hands of the Roman Empire, having been ethnically reshuffled and killed by Roman forces throughout several points in history. Despite persecution, Armenians within the empire have also risen to high positions of power, with emperors such as Artabasdos being of Armenian ancestry.

Avraham Rakanti, Prime Minister of Rhomania (1966-1970), was of Romaniote Jewish descent

Other notable ethnic minorities within Rhomania include the Romaniote Jews of Macedonia, who are the oldest Jewish community in Europe and make up roughly 3% of Rhomania's population. They form an ethnic plurality within the cities of Thessaloniki, Chalkis, and Ioannina and speak the distinct Yevanic dialect of Greek. The Romaniote Jews have historically been very politically active and former Prime Minister Avraham Rakanti was of Romaniote descent. The remaining 1% of Rhomania's population are split between several other ethnic groups including the Roma, the Aromanians, and immigrant communities, such as "Little Slovenia" in the city of Patras.

Religion

As of the 2024 census, over 90% of Rhomanians surveyed identified as Orthodox Christian. Orthodox Christianity acts as both the most popularly practiced religion with Rhomania and the official state religion of the country. Despite being the state religion of Rhomania, the country's government and civil society have been de-facto secularized since the 1970s. Outside of Orthodox Christianity, the remaining 10% of Rhomanians practice Manichaeism, Catholicism, Judaism, and atheism/irreligion.

Education

Education in Rhomania is free and compulsory for all children between the ages of 5 and 17. Core curriculum in Rhomania includes science, mathematics, civics, and Russian. University education is also free in Rhomania if the entrance requirements are met. Admissions into Rhomanian universities are determined by state admission exams and extracurricular activities taken in high school. As of 2024, over 20% of Rhomania's population holds an undergraduate degree.

Rhomania is home to many prestigious universities including the Imperial University of Constantinople, the Kapodistrian University of Athens, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and the Smyrna University of Economics. Due to its membership in both the European Community and the Orthodox Christian Economic Community, many students from member-states in these organizations come to study at Rhomanian universities.

Gender and sexuality

Since 2000, the gender pay gap and gender disparities have been on a consistent downward trend. Prior to 1925, women in Rhomania did not have the right to vote and didn't gain the right to open individual bank accounts until 1957. Since then, the representation of women in Rhomanian society has steadily increased, with women currently making up 40% of college graduates, 25% of the Rhomanian Senate, and Rhomania electing its first female Prime Minister in 2020. While there have been consistent advancements towards gender inequality, there are still some discrepancies in terms of gender discrimination at Rhomanian universities, which the government has been attempting to address.

A lesbian couple in Athens, Rhomania

There has been evidence of homosexuality within Rhomania since antiquity. In ancient Greece, famous poets such as Sappho had written about the love and desire between women. The term "lesbian," used to refer to homosexual women, comes from Sappho's home island of Lesbos. Despite this complicated relationship with homosexuality, it would be officially criminalized in the empire from the 11th century until the 20th century. Homosexuality has been decriminalized in Rhomania since 1950 and same-sex marriage was federally legalized in 2010. As of 2013, same-sex couples have the right to adoption. Transgender people and their preferred gender identities have also been recognized by the Rhomanian government since 1993.

Culture

Sports

Chariot racing in rural Thrace, Rhomania

By far the most popular sport in Rhomania is chariot racing. Played in Rhomania since at least ancient Greece, chariot racing was traditionally a sport for the aristocrats and were strictly financed by the emperor and the nobility. The sport grew in popularity among the masses, with the Nika riots of 532 partially caused by factionalism that had sprung up around chariot racing. Despite a decline of the sport during Hungarian rule, industrialization and the creation of mass media would once again result in a resurgence of the sport in Rhomania and across Europe. The annual Constantinople Derby is the most-viewed sporting event in the country, amassing an average of 200 million viewers worldwide. Rhomania also takes frequent gold medals in chariot racing at the Olympic games, the European Chariot Racing League, and the Chariot Racing World Cup.

The First Division of Association Football in Rhomania is among one of the most successful leagues in all of Europe. Founded in 1905, it's also among one of the oldest leagues in Europe as well. The traditional "Big 6" as they are called are AEK Athens, Olympiacos, and Panathinaikos from Athens, alongside Galatasaray, Besiktas, and Fenerbahce from Constantinople. Among the combined achievements of these big 6 are 4 total EFU Champions Cup titles, all 6 being in the official IFF edition of the top 100 clubs of all time in 2000, and an impressive 94 league titles. Among those 94, Panathinaikos has the most with 20 league titles, followed by Besiktas' 18, Galatasaray's 16, Olympiakos's 15, AEK's 14, and Fenerbahce's 10. The league's EFU coefficient is officially 3rd out of all participating leagues, meaning that the country gets 4 EFU Champions Cup Group Stage spots, 2 EFU Cup Group Stage spots, and a EFU Conference Cup Group Stage spot. Other champions of the league include the likes of Trabzonspor, Bursaspor, Aris Thessaloniki, and PAOK.

Music

"Weird" Ioannis Yankovic, a famous Rhomanian musician

Since the 1970s, Adrianople has emerged as the "music capital" of Southeastern Europe, having the most record labels out of any other city in the region. Notable musicians to come out of Rhomania include Ioannis Yankovic, Christos Dantis, Yorgos Foudoulis, the Andreas Sisters, and Stavros Kouyioumtzis. Due to the wide array of talent within Rhomania

Rhomanian music has traditionally utilized instruments such as the klarino, the lyra, and askomandoura.