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Premier of Maudland | |
| Predecessor | Anna Lykke |
| Successor | Lukas Peterson |
| Vice-Premier | Lukas Peterson |
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Minister of Defence for Norway | |
| Predecessor | Gudmund Harlem |
| Successor | Gunnar Hellesen |
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69th Antarctic Tuzelmann Award Laureate | |
| Predecessor | Takehiko Fujimoto (1978) |
| Successor | Otto Dietrich |
| Born | 17th January, 1920 Ny Oslo, Maudland
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| Died | 30th July 1989 Neumayer, New Swabia
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| Spouse | Mariya Charkovaia |
| Political Party | Christian Democrats |
| Profession | Diplomat, Sailor |
Thobias Mjoen was Maudlandic Premier between 1970 to 1989, a member of the Maudlandic parliament from 1960-1989, MP for Maudland between 1960-1970 and Norwegian Minister of Defence between 1965 to 1970. He his most famous for his role in the New Swabian war and his role in achieving greater autonomy from Norway.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Mjoen was born to a Swedish lawyer and a Norwegian businesswomen in an outer suburb of Ny Oslo. As both his parents were busy through most of his childhood he was raised by his Aunt who was unemployed and his Uncle who was a dock supervisor. He attended a Barneskole in the outskirts of Ny Oslo where he was respected by his teachers and did well in academic subjects.
After attending the Barneskole he went on to an Ungdomsskole where he continued to do well and developed an interest in politics and military history, something which would carry on throughout his life. When he left the Ungdomsskole he went to the Naval Academy in Ny Oslo's dockyards (Now Ny Bergen).
Here he trained as a Naval Officer and requited himself well with his Superiors impressing them with his skill in navigation and tactics as well as being able to inspire his own subordinates. He graduated in 1939 as a captain in the Royal Norwegian Navy and travelled to Norway to take command of the destroyer HNoMS Odin at Bergen naval base.
Military Service[]
Unfortunately for him he was stationed to Oslo as part of the naval complement there. This also meant that he was unfortunate enough to be the highest ranking naval officer near to the king and in that position he advised the king that Norway had lost but that the war could be carried on from Maudland something which might also further the cause of Maudlandic independence.
The King agreed to travel to Maudland with Mjoen and his crew on the Odin and they left Norway with a British escort on April the 15th. Crossing the ocean was incredibly dangerous with U-boats threatening to sink the Odin while at the same time having to outrun the Scharnhorst and escorts. Because of the lead they had on the German ships only one, the destroyer Fantastique could have caught the Odin but they were ordered not to pursue and the Odin reached Maudland two weeks later running low on fuel and with several of Mojen's crew suffering from frostbite. As a result of his services to the crown and his position as the only surviving Norwegian naval officer of Captains rank he was promoted to Vice Admiral for the duration of the war.
After spending a week on leave Mjoen and the Odin were dispatched off the shore of Maudland to supply fire support to Norwegian and allied forces. Until December 9th, 1941 Mjoen and the Odin spent most of their time on this duty alternating the role with the other Norwegian destroyer the HNoMS Draug. After Pearl Harbor the US supplied the Free Norwegian cause with new equipment and the Navy received the cruiser USS Pensacola as its flagship. Mjoen took command of it in the beginning of 1942 and travelled with it on the Pacific convoys for the rest of the war.
During the second world war Mjoen also spent time in Maudland itself as a member of the war cabinet and his confrontations with MP Matthias Bryn became legendary. While Bryn wanted to concentrated on glory for Maudland, going so far as to propose that the Norwegian navies resources be devoted to attacking the Germans instead of "siting around on their asses while the Japanese ran away". Mjoen spent much of his time trying to increase support for his anti-submarine operations and as he had the ear of the king was eventually victorious.
Entering Politics[]
At the conclusion of the second world war Mjoen had become increasingly distant from his political party, the Maudlandic Independence Party. His time with the Norwegian Navy had reawakened his patriotism and his short time with the communists had convinced him that even moderate socialists like those in Norway were misguided. Believing that the only party that offered a reasonable alternative were the Christian Democrats he joined up as a party activist and spent several years working in local elections. It wouldn't be until 1960 though before he gained his first position of power becoming MP for south Ny Bergen and for Maudland as a whole.
His first years in the Norwegian Parliament were spent in various committees in the Ministry of Defense as his position as a former Naval officer meant that he was often selected to stand as an advisor or opposition representative. He stood for re-election in 1965 and won, standing on a platform of improved protection for the region and a larger fishing fleet for Maudland. In 1966 however he was appointed as minister of defense as a result of a report claiming that the Norwegian Navy was undersized. He reformed the Navy by offically switching its role to long range interception which shifted its role to intercepting Soviet submarines out at sea instead of simply protecting the shore. He also reformed the AFNM into its split form and also reinforced the garrison in Maudland with F-8 sabres.
Election as Premier[]
In 1969 Mjoen decided to run for election as Maudland's premier, Calling on his contracts in the Norwegian Government he organised an incredibly successful run for the Christian Democrat nomination, portraying himself as a war hero and a man devoted to Maudland. Only opposed by his later Vice-Premier Lukas Peterson he won the nomination almost unopposed and was chosen to stand in the election against Labour Party leader Anna Lyke and Nicolai Woodwicks from the Social Democrats. In the 1970 election debates his confrontations with Lyke became famous for their confrontations and their debates on Foreign policy dominated the election. His party won the election with 56% of the vote and this meant that he was able to form the government without any coalition partners.
Early Years[]
The first nine years of Mjoen's premiership were dominated (as were the next three) by foreign policy. Previous Maudlandic premiers had been content to simply follow Oslo's directions and improve relations with Santiago while ignoring New Swabia and most of the other Antarctic nations, Mjoen took a more aggressive style using to full extent his control over Antarctic policy. He imposed a blockade of Maudlandic goods on New Swabia and made many secret dealings with the New Swabian Liberation Party to supply it with weapons in the New Swabian Civil War.
He also instituted a massive reformation of the Maudlandic branch of the AFNM and maintained the economic growth that had been instituted by the previous government.
New Swabian War[]
In 1979 Mjoen entered negotiations with Otto Dietrich to discus increased Maudlandic support to the NSLP even going so far as to discus a full Maudlandic invasion in support of the NSLP. Mjoen was adamant however though that any potential Maudlandic invasion had to be preceded by an operation by New Swabia against Maudland. Dietrich took this as a guarantee and launched attacks into Maudland discussed as New Swabian troops, With this evidence Mjoen gained the kings permission to launch an attack on New Swabia, beginning the New Swabian War which would make him a household name throughout the continent.
Mjoen tasked Norwegian Chief of Staff General Sverre B. Hamre to develop a strategy to crush New Swabia's army and air force while playing to Maudland's strengths (Overpowering air forces, naval supremacy and technological superiority). Hamre's plan was incredibly complex and while perfectly suited to fighting the New Swabians would later be revealed as having major flaws when fighting the Argentine Navy. Mjoen took over the position of Head of the Maudlandic defense staff and spent the rest of his time traveling around the country giving speeches to the population. It should be noted that Mjoen ordered the House of Legislature to be suspended during the war but Mjoen's personality pulled it off and there was very little dissent.
For the first year or so of the war Mjoen and Hamre's plan worked perfectly with the AFNM's Naval and Air Forces destroying the New Swabian army and Air Force on the ground. However as the war progressed and the tide turned against Maudland Mjoen was forced to defend the war in both the Maudlandic and Norwegian parliaments while the war progressed and the British and commonwealth deployed forces to both the New Swabian and Falklands wars.
After the Maudlandic victory at the Battle for Ny Bergen Mjoen co-operated with Otto Dietrich to decide on the future of New Swabia. They both agreed that the NSLP would head the new government and that Maudlandic peacekeepers would operate in New Swabia until the situation stabilized. They also both agreed on the treaty they wanted to inflict on New Swabia's Nazi government. After the final victory by allied forces under Tomás Lykke and Hienrich Trelk Mjoen signed the Treaty of Neumoyer on behalf of the Norwegian and Maudlandic governments. At the conclusion of the war King Harald V granted the rank of stor forsvarer og admiral av Maudland to Mjoen making him only the second person to receive the title (The previous recipient was Mathias Bryn).
Last Years and Death[]
After the New Swabian war ended Mjoen stood for re-election in a spot election forced by the opposition Labour party. Despite fierce opposition from Anna Lykke and the Labour party the Christian Socialists succeeded in gaining a majority share in Parliament although they were forced to cooperate with the MIP to ensure that their bills would pass. This fit with the next thing that Mjoen wanted to achieve, Although his long time in the Norwegian navy had led him to have a strong devotion to the king he was also a strong supporter of Maudlandic independence, the Norwegian parliament raised no major objections instead the main problem in gaining independence though was what form the new Maudlandic state would take; Mjoen's own position was clear, Maudland would be established as a Kingdom with Olav V as head of state and the Premier remaining Head of Government. However the Labour party wanted to establish a republic and the Social democrats and other parties wanted to establish an independent Maudlandic royal house which would be headed by an elected monarch. Mjoen was determined that neither of those outcomes would come to pass. Through a series of political campaigns Mjoen was able to ensure his plans were passed by the House of Legislature and the Norwegian Parliament in late 1982 with it coming to law on the one year anniversary of the end of the New Swabian War.
Mjoen spent much of his time after that in New Swabia overseeing the countries transition to a democratic state under Dietrich. He called an election in 1985 saying that he wanted a final return to the normal five year cycle which he won easily although he had to co-operate with the Social Democrats. This was in line with his next political goal, Mjoen had won Maudland's independence but Maudland was still dependent on payments from Norway to maintain its system. Mjoen helped establish a fully independent nation, he left his Social-Democrat partners to work on the health and education service and pored his energy and passion into creating a Maudlandic military, although he made sure that it was still linked with its Norwegian equivalent. This came to pass with passing of the Maudlandic Armed Forces act of 1988 although it didn't come into law until 1990.
Mjoen had accomplished most of his life goals and intended to step down before the the 1990 elections. He organized a farewell tour that took him through Antarctica, traveling anti-clockwise he visited Santiago to thank its people for the long relationship Santiago had with Maudland, Ognia to thank them for their support during the South Atlantic War, Brydia, The Ross Dependency & New Vestfold to thank the commonwealth, Bellinsgauzenia, The Dominion of New Devon where he met UK PM Margaret Thatcher and expressed his thanks for the UK's support in the New Swabian war and finally visited New Swabia. It was here that his long career finally came to an end, after paying a visit to Dietrich at his private villa in Neumoyer an ex Nazi party member shot him three times. He was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead an hour later. He was survived by his wife and three children
Legacy[]
Mjoen's death brought out a great outpouring of grief in Maudland, Services were held in every church in the country and Lukas Peterson declared a week of mourning in the country. His funeral was held on the 10th of August and was attended by almost every major figure in Antarctica. The King and Prime Minister of Norway attended as did the Queen and Prime Minister of the UK alongside the heads of government and state from every Antarctic nation except Bellinsgauzenia. It was also attended by several major military, historical and political figures from within Maudland, His funeral was also the last time ex Premier Mathias Bryn was seen in public as he died just over a month later.
Mjoen's political legacy is even larger as his policies are effectively regarded as gospel by the Christian Socialist. Therefore it is regarded almost as an item of faith by them that the primary goal of their party is to increase the effectiveness of the Maudlandic military and that economic growth should be achieved by whatever means are necessary.
A statue of Mjoen has been erected in the center of Ny Bergen near where he trained and he is one of the figures who are part of the monument outside the New Swabian parliament building that commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Neumoyer.
Relationships[]
Family[]
Mjoen fell in love with his wife of 30 years during his patrols off Norway towards the end of the second world war when Mariya Charkovaia was among the many Soviet Army soldiers and officers who traveled with the Free Norwegian Forces. After talking to each other while on patrol they often sent letters to each other after the war ended although the cold war made this difficult at times. Despite the difficulty the Cold War caused their relationship grew through their letters and when she was posted to the Soviet foreign ministry in Finland she defected to Norway. After her defection she traveled to Maudland where she and Mjoen were married in 1958.
Mjoen and Mariya were an odd couple, their political ideologies were completely different. She retained her socialist ideology while Mjoen was a devoted Christian Democrat and their marriage faced significant opposition from within Maudland because several people believed that Mariya was a Communist spy and Mjoen's own party threatened to evict him. Despite this his love for her was incredibly strong, he defended her in the Norwegian Parliament and offered to leave his position in the Norwegian government when her loyalty was brought into question.
They remained together until his death in '89 and had two children Aleksei Mjoen in '59 and Helga Mjoen in '61. His relationship with his children was always strained as his job meant that he was rarely home. He often tried to be spent as much time as was possible with his children but in her Autobiographical novel marine drittunge (Navy Brat) Helga admitted that neither she nor her brother were close to their father until she joined the Norwegian Navy and he had fought with the Maudlandic Union of Exiles in the New Swabian Civil War.
Otto Dietrich[]
"The only politician I could ever call my friend, and the only one I allowed to argue with me" - Mjoen speaking about Dietrich. Mjoen first met Otto Dietrich in a secret meeting organised by the outgoing Maudlandic premier Anna Lykke. The two immediately hit it off, Mjoen adapted quickly to the shock that Maudland had been secretly dealing with the NSLP despite supposedly making the Maudlandic Union of Exiles its favoured party in the civil war. He promised Dietrich resources to help his campaigns if he promised to use them only against the Nazi's and promised to take in those made homeless by the Civil war, taking Dietrich's wife and child into his own home in Ny Bergen.
The two developed as close a friendship as two statesmen could have and Mjoen even turned a blind eye to some of less satisfactory actions carried out by the NSLP such as the truce of '75 (Although he also disapproved of the dishonorable action that Dietrich took by breaking the alliance) and the campaigns against the MUE. Their friendship was cemented after 1977 when the United Front was formed, the two men worked together closely during the United Front when the two made almost daily trips to each others headquarters flaunting the lack of authority held by the Nazi government.
The two men were good friends during the New Swabian War and its aftermath when they worked to rebuild their countries. They remained close friends until Mjoen's death and their friendship was regarded as one of the reasons that the treaty of Neumayer was much more lenient than it could have been.
Mathias Bryn[]
"An arrogant bastard and a fool, Regardless he was still one of the most brilliant premiers are country has ever had and I still respect him for it" Mathias and Mjoen were not good friends, as two of the Norwegian King's closes advisors during the Second World War it was natural that the two men would be in opposition to each other but their dislike went far beyond that. The two fought over the most trivial of matters yet both had an odd respect for one an other. Mathias respected the boldness and sincerity of Mjoen's actions and Mjoen respected that for all he might seem arrogant Mathias did believe that he was acting in the best interests of Maudland.
In later years the two men avoided each other and it became unusual to even see them in the same room without an argument breaking out. Their odd feud remained until Mjoen's death when Mathias gave a speech at his funeral. When questioned about why he had stopped insulting Mjoen since his death he simply responded "Do not speak ill of the dead, you never know who might be listening".
Heinrich Trelk[]
"My Champion and the only Maudlandic who ever trusted me" - Lykke speaking about Mjoen. Heinrich Trelk and Thobias Mjoen first met at the signing of the Treaty of Neumayer but by that time the two men were already friends. First contact between the two men had come not long after the disastrous 1st Battle of Ny Kristiansand when Mjoen called all the senior allied commanders to Ny Bergen. While most of the allied commanders were still in shock from the defeat at Ny Kristainsand both Trelk and Lykke (Via the Phone) were still acting as they had before. Despite having met Lykke before Mjoen was impressed with both men and immediately appointed both of them as the Allied Commander in Antarctica.
Tomás Lykke[]
Quotes[]
By[]
"He's an arrogant bastard, but I still think that he is the best man for the job"
- — Describing Matthias Bryn
"It is my greatest hope that the lasting legacy of this war will be democracy in New Swabia"
- — After the Treaty of Neumoyer
"I am honored beyond measure at this gesture"
- — After receiving the title of stor forsvarer og admiral av Maudland (Grand Protector and Admiral of Maudland)
About[]
"I have never liked Thobias Mjoen, in fact their were times when I hated him more than anyone else in the entire country. However he achieved what I could never do, he has transformed this country into one that can stand proud in the world, he has led it through the two greatest wars this continent has ever seen and now in death has created a legacy that will never be forgotten"
- — Matthias Bryn delivering a speech at Mjoen's funeral.