Burgundie

The Grand Thalassocratic Republican Principality of Burgundie and her Commonwealth, commonly known as the Thalassocray of Burgundie, the Thalassocracy, or Burgundie, is a nation composed of 4 constituent countries, four self-governing territories, and four colonial possessions. At almost 760,000 square miles (1.9 million km2), Burgundie is moderately sized country. With a population of over 380 million people, Burgundie is a very densely populated nation with 365 people per sqaure mile (141 people/ km2). The capital is Vilauristre on the Isle of Burgundie, and the largest city by population is Egresh in Faramount. The capital country of the Isle of Burgundie is located just off the coast of southeastern Levantia across the Feradach Channel. The country of Nostrestran is located along the southeastern coast of Levantia bound by the Sea of Istroya in the east, the Latinic States in the north and west, and the Faramount to the south. Faramount is adjecent to Nostrestran along the southeastern coast of Levantia. It is bound by the Sea of Istroya in the east and south, the Latinic States in the north, and Urcea in the west. Equitorial Ostiecia is in southern Odoneru Ocean. The four self-governing territories are the Alshari Overseas Territories (consisteing of Isle des Coulettes, Antilles, Salarive, and Chaukira), Ayermer in the northeastern Pukhtun Sea,  Wintergen in the Kilikas Sea north of Levantia, and Sudmoll in the Okatian Sea. Burgundie’s three colonies are Nauta Normand in the Coscivian Sea north of Kiravia, Levantx in the Levantine Ocean, and Argea in the Sea of Capelan south of Punth. Burgundie and its territories stretch across 19 of the 24 time zones from Novilla in UTC -9 to Argaea in UTC +10. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of Burgundie and its possessions make it one of the world's megadiverse countries.

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Burgundie is a meaning that it considers itself primarily a maritime empire whose land holdings are secondary in importance to its maritime claims. This posture leads Burgundie to take enforcement of open and fair trade across the waterways very seriously and personally. The nation’s head of state, and its executive branch, the Court of St. Alphador, is a, a term that recognizes that the Prince of Burgundie is superior in authority all other provincial leaders, including the princes of Flordeterra and Faramount, both constituent principalities within the Thalassocracy. Because it is a its hosts a parliament called the Citizens Court of the National Assembly (Burg: La Assemblee de Ciutadans de l'Assemblee Nacional, ACAN). The Assembly is the unicameral legislative body of the nation with representatives from the citizenry, the Church, the nobility, and the Royal Family. Each member of the council is afforded one vote and the great prince is legally bound to represent the decisions of the Council. The country's third branch of government, the judicial branch, is called the Lazarine Court, the nation's supreme court.

Burgundie is a founding member of the League of Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Health Organization, World Trade Organization, International Maritime Organization, World Food Program, International Red Cross, and other international organizations. Burgundie is a highly developed country, with a GDP of $19.1 trillion and a GDPPC of $50,170. It accounts for approximately a 60% of the world’s maritime shipping traffic which has made the country rich. However, since it lacks a diverse native manufacturing base it is susceptible to fluctuations in the global markets. The economy is largely, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge-based activities, although the manufacturing sector remains the second-largest shipyard manufacturing in the world. Burgundie is the world's largest importer operating on a massive trade deficit that it offsets with its taxes on the shipping industry as well an aggressive international loan policy. Burgundie ranks among the highest nations in several measures of socioeconomic performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP, and productivity per person. Burgundie is a significant military power in the world and is a preeminent political, cultural, and scientific force internationally.

Being formally recognized in its current form in 1875, Burgundie is a new nation despite its long history. Levantine Burgundie was inhabited by Celtic peoples known as the starting around 2800 BC. In the 500s BC the seafaring Adonerii civilization arrived along the southern coast of Levantia. In 158 AD the Latinic commander Julian Marcilius Corvus crushed native resistance on the Isle of Burgundie, then called Ipar, and established the Bergenddium, a state that lasted until it was broken up in the 1090s. Following the Great Confessional War the Burgoignesc, Estienne, and Martillian trading companies created massive overseas empires, free from the confines of Imperial rule. The greatest of these empires, the Burgundian West Punth Trading Empire started to collapse in on itself from overextension in the 1780s. Around the same time, the enlightenment and scientific revolution and then later the industrial revolution led to a series of anti-monarchist and pro-democratic/social revolts across the southern coast of the Kingdom of Dericania. The reactionary powers attempted to crush these revolts and led to the First Fratricide, which mediatized much of the Kingdom of Dericania and formed Burgundie from a number of the southern coastal principalities. The new nation set about a course of standardization, driven by scientists, industrialists, and new governments want to be considered a modern nation. By the early 20th century Burgundie was becoming as powerful in continental politics as the whole of the Kingdom of Dericania, in its own right. During the Great War Burgundie fought on the side of the Western Coalition, bringing it into the global spotlight. Following this it engaged itself in anti-communist wars in Audonia and South Punth, leading to a cultural revolution and the advent of both of which brought Burgundie into the 21st century at full tilt.

Etymology
The name Burgundie is the Latinification of the Hištanšahri name for the island of Ipar. The original name was Bardghoncheh meaning the high rose bud, or budding flower high on the mountain slope. This referred to the abundance flowers visible from the sea as travellers approached the various shores of the Belrac caldera, but was first applied to the Isle of Burgundie. The name was used as an exonym just as a reference point, but it was adopted by the local Latinics on the island and they transformed its meaning to mean that their culture was the highest budding flower of all of southern Levantia, implying it was better than the other cultures, most specifically the Impaxi.

History
Main Article: History of Burgundie

Burgundie, in its modern form, was founded as a series of Latinic trading posts in northern Levantia in the first century CE. Throughout history, it remained linguistically and religiously connected to Latinic roots, especially as the nations of Heku and Urcea formalized, but its social and economic culture is heavily influenced by the Gaelic and Germanic cultures it displaced and subsumed. The Isle of Burgundie remained the majority of the nation from its formation circa 853 until its explosive colonization of South Punth and southern Crona starting in the 16th century. During its war of independence, Burgundie also came to encompass the Kingdom of Dericania, the predominantly Gaelic lands between the Feradach Sound and the nations of Kistan and Fiannria.

In the 12th century the Fanerian kingdom engaged the Burgundians at first as a mercenary navy, but then as loyal subjects for 300 years. Kistan's much larger land army guaranteed that the Kingdom of Dericania and the Kingdom of Culfra, who had long sought to rid all of northern Levantia of Latinic influence, would not rid the island of the Bergendii.

However, in the 1450s, the Isle of Burgundie was conquered by the Kingdom of Culfra. They were not held in the same high esteem as they had been under Fanerian rule. However, the Bergendii proved themselves loyal subjects to their new masters. They provided many ships and sailors to the Kingdom of Culfra and in return were allowed to remain on their island, in an early example of. Not everything was bad for the Bergendii of northern Levantia. In 1575, at the conclusion of the Great Confessional War, the Isle of Burgundie was elevated to the status of electorate in the Holy Levantine Empire. Protestant nobles were expelled and their counties in the Kingdom of Dericania were given to the Duke as well as the honorific Archduke of the Burgundians. Through its new electorate mechanism, Burgundie was able to exert more control on its circumstances and the Duke was empowered to dictate local policy within Kingdom of Culfra.

As part of this new period of self-rule, the Dukes created a series of trading companies that sought to raise the clout of the duchy and enrich themselves. They pushed the bounds of the maritime technology at the time and traveled around the world looking for fertile trade and investment opportunities. The largest and most storied companies were the Burgundian West Punth Trading Company and the Burgundian Grand Crona Trading Company. Unlike the other trading companies, these two set out on a path of colonization that, at their heights, covered all of South Punth and large swaths of south-central Crona.

Between 1811 and 1837, Burgundie emerged from the Kingdom of Culfra as an independent nation. This was followed by an industrial revolution that forever changed the reach of Burgundian trade. Since that time Burgundie has enjoyed a mostly peaceful and prosperous history. Currently, Burgundie is experiencing a Second Renaissance which is being characterized as a time of innovation, goodwill with foreign nations, and a national reinvestment in Burgundian culture.

Heritage
History and heritage are very important to the Burgundians. These leads them to tend toward traditional social morays and cultural interaction. That is not to say that Burgundians are closed or narrow-minded. They welcome other cultures and scientific and technological advancement as these have always been important to the monetary and cultural economy in Burgundie. Furthermore, there is a certain that Burgundians are known for throughout Greater Ixnay. They are renowned hard workers, shrewd businessmen and extremely devoted to the of Burgundie.

Burgundians are very proud of these qualities, in fact, they are proud people in general, but often in a stoic way, never braggadocious or boastful.They sense of assuredness is often perceived by less formal cultures as antiquated and snobby.

Hyper-Urbanization
Since the establishment of permanent Latinic city-states in Ipar in the 3rd century BC, urbanization has been a part of the Burgundian mythos. It originally was a symbolic differentiation between the Latinics and the and  tribes who were  and only mildly sedentary, respectively. Burgundie's population has always been concentrated in urban centers, due in large part to the creation of a protectionist society, build up around to protect against attacks and raids from outsiders. This concept was originally expressed in the development of cities surrounded by large where each day the workers and their landlords would return to the safety of the security  walls before returning to the fields each morning. This lead to a strong sense of connection between those in power and those simply working the land, a sense of that remains to this day. This style of city and community building became crucial to the defense of Burgundie and its peoplein the middle ages by thwarting Fiannria' efforts to dominate Burgundie for over 300 years.

Urbanization in Burgundie did not technically meet the definition of "hyper-urbanization" until the turn of the 20th century. From then it enjoyed a 60 year explosion that followed a massive population boom as the benefits of public health started to impact all members of Burgundian society and as immigrants from South Punth flooded the nation. Urban development stalled in the latter 20th century but renewed commitment to bringing back an important part of the spirit of Burgundie in the early 21st century has jump started it again.

Geography
Burgundie is made up of a series of mainland counties and electorate counties on the continent of Levantia, a capital island, a "home" island approximately 850 kilometers off of its northern shore and "trade" islands scattered across Greater Ixnay. Due to the historical importance of the maritime realm, the sea around and between the landed counties and the islands are also considered as much a part of Burgundie as its terra firma.

The capital island consists of the Electorate of Burgundie and is the administrative and historical center of the republic. It is located 156 miles north of the Levantine northern coast. The "home" island of Wintergen is located 855 kilometers northeast of the Electorate of Burgundie in the midst of the Kilikas Sea. It is considered a home island because following its occupation in 1823, most of the Kiraviaian settlers left and the island was colonized by the Burgundians.

The trade islands of AyerSee, Nyö, Sodermark, ... and Sturmhavn are scattered throughout Greater Ixnay.

Climate
The summer's months are moderately warm, though summer is rather short and rainfall is spread through the year. The frost-free growing season ranges from 90 days on the island of Wintergen to 140 days along the western coast of Dübenneck.

Along coastal Dübenneck, and the islands of Burgundie and Wintergen the same humid continental prevails (Dfa), though summers are warm to hot, winters are shorter, and there is less snowfall (especially in the coastal areas where it is often warmer), with the general exception of the higher elevations and other normally cooler locations. Cities like Kongerhus, Dorft, and NordHalle receive 35 to 45 inches (890 to 1,140 mm) of snow annually. Summers can occasionally be hot and humid, with high temperatures between 90 and 100 °F (32 and 38 °C). Summer thunderstorms are common between June and August.

Physical Geography of Burgundie
Because of its disparate locations, Burgundie has many different forms of geography.

Insular Burgundie
This includes the islands of the Isle of Burgundie, Nauta Normand, and Wintergen.

Dericania
Geographically, Dericania consists of a series of defining features. From west to east they generally fall into the Paulus Peninsula, the Southern Spine, the Burgundian Caldera and the Eastern Plain.

Burgundian Dericania
Burgundian Dericania is constituted of the provinces of Adtaran, Bonavix, Cashen, Drusla, Eagaria, Esquinia, and Pumbria.

Flordeterra
Flordeterra is constituted of the provinces of Equitorial Burgundie, Hoheseen, Monsunboch, and Neu Burgund.

Government
All political entities in Burgundie are governed through the concept that all government is local. The layered approach is an important part of Burgundian political culture, which makes it a unique case in the Holy Levantine Empire, not as liberal as Fiannria and not as authoritarian as Urcea. The sense of civic engagement in government is high at the municipal level, moderate at the provincial level (usually this is run by a hereditary noble), and minor at the monarchical level. This not to say that the nobility are not held accountable, as they are bound by elected advisory committees, even the crown which is bound by the representatives of the Golden Council of Ten.

Political Geography of Burgundie
Because Burgundie is a, it has broken administration down as locally as possible. The Great Prince presides over large decisions but the governments of the various parts of Burgundie, for the most part, rule themselves. Thus, as the independent Burgundie emerged from the War of Northern Agression, the disparate needs of the far-flung populace led to the creation of a confederacy of nations under the banner and crown of Burgundie.

Isle of Burgundie
Isle of Burgundie is the historical, political, and cultural capital of the Burgundian.

Dericania
Geographically, Dericania consists of a series of defining features. From west to east they generally fall into the Paulus Peninsula, the Southern Spine, the Burgundian Caldera and the Eastern Plain.

Flordeterra
Flordeterra is constituted of the provinces of Equitorial Burgundie, Hoheseen, Monsunboch, and Neu Burgund.

Burgundian Dericania
Burgundian Dericania is constituted of the provinces of Adtaran, Bonavix, Cashen, Drusla, Eagaria, Esquinia, and Pumbria.

Economy
Burgundie's economy is comparatively massive, highly-advanced and industrialized, with a national GDP of $10 trillion and GDP per capita of $50,170 as of 2028, and a low unemployment rate of only 3.26%. The official currency, Imperial Dollar ($), is the currency of the Holy Levantine Empire. However, since 2021 the central bank has started to experiment with the use of Bitcoin, the Security Forces of Burgundie and the intelligence community in particular have been using the crypto-currency almost exclusively. The private sector and nonprofit sectors represent 59% of the country's GDP and the public sector the remaining 41%.

The Burgundian economy is dominated by maritime trade, followed by the heavy manufacturing. The maritime sector accounts for 43.5% of the national GDP, and employs 37% of the population. Heavy manufacturing makes up 16.6% of the GDP, and employs 20.1% of the population. Economic growth for the last fiscal year was slow, with a growth rate of only .76%. The private sector dominates the national economy, with the private sector constituting 84% of the economy and the public sector just 17%.

As a post-industrial economy, Burgundie is highly reliant on global market to perform well in order to ensure that the local market remain healthy. The Merchant Marine of Burgundie has a total capacity of 214,573,650 metric tons spread across 4,146 ships, and is dominated by O’Shea Container Shipping, Lansing Lines and Doppel Gangway. Burgundie plays a major role in maintaining international trade at the sacrifice of its own self-sufficiency and resources independence. Since history has dictated that Burgundie maintain a thalossocratic presence in the world it controls very little land, all of which has long been stripped of its natural resources.

A central feature of the Burgundian economy is the economic freedom afforded to the private sector by allowing the private sector to make the majority of economic decisions in determining the direction and scale of what the Burgundian economy produces. This is enhanced by relatively low levels of regulation and government involvement, as well as a court system that generally protects property rights and enforces contracts. Today, Burgundie is home to 3.7 million small businesses, 884 millionaires, 58 billionaires, as well as 15 of the world's 500 largest companies.

From its emergence as an independent nation, Burgundie has encouraged science and innovation. In the early 20th century, the research developed through informal cooperation between Burgundian industry and academia grew rapidly and by the late 1940s exceeded the size of that taking place in much larger countries.

Government Spending
(OOC: All %s are wip this is just a jump off point)

Since embracing free trade with much of it's international partners Burgundie's government has begun to run a deficit. Previous to the 1980s a majority of federal taxes were collected through tariffs. This deficit is partialy but not entirely mitigated with the interest gained through the aggressive loan policy maintained by the central bank and the Royal Treasury Debit Reduction Fund. The remaining debit costs the government approximately $311billion/year.

Agriculture
Radishes, sweet potatoes, parsley, bell peppers, rhubarb, squash, blueberries, cranberries, elderberries, apples, grapes

Nuclear Power
Main Article: Nuclear power in Burgundie Almost half of the consumable power in Burgundie is created in the countries 7 nuclear power plants. Burgundie Central Nuclear Power Plant and Aylerham Nuclear Power Station  are both located on the island of Burgundie. Levantine Burgundie has 4 nuclear plants, the Gehildr Plant in northern Zelthus, Hinhylde Nuclear Plant in Solibris, Zelderthorpe Power Station  in Meyerby, an Dunleigh Nuclear Power Generating Plant  in Westmarch. The 7th nuclear power plant in Burgundie is the brand new AyerSee All Power Plant, a hybrid nuclear, wind and tidal power plant. There are also two archaic and inactive nuclear power plants in Burgundie that were mothballed as part of their decommissioning in 1990s, but can be made operational in 18 months. The Sigjold and Alde plants, both reactors in DunDrummin, were put into "protective hibernation" was part of the "BurgunFri" environmental movement in the 1980s and 1990s whose goal it was to eliminate Burgundies reliance of foreign oil and fossil fuels in general. They would be converted to as part of their activation.

Foreign Relations
Main Article: Foreign Relations of Burgundie

Security Forces
The majority of the youth entering into the mandatory "year of service" participate in a militia program. Those who wish to work full time in the Security Forces (Navy, Air Corps, Revenue Guard) are exempt from the year of service and join their branch directly.

Main Article: Burgundian Security Forces

Demographics
With a population of around 200 million, Burgundie's population is exactly in the middle on the list of populations in Greater Ixnay. Burgundie boasts an annual population growth rate of 3.1%. Ethnically, the residents of Pelaxia are predominantly ethnic Pelaxian who are of Latin / Spaniard descent.

Ethnic Groups
The ethnic groups that make up Burgundie are traditionally from two places of origin, those of Helvianirian descent and those of Levantine descent. Those of Levantine origin are from the Gaelic culture of northern Levantia.

BergesMenn
Main Article: Bergendii

The largest ethnic group in Burgundie are the BergesMenn (Eng. Burgundian; Lat. Bergendi) were the people who, in the 8th and 9th centuries, gave their name to Burgundie. They were descended from Helvianirian vikings who stopped on the Isle of Burgundie to hold a funeral for their Great Chief Berge the Bold, and named the place BergesSee (Eng. Berge's Sea; Lat. Mare Berge) in his honor. Through generations of assimilation and mixing with the mainland Gaelic and Latinic populations, their descendants would gradually adopt the Latin/Christian-based cultures of Levantia, ultimately resulting in their own assimilation into the Levantian society. The distinct cultural and ethnic identity of the Bergendii emerged initially in the first half of the 10th century, and it continued to evolve over the succeeding centuries. The Isle of Burgundie, which they formed by treaty with the Fanerian crown, was a powerful maritime fief of medieval Kistan. The Bergedii are noted both for their cultures, such as their unique subArtic architecture and musical traditions, and for their significant maritime accomplishments and innovations. Burgundian cultural and maritime influence spread from these new Levantian centers to the trading posts as far south as Yytuskia.

Gaels
The second largest group in Burgundie are the Gaels. They formed the group termed the proto-Burgundians and have a long history in northern Levantia. These groups also constitute large parts of the Fanerian and Fiannriai populations and as such share a cultural bond with those peoples. In the 1700 and early 1800s they were subjected to mild Burgundification efforts as Burgundian separatism from collapsing Fiannriai domination in the region. Modern Gaels are treated equally as ethnic differences became less important and the Princes of Burgundie focused on joining the nation together following independence in 1812. Power in the Gaedhealtacht (the electorates of Glenmoor, Solibris, as well as the principlaity of DunDrummin) is more devolved then in most other areas in Burgundie as the Burgundian government had been previously accused of not understanding Gaelic issues.

Roman Catholicism
Levantine Catholic Church‎‎ Religious Primates of Ixnay

Other Christian Faiths
Mormon Church

Languages
Most Burgundians speak Burgundian,, and Lebhan. The merchant classes often speak at least three or four other languages based on where their companies primary interests lie. O'Shea in particular is know for hiring people who are highly adept at learning and working in foreign languages. A common joke in Burgundie is that the government's foreign service corps and intelligence apparatus suffer from poaching of its best candidates by O'Shea.

Immigration
Immigration law in Burgundie among the most liberal in the developed world, but due to its involvement with many free movement treaties it has to tread lightly in regard to its treaty partners. Any immigrant who makes it to any land of The Burgundies is entitled to stay, but this translates to residency on one of the non-Levantine territories, out of respect for the free movement treaties. Regardless of the reason for immigration, any immigrant must present themselves to any town hall in Burgundie and file for identification and a tax number. Since 2015, this system is automatic and instantaneous. The immigrant(s) are therefore authorized to work locally, typically within the sergentie/paroquiel in which they filed. This arrangement allows the immigrants to work while they apply for permanent residency. Immigrants are assigned a case worker and a phone by which to communicate with the case worker. Immigrants are allowed to stay in country on two conditions they are actively contributing to society (work/volunteerism) and that they are actively working towards permanent residency. Those who have failed to present themselves to a townhall for identification, or who have but are not working within the system, are sought after and deported. Since immigrants are not citizens they are not entitled to government benefits/services and it is typically the Catholic Dioceses that step in and solicit alms for and provide the services for the immigrant families. First generation immigrants constitute 4.6% of the population as of 2027. Of these 9.2 million immigrants:

Culture
Culturally, Burgundie is one of the least vernacular and most mechanical nations in the world. This means that there is a level of homongony across the diverse and vast thalossocracy. This is an accidental side effect of the centralized, planned mechanization put forward by the various royal institutions since the New Burgundie Secession War, but especially since the Great Cronan War. These mechanization efforts, namely in the wide spread use of air conditioning, mass transit, and subsidized domestic migration have allowed the Burgundians to live anywhere in the world under the same conditions as they would on the Isle of Burgundie. Many international sociologists term this Laissez-faire Vilauristrification in reference to the fact that the phenomenon was accidental and that the Burgundian cultural experience is becoming more like that of the capital in Vilauristre. This has been more noticeable in the Burgundian territories outside of Levantia, as Levantine Burgundian culture is the core that many other vernacular cultures within the thalassocracy are being pulled towards.

Public Health
Burgundie has a very strong healthcare/healthcare research sector which accounts for 8.3% of its GDP. Kongerhus hosts the most densely populated healthcare research area in all of Greater Ixnay, the Waldemar Medical and Academic Area. This is in large part because during the Pax Burgundia, Burgundie began a tradition of investing heavily in public health and healthcare. The citizens of Burgundie are covered under a universal healthcare umbrella but citizens can elect into additional health insurance which guarantees them access to "private payer" hospitals and care facilities.

The roots of Burgundie's public health initiative, as is most of Burgundie's history, is in the maritime trade. During the 1800s Burgundian sailors were returning from their trips abroad with any number of unspeakable diseases, both immuno and venereal. In 1856, a few merchants wives in NordHalle, fearing for their daughter's safety and health, purchased a barge and set up a floating hospital. They petitioned for and received a city ordnance that required all sailors to receive a checkup at the floating hospital before coming ashore. Within 10 years the disease rates in NordHalle dropped 25% and other cities started to adopt the practice of offering/mandating free check-ups for returning sailors.

As the cities on Burgundie grew clean water also became an issue. The Metropolitan Kongerhus Public Clean Water Authority, created in 1871, is considered one of the first public health agencies in Burgundie. It started as a single testing station at the final reservoir in the Metropolitan Kongerhus Watershed System, the Kastanienbraun Reservoir in Bakfelt, a small residential town outside of Kongerhus. The testing station grew into a series of stations at all of the reservoirs in the Metropolitan Kongerhus Watershed System. Health improved 10 fold over the first few decades. The government, during the Pax Burgundia, invested in creating improved water delivery systems, removing lead piping and adding ever improving waste water treatment facilities. By 1932, almost all waterborne diseases had been eradicated across Levantine Burgundie. By the 1960s the same was true for all of the islands as well.

Primary and Secondary Education
Primary and secondary education is mandatory in Burgundie. Burgundians parents value education above all else for their children. In addition to public schools, magnet and charter schools thrive. Private schools like independent, parochial, Montessori and Waldorf schools serve 60% of the primary and secondary students in Burgundie. Families are very receptive to the varied learning styles of their children and often choose schools based on their children's needs, as well as by their prestige. As such, the children of Burgundie have some of the highest literacy rates in Ixnay at 99% and about 90% of young Burgundians pursue some form of tertiary education.

Tertiary Education
Burgundie has the highest tertiary education participation rates in Ixnay with about 87% of the adult population having some form of post-secondary education. These programs are classified as Specialized Baccalaureate (SB), Associates (AA/AS), Bachelors (BA/BS), Graduate Certificate (GC), Masters (MA/MS), and Doctorate (varies, depending on the program). Higher education in Burgundie is entirely privatized but, by royal degree, must be run in a non-profit model. This means that many universities, institutes, and academies have diversified beyond just their educational mission. The Seager Corporation (The President and Fellows of Seager Akademi) have led this trend with investments in a variety of museums, private libraries, laboratories, a vineyard and private forests. All of these forms of diversification are run for the benefit of the educational community, but generate a healthy profit for the institutions that operate them.

Quartiary Education
While there are no requirements or standards around quartiary education (continuing education and professional development) in Burgundie, about 48% of the workforce engage in some form of quartiary education annually. There are approximately 954 accredited continuing education or professional development programs in Burgundie. These courses are heavily biased towards the technical fields of engineering, architecture, mathematics, and sciences but almost every type of work in Burgundie maintains its own professional organization with certification criteria.

Oligarchia grammaticorum
Starting in the 1420s a meeting of learned men from the Fanerian principality of Burgundie, Heku, Kiravia and Pauldustllah occurred to discuss the status of the world. These meetings occurred in 1424, 1426 and 1429, but was outlawed as some topics were considered blasphemous. In 1430, the group formed a codex and started to send encrypted messages to each other and so began the Oligarchia grammaticorum (OG), Oligarchy of Grammarians. Their encryption grew ever more difficult to crack and the imagination of the world was taken by storm. There were conspiracies about every event and the involvement of the Oligarchia grammaticorum. In the 1640s the oligarchy became more transparent and started a number of permanent literary and scientific academies, most notably Universitas Magistrorum in Burgundie, _________ in Heku, Universitas Codicis in Kiravia, and Farpoint University in Pauldustllah. In the 18th and 19th century the OG was a driver in Enlightenment thought in Northern Levantia and Kiravia but its members suppressed the liberal ideals in Heku and Pauldustllah. By the 20th century, the OG had become primarily a learned society and a philanthropic entity. At the dawn of the 21st century, the OG has broadened its scope to also include artificial intelligence and cyber technology. It was under the guidance of the OG that Burgundie released its colony at Argaea to become Ixnay's first.