Urceopolis (Archduchy)

The Archduchy of Urceopolis, also legally known as the Lands of the Crown of St. Julius is one of three crownlands of the Apostolic Kingdom of Urcea. It is the largest federal subdivision of Urcea in terms of population, and it contains Urceopolis, the capital city of the Apostolic Kingdom. Since the Golden Bull of 1098, the Archduchy and associated Archducal title have been one of the two definitive integral parts of the Urcean Crown, with the other being the Grand Duchy of Yustona. By area, it is the second largest subdivision of Urcea. It is also the most densely populated.

Economy
As of 2014-15, the Archduchy's total GDP was calculated to be $15,227,373,718,144, with approximately a $44,912 GDP PC.

Government
Unlike the provinces of Urcea, the Archduchy of Urceopolis functions using a parliamentary model rather than a federal presidential model. The Royal Parliament of Urceopolis functions as the primary government for the Archduchy. Upon advice of the Chancellor and Temporary President, the Apostolic King of Urcea appoints a Governor-General for the Archduchy. Unlike the Grand Duchy of Yustona, where the Governor-General has some authority and is a partisan selection, the Governor-General of Urceopolis holds little executive authority and is typically a non-partisan selection selected among a pool of younger but established politicians; an example of this style of appointment comes from the 2010s, when the National Democratic Party Chancellor, Michael Witte, nominated the National Pact politician James Fallshade to serve as Governor-General. The non-partisan Governor-General of Urceopolis usually executes strictly constitutional responsibilities as the designated representative of the Apostolic King of Urcea, such as opening the Royal Parliament.

The Royal Parliament is lead by the Archducal Chancellor, whose responsibilities within the Archduchy represent a slightly more powerful version of the Chancellor and Temporary President on the national level. The Archducal Chancellor has full control over the Parliamentary government, and serves as majority leader of the Parliament in addition to serving as head of government. The Royal Parliament - and other Archducal government offices - are based in The Praetorium in the Oldtown borough of Urceopolis.

Politics
The Archduchy of Urceopolis is consistently one of the most contested subdivisions of Urcea, and due to its size and weight in the Concilium Daoni, it is considered a bellweather for the national political climate. In recent years, since the first election of James Fallshade in 2025, the densely populated suburbs of Urceopolis have been trending towards the National Pact whereas the urban core of Urceopolis polls well for the relatively new Union for National Solidarity, though some National Pact delegates remain competitive in the urban core of the city, such as Chancellor Bridget Farrell.