Rhotia: Difference between revisions
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Latest revision as of 19:45, 19 April 2024
Republic of Rhotia Repubblia Rhotia (Rhotian) | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
| |
Motto: O Natio! ("Oh Nation!") | |
Anthem: O Natio! | |
 Location of Rhotia (green) in the Levantine Union (light green) and Levantia (gray) | |
| Capital and largest city | Corcra |
| Official languages | Rhotian |
| Religion | Catholic Church |
| Demonym(s) | Rhotian Rhotes (plural) |
| Government | Federal constitutional presidential republic |
• President | Alexandru Lash |
| All-States Delegation | |
| All-Rhotian Assembly | |
| Establishment | |
| 2030 | |
| Population | |
• Estimate | 131,396,801 |
| GDP (nominal) | estimate |
• Total | $5,214,824,950,803 |
• Per capita | $39,687.60 |
| Currency | Taler |
Rhotia, officially the Republic of Rhotia, is a country in Levantia. It is neighbored by Hollona and Diorisia and Anglei to the west, Urcea to the southwest, Lapody to the east, and Fiannria to the north.
Rhotia was established in 2030 in the aftermath of the Dissolution of the Deric States, unifying the five Rhotian language-speaking countries of Allaria, Corcra, Orclenia, Kronenia, and Vinesia that were members of the Deric States. The new Rhotian nationality emerged as the idea of a unified Derian identity collapsed, emphasizing the shared history, language, and day-to-day social mores of Rhotian-speaking peoples. Rhotian identity and nationality is a relatively new concept, and the five states which preceded Rhotia had virtually no shared political history save their common part of the Kingdom of Dericania. Via the internet and other interactions, Rhotian identity emerged largely as a culture of contrast, being different from the neighboring people of Lapody. The process to establish the Rhotian state was more careful than that of the Lapodian state, and as a consequence the predecessor states survive as federal units within the country's federalist constitution.
Rhotia is a member of the Levantine Union.
Etymology
Rhotia is named for Rhotian, the language spoken in the northern part of Dericania. It is unclear when this derivation was first used in a geographical sense, with scattered references beginning in the late 17th century. The term did not enter common parlance until the 20th century, when it was used to collectively refer to the northern Deric States.
Geography
Rhotia is a landlocked country in central Levantia. Rhotia has a climate zones, with its southern half having a mostly tropical dry climate. The center of the country has a climate transition area, with the north-center of the country having a more humid continental climate. Rhotia's population density is roughly arrayed in a gradient running from north-to-south, with the north having large farmlands, cities, and suburbs, and the south having relatively isolated cities around streams and oases in an otherwise arid region.
History
Rhotia emerged from Dericania, a region in east-central Levantia long associated with the Holy Levantine Empire and with the Latinic heartland of Great Levantia before it. The northern portions of Dericania shared a common language, Rhotian, which emerged from Latin in a distinct form by the 9th and 10th centuries. The Rhotian-speaking lands were divided into hundreds of feudal units that were part of the Holy Levantine Empire until the 19th century, when a process known as mediatization - which included both diplomatic consolidations and significant warfare - began to gradually reduce the number of constituent parts of the Empire. During this period, Rhotians became associated with Derian identity, a nationalist concept which claimed a common nation of Dericania. Nationalists of the Derian movement launched a major uprising that began the Second Great War in Levantia. Rhotia was briefly part of a nominal Deric Republic established by the nationalists before they were ultimately defeated. Following the defeat, a conflict known as the Third Fratricide divided Dericania between moderate nationalists, who enjoyed international support, and socialist insurrectionaries. Out of the wake of that conflict, five states were established in what is today Rhotia. The five - Allaria, Corcra, Orclenia, Kronenia, and Vineisa - all were established as new states which formally consolidated many predecessor Imperial subject entities. All five adopted Rhotian as a national language, beginning the cultural process of Rhotianization, or the dismissal of the notion of a Derian identity in favor of a Rhotian identity.
Third Fratricide and pink tide
The Third Fratricide was a conflict between liberal-nationalist coalitions in Dericania and socialist revolutionaries that occurred immediately following the end of the Dericanian phase of the Second Great War, known in Dericania as the Second Fratricide. Moreso than Lapody, the Fratricide had a specific, long-lasting political and cultural impact on Rhotia; it was affected by longer lasting socialist rule throughout various parts of its constituent states. This phenomenon, known as the "pink tide", saw more than half of modern Rhotia's land area being part of socialist governing authorities during the conflict. These influences significantly affected Rhotians' ideas about economic and social organization. Workers cooperatives established by the socialist provisional governments were partly effective and very popular especially among rural workers in sectors other than agriculture. Though socialists only ruled in Rhotian areas for a maximum of about a decade, it significantly altered expectations by peasant and working classes about the economy. It created, throughout Rhotia, an emphasis on collaborative organizations responsible for both capitalizing and laboring on a project; many of the cooperatives that make Rhotia's economy distinctive today are direct descendants of 1940s-era collaboratives. As liberal-nationalist and allied forces gradually gained the upper hand throughout Dericania and brought the Fratricide to a close, the newly created states they controlled were careful not to disrupt elements of the new economic and social order; this decision not only gave Rhotia stability but imparted on it a unique and long-lasting social character.
Pre-union states
Allaria
The Republic of Allaria was established out of a number of different polities within the Holy Levantine Empire in 1946.
Of all of the Deric States, Allaria had the least historic precedent of all of the new countries, and unlike the other eight Deric States it did not have a direct antecedent to which it could point to. Principally, the Republic was comprised of four different duchies of roughly equal size (Cauga, Asisa, Raganz, and Lente) and standing as well as a number of peripheral lands from various smaller entities, almost all of whom had been under socialist rule for the first half of the 1940s. The name Allaria was taken from a Great Levantia-era tribe of Goths which occupied the area, the Allards. Given its construction, the state had significant cohesion problems throughout its early existence. The state was the primary ideological enemy of Derian nationalists, who viewed it as something of an abomination and half-step on the way to full Deric nationalism. In 1963, the state was subject to a coup by Deric nationalists in the military, who were subsequently removed from power by a joint Urco-Burgoignesc military operation. From 1963 onward, the state was functionally disarmed. Relative domestic harmony only came in the 1980s, as a full generation of Allarian-born nationals began to take positions of authority and cultural influence. Nationbuilding was weakest of all in Allaria, as almost all of the residents immediately began to cling to a Rhotian-language based identity in the 1990s and early 2000s due to the complete lack of a shared "Allarian" national history. Allarian delegates, despite their enthusiasm for joining together in a Rhotian state, were more reluctant than the Corcrans, who were first, largely because of their own previous experience with amalgamating a state from unrelated parts.
Corcra
The Republic of Corcra was established out of a significant amalgamation of territories, a vast majority of which were previously Imperial estates, four major abbeys, and most importantly the Imperial City of Corcra.
Corcra and its environs were always unique among the territories of the Holy Levantine Empire, as it and the Imperial estates which surrounded it were always directly held by the Emperor of the Levantines, passing from Emperor-to-Emperor. The general Corcra area was known as the "Imperial fief", and when the Republic was established, it had the fewest major land owners as well as the fewest Cort de Antics claims against it due to its origin. As a result of its history, Corcra had the least successful experience of any Deric State with respect to nationbuilding; the cosmopolitan city residents considered themselves first to be Rhotian-speaking Derics (not Derian) and, eventually, Rhotian-speaking citizens of the Levantine Union. Although constructed more conservatively in terms of private property and economic structure than most other states due to limited socialist presence during the Third Fratricide, Corcra generally had among the more progressive political cultures due to its cosmopolitan and anti-nationalist background. The Republic was the most eager of the five Rhotian-speaking states to abandon the old political system and join together as a single Rhotian country within the Levantine Union.
Orclenia
The Republic of Orclenia was established in 1961, succeeding the liberalized and mediatized Duchy of Orclenia established during the Second Great War.
Orclenia had been an Electorate in the Holy Levantine Empire and was ruled by the long-standing House of Osset, who had ruled the original Duchy since 1341. Duke Leo V (1894-1961) ruled the Duchy during the Second Great War and in 1934 to reach an accomodation with local liberal-nationalist forces. This settlement set forth that, upon the Duke's death, the state would become a Republic; as Leo had no heir of his own body, this agreement was viewed to be suitable despite protests from cousins and Osset cadets. As the Third Fratricide commenced, Orclenia was viewed as a source of significant stability among the liberal-nationalist side, and at the end of the war it was given significant additional territories as part of the broader effort to mediatize the Kingdom of Dericania. Leo was compelled in the later years of his reign to begin the transition to a republic. Additional powers were transitioned to the legislature and the newly empowered office of Prime Minister, including judicial and military appointments. In 1958, having given away most of his powers to other institutions, Duke Leo decided to appoint a regent on the advice of the government and functionally retired, spending the remainder of his life outside the corridors of power and enjoying his title at various social engagements as well as on vacation. Upon his death in 1961, his last will and testament bequeathed the Duchy and other holdings "to the Orclenic nation". The regent immediately transitioned to President, completing the transition to a parliamentary republic. Orclenics had a kind of civic nationalism, taking pride that their country had been a source of stability during the 20th century and that they had bloodlessly transitioned to democracy. Orclenia was most hesitant to join the new Rhotian nation, as the impression of their state as civil and orderly and the other Rhotian speakers as quasi-anarchic remained in the public imagination through the 21st century.
Kronenia
The State of Kronenia was established out of the lands held by the Kronenian Duchy with only limited additions in 1944.
As a Duchy, Kronenia was initially a constituent part of the Kingdom of Angla before being reassigned to the Kingdom of Dericania after the Nordmontaine War. Though the Duchy of Kronenia proper retained Gothic history and cultural influences through its Ænglish heritage, the polity that took its name was decidedly Rhotian in terms of culture and population. After the War and Dragonnades, the Catholic House of Velelli, previously minor nobles, were given the Duchy. They quickly took advantage of weak neighbors in northern Dericania and established roughly the modern state's borders by 1634. The original Duchy of Kronenia underwent significant Rhotianization while the Dukes of the realm carefully threaded together the legal, economic, cultural, and infrastructure systems of the states they had conquered. Though Kronenia was partitioned several times among heirs, the realms remained largely connected until they were unified by an act of the Imperial Diet in 1819. Of all of the states that emerged from the Third Fratricide, Kronenia was the most cohesive of the Rhotian-speaking states, only gaining peripheral cities, bishoprics, and counties into a pre-existing state core.
Vinesia
The State of Vinesia was formed in 1945 through the appending of nine counties and free cities to the Duchy of Vinesia, all of whom shared a historic relationship.
Vinesia was largely culturally distinctive from the rest of the Rhotian-speaking states. Though it remained in the Deric States throughout that organization's entire existence, it had cultural reservations similar to those of Hollona and Diorisia. Vinesians, though Rhotian-speaking, were largely genetically and ethnically more similar to Fiannans than other Rhotian speakers, making it an outlier among the Deric States. In the 1950s and 1960s, Vinesia remained largely aloof from the Deric States and pursued closer relations with Fiannria. However, the Levantine Union's open borders allowed significant cultural exchange between all of its members that had previously not existed, even within the Holy Levantine Empire. Gradually, Vinesians began to cling more to their other Rhotian-speaking neighbors, and Vinesia fell out of Fiannria's cultural orbit and into Corcra's during the 1980s. Politically, Vinesia was the smallest member of the Levantine Union and Deric States, and it began to side more closely with other small Rhotian-speaking states on the global stage and in the Levantine Union Diet to protect its interests. Though the Vinesians could not relate to the newly emerging solidarity between Rhotians, it definitely identified distinctive elements of their culture in the early internet era that drew Vinesians into contrast with both Lapods and Fiannans.
Rhotian unification
Between the 1950s and late 1980s, the new five Rhotian-speaking states began a process of domestic nation-building that focused on national, not linguistic, ties - meaning creating a distinct national identity of Allarian, Orclenian, and so on. These processes were largely a failure, but all five nations emphasized their use of the Rhotian language as a distinguishing social characteristic, and in this respect a greater social and scholarly appreciation for the language took root by the 1970s. As greater affinity for the Levantine Union spread throughout the continent in the post-war years, a new type of social identity emerged - that of "Rhotian-speaking Levantine", with individuals identifying themselves as citizens of the Levantine Union sharing a common language who happened to be part of five distinct countries. This conceptualization was greatly enhanced during the 1980s with the rise of the internet, allowing Rhotian speakers to discover their shared common culture and the differences they have with Lapods, a process which led the Derian identity to enter terminal decline. Rhotians began to identify themselves as "Rhotians" by the 1990s, though this still had a cultural rather than nationality-related meaning.
In the 2000s and 2010s, Rhotian identity became a preeminent social force in the country, though Rhotians lagged significantly behind neighboring Hollona and Diorisia in the process of the dissolution of the Deric States. When the Vandarch Republic left the organization in 2023, it caused significant anxiety and social confusion within the five Rhotian-speaking states, accelerating the process of consolidation. Unlike the Lapod state-led process of unification, in Rhotia the process was largely activist-driven. Calls for unification among social groups, particularly 21MEDNOW, were resisted by some of the governments, particularly those of Orclenia, Kronenia, and Allaria. In these countries, a concerted effort beginning in 2028 led to no-confidence motions suceeding against government leaders in early 2029.
The pace of what would come next surprised most international observers and scholars alike. Snap elections were called in all three countries, returning majorities in all three for the 21MEDNOW-aligned Rhotian Nationalist Party (RNP). Following the final victory on 2 September 2029, the RNP issued a proclamation of a Rhotian nation, swiftly adopted by all three countries and Corcra soon after by the end of September. On 4 October, the four countries signed an agreement bringing themselves together as a single sovereign federal entity called the Rhotian Provisional Republic. The legislative bodies of all four countries sent half of their members to serve as a provisional National Assembly with the remaining half serving as provisional provincial governments. Issues relating to the legal status of the city of Corcra emerged almost immediately, with legal memos passing between the new Provisional Government and the Levantine Union due to that city's status as seat of the Union. Resolving the Corcra situation became the top priority of the government, and in February of 2030 a small portion of the historic core of Corcra was ceded to the Union with the vast majority of the city becoming part of Rhotia. The Corcra issue being resolved removed most of the controversy and uncertainty regarding the Levantine Union's view of the new state, and consequently Vinesia agreed to join Rhotia as the fifth province on 1 March 2030.
For a time, Rhotia was not recognized by the Deric States organization, whose representatives were primarily pre-no-confident government appointees. During 2030 and early 2031, Rhotia drafted and adopted a federal constitution, holding its first full elections on 14 January 2031. The Deric States was compelled to recognize Rhotia, along with the new neighboring state of Lapody, in February 2031. Both states attempted, for a time, to remain bound together as a two-member organization in a strategy called the middle course. However, the organization failed to expand beyond its original redundant scope and was dissolved on 17 January 2032. Rhotia took its place as a full equal of the other Levantine Union states at that time, and a millennia of history came to an end as no formal Dericania-wide organization or polity existed, ending a string of realms dating to the establishment of the Eastern Levantine Kingdom in 917.
Government
Rhotia is a federal, constitutional republic with various democratic values. It is governed by the Fundamental Statute of 2030, which serves as the Republic's constitution. In style, and particularly in nomenclature, it is based partly on the government of Fiannria, the oldest democratic republic in Levantia, although in form it resembles a more straightforward presidential republic. Rhotia is relatively unique among members of the Levantine Union in that its head of state and head of government are the same office, eschewing both the semi-presidential model of Fiannria, the Julian form of governance, as well as the more conventional constitutional monarchical systems employed by states like Lapody and Anglei.
Rhotia is a federal union of five states who retain some degree of local governance and are coterminous with the predecessor states of the Deric States which formed Rhotia.
Executive
The head of state and head of government of Rhotia is the President of Rhotia.
The current President of Rhotia is Alexandru Lash. Lash, who is a self-described non-partisan academic, was selected as provisional President by the All-States Delegation at the time of the constitution's adoption. The first regularly scheduled Presidential election will be held in 2035.
Legislature
Rhotia has a bicameral legislature divided into the All-Rhotian Assembly, the lower chamber, and the All-States Delegation, the upper chamber. The All-Rhotian Assembly is considered the primary legislative chamber and has authority over all laws and has power of the purse inasmuch as all budgets must originate there, while the All-States Delegation has limited authority over foreign trade deals, constitutional matters, and labor laws, similar to the Urcean Gildertach. The All-Rhotian Assembly is elected by a national ballot every five years (with elections in years ending with "0" and "5") by means of a nation-wide party-list proportional representation system. The All-States Delegation, meanwhile, is comprised of individuals appointed by the state legislatures of Rhotia's five constituent states, with apportionment based on population, with the smallest state having three delegates and the largest six.
Local governance
Rhotia is divided into five states, each of whom have a unicameral State Assembly and Governor. These states are coterminous with the pre-unification borders of Allaria, Corcra, Orclenia, Kronenia, and Vinesia, though the territory in and around the city of Corcra itself has been turned into a federal district.
Politics
At present, Rhotia is governed by a national government of all political parties within the All-Rhotian Assembly in conjunction with a provisionally elected non-partisan President of Rhotia, Alexandru Lash. Rhotia, as a new country comprised of five former countries, has one political party and three primary "coalitions" rather than political parties; these coalitions are made up of the various local political parties of the five states. All four coalitions have committed themselves to reforming into centrally organized political parties by 2035. The Rhotian Nationalist Party (RNP) is the only organized national party which controls a majority in both houses of the government. The three coalitions, by order of size within the Assembly, are the Post-Deric Front (left), the Coalition of Patriotic Democrats (big tent/populist), and the Coalition for the Right Governance of the Kingdom of Dericania (far right).
Culture
A distinctly Rhotian cultural identity - and what traditions, mores, and practices define Rhotian cultural life - is a new concept. It is still being defined by its practitioners and studied by scholars, but its basic outlines came into view in the 1980s with the rise of the internet, as Rhotian speakers identifies the practices and traditions common to them as opposed to those of the people of Lapody. To most Rhotes, the Rhotian language is their major source of pride and main identifying point of what identifies a Rhotian as opposed to any other ethnic group. Accordingly, a public effort has been made to distinguish Rhotia historically as a center of poetry, writing, music, and general use of the written and spoken word. In addition to this focus on language, scholars have also identified Fiannan heritage influences as another central part of Rhotian life, as significant parts of the Fiannan music and written tradition (be they songs, common tropes, or other elements) are present throughout Rhotian arts. This is true in common practices in Rhotia; as an example, Rhotian cuisine is more similar to Fiannan cuisine in style, ingredients, and presentation than Lapodard cuisine.
Scholars have classified the antecedents of a unified Rhotian cultural identity as "Upper Deric culture", referring to the general continuity of mores and traditions in northern Dericania since the medieval period. This culture is shared with Hollona and Diorisia, which emerged from it by its cultural intermixing with the Ænglish people. Upper Deric culture formed in the wake of the collapse of Great Levantia, integrating the urban Latin-speaking elite with the rural Gaels, as happened elsewhere in Levantia. In both Rhotia and Lapody, a more distinctly Latin, rather than Gaelic or pure fusion culture, emerged by the 9th century. This common origin for the Upper Deric and "Middle Deric" (Lapodard) as opposed to other peoples like Urceans or people of the Lower Deric culture (Burgoignesc culture) formed the early basis of the Derian identity in the 18th and 19th century.
Despite alleged antecedents in Upper Deric culture, much of Rhotia is distinctly defined by who they are not rather than who they are, and nation- and culturebuilding are still ongoing efforts in the most popular and influential cultural institutions of the country. Many Rhotians view themselves as more distinctly citizens of the Levantine Union with Rhotia being a useful amalgamation of previously redundant states. This, called the Levo-Rhotian idea basically presents Rhotia as reducing the number of intermediaries between the Rhotian people and the Union as a whole. While few Rhotians would refer to themselves directly as Levo-Rhotians, some scholars have suggested that a large plurality or even small minority of Rhotians hold this worldview.
Cuisine
Due to its inland and mountainous terrain, as well as the large amount of lowlands forestry, Rhotian cuisine is exceptionally varied, rich in meat, especially pork, chicken and beef, in addition to a wide range of vegetables, spices, and herbs. It is also characteristic in its use of various kinds of noodles as well as cereals and grains. Fish is common in many dishes, with salmon and trout being consumed by a large portion of the coastal populace. These are most often smoked, salted or marinated. In general, Rhotian cuisine is hearty and heavy in its use of butter, cream, eggs and extensive seasoning. The traditional dishes are often demanding in preparation, with some meals taking days to prepare fully. Notable Rhotian dishes include hunter's stew, pyrohy, pork loin breaded cutlet, mined meat cabbage roll, beef roulade, sour cucumber soup, mushroom soup, tomato soup, sour rye soup, tripe soup, and red beetroot borscht.
Traditional Rhotian dinners consist of three dishes, with the first portion being of some variant of soup. Most commonly this would be tomato soup or meat broth. Following this soup would be an appetizer, such as herring (prepared in either cream, oil, or in aspic) or other cured meats and vegetable salads. Following the appetizer is the main meal, often of roast, breaded pork cutlet, salmon, or chicken, accompanied by shredded root vegetables with lemon and sugar (carrot, celeriac, seared beetroot) or fermented cabbage. Side dishes are often boiled potatoes, rice, noodles, or kasha. These dinners are concluded with a dessert including poppy seed pastries, cream pies or cheesecake.
Alcoholic beverages within Rhotia are commonly mead, beer, and vodka, with wine being rarely consumed. By far the most popular of these is beer, which has experienced a resurgence since the early 2000s due to lower costs and the ease of manufacture. In regards to nonalcoholic beverages, tea is widely drunk often with a slice of lemon and sweetened with sugar or honey, while drinking with milk is far less common. Coffee, introduced during the Second Great War period, is also common. Locally produced gira is consumed in the eastern portions of the country. It is typically made from rye bread, usually known as black bread, and is not classified as an alcoholic beverage as its alcohol content usually ranges from 0.5-1% or 1-2 proof. Frequently consumed beverages also include buttermilk, kefir, soured milk, instant coffee, various mineral waters, juices, and numerous brands of soft drink.
Music
Although a new national identity, Rhotian culture can claim a long, storied history of arts and music. The many different ducal and count courts of the Rhotian-speaking parts of the Holy Levantine Empire provided ample opportunity for court musicians and painters to find employment during the Renaissance, which is where the generally accepted beginnings of Rhotian music are set by many historians. Rhotian music generally describes the history of music written in the Rhotian language. Predating that, around the year 900, the abbey produced the Officium Sancti Proctori manuscript, one of the first examples of musical notation from Dericania. Beyond courtly life, public interest in music slowly developed across Rhotia in the 19th century, initially with patriotic music played by military bands of the various principalities. In 1845, the Imperial Army Band known as the Musique militaries imperiale was founded in Corcra with some 24 musicians from the battalion stationed there. In the middle of the 19th century, music and singing societies became increasingly popular. A series of local composers wrote vocal music and light pieces to be performed by the brass bands and choirs which were also emerging everywhere. Interest in patriotic music peaked in the run up to the Second Great War as the possibility of Dericanian national independence seemed possible. After the war and in the horrors of the Third Fratricide patriotic music fell into deep decline, with radio and record imports of popular music forms from both Urcea and Burgundie becoming the most popular genres of music. Foreign music dominated Rhotian-speaking states for most of the rest of the 20th century, with Rhotian-language singers and songs only becoming popular in the late 1980s. Today, foreign music still dominates the radio and internet charts in Rhotia, but "Rhote Music", the genre describing attempts at reviving ethnic Rhotian-language music, is the fastest growing genre in the country.
Demographics
In 2030, Rhotia had a population of 131,396,801. Of these, 87% reported themselves to be "ethnically Rhotian", with the remaining 13% being divided among Lapodians, Fiannans with permanent residency. 5% of the minority refer to themselves still using the concept of the Derian identity; of the "Derians", the majority speak Rhotian but a sizable minority speak Lapodard.
Linguistic Demographics
The overwhelming majority of Rhotians speak the Rhotian language, with 92% of the population speaking it as a first language and almost all of the remainder having a high degree of fluency. The Rhotian language is extremely important within the culture of Rhotia given that linguistic heritage was the key distinguishing factor that led to the creation of the Rhotian nation. Most Rhotians are fluent in other languages as well. 68% report being fluent in Lapodard, 55% in Julian Ænglish, 48% in Faeskt, and 36% in Burgoignesc. Based on these statistics, many scholars have concluded that Rhotia is among the world's most multilingual countries.
Religious Demographics
Religious affiliations in Rhotia (2030)
The vast majority of Rhotes are members of the Catholic Church.
4.2% of Rhotes in 2030 - about 5.5 million Rhotes - are members of the Protestant College of Levantine Churches. Rhotia has a long history of being associated with Protestantism in Levantia, and Rhotia was geographically the primary battleground of the Great Confessional War, a war of religion that took place in the Holy Levantine Empire during the 16th century. The 1846 establishment of the Bishopric of Ericaner, the first legal Chantric and therefore Protestant bishopric in the Empire, solidified the presence of Protestantism within the country.
Economy
Rhotia boasts a unique economic landscape shaped by cooperative ideals and a commitment to shared prosperity. Emerging from its Third Fratricide roots, various component elements of what would become the Deric States - and later Rhotia - adopted experimental economic models throughout the 1950s and 60s. These economic experiments gradually faded in the 1970s and 1980s, transitioning from a rigid command economy to a vibrant market socialist model that values innovation, hard work, and equitable wealth distribution. In Rhotia, the spirit of collaboration permeates the economy. State-operated enterprises, cooperatives, and small worker-owned businesses harmoniously coexist. Cooperative ownership thrives, especially in sectors like construction, finance, mining, and agriculture. Large enterprises, classified as "Publicly Owned Enterprises" (POEs), represent a blend of shareholder investments and public ownership. Foreign involvement is welcomed, yet stringent regulations ensure that the essence of Rhotia’s cooperative vision is preserved. Rhotia is a member of the Levantine Union, and accordingly shares a common market with other LU members, though at times the economic relationship between foreign capital and Rhotian communities can be tense. Despite this, Rhotia heavily engages in trade with its Levantine Union colleagues. Import substitution policies bolster self-sufficiency, ensuring that Rhotia's economy remains robust.
Cooperatives form the backbone of Rhotia’s business landscape, fostering a sense of community ownership. Meanwhile, Publicly Owned Enterprises (POEs) combine public and shareholder interests, ensuring a diverse and inclusive approach to decision-making. The government, Worker's Investment Board, and dedicated Rhotian investors share ownership, ensuring a harmonious balance of power. Rhotians, recognizing the importance of balance, enjoy a comparatively short workweek of 30 hours spread over five days. The workdays are flexible, accommodating various preferences. Some choose the standard 6-hour workdays, while others opt for longer days in exchange for shorter ones, depending on operational needs. This flexibility enhances the overall quality of life, allowing citizens to relish the Mediterranean splendor that surrounds them.
The nation's picturesque landscapes and rich cultural heritage make tourism a significant contributor, not only boosting the local economy but also fostering international friendships. Corcra - and its significant historical sites ranging from Great Levantine ruins to the former Holy Levantine Imperial palace - is the largest tourism destination in the country and one of the most visited cities in Levantia. Other noteworthy industries in Rhotia include agriculture, renewable energy and renewable manufacturing, and a nascent high-tech sector fostered by the new Rhotian government since unification.
Military
The Republican Guard of Rhotia is the nation's armed forces, with two branches: the Republican Army, which serves as the nation's ground forces and also includes helicipters, and; the Republican Air Force, which serves in both air defense and air power projection roles. The Republican Army is designed to seamlessly be integrated within the Levantine Union Defense Council force command in time of war, and is organized in such a way as to have flexible command structures depending on various allied needs. Accordingly, the Republican Guard is doctrinally designed to not be a freestanding force capable of acting independently (except in extreme cases of national defense) but is intended to serve a complementary role to larger allied forces.
The Republican Guard was assembled from the five component countries' military forces. The officer corps of both branches are disproportionately made up of officers from the former countries of Allaria and Kronenia, who were the two largest Rhotian-speaking countries. Orclean-origin officers and enlisted personnel make up the next largest share. Corcra and Vinesia were virtually disarmed, only retaining small national defense formations and a national gendarmerie for police purposes, and accordingly their military traditions are not well represented within the Guard.