Avonia: Difference between revisions

In July [[1883]], four of the five duchies (excluding Outer Roseney) attended the Congress of Stretton to discuss the possibility of unification. All four agreed to meet again in Donnebourg, a city in [[Yonderre]], in [[1884]], to create a formal plan of union. In the meantime, the Congress debated instructions to provide to the Donnebourg meeting. Specifically, the issue of head of state was subject to lengthy debate at Stretton, as it was presumed that individual would serve as presiding officer of the Donnebourg talks. Three possible options were considered: the election of a Prince from among the number of the four; personal union with [[Urcea]] in the capacity of the [[Apostolic King of Urcea]] as [[Ænglasmarch|Duke of Holchester]], and; selection of a foreign noble as Prince (likely from [[Catenias]] or [[Vallos]]) as an impartial leader. The Urcean option was rejected by three out of the four delegations immediately, leaving the foreign prince and elected prince option for significant debate. Each of the four delegations put forward their own state's ruler as Prince, leading to the delegations contemplating a foreign prince to break the impasse. However, fortuitously, the old Duke Robert V of Stretton died on 2 August [[1883]], leaving his ten year old son Andrew as Duke. As Stretton was the largest city in the duchies, the young man was broadly acceptable to the other three duchies as the ruler was viewed to be a blank slate subject to the influence of the other dukes. The Stretton plan was adopted unanimously. The rise of the "child prince" enabled the Duchy of Outer Roseney agreed to meet in Donnebourg with certain requirements, namely a strong federal structure. Outer Roseney's Duke also requested to preside over the meeting due to the minority of the Duke of Stretton, to which the other four agreed. In March 1884, representatives of the five states met at Donnebourg and agreed, unanimously, to unify under a new state called the United Angle States. The ensuing Concordat provided for the Stretton-led state under the rulership of a Prince, though all five dukes would retain equal dignity with respect to the importance of their constituencies. A regency would be appointed for the minor Prince to be chosen unanimously by the four other dukes. A constitution would be required for the United Angle States to be determined at a later time; until said constitution was enacted, the United Angle States would function as a loose confederacy with united foreign policy and military only. The Chamber of Lords, a formal gathering of the five dukes, would meet several times per year to discuss high matters of state, propose non-binding economic unification methods, and set forth the parameters of the future constitutional convention. The 10-year old Duke Andrew III was hailed as Prince Andrew I as the document was signed. The master copy of the Concordat was sent to the [[Imperial Diet]] which ratified it in September 1884. The United Angle States was given the status of an Imperial free state, an entity with {{wp|Imperial immediacy}}.

====Constitution====

In addition to the structure of government, the Constitution also provided for a limited framework of {{wp|freedom of religion}} for [[College_of_Levantine_Churches#Old_Believers|Old Believers]], representing the first legal concession to Ænglish Protestants since the destruction of the Ænglish Church in [[1545]]. The Constitution established the [[Catholic Church]] as the state religion of Anglei, but provided that all "non-juring groups...are afforded the right, subject to the regulation of the state, for free worship according to their own conscience". The "regulation of the state" allowed for limitations to be placed on Old Believers. From 1890 until the establishment of the [[College_of_Levantine_Churches#Episcopal_Congregation_of_the_Fraternal_Church|Collegiate Fraternal Church]] in [[1974]], Old Believers were limited to twenty five congregations across the country, and all constructions or alterations of worship structures were required to have state approval. Only one bishopric - the Bishop of Stretton - was authorized to be created. As a holdover from the [[Treaty of Lariana]], a public official was required to be in attendance for every worship service, although by the [[1920]]s this regulation was effectively bypassed by most local governments, who would retain an Old Believer nominally on the books who would attend their regular worship services on behalf of the state. Regardless of the limitations, the legalization had the intended effect, bringing many Old Believers back to Anglei from [[Dericania]] or abroad and also creating legal citizens of many former outcasts and underground Protestants.