Caphiria: Difference between revisions

Today, the Imperium of Caphiria is a highly developed country, with the world's second-largest economy by nominal GDP, accounting for approximately a tenth of global GDP. Caphiria is the world's largest importer and the second largest exporter of goods. Caphiria is the foremost military power in the world, making up a third of global military spending and accounts for nearly a quarter of its GDP; this has created an extraordinarily prodigious military–industrial complex that is rivaled by no other country in history. Caphirian proponents have cited this has the primary reason for Caphiria's continued growth and global superiority, while opponents have said that Caphiria is nothing but an "army with a state".

Main article: History of Caphiria

While the history of Caphiria spans two millennia, archaeology has revealed the land that it was founded on, has been inhabited for much longer. The area, Latium, covered most of the northern part of Sarpedon and the southern tip of Levantia. The traditional date for the founding of Caphiria is 480 BC by one of the local tribes, the Latinic people, who would eventually be known as the Latins. Because of the amount of consistent preserved information available throughout its existence, Caphirian history is traditionally divided into 9 distinct historical eras although modern historians choose to omit the Prehistory Era from future historiography because of the lack of substantial historical evidence.

Prehistory => Kingdom => Republic => Principate => Civil War => Reformation => Dominate => Pontificate => Mandatum

Further Information: Ancient Caphiria

The Prehistoric era covers time earlier than the founding of Caphiria. This would include the earliest inhabitants of the region and the establishment of the Latinic people and other associated tribes such as the Adonerii civilization, Cheylians, and Hebreinias. This era traditionally covers the formation of the Adonerii League in the 9th century BC up to the 6th century BC.

Further Information: Kingdom of Caphiria

The first definitive historical epoch - the Kingdom Era - begins in 480 BC with the formation of Caphiria. The early city-state was characterized by a monarchical form of government in which according to tradition, Lanintius was the first of five Regis (kings). The kings were elected by group of elders called the senex (senate) and people of Caphiria served for life. The Kingdom of Caphiria lasted 110 years, falling after a series of invasions from rival kingdoms.

Further Information: Republic of Caphiria

In 370 BC, the Republic of Caphiria commenced with the overthrow of its last king Admoneptis, replacing the monarchy with elected individuals representing the citizens, calling themselves the Senate. Through constant conquest and assimilation, the Republic had already conquered rival city-states like Chimoche and Despouso. During this period, which lasted an astonishing 783 years, vast expansion of territory such as Cartadania, and Pelaxia occurred and regional dominance over north Sarpedon would eventually take over the entire Ecinis Sea and parts of the Sea of Canete and Great Lakes. Part of Caphiria's ambition was derived from similarly ambitious leaders, such as Luccino Capontinus and Iscallio Maristo. The Republic would eventually face internal pressure from this, as contention for leadership caused a number of small fights among the ambitious youth and the elder aristocracy. The fighting would culminate with a five year civil war, known now as the War of the Republic, that left 120,000 people dead. The war was in such a frenzy that by the time it had ended, there was no decisive victor and as a consequence, the Republic was on the verge of total collapse.

Further Information: Principate of Caphiria

In 414 AD, in an effort to establish the political stability desperately needed after the exhausting War of the Republic, an ambitious man called Bacchis Pavo Rahla seized the opportunity to consolidate power. Rahla reorganized the state into a Principate, a form of government characterized by the reign of the princeps, the "first among equals". Because the Caphirian people had a particular historical disdain for monarchy, the preservation of certain Republician instruments such as the Senate and Consul was kept. Although dynastic pretenses crept in from the start, formalizing this in a monarchic style remained politically unthinkable. Rahla's reign was marked by decades of peace and stability; he was was so popular and well-received that he was given the title Augustus (Venerated One) by the people and eventually Rahla would legally change his name to Augustus Rahla. The latter half of the Principate era marks the early stages of the city-state of Caphiria evolving into a proper empire, with vast territorial holdings, hegemony over Latium, and was among the most powerful economic, cultural, political and military forces in the world of its time. The Principate lasted 656 years, almost as long as the Republic before it, but it would eventually succumb to a similar fate: The Second Civil War, also known as the Great Civil War for its ferocity.

Further Information: The Great Civil War of Caphiria

This period of time, from 1070 - 1115 is known as the Civil War Era due to the dozen or so civil wars that took place over a period of four decades as contention for leadership and political groups vied for control over the massive and wealthy state. The most famous of these was between Marius Oratonius and Quinus Sator Alercius and the subsequent war between their successors and die hard loyalists. The Civil War Era began as a series of political and military confrontations between Marius Oratonius and Quinus Sator Alercius, both of whom were looking to shift Caphiria in opposite directions. Oratonius wanted to continue to become an empire and spread Latin culture to the known world where Alercius wanted to bring back the politically conservative and socially traditionalist Republic. This led to the state splitting into two: a monarchy in the north and a republic in the south. To complicate things further, the spread and dominance of Christianity could no longer be shunned; up until this time, the official policy towards Christianity was negative, and at some points, simply being a Christian could be punishable by death. Oratonius used this to his advantage, officially converting to Christianity in 1079. While he isn't recognized as the first Imperator to convert to Christianity due to the circumstances, he is recognized as the first person to give it legitimacy within the Imperium. Oratonius was then seen as a man of God, a man on the right side of the war. This helped him win the minds of many who did not initially support him and ultimately gave him an edge that the elder Alercius did not have on his side, the side of the old guard. The Great Civil War was a fifteen-year-long politico-military struggle that was fought over most of Caphiria, Cartadania, Pelaxia, Dorhaven, and even Audonia. The culmination of the Great Civil War was the Battle of Silanus, where Oratonius' army defeated Alercius'. Oratonius himself sustained heavy injuries in the battle and died shortly before victory but told his general Lucius Legarus Pius to spare Alercius if they were to capture him since he had deserted from battle after surveying the landscape and figuring he was going to lose. Pius assumed command and took over the army and wasted little time in searching for Alercius. After several months of searching, they found him hiding in the Cimisi-Extressio region of Abderia, a city-state bordering the Lacio mountains. Abderia wanted no part in the war, quickly giving Alercius to Pius and true to his word, after bringing him back to Venceia, spared Alercius' life. He did however, strip him of his power, status, and class; an effective neutering if there ever was one. Pius then exiled Alercius in 1110 and spend the next five years putting Caphiria back together after the last several decades of disarray and borderline anarchy. Pius was as intelligent in politics as he was on the battlefield, and knew that the only way to solve the issues once and for all was a compromise. The stresses and strains of those years (chronic usurpations, military insurrections, simultaneous military conflicts across multiple frontiers) exposed the weaknesses in the Caphirian Republic and the Principate, forcing a radically different approach to governance.

Further Information: The Reformation

This marks the start of the Reformation Era in 1115, which is divided into two unequal parts, beginning with the reunification of the state into the Imperium, a hybrid political system that solved the crisis of the civil war. This new government retained Republic era bodies such as the Senate, but separated it into two distinct representative bodies, the Curiate Assembly and the Consular Congress. Conversely, the powers of the Imperator were increased even more from the Principate, but Pius, now Imperator Legarus, introduced the first version of the Constitution of Caphiria. This document was intended to be the solution to every problem past, present, and future. In it, he outlined what he felt were the three most critical ideas of the state: delineating the national frame of government, establishing the social contract between the citizen and state, and protecting its people. There had always been some form of this throughout Caphiria's history, but it was an uncodified set of guidelines and principles passed down mainly through precedent; it wasn't formal or even official, largely unwritten and changing at the discretion of whoever had control. The constitution sought to eliminate the constant power struggles as every constitutional proclamation is inviolable. Neither the Senate, nor the people, nor the military, nor the Imperator can break them. The combination of these political reforms ushered in Caphiria's Golden Age.

Further Information: The Dominate of Caphiria

Caphiria's golden age is called the Dominate, derived from the Latin dominus, which translates into English as lord or master. Beginning in the mid-15th century, Caphiria went through a phase of rediscovery of classical Latin philosophy which encouraged a new thinking that became manifested in art, architecture, politics, science and literature. This led to cultural and political achievement, with Caphiria becoming a symbol of artistic and cultural influence as it produced dozens of world-renowned artists whose literature, painting, sculpture, architecture and music have profound impact on the evolution of the arts. This era is usually marked as the transition from the Middle Ages to modern Caphiria as the development of capitalism, banking, mercantilism and accounting began and the Age of discovery was ushered in during the latter half of the era. Another interesting development of this golden age was the succession of ecclesiastical differences and theological disputes between the Levantine "north" and Caphiric "south", which had been gradually building up in the 16th and 17th centuries. The rulers of Caphiria began to look for new ways to explore and expand their power and influence and looked to religion as one of the final destinations. Historically, Caphiria had no official state religion and sought to foster a healthy religious tolerance by using a portion of its tax revenue to fund different types of churches. This would come to a head in the 17th century as the Papacy also sought to increase its influence and showed its disapproval and disdain for Caphiric politics.

Further Information: Modern Caphiria

The culmination of theological and political differences between the Christian north and south was the Great Schism of 1615, where a break of communion between what are now the Levantine Catholic Church and the Imperial Church of Caphiria occurred. Over the previous centuries during the Dominate era, the role of religion was under heavy scrutiny and skepticism. Ecclesiastical papers began being published condemning the Catholic Church over a number of issues in the late 16th century, with the Catholic Church producing its own propaganda condemning Caphiria's rise of imperialism and heretical ways. The Latin Christian community was being split along doctrinal, theological, linguistic, political, and geographical lines, with each side sometimes accusing the other of having fallen into heresy and of having initiated the division. In 1615, the formal break occurred when Imperator Pius XII formally announced that the Basilicæ Magni, the cathedral and home of the Caphirian Church would be breaking communion to form the Caphiric Catholic Church. This led to the combination of the secular and religious authorities and a new form of government, the caesaropapacy. The caesaropapacy meant emperors were regarded as greater than other mortals, though not quite as deities in their own right, further playing into the concept of princeps. For many years after, pro-Catholic factions continued to challenge the leadership of the new Caphiric Church. These factions, and the people that supported the Catholic Church still, were known as Traditionalists and were heavily persecuted and executed under heresy laws. This period is known as the Months of Bloody Sundays as it was common practice for the Imperator to simply execute any people who were not coming to church in protest. Traditionalists were executed under legislation that punished anyone judged guilty of heresy against the Caphiric Church. Ultimately, the Caphiric Church went through a series of reformations (The Reformations of 1627) and the church was renamed to the Imperial Catholic Church. There were only a handful of modifications, namely that the Imperator of Caphiria was given a number of ecclesiastical titles: Episcopus Caphiria ("Bishop of Caphiria"), Pius Felix ("Pious and Blessed"), Santissimus Pater ("Most Holy Father"), Vicarius Christi ("Vicar of God") and was named Pontifex Maximus, giving him the ultimate authority of presiding over the Imperial Church. This was codified in the Constitution of Caphiria as well as constitutionally establishing the Imperial Church by the state with the Head of State as its Pope. As time went on, the identity of the marriage of the Imperatorship with the papacy became less clear and eventually the emperor became recognized more for his legal authority, rather than his religious one.

Further Information: Modern Caphiria

As Caphiria entered the modern era of the 18th century to present day, its role began to shift from regional hegemon to that of a superpower. Many of its conquered territories gained their independence, it began to foster positive relations with Levantia, and began to pull back its imperialistic tendencies in favor of becoming a global leader. Caphiria played a major role in the Great War, notably as the first nation to develop nuclear weaponry and is still the only sovereign nation to have deployed them on another country. This confirmed and solidified Caphiria's place as a superpower and gave it a global platform. Caphiria would go on to become a founding member of the League of Nations and has permanent status on its Security Council. In more recent times, Caphiria has made great strides to try to improve its international reputation by signing the Assumption Accords with Urcea, settling longstanding disputes with its historic neighbor who has had several centuries of animosity with each other. Additionally, it has been in favor of multiple free trade agreements with nations across the world and there has been speculation that Caphiria may even be exploring the thought of ending the 400-year old schism between the Imperial Church and the Levantine Catholic Church.

Main article: Geography of Caphiria

   

On the opposite side is the Intaris, comparatively smaller with its peak, Sull'Oglia, at 2,753 meters (9,032 ft) above sea level. The Intaris is unique in that the mountains are undulating, creating one of the easiest mountain ranges to climb. It is so easy to climb that there are routine competitions to see who can reach its peak the quickest, with the current record being under 4 hours and 45 minutes. Because of its geographic placement, the Intaris is one of the most fertile places within the Imperium. Vegetation ranges from scrub forests at the foothills, up to ubiquitous expanses of tea and coffee estates, to spice (pepper, cardamom, cinnamon) plantations and finally to the dense evergreen forests at the top. Dellarina, a point near Sull'Oglia, offers a wonderful panoramic view of the entire Intaris complete with its own 5 star resort that boasts an artificial lake and private spice plantations..

Due to the diverse range of territory that is under the domain of the Imperium, the diversity of terrain, flora and fauna in the Imperium is astonishing. Regarding plants and animals, there are three areas of interest dispersed across the Imperium. Additionally, unique environmental extremes of geographical significance can be found at three locations.

The third ecologically significant place in the Imperium is Zaclaria, a Crowned Protectorate of the Imperium. It is a hub of unique aquatic and desert life and 80% of the species in the deserts on the mainland are endemic to Zaclaria, including 200 unique species of lizard. The greatest contributor to its biodiversity is the vast coral reef that stretches around 1,000 km of its perimeter. The magnificent Magnus Sidnari Reef is 5000–7000 years old and are largely formed of stony acropora and porites corals. The reefs form platforms and sometimes lagoons along the coast and occasionally other features such as cylinders (such as the Khasvaria Hole). These coastal reefs are also visited by pelagic species of Oduniyye fish, including some of the 44 species of shark. The Agarina Sea also contains many offshore reefs including several true atolls. Many of the unusual offshore reef formations defy classic (i.e., Darwinian) coral reef classification schemes, and are generally attributed to the high levels of tectonic activity that characterize the area. Unlike the aforementioned forest ecosystems, the Sidnari Reef, far from being threatened by human presence, is actually growing in size and splendor due to expansion by Caphirian artists, architects and biologists. The aesthetic beauty of the reef alone has driven many, the Imperator included, to protect and nurture this wonder of the natural world.

Weather manipulation is not uniquely practiced by Caphirian engineers; dozens of other countries can seed clouds to induce rain with various degrees of precision. While the Kiravians use the most effective chemical inducer, the Caphirians deploy the seeding most efficiently using nanotechnology. Missile deployment foregoes the need for aircraft to release the inducer. Cloud seeding is the only technology for manipulating the weather that is available to multiple countries. Caphiria controls the weather with three unique techniques: Solar Energy Collectors, Integrated Climate Control Systems, and High-pressure Ultraviolet Factories.

On a national scale, climate control is strictly regulated by the Senate. Once detected, holes in the ozone layer of the planet are sealed by processing oxygen in aircraft high in the upper atmosphere. High-pressure ultraviolet factories in the bowels of these planes transform dioxygen into trioxygen (ozone) faster than natural atmospheric reactions, sealing local holes. The invention of this technique was necessitated by an international scare in the late 20th century when an antarctic-sized seasonal hole in the ozone was discovered and attributed to chlorofluorocarbons used by international devices. CO2 is regularly fixed into carbon polymers by the Galiran process. This practice not only lowers the global concentration of the gas but also creates oils and plastics. Careful management of global climate will continue for the foreseeable future.

   

Northern Caphiria has a Mediterranean climate

Caphiria is known for it's lush and beautiful environment, having been ranked in the top 10% of the most beautiful nations in the world, and in the top 5% in Ixnay. National parks cover about ten percent of the country, which attracts millions of tourists annually. In the last few years, Caphiria has moved away from being solely dependent on fossil fuels and begun investing in clean and renewable energy sources, primarily in the way of nuclear and solar energy, which make up about a third of national energy usage, and plan to raise that to over half by the end of the decade. Deforestation is illegal and punishable by prison time.

Main articles: Government of Caphiria and Politics of Caphiria

   

Because of this unique system, the Imperator is the de jure head of each of the branches of government. However, the Senate of Caphiria wields significant power over the fiscal responsibilities of the Imperium, as well as possessing the ability to solely bring new laws to vote, and the Supreme Court system has gradually gained a tremendous amount of oversight and control over the application of the law, having the power to declare legislation or executive action made at any level of the government as unconstitutional, nullifying the law and creating precedent for future law and decisions. There have been many amendments to the Constitution to further delineate authority and organize the government further, but because of historical significance of the Imperator, it will always be the single point in which the government of Caphiria stems from.

Main articles: Imperator of Caphiria, Senate of Caphiria, and Judiciary of Caphiria

The Government of Caphiria is organized into three main Triumirs, or branches, which are Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. Power is vested by the Constitution of Caphiria in the Imperator, Senate, and Supreme Court, respectively.

   

Caphirian Forum, Downtown Venceia

Main article: Magistrates of Caphiria

The government of Caphiria has bureaucrats other than senators and consuls. Prime ministers (Praeministra) are the executive members of the various operational government bodies such as the treasury or technological authority. Depending on the minister in question, anywhere from zero to several thousand people may work in his Ministry (Ministerium). There are fifty ministries run by the Imperium, each of which may have their own magistrates with special powers. For example, the Ministry of the Treasury employs ten tax magistrates called Quaestores. These are scrupulous individuals charged with collecting taxes from praetors for the imperial government, calling out financial corruption, and serving as right-hand men and messengers of the treasury and its minister, the Mensarius Superbus, or Supreme Financier.

Another major bureaucrat operating outside the Senate is the Plebeian Tribune, a position with extensive oversight of legislative activity in the Senate and the Palace. The duty of the Tribunus is to safeguard the well-being of the common people, the plebeian order, from the greed and corruption of magistrates, aristocrats, and collegiates. He is the sole magistrate from a non-patrician background and is immune to reproach from any office other than the Censors.

Main article: Political parties of Caphiria

Political parties in Caphiria are dominated by the de facto single-party system, which is the Party of the Imperium (Pars ex Imperatoria). It is intrinsically linked to the constitution of Caphiria and is considered the embodiment of the office of the Imperator, serving as the guiding political light of the empire. The Constitution does not explicitly outlaw or ban political parties from forming, though they do have to meet a set of prerequisites before the Imperium will formally allow it to form.

Kiro-Caphirian Party (KCP) - Single-issue party advocating a strong alliance between the Kiravian Federacy and the Imperium of Caphiria. It presents itself as an alternative to the Levantian Union Party, opposing supranationalism and continental integration while still supporting extensive international commerce, international military cooperation, and a more open attitude toward Latin-speaking immigrants and expatriates.

   

This article is a incomplete because it is pending further input from participants, or it is a work-in-progress by one author.

The lowest political division is the Township (municipia), administered according to a system distinct from higher strata. City Prefects (Praefecti Urborum) are elected every other year by popular assembly of the inhabitants (not just citizens) of the township. This is the only titled government position, other than Tribune, that can be held by someone outside the patrician order. However, unlike the Tribune, city prefects are not magistrates.

Main article: Foreign relations of Caphiria

The foreign relations of Caphiria guides the way in which Caphiria interacts with foreign nations and expresses its political, economic and cultural strengths, weaknesses and values. As one of the two global superpowers, Caphiria's foreign policy and strategic thinking are highly influential. Caphiria officially claims it "unnervingly pursues an independent foreign policy of peace. The fundamental goals of this policy are to preserve Caphiria's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, create a favorable international environment for Caphiria's reform and modernization, and to maintain world peace and propel common development."

Caphiria is a member of many international organizations, holding key positions such as a permanent membership on the League of Nations Security Council. Caphiria's foreign policy today is summarized as strategic relations with neighboring countries and the continental powers to strive for Caphiria's national interest, and to create a favorable environment for Caphiria's international development for perpetual competition in the world.

Main article: Constitution of Caphiria

The Constitution of Caphiria is the ultimate authority in every judicial, executive, and legislative matter. Every constitutional proclamation is inviolable. Neither the Senate, nor the people, nor the military, nor the Imperator can break them. For this reason, its tenets must be protected by the highest government office, the Censores, who have the power to conduct an inquiry into literally any activity within the Imperium. In any censorial investigation, evidence against the accused is brought before the eighteen person Comitia Censoria (Censorial Assembly). A 75% majority for a guilty verdict is needed before the appropriate punishment for the crime - consistent with the Constitution - is administered.

Outside the courtroom, citizens are afforded a base level of medical care and receive free education until adulthood. Every citizen has an equal share of national representation in the Senate and the cultural values of citizens are enforced in Caphiria by Consuls for culture.

The concept of citizenship (civitatulas) is an incredibly important political and legal status that is ingrained in Caphirian society since its origin. Citizenship is the individual possession of every man and woman recognized by the Imperium. For a person to be a cives (citizen) they must be 16 years of age or older and satisfy one of the following conditions:

By the age of 16, a candidate for civitatulas is allowed to visit the local Praetorian Palace to begin to become a citizen. First, a presentation of credentials is required, after which the candidate is to return once the secretaries have completed a background check. On return to the Praetor, an interview is conducted to determine whether the individual is fit to make decisions on his or her own behalf - an easy test to pass for anyone over 15. Finally, the candidate must read and sign the social contract (pactum socialis) and declare to the reigning Praetor, "Civis Caphiriavum sum" (I am a Caphirian citizen), before being given a small token, proving his or her citizenship. Every new citizen's name is entered into official records.

   

The insignia of the Imperial Police Force