Urceopolis (Archduchy)

Archduchy of Urceopolis
Crownland of Urcea
Flag
Country	Urcea
Archcathedral City	Urceopolis
Government
• Archduke	Riordan
Population  (2030)
• Total	185,083,320

The Archduchy of Urceopolis, also legally known as the Lands of the Crown of Saint Julius and commonly referred to as just the Archduchy 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 Harren. The Archduchy is a key part of the Urcean region known as the Valley.

The Archduchy is usually divided into two distinct cultural and economic areas - the Creagmer Coast and the Urce Corridor, the latter of which continues up the Urce River through the provinces of Westglen and Eastglen. The Urce Corridor area is dominated by the city of Urceopolis and its suburbs. Besides being the cathedral city of the Archduchy, it is the primary economic driver of the Archduchy and one of the world's major cultural and financial centers, and much of the Archduchy is characterized by its relationship to the city.

History

The history of the Archduchy of Urceopolis is largely synonymous with the history of Urcea - it is the birthplace of the Urcean people and for centuries was the primary political entity governing them, and has been a holding of the Julian dynasty since the decline and fall of Great Levantia.

During Antiquity, the modern area of the Archduchy was considered the core Latin portion of Great Levantia, and it was the center of a process known to historians as Urceanization, or the gradual introduction of Gaelic influence to the Levantine people to create modern Urcean society. The core of the historic Archduchy lay in the post-Levantine Duchy of Urceopolis, established by the local nobility after the last Great Levantine emperor was deposed. The Archduchy was created by Emperor Conchobar I as he conquered the former Great Levantine heartland in the 8th century; since then, the borders and extent of the Archduchy of Urceopolis have changed greatly. Organized from the lands of the Latin League, the Archduchy initially stretched from the Urce River to the west to the Ionians in the east. The Duchy of Transurciana was split from the Archduchy in the 10th century and gradually reincorporated over the next millennia. The Archduchy's land gradually "moved" westward, as the land of the former Creagmer republics were incorporated into the Archduchy as one of the Kingdom's top geopolitical priorities in the century before the Saint's War. Concurrently, Ionian territories were increasingly split off into other titles and territories. The final modern form of the Archduchy was established by the Administrative Reorganization Act of 1892, which centered much of the extant crownland in territories along the Creagmer and around the Urce River and lands to the west and south of Urceopolis.

In 1903, in response to his restoration, Patrick III consecrated the Archduchy to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At that time, the sacred heart was added to the Archduchy's flag. In years since, it has become a political and social shorthand for the Archduchy in the Culture of Urcea.

Geography

The Archduchy of Urceopolis is bounded by Roscampus and its mountain range to the north, the Creagmer to the west and south, and a number of streams and rivers to the east which establish its borders primarily with Eastglen and Killean. The entire Archduchy is in a region of Urcea known as the Valley, a social and topographical area at the heart of the country. Like much of the Valley, the Archduchy is characterized by large flat rolling lands which became suburban sprawl during the 20th century, especially the period following the Second Great War. In the southeastern part of the Archduchy, the Urce River is the primary distinguishing geographical feature, as many historic towns, cities, and ruins appear along its banks. The areas directly adjacent to the river are relatively low in elevation and historically flooded, providing significant benefits to agriculture, but much of the flooding has been abated since the late 19th century due to flood mitigation efforts and the construction of dams in some locations. In the western part of the Archduchy, the Creagmer - a mild, sheltered part of the Sea of Canete - meets shores with many bays, channels, and inlets, which historically led to the creation of many prosperous port towns. The center and northeast of the Archduchy are dominated by the city of Urceopolis and its inner suburban towns and cities, many of which have made the landscape mostly uniform through suburban sprawl. The Archduchy is one of the most densely populated places in the world, and almost none of it could be considered rural besides small portions of the northern border region, which are characterized by mountain slope communities more typical of those seen in northern and northeastern Urcea.

Economy

As of 2030, the Archduchy's total GDP was calculated to be $9,942,819,475,076, with approximately a $44,912 GDP PC. The Archduchy has the largest economy of any subdivision of Urcea and on its own possessses one of the world's largest economies.

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 Harren, 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 Commonwealth Union Chancellor, Michael Witte, nominated the National Pact politician James Dynan 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 Conshilía Daoni, it was once considered a bellwether for the national political climate. In recent years, since the first election of James Dynan in 2000, the densely populated suburbs of Urceopolis have been trending towards the National Pact and the Pact remains competitive in the urban core of the city, including districts such as that of former Chancellor Bridget Farrell. The Solidarity Party remains competitive in the western part of the Archduchy, especially the corridor between Urceopolis and the Creagmer cities. Solidarity has also been successful in the Creagmer cities, though further left wing or internationalist parties succeed as regional parties in this area.

Sports

The Archduchy is home to many different sports teams and widely attended sporting events, both at the professional and collegiate level. In terms of top level professional sports, the Archduchy hosts two Continental Baseball Conference teams, both of which are in the Latinic League's Western Division - the Urceopolis Imperials and the Beldra Mariners. Associated with each of these teams are a ten-team minor league, both of which play in the Archduchy. The Imperials' "River League" and Mariners' "Creagmer League" are largely divided on east-west geographic lines. Unlike many other minor leagues, the River and Creagmer Leagues are extremely popular spectator sports. The champion of both leagues play a seven-game exhibition Archducal Series at the end of every minor league season, an extremely popular event.

Also at the top level of professional sports are several teams of the Royal Association of Football Clubs.

Perhaps the best known non-team professional sport in the Archduchy is horse racing. One leg of the extremely prestigious Triple Tiara is run in Urceopolis at the Hippodrome. The Hippodrome, one of Levantia's most prestigious race tracks, is among the world's largest spectator facilities. Several other less-prominent tracks are present in other Archducal cities, and they all utilize the same racing season. The annual racing season, sometimes called the "meet", runs in Urceopolis all year round except during Holy Week; it concludes a week before Christmas and begins on January 2nd.