Difference between revisions of "Nation/Ironcastle"

The Federal Republic of Ironcastle
The Federal Republic of Ironcastle
	Motto: Fortis in Unitate!
Capital	Aelcrest
Largest	Empirica
Official languages	English
Demonym	Ironian
Government	Federal Presidential Republic
Legislature	Senate
Formation
Area
Population
GDP (nominal)	2028 estimate
Gini	35.2; medium
HDI (2025)	0.935; very high
Currency	Ironian Dollar (IRD)
Time zone	IST (UTC+ 1)
	Only during summer months
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy
Drives on the	right
Calling code	+68
ISO 3166 code	ICL
Internet TLD	.iron

Revision as of 08:11, 20 September 2016

This page is a work in progress by its author(s) and should not be considered final.

The Federal Republic of Ironcastle, commonly referred to as Ironcastle is a federal republic located in the center of Moneylania. It is comprised of five states and several disputed territories. It shares its land borders with five other nations, and borders the Moneylanian Sea. It is the largest nation in Moneylania, both in population and size. It has a population of 168,200,874 and a size of 1,198,410 square kilometers.

Ironcastle's government is a representative democracy, with a single-house system and its capital city is Aelcrest. The current Ironcastle President -since 1 January 2022- is Bradley Lister. Ironcastle is a developed nation with a large GDP, estimated at $12 trillion. The per capita GDP is $71,346. It was also one of the first industrialized nations and a major power since the early twentieth century. The economy is fueled by manufacturing and technology, with a highly developed infrastructure, high productivity, while its economy is post-industrial. It is a recognized nuclear state, and has large military expenditures. It is also a leader in scientific research and technological innovation.

History

Native History

The first inhabitants of Ironcastle migrated from modern-day Platacia by way of land over 15,000 years ago. However, due to inter-tribal warfare, disease and other factors, the nomadic natives were nearly wiped out multiple times before Ironcastle was permanently settled. Oftentimes, their ferocity kept outsiders from entering the region, preventing full colonisation until after the beginning of the Common Era.

Settlement

Earliest records of non-native settlement in Ironcastle date back to 322 CE, when Organieutish settlers established the first settlements. The fertile land lent itself well to agriculture, and soon multiple towns and cities had sprung up. The city-states began to wipe out the natives, either accidentally through disease, or deliberately through wars of extermination. Over time, these city-states began to export more to Organiuet than they imported. One by one, they declared independence, with the first, Aelcrest, declaring independence in 1077. With dozens of independent city-states in the region, they soon began to war with each other.

By the fifteenth century, there were only five city-states remaining, having conquered the rest. As they were evenly matched in power, each state was unable to attack any other. With the threat of a united Organiuet to the east, nomadic hordes to the south, and the Sibarian Empire eyeing the bountiful lands, in 1431 the states decided to unite. The Act of Unity was signed in Aelcrest's strongest hold, known as the Iron Castle. As such, the nation was named after the fort. Despite fears from Empirica and Contia that Aelcrest would dominate the politics of the new nation, being the capital, the Rights Bill signed at the same time as the Act of Unity enshrined the rights of both citizens and the states.

Expansion

With the mainland secured, the new nation began looking for its next conquest. Off the coast, the island kingdoms of Valedge and Wellok controlled significant natural resources, both on land and in the sea. With their powerful navies, they had resisted all attempts of conquest for over two thousand years. In 1434, Ironcastle began a significant shipbuilding drive, and began importing naval advisors from Platacia and Sibaria. While Ironcastle's army was battle-hardened from years of war, only Aelcrest and Empirica possessed navies at all, and were mostly for deterring pirates.

In 1444, Ironcastle launched a naval invasion of Valedge. The combined forces of the new Ironian Navy, mercenaries, and former pirates shocked the Vallians. With their enemies confused, the heavy Ironian carracks smashed through the centre of the Vallian fleet, killing their admiral within the first ten minutes. After only two hours, the Vallian fleet had routed, pursued by pirates and mercenaries. With the oceans safe, one of the largest pre-modern naval invasions took place. Over 15,000 soldiers participated in the first assault on the capital, suffering heavy casualties. After several days of heavy fighting, Ironian troops, supported by fire from ships in the harbour and artillery placed in hills above the capital, stormed the Royal Castle, capturing the King of Valedge. He was forced to surrender, and Valedge was incorporated into Ironcastle as a new state.

Twenty years later, however, the Ironian Navy was defeated by the Wellokian fleet at the Battle of Westersea. Over three quarters of the Ironian Navy was sunk, with only light losses to the Wellokians. This put an end to Ironian ambitions in Wellok for the time being. Instead, Ironcastle looked south, towards Organiuet. The former kingdom, which had elevated itself to an empire, had significantly expanded while Ironcastle was fighting in the north. The open fields heavily favoured the renowned Organiuetish heavy cavalry, which was feared across the grasslands and steppes. In comparison, Ironcastle's forces were mainly comprised of infantry and light cavalry. However, the planners in Aelcrest knew the Organiuetish generals were slow to adapt to both new technologies and fast changes on the battlefield. This was due to Organiuet's heavy use of timetables and planning, which would not see use by other nations until nearly fove hundred years later. However, Ironcastle had been rapidly modernising its military. By 1500, significant parts of the Army were utilising gunpowder weapons, and tactics were in place to utilise them effectively.

Five Years War

In 1501, the Ironian Army began occupying what is modern day Southern Ironcastle in the opening stages of the Five Years War. As the Ironains predicted, the Organiuetish deployed their heavy cavalry to attack the Ironian Army. They met at Freton Fields, in the shadow of Mount Herak. The Organiuetish needed to defeat the Ironians quickly, as a storm was rolling in, and the rain would turn the ground to mud, slowing their cavalry. The battle opened with archers exchanging fire, and Ironian light cavalry harassing the Organiuetish lines. At midday, the order was given for the heavy cavalry to charge straight at the Ironian lines. As they charged, the Ironian archers retreated, and the gunpoweder-equipped troops advanced. Using volley fire, they scattered the cavalry. As the cavalry retreated, the Ironian infantry charged, and the Organiuetish lines broke.

Over the course of the following five years, Ironcastle invaded most of the land Organiuet had colonised, and even swept in to Organiuet proper. After the fall of the capital of Organiuet, it was disarmed, and all of its colonised land was annexed. Following the Five Years War, Ironcastle remained at peace for some time, until the Reformation.

Ironian Civil War

In 1582, many Catholic priests began to protest the growing link between religion and state in many Catholic countries, Ironcastle included. They gained popular support from the commoners, who disliked the religious tithes they were forced to pay. This was especially true in the south, where thousands of Organiuetish settlers were still angry at Aelcrest for separating them from their families. In addition, Contia and Forestar felt that the government in Aelcrest was gaining too much power, and wished to decentralise it back to the states. Over the course of several years, the south began to arm its population, preparing for a war with the north.

In 1601, exactly one hundred years to the day since the invasion of Organiuet, the Kingdom of South Ironcastle declared independence. While there was a significant push in the north to let them leave, the Consul, Elise Porter, ordered the Army to restore order. With a significant number of generals defecting to the South, the initial Loyalist attacks were without leadership and easily repulsed. In December, the Southern forces began their advance. Northern troops were pushed back, until a young general by the name of Edwin Lynwood took command of the defense of Empirica. He defeated the previously unstoppable Southern army, and began pushing back. After reaching Contia, he ordered his army to raze the city. Two weeks later, Contia had been removed from the map. He continued this campaign of destruction through the south, eventually besieging the capital Forestar.

After two months, the city garrison surrendered, but the leadership fled. The war continued for two more years, until the last separatist stronghold, known aa the Black Fort, fell to Lynwood's cannons. The fort was demolished, and the town that was built in its place was named Lynwood. While the leadership of the Kingdom was either imprisoned or executed, their military leaders were granted clemency in exchange for military knowledge.

During the reconstruction period, Elise Porter oversaw a complete change in administration of the country. State borders were redrawn, their governments made to be completely loyal to the state above all, and non-Ironians were made to change their culture. In addition, an amendment was added to the Rights Bill, mandating the separation of church and state, in addition to protecting the rights of religious minorities.

For the next two centuries, Ironcastle mostly remained at peace, aside from the occasional border war.

Industrialisation

By 1800, the industrial revolution had arrived. The discovery of significant quantities of coal beneath the ruins of Contia, which had been left as a deterrence against future rebellion, sparked the government to rebuild the city, naming it New Contia. The coal fuelled the burgeoning factories,but didn't come without cost. In 1825, Aelcrest was significantly damaged by fire, destroying much of the medieval city. The government held a contest to rebuild the city. The winning submission was from a group of architects from Empirica, who envisioned 'a great, and modern city, ready for the future of man'. The streets were designed wide, which unbeknownst to the architects at the time, would aid in the use of automobiles decades in the future.

In addition to a massive expansion in civilian life, the Ironian military began to expand. New weapons of war such as ironclads, gatling guns and railroads came in to use in the decisive Islands War of 1855, when Ironcastle invaded Wellok for the first time in centuries. Wellok was devoid of coal, and Ironian diplomacy prevented them from importing any. This left their wooden, sail-powered ships at the mercy of Ironian gunboats, which destroyed the entire Wellokian fleet in a single battle. The Ironian Army landed soon after, making use of gatling guns and breech-loading rifles to quickly take over the main island. After the surrender of the government, the Army and Navy began to clear the islands surrounding Wellok. However, the two forces had difficulty working together, and led directly to the formation of the Ironian Marine Corps.

By 1900, Ironcastle was the centre of manufacturing in Greater Moneylania, and the hub from which technological advancements spread. Inventions such as the telephone, airplane, radio and automobile originated in Ironcastle. The military again began expanding, with the first dreadnaughts coming into service with the ICS Aelcrest.

The Great Wars

Despite being landlocked, Organieut had significantly expanded its military to rival Ironcastle's. In September 1914, Organiuet attacked Ironcastle, pushing Ironian border garrisons back several kilometers from the border. Ironcastle, who had since aligned itself with Scuro and Banana Federation, called upon them to defend its territory. Despite much of the war spent in trenches, there were significant mobile segments. However, the combined might of the three nations forced Organiuet to surrender in 1916. Following many punitive measures forced on the defeated, Ironcastle and the BFSCM deployed an expeditionary force to the north to aid the struggling Sibarians.

After the end of the war, a period of economic prosperity fell across Moneylania, and Ironcastle was no exception. However, in 1928 the Great Depression struck, crippling the Ironian economy. Ironcastle, the centre for commerce in the region, was completely devastated by the Depression. Across the border, however, Organiuet began to rebuild its military against the Victor's Treaty. By 1936, Ironcastle's economy had returned to its pre-Depression state, but was still sluggish. In comparison, the highly nationalist Organiuet was thriving. In 1939, Organiuet, despite warnings from multiple nations, invaded Lucklond.

Ironcastle, Banana Federation and Scuro, known as the Allies, declared war immediately, but failed to attack, instead mobilising troops and preparing defenses. The first attack came on the 9th of June, 1940, when a combined Flazorian and Elensefian task force landed 50km north of Shorehold, Banana Federation. They were repelled after weeks of intense fighting, but the damage was significant. While the Ironian-Organiuetish border saw little fighting for much of the war, there was significant fighting on the Lucklondish front. Tank divisions fought each other in the deserts and steppes, and in 1942 the entire nation had been liberated. However, progress in Organiuet was slow and costly. It wasn't until the 8th of January, 1945, when Ironcastle deployed a nuclear weapon on the Organiuetish city of Dawnford that progress was made. Organiuetish troops, shocked by the power of the nuclear weapon, surrendered in droves as the Allies advanced on the capital. On the 15th of August, 1945, Organiuet officially surrendered to Ironcastle. The peace treaty was extremely harsh, completely disarming Organiuet, and making the government subservient to Aelcrest.

Cold War

While the war had been won, the cost had been great. Three hundred thousand Ironians had died in the war, but the majority of Ironcastle's industry was undamaged. This led to another post-war consumer boom. With the newfound revenue, the Ironian government began supporting democratic governments across Moneylania, such as Banana Federation and Scuro. The fear of communism in Sibaria led to the creation of the Moneylania Alliance Treaty Organisation, also known as MATO, in Aelcrest. Ironcastle's monopoly on nuclear weapons throughout the post-war period left it protected, but the conventional forces of Sibaria were still a threat in the north. A cold war emerged between the two superpowers. A subset of this cold war was a space race, which ended when Ironcastle landed two astronauts on the moon in 1972. Despite an economic recession in the 1970s, the 1980s were a period of economic prosperity. With tensions growing around the region, and the emergence of terrorism, many people flocked to Ironcastle as a safe haven. The cold war ended in the 1990s, when the communist states in north Moneylania began to collapse.

Present Day

The dawn of the new millennium heralded in new technology, such as the internet and mass-market computers. Little changed in the period leading up to 2025. However, in that year, Daminy launched a surprise invasion of Banana Federation, which was repelled following Ironian air support, in a similar manner to 85 years prior. A counter-invasion in Trosnikovo led to the surrender of Damanian forces. Moodie Kelovik, the Damanian dictator, was arrested and put on trial for crimes of aggression. In the landmark case Moodie Kelovik vs. the State of Banana Federation saw Kelovik found guilty, and the dictatorship in Daminy abolished, replaced with a republic. Following the war, Ironcastle further integrated Organiuet, and occupied Auxillary and Lucklond in search of weapons of mass destruction. While troops have since left, the occupations have caused widespread anti-Ironian sentiment across the region.

In 2026, the Eastern Alliance Pact was founded, bordering the Annexed Territories. It quickly fractured, leading to a civil war in the leader, Free Wolf, between the democratic north and fascist south. After an Ironian intervention, the north secured victory. Following the intervention, a limited conflict took place between Ironcastle and StarkingSeabers, after the latter attacked Ironian peacekeepers stationed in the demilitarised Kysten region.

Geography and climate

Ironcastle has a moderately temperate climate, with grasslands in the north, forests in the central areas, and mountains in the south. Its landmass spans 698,410 square kilometers, and has significant territorial waters.

Demographics

Population

Language

Religion

Government and Politics

Political Ideologies

Parties and Elections

Foreign Relations

Military

The President holds the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Ironian Armed Forces, and appoints its leaders, the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. All branches of the military are administered by the Department of Defense. As of 2028, there were approximately 700,000 actively deployed personnel, and one million in reserve or Civil Defense. Service is completely voluntary, although the Senate may enact conscription to non-combat roles or home defense.

Ironian forces are capable of rapid deployment, either via the Air Force's large quantity of transport aircraft, the Navy's three supercarriers, or the Marine Corps' three assault forces. In 2028, the military budget was I$314 billion.

Crime and law enforcement

Economy

Infrastructure

Science and technology

Education

Health

Culture