Ordoxia
The Socialist Kingdom of Ordoxia is a nation in the Northernlands region. It is the nation which created the ideology of the Socialist Monarchism in 1953, in order to keep Monarchy as a form of Government and merge it with the ideology of Socialism.
Ordoxia is one of the founding members of Union of Security and Economy.
Etymology
The Socialist Kingdom of Ordoxia was first noticed as The Kingdom of Ordoxia in the seventh century. However the word "Ордокс"(eng. Ordox), which is old Ordoxian Slavic for "brother" and "comrade" was first noted in the second century BC. It was used to describe many Kingdoms and Vassalages on almost one entire continent. They shared an identical culture, beliefs, very similar religion and called each other "Ordoxes".
History
Early History
The aggressive rulers of Ordoxian lands were often killed by their subjects in riots if they attempted to conquer other "Ordox" lands. Most of these small countries were peaceful and had alliances among each other, and there were even several attempts for unification. Despite the number of the local rulers, the countries didn't have many wars among each other and often cooperated in order to prevent foreigners from conquering the region.
I-III Century
First time some Ordoxian lands were conquered was in the first century AC, and by the start of the third century Ordoxians were ruled by five diferent empires. Today's region of Ordoxia was conquered by the Yanchuk, Arterelian and Swader empires. The Yanchuk Empire invaded the countries in the west from the north, while Arterelian Kingdom conquered the central region, also from the north. Swader Empire invaded from the east and conquered eastern part, while the southern part of the continent was ruled by several smaler Kingdoms, which later became Vassals of the Yanchuk, Arterelian and Swader empires.
III-IV Century
After a century of misstreatement, Ordoxians started spontaniously rebeling. First serious rebellions started in the Arterelian Kingdom, and by 400 AC Ordoxia was established as an autonimous province of the Arterelian Kingdom. The province was ruled by a council, and a Књаз(eng. Knjaz) was the head of the council. The autonimous province was obligated to pay taxes and answer the call of the Arterelian King in event of war. The border of the province can't be exactly determined, but it is known that Arterelian Kingdom kept the sea shore on the north under their direct control.
Medieval Ordoxia
IV-V Century
After establishing the autonimous province of Ordoxia, the Arterelian King realized that Ordoxians, who don't hate him that much anymore, can be used against his neighbours. His successor to the throne went even further, and tried to make an alliance with Ordoxians, but he failed; Ordoxians didn't trust him as much as he wanted. He used Ordoxians in Yanchuk and Swader Empires and helped them start big rebelions, then he "pleged to assist the Autonimous Province of Ordoxia in liberating their people". That is considered the de facto first Ordoxian war with a major empire, or to be precise two of them. This war is also called "War for Ordoxia" or "War for freedom". Despite the fact that the Arterelian King still didn't get the full trust of Ordoxians, the chance to liberate their comrades in other empires was a wakeup call. That is also when the first ideas of final and full unification were often herd among the people. On the south, war among vasal kingdoms broke out and as a result almost half of Ordoxians living within the kingdioms moved to the Autonimous Province of Ordoxia( estimated around 40% ). The massive war caught both empires off guard, and within a few years they were almost completely expelled from the continent. The Swader empire collapsed by 450 AC due to internal divisions, while the Yanchuk Empire lasted a few decades longer, until they were conquered by Centropian Empire somwhere around 471 AC. During the next decade, the decline of power of the Arterelian Kingdom was rapidly exposed. The huge kingdom spread to three diferent continents and had many diferent people under their rule. In 490 AC the new King tried to save the Kingdom by offering vassalage and autonomy to the most numerious nationalities, but only a few accepted it. Ordoxia was the biggest Vassalage of the Kingdom, and was de facto an independent state. Arterelia ceded almost the entire continent to the Ordoxians, attempting to keep their loyalty and prevent uprisings.
V-VII Century
For a long time the Kingdom was very weak, but without an external threat the Kings managed to keep the empire in one piece, balancing between the local rulers and Vassals. As soon a new Empire reached the borders of Arterelia, the Kingdom collapsed. Divided on the inside, it couldn't hold the enemy attack for long. King's call for help was herd by only a few Vassals, among which was Ordoxia. The Vassal armies repelled the first attack on the capital, but it became clear that the city will not hold the second offensive. The King, his family, top advisors and commanders, along with the majority of the soldiers evacuated to Ordoxia where they were accepted to the capital Ордоксниград(eng. Ordoxnigrad). The continent on which Ordoxian Vassalage was, was the only region which was left under the supreme rule of the Arterelian Kingdom, of the three in total which were held by the Kingdom during it's Golden Age. In the following years, the new religion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity was accepted by the Ordoxian council as the official religion of the Vassalage. The Arterelian King was only a formal ruler of the Kingdom from 510 AC, and in reality had to "consult" with the Knjaz and the Ordoxian council for almost all decisions. The King and his expirienced top officials proved to be very useful for Ordoxians. The Ordoxian army was trained by the commanders and generals of the Arterelian Royal Army, expecting the enemy to attack as soon as they conquer the chaotic land that was left behind. Finaly, about a decade later, two Empires attacked the Arterelian Kingdom from the north-west and east. By then, the Ordoxian army was prepared and ready to defend what remained of the Kingdom. During the first months, Ordoxia was able to defend itself from the attacks on the north, but suffered heavy defeats on the east. The peace with the Pretomerian Tsardom(which attacked from the east) was made when neither the invaders could push further forward, nor could the defenders push them back. Because of the dificoult situation Ordoxia was in, Pretomerians used the chance to gain more land than it has captured during the war. On the northern front, the Gahrish Empire was advancing towards the capital. The brutality of the army didn't spare the civilian population. Thanks to spontanious uprisings that caused, the Ordoxian army broke the offensive of the enemy, forcing them to offer a truce in which they drastically had to reduce their gains. They also promised to give the conquered Ordoxian lands Vassalage, and completely withdraw their army from the continent. The real reason for this rash decision was that there were uprisings in the former lands of the Arterelian Kingdom. They left a large number of destroyed vilages and killed people, and some numbers suggest that about 30% of the entire population in the north-west were killed, both in the brutalities of the Gahrish army and in the uprisings. This is one of the best doccumented wars this early in history, with close to a million letters, reports and other notes saved and preserved in the Ordoxian National Library.
The Kingdom of Ordoxia was announced in 590 AC, after the Arterelian King officialy declared Ordoxia a Kingdom, ceeded all lands under his formal control, and abdicated in in favor of the current Knjaz of Ordoxia. By 690 AC, almost complete modern day territory of Ordoxia was liberated, after the colapse of the Pretomerian Tsardum( 681 AC ). The Golden Age of the Gahrish Empire didn't last long, but they managed to keep most of the conquered lands under their formal control by giving large nationalities almost complete self-rule. That however didn't stop their slow but certain decline.
From 719. Ordoxian Kingdom was ruled by two Kings, and that year is considered the start of The Golden Ages of Ordoxia.
The First Golden Age of Ordoxia
During The First Golden Age, Ordoxia was the only powerful country in the region. It had no external threats, so the economy bloomed. That alowed the forming of regional councils, which were later formaly accepted as the local governments of Ordoxia. Ordoxia was given it's first constitution in 739. The constitution had typical monarchist view, which aimed to create order in the country. The First Golden Age lasted until 752. uprising, which didn't last long and wasn't very bloody. It is estimated that less than 1 000 people died, when a few influental locals, who managed to marginalize the local councils and accused one Monarch of trying to hold all the power to himself. That resulted in a short uprising which lasted only one week, when the word of the second Monarch reached the lands. Claiming to fight in his name, the demagogues were exposed as power-hungry local oligarchs. Their real goal was to spread their influence outside of the borders of the region, aiming to become aristocrats who even have influence on the Monarchs. This uprising caused a lot of destruction to the local regions, somwhere destroying entire villages. In 759. one King died without leaving a male heir to the throne, and from that year Ordoxian Kingdom had a single ruler. In the same time period, many Ordoxians who were in other Kingdoms moved to Ordoxia because of the misstreatement they suffered in them. It is estimated that about 20-40% of Ordoxians in other countries left their homes and crossed into Ordoxia, which was the first massive organised movement of Ordoxians outside the borders of Ordoxian Kingdom. They were accepted with open arms despite the internal problems with the uprising and it's consequences. That move costed Ordoxia very much, and it is considered the main reason of the end of the First Golden Age.
The year 768. is considered the official end of the Golden Age, as from that year the economy stagnated, and it tok a about two centuries of political and social instability and hardship until the start of the second Golden Age.
The Second Golden Age of Ordoxia
The Second Golden Age of Ordoxia started in 1009. after Ordoxia increased trade with far away lands. It's biggest off-continent trade was with today's Imperium of Arcadis, which was consisted out of smaler state-like organisations. The Kingdom of Ordoxia traded with these lands before, but after the year 1009. Ordoxia managed to gather a lot of gold and other precious metals, selling it's inovations in the field of agriculture and military, along with region-specific food that grew only in Ordoxia. The Second Golden Age lasted until 1388. when a long drought caused hunger in Ordoxia, which lasted for about four years. To make the situation worse, two Kingdoms attacked in the same time from the North and the South, forcing Ordoxia to stop all trading and go to war. Some people claim that the existing food reserves could have been enough if there was no war, but that claim isn't proven until now. The war which lasted from 1390. to 1392. is called "The Pointless War". In two years, attackers never managed to brake trough the defenses of Ordoxia for diferent reasons but with heavy losses. When Ordoxian Army finally pushed forward, after the drought was over in 1392. and there was almost enough food to go around, the peace was reached. Ordoxia agreed not to demand any territorial gains, and in return both attacking Kingdoms became their Vassals. The war left many casualties on the Ordoxian side, and it's estimated that about 30% of people died of hunger and hunger-related illnesses( from est. total of 1-2 million dead ). People without families gave up on their food and joined the Ordoxian Army, specificaly aiming to die in service. That is when a phrase "For King and Ordoxia, to death and Glory!" was offten heard. They were burried in separate army cemeteries, and their sacrafice is still remembered today. Тhe text on each tombstone starts with the same sentences written in Old Ordoxian Slavic:
"This brave man denied himself food so children of Ordoxia can eat. He chose to die in battle so many husbands can come back to their wives and watch their children grow up.For that, Ordoxians are eternally grateful."
The Pasic dynasty is ruling Ordoxia since 1387. and is one of the world's longest ruling dynasties. They are respected for their honorable reign, which they traditionaly pass to the next generation.
Modern Ordoxia
The "Modern" Golden Age of Ordoxia
The "Modern" Golden Age of Ordoxia started in 1701. and lasts to this day. This is the time of almost completely uninterrupted political and social stability, prosperity and growth of Ordoxian economy. Trade with other countries and a stable currency provided scientific advances in the field of agriculture, industry, military and later space research.
A brief war with Kanmanesh Kingdom started in 1702. and ended after just one battle, when Kanmanesh King and his heir to the throne were killed along with just about 100 of his forces. Ordoxian losses were a few dozen. Instead of conquering the defeated Kingdom, Ordoxia made Kanmanesh it's Vassal state.
Similar thing happaned when Waster Republic attempted to invade Ordoxia in 1799. The war ended in one month, after Ordoxian troops defeated Waster soldiers in two major battles. In the second battle about 70% of the enemy soldiers were dead and 27% captured, forcing the Republic to surrender and obligate to pay Ordoxia in gold monthly for two years.
A few smaller wars happaned between 1802. and 1887. which combined lasted for about seven months. All ended in Ordoxian vicotry, and either Vassalage of the defeated or just an obligation to payment in gold.
Ordoxia was victorious in the First World War. During the Second World War The Kingdom of Ordoxia was officialy neutral, altough it secretly suplied The Federation of Suvorovskaya and The Russlavian Federation with arms and food.
Unlike most other nations, Ordoxia never left the Golden Standard. Intensified mining during the first century of the "Modern" Golden Age almost doubled Ordoxian Gold reserves, along with Vassal states who were later obligated to pay the Kingdom in Gold after they lost the war. To this day the Government is offten looking to buy gold. The Socialist Kingdom of Ordoxia has the biggest gold reserves in the world, with more than 29 000 tonnes.
Politics
Foreign relations
The Socialist Kingdom of Ordoxia has diplomatic relations with almost all countries in the region. Foreign relations are conducted through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2015. Ordoxia formed the Union of Security and Economy with The Federation of Suvorovskaya and The Russlavian Federation.
Military
The Armed forces of The Socialist Kingdom of Ordoxia are consisted of the Ground Forces, Air Force and Air Defence, Aerospace Forces, Strategic Forces and Navy of Ordoxia. Conscription in Ordoxia lasts two years, and is obligated for males aged from 18 to 35, and voluntary for females aged 18 to 22. Only males can have a career in the army, but females may join the Ordoxian Army as medics, in which case they would have to volunteer for the army and study Medicine at the Military Academy. Ordoxia is divided to four Security Districts:
- Western Security District
- Northern Security District
- Central Security District
- Eastern Security District
The Ordoxian Army uses it's own classification for advancement of their weapons, which is related to it's technological advancement and extensiveness in the Armed Forces. The weapons and equipment are graded with numbers from 6 to 10++. Ordoxia exports it's 7 to 7++ graded equipment, unless to USE member states who may recieve up to 8++ graded equpment.
Ordoxian Ground Forces
The Ground forces of Ordoxia are considered one of the msot advanced in the world. Most modern systems in service have a range that exceeds 700km.
Administrative divisions
The Socialist Kingdom of Ordoxia is an Unitary Kingdom composed of many districts, which act as local governments but are very dependent on the central government.
Demographics
As of 2014. census, Ordoxia has a total population of 201 011 097. Demography of Ordoxia is steadily growing, with the total rate of 2,9 children per mother, with an average age of 31 years. Average life expectancy in Ordoxia is 89 years. The largest ethnic group in Ordoxia are Ordoxians with 91%, and the biggest miniority are Slavs with 4%. Other minority groups include Russlavians, Suvorovskayans, Greeks and other. The majority of the population(84%) lives in rural areas, with the capital Ordoxnigrad being the largest with 3,9 million people. Ordoxia maintains strict immigration laws, which makes getting an asylum and even citizenship very hard for foreigners. That has a huge impact on international tourism of Ordoxia, which is another unused potential of the country. As of 2015 and the USE, tourism in the country is expected to increase due to drastically softened regulations on Union member-states.
Religion
State Religion of Ordoxia is Eastern Orthodox Christianity(94%), which recieves funding from the budget of Ordoxia. Other bigger Religions include Roman Catholism, Protestantism and Islam. Atheists number less than 1%.
Language
The official language of Ordoxia is Ordoxian, which is a member of the Slavic group of languages. It is spoken by 97% of the poppulation. The official alphabet of Ordoxia is Cyrillic. Most of other miniority languages are also members of the Slavic group of languages, and they are spoken by about 2,7% of the people.
Health care
The Ordoxian Constitution guarantees free, universal health care for all its citizens. For being able to use free health care, the citizens are obligated to register in the Ministry of Healt care register of citizens. Ordoxian health care is considered the best in the world, but it is not available to foreigners. Since 2015. member states of USE have the possibility to send their citizens for medical treatment in Ordoxia, which is of better quality than what other foreigners get.
Education
Ordoxia has a free education system, which is guaranteed for all citizens by the Constitution, however entry to subsidized higher education is highly competitive. As a result of great emphasis on science and technology in education, medical, mathematical, scientific, and aerospace research is generally of a high order. Education in Ordoxia is completely state-owned with private schools and universities outlawed. The Government allocates funding to pay the tuition fees within an established quota or number of students for each state institution. In higher education institutions, students are paid a small stipend and provided with free housing if they are from out of town. The oldest and biggest Universaty of Ordoxia is the Ordoxian National University, which has faculties in each city of Ordoxia.
Economy
Ordoxian national currency is The Solidus, and because the nation didn't abolish the Golden Standard, it is the most stable currency in the world. Due to a long period of self-isolation of the country, The Solidus wasn't present internationaly. Thanks to the forming of USE, it is expected that it will appear internationaly, altough only within the Union and in very limited numbers.
Ordoxia has a regulated market economy, with the state overseeing all trade. The Ordoxnigrad Stock Exchange is the only stock exchange in the country. All banks are owned by the state, while private Banks are outlawed.
As a founding member of the Union of Security and Economy(USE), The Socialist Kingdom of Ordoxia has free trade agreenments with The Federation of Suvorovskaya and The Russlavian Federation.
The Ordoxian Government grades goods according to their quality, and grades move from 6 to 10++. The law doesn't allow export of goods of more than 7++ quality. Most of Ordoxians are buying goods of 8++ to 9++ quality, while the state provides 8 quality goods for social cases.
Budget
The budget of The Socialist Kingdom of Ordoxia is very big, as more than half of the people work for the state. The ones who don't are mostly farmers, who sell their goods to the stete.
The most funds in Ordoxian budget go to Health Care, Armed Forces and Education. Moreover, research in the field of Medicine and Military are not funded separately. Other well-funded areas include Law and Order, Agriculture and Industry, Public Transport and the Environment. Funds for the Eastern Orthodox Church of Ordoxia are determined separately, but most of the time majority of funds still come from the state budget.
Agriculture and Industry
Ordoxia has very favourable natural conditions(land and climate) for varied agricultural production, especialy on the North of the country. Organic food is one of the major exports of Ordoxia, altough the goods of best quality can't be exported. In the structure of the agricultural production 68% is from the crop field production, and 32% is from the livestock production.
Ordoxia never had a rapid Industrialisation period. Instead, it was carefuly dosed.
Energy and Transport
Ordoxia has a large deposit of energents and fossil fuels, but due to it's strict environmental policy it is estimated that about 40% is used. That is enough for Ordoxian economy to sustain itself, but not enough for mass production of exporting goods. With creation of the USE, Ordoxia has ensured uninterrupted import of energents from member-states, and because of that it is expected that Ordoxian export will skyrocket. Ordoxia also uses renewable energy, which makes up for about 20% of the needs of the country.
Ordoxian roads are neglected in favor of railway transport, excluding biggest cities. The railway is widely used, and it's considered the main mean of transport due to it's huge network, even surpassing air travel. Highways are in somwhat better shape than local roads, and Ordoxians widely use bicycles for local transportation in smaller cities.
Science and technology
Science and technology in Ordoxia blossomed in the "Modern" Golden Age. Ordoxia is an innovator in the field of space, military, industrial and medical research.
Ordoxia has it's own space station(OSS) and is currently researching the possibility of space weaponization. From 2015. Ordoxia is officialy cooperating with The Federation of Suvorovskaya in creating it's own space-based weapons. As Suvorovskaya has already placed weapons in space, it is estimated that very soon both Ordoxia and The Russlavian Federation will be able to do the same. Military research is focused on land-based weapons, including mekanised infantry. "Killer robot suits" are the most famous innovation of Ordoxia. Ordoxian land forces are considered one of the most advanced in the world, with most of their weapons exceeding the range of 700km. Industrial innovation is focused on creating new machines for processing and production, which are also among Ordoxia's top exporting goods. Ordoxian Medical research is very advanced, wich is why the national healthcare in the country is considered the best in the world.
