Saxe-Wittenburg

The Kingdom of Saxe-Wittenburg
The Kingdom of Saxe-Wittenburg Königreich von Saxe-Wittenburg
	Anthem: Almighty Fortress is our God
Capital	Wittenburg
Largest City	Dresden
Official languages	Saxon
Recognised national languages	Saxon ;
Recognised regional languages	Swedish ; Latvian ;
Demonym	Saxon
Government	Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Legislature	Landtag
Population
Currency	Saxon Mark
Time zone	(UTC-1)
Drives on the	right
Calling code	+65
Patron saint	St Olaf

The Kingdom of Saxe-Wittenburg commonly called Saxony or Saxe-Wittenburg, is a Constitutional Monarchy in The Nelborne Union. It is bordered on the north by the nations of North Vestbeyholm on the North on the south by The Sudinsel Islands, by the east by the Ostsee, and on the west by the Vestsee. Saxe-Wittenburg covers 191,204 km² and has has an estimated population of 290 Million. Saxe-Wittenburg comprises of 7 Provinces.

After Saxe-Wittenburg entered the WA, Saxe-Wittenburg attempted to be active in the WA and proposed multiple WA measures however none of the measures were ever passed though. The failure of the efforts of the government's actions in the WA caused the people of Saxe-Wittenburg to demand an exit from the WA. After the exit from the WA Saxe-Wittenburg played an greater role within the Germanic Confederation's government, until it's collapse.

Etymology

The name Saxe-Wittenburg means Saxon Wittenburg, which refers to the original Principality of Wittenburg which the modern Kingdom of Saxony was unified under.

The standard way to refer to a citizen of Saxe-Wittenburg is as a "Saxe-Wittenbuger" or a "Saxon."

History

Early History

The land of Saxe-Wittenburg was uninhabited until the Great Migration. Under the heavy handed rule of Charlemagne Saxons were brutally taxed and conscripted into the Emperor's armies for fighting in the Saxon Wars. This caused the majority of Saxons to revolt, however this revolt failed miserably. The leaders of this revolt fearing for their lives trekked north to ensure their safety. This trek lead to their arrival in northern Denmark where the Saxons sought sanctuary, and they soon prospered.

The Great Migration and the Kingdom of the Saxons

During the Viking Era many Saxons sailed on raids along with their Scandinavian counterparts, however unlike their Scandinavian counterparts the Saxons were Christian as a result of their conversion under Charlemagne. This caused tension between the Saxons and their Scandinavian Counterparts which after a series of incidences was inflamed into a full fledged war which began around 1000 AD. This war was devastating for the Saxons and once again the Saxons were scattered. This despora led to a tiny band led by the famous Jarl Karl der Wise, went to sea to try and discover a new homeland. For over a month this intrepid band was at sea until they landed on the island of Vestbeyholm, which they settled and ended the Great Migration.

The Saxons decided to proclaim Jarl Karl der Wise High King of them, though Karl had very little power over his subjects, and this vacuum led to the eventual fragmentation of the Kingdom by the Jarls who were the hereditary leaders of the seven provinces. Saxons within a century after their arrival at Vestbeyholm were discovered by Swedes travailing to Greenland. These Swedes settled the northern portion if the island, and were a colony of the Kingdom of Norway. The Swedish colonists and the Saxons lived in relative peace until 1257 AD when the King Marvin the Devout died without any heirs.

The Disintegration of the Kingdom of Saxons

Main Article: The Saxon War of Sucession

After the death of Martin the Devout each of the seven provinces proclaimed it's Jarl as the legitimate successor of King Marvin. This disintegration of the central authority of the monarchy made every single province a de facto independent kingdom. However all the Jarls desired to be High King and as such they vied for control of Königsburg which was the traditional residency of the High King. Prior to this period Königsburg was under direct control of the High King, however Königsburg was surrounded by the province of Mittelland (Now called Königsplatz) and thus Mittelland occupied Königsburg at the onset of the fighting. This made Prince Richard I the leader of Mittelland's claim much more legitimate in the eyes of the other monarchs of the region, and thus they duly recognized Prince Richard I as High King. However despite this the other provinces rejected this and continued to fight, with the notable exception of the province of Süd-Land whose Princess Mary I recognized the Proclamation of Prince Karl I as King.

The recognition of Prince Richard's of Mittelland's coronation by Süd-Land led to the two leaders agreeing to an alliance, which was commonly referred to as Royalists. The provinces of Nordland, Vestberg, Grönland, Niederwald, and Silberküste in response formed an alliance to counter the claims of Mittelland and Süd-Land, which was commonly referred to as the Separatists. However none of the Princes could agree upon who would be High King, and after three months of negotiations they agreed that the Kingdom of Saxons should be dissolved and that the Princes become independent.

While the Separatists were arguing among themselves, the Royalists under Prince Karl invaded Silberküste and captured Kiel which was the capital of Silberküste. This action led to Prince Fredrick the Unsure of Silberküste to rally the Separatists, and their forces marched towards Kiel. The Separatists victory at the Battle of Kiel led to the conclusion of the Saxon Civil War and finalized the destruction of the Kingdom of the Saxons under the terms of the Treaty of Halle. The war was for all parties involved a physic victory, and weakened all seven provinces of Saxony, and led to the resignation of Prince Karl and the ascension of his son Prince Richard.

The Swedish Wars

Main Article: The Swedish-Saxon War

The Swedish colonists decided to take advantage of the weakened state of the provinces of Saxony, and they invaded Nordland the northern most province of Saxony in 1260. The Swedes quickly established control over Nordland and within a year, and due to their success in Nordland they invaded the neighboring provinces of Vestberg, Grönland, Niederwald, and Silberküste.

One year after the Swedish invasion of the other six provinces, Mittelland and Süd-Land agreed to sign the Treaty of Königsburg under which a personal union between the two provinces was established. This personal union which united the Prince Richard of Mittelland and Princes Mary of Süd-Land in marriage, established the Principality of Wittenburg. In addition to the creation of the Principality they Prince and Princess founded the City of Wittenburg in 1263 which replaced Königsburg as the Capital.

Resistance in Silberküste under the leadership of Prince Fredrick was especially strong, and rebels there managed to recapture much of the countryside and several key cities. This success of the rebels both inspired rebels in Vestberg, Grönland, and Niederwald and infuriated the King of Sweden who sent an army of 50,000 men to crush them. In 1272 the Swedish victory at the Battle of Kiel and their brutality in the sacking of Kiel destroyed the remaining Saxon resistance in the northern five provinces.

Thus in 1273 the Swedes finally invaded the Principality of Wittenburg. The Wittenburgers railed around their Prince and Princes and bitterly resisted the invasion. Ultimately the Swedes superior numbers began to turn the tide of the war and the Wittenburger forces were defeated at the Battle of Eriksen's Farm, Olaf's Point, and Edgeless Creak. However these victories came at a huge price for Norway as over 50,000 Swedish soldiers died during these battles. The Wittenburgers sensing the Swedish weakness advanced on the City of Leipzig which was under siege from the Swedes, and routed them at the Battle of Leipzig. This glorious triumph led to the Treaty of Bergen in which the Principality of Wittenburg became a vassal of the King of Sweden and the the Swedish King retained the provinces previously conquered.

The Principality in the Middle Ages

The Princes of Wittenburg attempted to consolidate their power in the immediate aftermath of the Saxon Swedish War, which proved easier due to the lack of feudalism in place. However the main obstacle of centralization was the Church, and the Church served as a vehicle for opposition to centralization.

The Principality of Wittenburg remained uninvolved in most international issues and wars that were plaguing Europe during this time. The one thing Wittenburg could not avoid was the Black Plague which arrived approximately in the 1400's and killed one sixth of the population, and caused an economic downturn that lasted for half of a century. The Black Plague increased piety within Wittenburg, and caused much frustration over the corruption of the Church by the Papacy in Rome.

Thus when the Nienty-Five thesis arrived in Wittenburg in 1518 they were received quite warmly. Prince Karl IV thus established the Lutheran Church of Saxony after Martian Luther translated the Bible in 1534. These reforms were greeted with widespread enthusiasm in Wittenburg. Not all greeted the Reformation with enthusiasm as around thirty percent of the population still remained Catholic, however Prince Karl issued the Edict of Leipzig which granted religious freedom to all in order to prevent a revolt by the Catholics.

The Principality sent a small contingent to participate in the Thirty Years War after Norway got involved. However when Norway and Denmark withdrew in 1629 Prince Fredrick II refused to withdraw and the Saxon contingent was involved through the whole duration of the War. This action by Fredrick II led to a quisi war with Denmark-Norway, however after the Peace of Westphalia the quisi war was ended.

The Principality in the late 1600s to 1700s

The Thirty Years War saw a boom in trade which made the Principality prosperous, and lasted for nearly a decade after the end of the war. This economic boom saw a rapid growth of the population of cities, facilitated the development of the middle class burghers. The development of the middle class saw a period of cultural development in the cities, which made the cities the cultural heart of the Principality. The cultural development culminated in the construction of the great government buildings and cathedrals like the royal palace and St. Olaf's Cathedral.

This boom ended after the turn of the century in 1700, which heralded a period of economic recession as trade dried up. This economic recession lasted for more than five decades, and caused a period of great political instability beginning after the assassination of Prince Fritz I in 1749.

The assassination of Prince Fritz I, led to the ascension of Fritz's son Hans to the throne despite the fact that he was only seventeen years old. Hans was a rather inept reactionary monarch and during his reign much of the political progress achieved under his predecessors was destroyed. Fritz expanded the privileges of the aristocrats, and curtailed the rights of the common people by removing the charters of the cities and allowing aristocrats to tax the peasants. These policies caused widespread resentment from both the rural peasants, and the urban burghers. This resentment continued to fester for over half a century until it exploded in the late 1700s in the face of Hans successor Prince Marvin II.

The Glorious Revolution

Main Article: The Glorious Revolution of 1789

In 1787 Fritz I died, and Marvin II succeeded him. Marvin II unlike Fritz I was a liberal minded monarch, who was concerned by the power of the aristocracy. As such Marvin II attempted to destroy the privilege position of the aristocracy and restore the rights of the common people, and naturally the aristocrats opposed these reforms. Seeing the threat to their lifestyle the aristocrats took up arms to protect their lifestyle in 1789.

This revolt removed all options for Marvin II, except for him to appeal to the common people, which he promptly did. Marvin II promised a restoration of the charters of the cities, the removal of aristocrat imposed taxes, and the creation of a Parliament the Landtag to represent the people. These demands furthered the resolve of the aristocrats, and caused the burghers and peasants to arm themselves in the name of the Prince.

The armies of the Aristocrats and the Royalists clashed in the bloody indecisive battles of West Königsburg, Bernburg, Transberg, and Vestholm. The stalemate continued until Aristocrat forces under the leadership of Barron Howard von Trap marched on Wittenburg in 1791. The Royalist forces met the Aristocrats outside Wittenburg near the village of Danzig, where the Royalist forces smashed the Aristocrats.

After the battle of Danzig the forces of the Aristocrats fled north across the boarder to the Northern Saxon provinces where they disbanded. The Landtag's survival was thus ensured, and the participation of the masses inspired the future Revolution of 1848 and The Saxon War of Unification. The country however was weary from war after the Revolution, and thus guaranteeing that the Principality would pursue a policy neutrality which steered the Principality clear of the Napolionic Wars.

The Early 1800s

The Glorious Revolution exhausted Saxe-Wittenburg, and most Saxons though inspired by the French Revolution were not willing to overthrow the Monarchy. Instead the Landtag imitated a series of democratic reforms such as the creation of a Constitution, a civil code, and a bureaucracy. These reforms satisfied most Saxons, and thus unlike many other nations Saxe-Wittenburg experience a period of political stability during the Napoleonic Wars. The Napoleonic Wars also were quite profitable for most Saxons, as Saxony supplied goods and recourses to both the French and British during the wars, and unlike the United States, Saxe-Wittenburg managed to maintain it's neutrality through the whole conflict.

The Napoleonic Wars also encouraged many Saxons in the Swedish administered Provinces to rise up multiple times beginning in 1801, however none of these rebellions were successful. These rebellions further increased most Saxons in the Swedish administered Provinces' hostility towards the Swedish rule. The Swedish administered Provinces suffered terribly from these rebellions, as farms and villages were put to the torch, and towns were put under siege. Most of the fighting was small skirmishes between Saxons and Swedes, however there were several long term sieges of small towns which lasted several months. By 1812 the Swedes had once again been victorious over the rebels, and once more Swedish rule was guaranteed.

After the Napoleonic Wars, the economic boom in Saxe-Wittenburg slowly subsided. The boom though unlike the one that was during the Thirty Years War was more evenly distributed between rural and urban areas, and as such there was an increase in demand for consumer goods which increased economic growth. This demand for consumer goods caused an increase in manufacturing in the cities, and helped Saxe-Wittenburg industrialize earlier then many central European Nations.

The Revolution of 1850 and the Saxon War of Unification

Main Article: The Saxon War of Unification

In 1850 the fires of revolution once more reached Saxe-Wittenburg as the fires of nationalism was stoked by the revolutions in Europe. The citizens of the city of Karlsburg were the first to act, revolting against the high taxes the Swedish authorities and sizing the local armory. This rebellion was unlike many previous ones successful, and the province petitioned to be annexed by the Principality.

This annexation was not recognized by the Swedish government, and Swedish troops invaded the province of Silberküste, and clashed with Saxon troops outside of Stahlburg. The Battle of Stahlburg was a bloody three day long battle with both sides continuing to send reinforcements. However on the third day Saxon troops cut off the main road to Stahlburg, which prevented Swedish reinforcements form arriving, and thus forcing the Swedes to retreat. This victory though came at a huge cost with over 125,000 Saxon casualties and a 140,000 Swedish casualties.

The Swedish government despite the disastrous loss at Stahlburg continued to fight on. The Swedes over the next three months were evicted from all but two of the provinces. This war was extremely costly for the Principality, in both human and financial terms. The Swedes had implemented a blockade soon after the battle of Stahlburg, which brought commerce to a halt.

In early 1851 the Army of the Principality marched upon the the small town of Holsburg, which served as the main supply deposit for the Swedish army in the provinces of Nordland and Grönland. The Swedes had clung onto these two provinces despite the determined efforts of the Army of the Principality. The Saxon troops seized the deposit and prepared defensive positions, which the Swedes in Hammerfest immediately started marching towards Holsburg upon the discovery of its capture. The two armies clashed in the second bloodiest battle of the war over a period of two days. The Swedish forces charged three times towards the Saxon defensive lines and were repulsed each time. These charges led by Brigadier Adolf Gross were disastrous and resulted in 35,000 Swedish casualties. Soon after these charges the Saxon troops led by the Crown Prince Rudolf Wittenburg, launched a counter attack which routed the Swedish Army.

The Swedish defeat at the battle of Holsburg marked the end of hostilities, as the Swedish Army present at the battle was the last major Swedish force upon the island. The Swedes agreed to recognize all the Saxon territorial gains south of the Nord river, and at Stockholm the Kingdom of Saxe-Wittenburg was proclaimed, which encompassed all seven of the historical provinces of the old Kingdom of Saxons along with the land that now comprises of the nation known as [North Vestbeyholm. The Swedes also agreed to renounce the centuries old claim that Saxe-Wittenburg was a vassal of Sweden.

The Era of Integration

The aftermath of the Saxon War of Unification posed several problems to the newly formed Kingdom, the most important being the integration of the five provinces that had been subject to Swedish rule. The nearly six centuries of Swedish rule had caused a huge rift to emerge between the Southern independent provinces, and the Swedish ruled Northern provinces. This rift was apparent in several ways; economic; social; and cultural. However the social-cultural rift was much smaller then the economic rift.

The Saxon government took several measures to help reintegrate the northern provinces. These measures were mostly economic included creating a north-south road system, the introduction of a new currency the Mark, and the construction of a new system of rail lines. These measures were ultimately successful in helping stimulate the economy of the northern provinces, which greatly helped with the reintegration process. These efforts would help all of Saxe-Wittenburg, industrialize much easier and quicker.

The Industrial Revolution

The industrial revolution brought to Saxony a period of huge inequality, which the traditional middle class found quite threatening. The industrial revolution brought about a period of radical politics in Saxony, which led to a great amount of civil unrest. This period of civil unrest culminated in Kongsplatz massacre, which led to a huge amount of government reforms ranging from universal suffrage for all males, minimum wage reform, to health and safety regulations. These regulations ultimately helped in the period of instability fallowing WWI.

The industrial revolution also awakened the Vestbeyholmian middle class, which caused the North Vestbeyholmian urban middle class to organize itself into several organizations, whose demands were for independence. This campaign though peaceful took a large period of time for it to fully manifest itself, finally did so on with the largely peaceful mass march on New Rīga, which made the Saxon government fully awake to what was happening in what was formerly a largely quite province. The Saxon Government therefore decided that the best most peaceful solution was to organize a referendum in North Vestbeyholm on the matter of independence. This referendum hugely in favor of independence resulted in the creation of North Vestbeyholm.

Saxony and World War I

Saxe-Wittenburg was neutral during WWI, despite heavy pressure from both the Central Powers and the Allies to change this stance. The majority of Saxons however were sympathetic towards the Central Powers. The war however caused an economic boom in Saxe-Wittenburg due to the demand for goods which was created by the belligerents. This boom caused a labor shortage, which in response saw a increase in the number of women in the workplace.

The Spanish influenza caused a large amount of unrest among the working classes of Saxe-Wittenburg, as they suffered more than the upper classes in this influenza. This unrest culminated in the Konigsplatz massacre in which demonstrators, who were protesting for the establishment of a government subsidies for those without healthcare, were killed by staat soldaten (State Militia) who were ordered to break up the protest by the mayor of Dresden. There is still much academic debate over exactly what happened which caused the troops to open fire, however some scholars believe that a scuffle between a staat soldat and a protester expanded and the staat soldat opened fire, and upon hearing the shot the rest of the staat soldaten opened fire. The aftermath of this was 24 dead protesters and 50 wounded. The Saxon public was shocked and outraged over this, and the government was forced to respond.

The government implemented sweeping new reforms to the welfare system which before then had been quite poor. The results we’re a much improved healthcare and pension system which addressed the public anger. However these changes would feed the burning resentment which conservatives had been feeling for the last several decades.

The First Vestbeyholmian War

Main Article: The First Vestbeyholmian War

On August 22nd 1919 the forces of Nordhelm invaded North Vestbeyholm. This invasion brought into force the alliance which had existed between Saxe-Wittenburg and North Vestbeyholm. Thus the Saxon Army was mobilized for the war, which caused a patriotic fervor to sweep through the land. The majority of Saxons naively believed that the war would be over by Christmas.

The War did not go well, and within several months the Capital of North Vestbeyholm New Riga was occupied by the Nordlander forces, after a short three day battle the Nordlanders captured New Riga and forced the North Vestbeyholmian forces to retreat to the Siebengebirge mountain range.

The majority of the fully mobilized Saxon Army soon joined the North Vestbeyholmians in the Siebengebirge mountains.Within a month both sides were digging in. These positions were heavily fortified, and thus the war was soon turned into a war of attrition, with both sides suffering heavy casualties. Numerous attempts were made by both sides to advance however the only result of these offensives were casualties numbering in the tens of thousands. The defensive positions in these mountains soon became known as the Stahlhelm line, on account of the Stahlhelms which Saxon troops wore.

On May 24th 1921, the Nordlanders using the newly developed tanks broke through the Stahlhelm line, and within the next week their forces advanced one hundred and thirty miles. This brought them to the outskirts of Fort Freiheit, which was at the time the northernmost military base and fortress in Saxe-Wittenburg. The Nordlanders began a long and bitter siege of the fortress. Fort Freiheit was the last line of defense for the northern provinces main transportation hub of Cologne. The Commander of the garrison Field Marshal Paul Larson declared that the “fortress shall never fall”. however on July 13th the fortress was surrounded, which cut the I. Korps of the Allied Army which was comprised of over 25,000 Saxon and 5,000 Vestbeyholmian soldiers from any reinforcements and supplies. Within two months the garrison had exhausted half of its supplies and had suffered 10,000 casualties. The Nordlanders though despite the heavy losses which the defenders inflicted, launched one final offensive directed at the fortress on September 15th. This offensive broke through the defensive positions and within two days the main buildings within the fortress were destroyed, and the allied forces had suffered another 5,000 casualties. The Field Marshall seeing that his position was hopeless signed the articles of surrender for the garrison.

The Saxon public was stunned by the defeat at the battle of Fort Freiheit. The army prior to this had assured the public that the war was going well, despite the earlier territorial losses. The casualties from the war had nearly reached two hundred and fifty thousand. Out of the prewar army of 50,000 strong only 5,000 soldiers remained, the replacements for those who were killed or wounded were often ill trained conscripts. Saxe-Wittenburg had suffered heavily during the war, and thus many within the government were willing to negotiate for peace, and a delegation was sent to Nordhelm.

The Delegation was coolly received by the Nordlanders, and when the Nordlanders delivered their demands they were far more severe than anyone could have predicted. The terms which the Nordlanders offered were; Saxe-Wittenburg would have to recognize the Nordhelm annexation of North Vestbeyholm; Saxe-Wittenburg must abolish conscription; Saxe-Wittenburg would have to cede the border villages of Mecklenburg and Memel; Saxe-Wittenburg must not have an army over the size of 10,000 soldiers.

These terms were viewed with much hostility from both the left and the right within Saxe-Wittenburg. The right believed that the army had been stabbed in the back by the left wing elements within the centrist government. The left believed that the right had caused an unnecessary war which had nearly destroyed the country. On November 14th 1921 the Peace treaty was signed by the Saxon Delegation and the Nordlander delegation.

Geography

Saxe-Wittenburg is a mountainous country with multiple mountain ranges spread throughout the country. The country's major rivers' sources steam from these mountain ranges, and provide a plentiful source of water for the populace. Saxe-Wittenburg has several large forests in the low lying plains in the eastern and western parts of the country.

The climate of Saxe-Wittenburg is a Humid continental climate with warm humid summers and cold winters. Winters are often bitterly cold especially within the mountainous areas of Saxe-Wittenburg and heavy snow falls are not uncommon. Summers are typically hot and humid with high temperatures, however areas near the large bodies of water are typically cooler due to lake effect.

Demographics

Population

Currently the population of Saxe-Wittenburg is estimated to be at 41 Million. The majority (75%) of Saxons reside in urban areas, which is the result of industrialization. The remaining 25% of the population is in rural areas where industries such as mining and agriculture have encouraged individuals to remain despite the industrialization which encouraged migration to urban areas. Most employment opportunities are however concentrated in the ten largest cities in Saxe-Wittenburg, and thus almost about a quarter of all Saxons living in urban areas live in the ten biggest cities.

During the 19th and 20th centuries Saxe-Wittenburg experienced a massive amount of immigration from what is now Germany, Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic which resulted in a massive increase in the population. The biggest increase of all though was after the failure of the Revolution of 1848 in Europe, which sparked massive amounts of immigration to Saxe-Wittenburg.

Language

Saxon is the official language of Saxe-Wittenburg, and is one of the official languages of the Nelborne Union. The majority (95%) of Saxe-Wittenburgers speak the Saxon language as their mother tongue or first language. The majority of Saxons (91%) who do not speak Saxon as a first language however do have either proficient knowledge or basic knowledge of the Saxon language. The majority of Saxe-Wittenburgers are literate with Saxon is around 99.1% of the population. Around 5% of the population speaks Swedish which is a has official recognition as a minority Language in around 4 of the 7 provinces.

Religion

Most Saxe-Wittenburgers are registered as members of the Church of Saxony which is a Lutheran Church and the official state church of Saxe-Wittenburg, with 77% of the population registered as members makes this the largest Church in all of Saxe-Wittenburg. The Constitution of Saxe-Wittenburg requires the reigning monarch to be a member of the Church of Saxony. Religion is an important role in the majority if Saxe-Wittenburgers lives. Within Saxe-Wittenburg there is a sizable Catholic minority which comprises of 22% of the population and makes the Catholic Church the second largest religious institution within Saxe-Wittenburg. In addition to the Catholic minority there is also a small Jewish minority comprising of 1% of the population.

Ethnicity

The majority of Saxe-Wittenburgers are Saxons, however many Saxons are descended from Germanic immigrants who immigrated in the 19th and 20th centuries, these immigrants rapidly assimilated. There are sizable minorities of Swedes in the Südinsel Islands District, and small communities in the Province of Nordland. In total 95% of the population of Saxony is Saxon, 4% of the population is Swedish, and 1% being other ethnicity. However in the Südinsel Islands Swedes make up 48% of the Population, Saxons make up 48%, and English make up 4% of the population.Traditionally relations between the Swedes and Saxons has been rather poor owing to the multiple wars between Sweden and Saxony.

Government

Saxe-Wittenburg is a Constitutional Monarchy, with His Majesty King Karl II being the current monarch and head of state. The Legislative Body of Saxe-Wittenburg is the Landtag which is a unicameral legislative body comprised of 100 members elected every 2 years. The province's representation in the Landtag is biased on population. This however Leeds to a large number of coalitions, which means that Saxe-Wittenburg governments tend to stay in power for shorter periods of time then many of their counterparts. Traditionally though socialist and liberal parties have dominated the Landtag, and conservative parties have been left as the opposition.

The Executive power in Saxe-Wittenburg is invested in the Monarch of Saxe-Wittenburg's council, which is led by the Prime Minister of Saxe-Wittenburg. The Judiciary of Saxe-Wittenburg is independent from the Executive and Legislative branch. The Constitution of Saxe-Wittenburg which transformed the Monarchy from being a Absolute Monarchy to a Constitutional Monarchy. The Saxe-Wittenburg Constitution grants freedoms of speech and ensures the order of law. Under the Constitution of Saxe-Wittenburg the Monarchy is mostly symbolic and has served as symbol of unity for the country. The current Monarch is King Karl of the House of Wittenburg. The Constitution ensures that there is a set system of government which, ensures that there is very little reliance upon traditions for the Government processes.

Foreign Relations and Military

Saxe-Wittenburg is a current member of the Nelborne Union, and the government of Saxe-Wittenburg attempts to be an active participant in regional politics. The government of Saxe-Wittenburg utilizes a combination of trade and alliances to ensure that Saxe-Wittenburg is well protected from the turmoil in the world. Saxe-Wittenburg maintains close ties with Bradonia and Seketan, and has alliances with these nations. These alliances ensure that if one of the member parties was attacked it would be viewed as a attack upon all the members of the alliance. The government of Saxe-Wittenburg has been much less aggressive in it's conduct of foreign policy then many of the other members of the Nelborne Union.

The Royal Saxon Armed Forces is composed of the Royal Saxon Army, Royal Saxon Marine Corps, Royal Saxon Navy, and the Royal Saxon Air Force. The Commander in Chief of the Royal Saxon Armed Forces is King Karl VII, who is the supreme commander of the Royal Armed Forces. The current Secretary of Defense is Hans Stahl Graf van Coburg-Niederwald, who is the head of the defense department and de facto second in command. The Royal Saxon Military is more geared towards a rapid response defense than towards offense, and as such during the invasion of Blairholm Royal Saxon troops were noted to be less effective then the troops of the other coalition members. Conscription was ended after WWII in Saxe-Wittenburg, and ever since the armed forces of Saxe-Wittenburg have purely been professionals. This however means that the Saxe-Wittenburg armed forces are notably smaller in size then many of the other members of the [region=Nelborne Union].

Economy

The Saxe-Wittenburg economy is heavily dependent on manufacturing with over 80% of the economy is attributed to manufacturing. The manufacturing sector of the Saxe-Wittenburgian economy is dominated by steel, and automobile production. The Schatze-Jaeger Stahl Firma which is one of the largest manufacturing firms in all of Saxe-Wittenburg, and makes a wide range of products ranging from arms to ships to automobile frames. In addition to the Schatze-Jaeger Stahl Firma, the Saxon Auto Werke is a major player in manufacturing automobiles for domestic consumption.

Saxe-Wittenburg is also home to a large book publishing industry dominated by Olbricht Verlagsgesellschaft, which is the largest publishing house in all of Saxe-Wittenburg and controls over 45% of the publishing market. Tourism is also a growing industry, due to the rich cultural heritage which Saxe-Wittenburg is home to. The tourism industry has by far been the fastest growing industry within Saxe-Wittenburg in the last three years, with the industry growing by over 125%. The tourism industry now composes of around 5% of the total economy.

Infrastructure

Saxe-Wittenburg's transportation infrastructure is mainly oriented towards mass transit. The Saxon railroad network is the main source of transportation for most Saxons. The Saxon railroad network was constructed in 1900 and is publicly owned. The public utilities such as gas, electric, and the majority of other infrastructure is controlled by state owned firms, which are paid for by the taxpayers. The government also grants free utilities to impoverished households which is part of the Social Welfare policy of the current government.