Revolutionary period of Empherias

Revolutionary period
2395–2448
Monarch(s)	James VII Abigail George IV Roxanne
Leader(s)	Russell Montgomery Maisie Zoey King Felix D'laminet Elizabeth Rose Henry Watford Robert Webber Alice Rettels Edward Broedesmore Skylar Lawrence Katelyn Roberts Sofia Hopkins Lukas Knight
← Preceded by Evergreen period Followed by → Alaxian period

The Revolutionary period was the era of Empherias history between 2395 and 2448. The period began following the 2395 revolution, ending the Evergreen period. The period came to an end because of Empherias' admittance to the High Kingdoms of Alaxia, beginning the Alaxian period.

2395 Revolution

Main article: 2395 Revolution of Empherias

Background

Decades of a general political shift towards right wing conservativism and luceroanism in elitist circles saw both major political parties, the Liberals and the Conservatives, adopt further out of touch policies to appeal to the very few elites who could vote in elections. Because of intense corruption, a restricted electorate, and a biased electoral system, there were no major opposition beyond ankrankist parties who couldn't gain more than a very few amount of seats. This led to a consistent back and forth of Liberal to Conservative governments with no major policy shifts in the latter half of the 24th century. There were some members of the parties, such as in the Liberal party, who did want to push for more liberalisation. These were the Mellow Evergreens, formerly part of the dominant but since defunct political party of the early 2300s, but were not able to gain enough political favour across the Liberal elite to create much change. This was even more apparent after the assassination of former prime minister Spencer Young, and the death of many Evergreen thinkers in the 2350s and 2360s.

General unrest was beginning to grow across the late century especially with growing religious divides with the common selbyists being treated less so by luceroanist employers. A growth of luceroanist employers also saw heightened discrimination against women and gay people, and a trend of disliking the poor. The affect of the industrial revolution on living conditions also saw many of the lower classes completely fed up with their government. With rising excess deaths and overworking, trade unions became very popular and democratic values spread intensely. Trade unions would even begin to help those discriminated against fight for better treatment. In some areas of the country, trade unions were very much in control of local governance and were sometimes trusted more than the government. A lot of these trade unions and other movements for change are labelled loosely as 'populist movements'.

Some of these movements blamed capitalism as a systemic issue and advocated for a more communal trade union approach. Others liked the ideas of their local trade union and would wish of a larger trade union for the entire country with a big government. Some were just dissatisfied with the most recent prime ministers - Jack Kaur and Russell Montgomery, who were brothers and benefited from nepotism and were considerably incompetent - and thought it was time for another shift back to the Liberal party. Some believed it was the royal family, or sometimes just incumbent rijkse James VII who was tyrannical. Many favoured a republic. But many agreed on the base ideas of necessary electoral reform and democratic values to be introduced, as well as regulations for working people. General strikes would begin across the late 2380s and 2390s, with the largest being a large shutdown to the Alexandria region of Wynnoa for 5 weeks across August and September 2391. However, the government would try and curb trade union powers in 2392 after at first promising some reform. They would also begin forcibly disbanding large trade unions who were governing towns and replacing them with unitary authorities ran by local nobility. One such town: Brekenreidkegt, in Esthullen, whose governing trade union, the Union of Brekenreidkegt, was disbanded in October 2392 and replaced by an authority ran by the Duke Anerheim Eystaveil. This happened to many other smaller towns across the country, but mostly on the Ewynn nearer larger cities. Strikes would continue across the 2390s in different varieties, with some trade unions even hiring well paid militia and having standoffs with the government. In some places far removed from the capital such as the far north, the largest trade unions were de-facto running independently of the government.

Brekenreidkegt Brekepaine rebellion

Main article: 2395 Brekenreidkegt Brekepaine Rebellion

The Brekenreidkegt Brekepaine is widely regarded to be the spark for the full-scale revolution. The name is based off of the 2394 novel of the same name written by Lewis Rhommel. Rhommel had been a follower of populism in the country for many years and lived in Brekenreidkegt, one of the towns affected by the trade union crackdown. He wrote of his experiences in the two years and urged the public for action. He named prominent populist figures and urged for power to consolidate around them as ring leaders for a coming push to reform. Furthermore, across the nation several activists for a liberalisation of the nation, would use this ammo to fuel more discontent and raised the appeal for a revolution. The novel became one of the best selling of all time but was quickly outlawed - but remained alive due to underground selling. The novel also gained the support of many middle class people who were usually selbyist still and were feeling for the poorer or worse off than them. Although maybe some middle class people supported the movement because they felt the tide swinging and wanted to be on the right side. Some supported the movement because they believed that with the elite overthrown, they were next in the hierarchy to take over their roles.

After weeks of smaller scale protests, the Brekenreidkegt Town Hall building was seized in the early morning at around half past four on 25 January 2395 by around five hundred middle class civilians, with hundreds of lit torches and common weapons such as cricket bats, fencing swords and cooking knives. However, the pure amount of people forced the doors to break under pressure and the people to swarm through the front gates. One of the leaders of this protest was Edgard Morrison, an avid populist, who wanted to convince Eystaveil in the area to free up voting regulations and allow people to vote and elect a new representative of the people. This was important as a new tax law, which would've raised taxes, was about to be passed by the government. With windows smashed, royal guards stabbed and killed, the Duke fled the scene and declared an emergency to James VII and the prime minister. Brekenreidkegt is located very closely to Esthullen, the administrative capital, and so he was housed safely with the king and word spread quick. In total, there were 44 people killed in the rebellion, with 19 of those being royal guards, and the other 25 being civilians and protestors. Morrison would make a speech at the scene known as the Hopeful Declaration, declaring a 'new democratic age for our country and our people'. Morrison would establish a 'State of Brekenreidkegt' on 27 January 2395.

Aerogastnicht and other civil unrest

Main articles: 2395 Aerogastnicht and The Black Year

What followed was massive civil unrest, worse than ever before, across the country known as the Black Year. There were large numbers of protests in almost every town and city imaginable with government members in. In some areas, while the idea of independence hadn't been thrown around, dominant trade unions increased their militia and ordered the arrest of all government officials in the area. The government pushed for an expansion to the military to put down wide scale riots, such as the Georgina Riot on 3 February 2395, where 258 rioters were arrested, and 8 died.

Henry Alark, a former army lieutenant who was well known within the movement for his radical and militarist approach, led a large faction known as the Alarkists. In early February, he officially formed the Alark Corps with backing from a local trade union in Zerwynn and pushed to start a violent revolution to overthrow the king.

The Aergoastnicht took place on 28 March 2395. It was a night of murders of key autocratic figures leading to the death of twelve members of parliament, three royal guards, thirteen councillors, twenty-five upper class nobles, and two other deaths, with the attempted murder or serious injury of another 55. It had been planned in an underground newspaper and violent group for weeks and targeted people from across the country. Some spies did discover some of the plots for the government, leading to some plots being ousted in advance. The night allowed for the prime minister to begin major profile arrests under the guise of public safety concerns, notably the arresting of Felix D'laminet - a former civil servant and famous populist journalist.

The Storming of Parliament

Main article: Battle of Parliament (2395)

Since February, Henry Alark had been planning an attempted coup. He moved to the small town of Skeulbourg to rally his troops and even recruit former troops of the national army. He armed his troops with military grade equipment and prepared to storm the government in April. Beginning at the King's Palace, five hundred troops and Alark himself stormed the capital which created mass panic in the city. The king had since fled to Rommes, while the prime minister had promptly left parliament after hearing about the incoming attack from intelligence. The national guard had been alerted and 1,000 troops from the army came to confront the Alarkists, believing that it was enough to 'destroy the malnourished'. During the seizure, Alark gained another 195 in milita-men and captured several rich manors, the parliament, and occupied the central town. In the parliament in particular, three members of parliaments and another 8 nobles were brutally slaughtered by members of Alark's militia. Some eyewitnesses saw famous local politicians on pikes around the city. Hoping to siege the city rather than engage, the royal guards were forced to confront Alark's troops after hearing of the brutal crimes being committed and fearing that the populists could claim themselves as the legitimate government. The government was also worried of other militias coming to Alark's defence and encircling the royal guards. Therefore, the Royal Guards engaged Alark's forces in a large park near the central town and an urban battle began on 26 April, a week into the populist occupation.

After eight hours of urban warfare, Alark's forces were forced to retreat due to the superior firepower and higher manpower of the army. Towards the battle's conclusion, several of the militia on the populist side fled and the side became incredibly disorganised while the army maintained organisation. Alark fled the city alongside prominent members, and many in Alark's forces were arrested and put on trial for treason. 201 were executed across May and June, with the rest in prison or escaped. Ultimately, the government had won the battle and managed to re-control the capital. They believed that they could now take control and end the revolution. The government would again arrest many prominent populists after their display of force. Edgard Morrison was captured after the government invaded the Brekenreidkegt state on 2 May 2395 where he was then sent to a detention centre in Vreimer. Morrison was executed on 5 May 2395 and became a martyr.

Protests and general strikes would continue less frequently throughout May and June with some fearing of the government's latest effective crackdown - although many still believed the government was weak after they lost the capital for 7 days. Winter would come and it would be quite brutal across June, July, and August. During the winter, D'laminet managed to create a network despite his imprisonment to distribute articles for newspapers to stir tension. Despite panic from the government that D’laminet was dangerous, some were concerned that his execution could lead to a similar fate as Morrison’s which could see more protests occur. Instead, the government continued to relocate him, and managed to intercept some letters, but many guards and even government officials allowed him to continue out of sympathy and loyalty to the movement.

The Princess Coup

Main article: The Princess Coup

James VII's government, fearful of the damage that these spreading ideas could have, clamped down on any free speech and brought on draconian measures. Mock executions on insignificant populists took place and the government sent disloyal army officials to re-education centres. In many towns and cities further away from the central government, some of these rules were ignored who believed that they were unjustified. Populist takeovers of towns, similar to that of Brekenreidkegt, took place - especially in the southeast and northwest. National strikes took place once again during the summer, with a major one occurring on 7 September 2395. Trade unions in particular would play a crucial part in weakening government control. Upwards of 90% of all towns in the modern day province of the North were completely controlled by independent trade unions who had began implementing some reforms already. Trade unions even grow in places where the government would ordinarily have great control, such as south of the Ewynn, in Palarya, and even some parts of Wynnoa.

With growing confidence, Henry Alark again recruited people, this time from several trade unions, and formed a new army of 2,500 troops. They were equipped with stolen army barracks after several raids in September and October. They laid low in November and sent out disinformation through known spies instead of imprisoning them. Then, when the time came, the spies were purged and Alark marched on Rommes to the King's residence on 29 December 2395. Aided by several loyal trade union-controlled towns on the way, Alark reached the royal palace with little resistance and little notice to the royal guards. Furthermore, the eldest daughter and heir to the throne Crown Princess Abigail, had been in correspondence with many populist figures since as early as 2393 and sympathised with their cause, and had been spreading disinformation to the king herself as one of his trusted members of the courts. Abigail had never liked her father, but didn't want to be disowned, and many believed she gained her position as an anti-establishment figure with liberal and socialist beliefs during her upbringing where her family was absent.

Alark was ultimately successful and defeated a contingent of 300 royal guards with ease and captured the palace. The King narrowly escaped in a small convoy and fled to the neighbouring country of the Hveden Federation, where their monarchy had only recently been re-established in 2390. Before fleeing to Hvede, the King was keen to try and remain in the country, but his small convoy encountered trade union militias in any major town they went - and thus they choose to go to a safe third option.

Abigail had moved to a safe undisclosed location in Vreimer just hours before the storm of the palace, but was quick to express her support for the revolution. Once her father had fled in early 2396, she took control and declared that James VII had de-facto abdicated by leaving the country. She was declared the Rijkdottir Abigail I on 11 January 2396.

She pardoned and released Felix D’laminet, and other populists persecuted for their ideology, from prison. She dissolved the corrupt parliament and installed her friend, Maisie Zoey King, as an interim Prime Minister. D’laminet met with Abigail many times and D’laminet used his influence over the populist movement to show support for the monarchy under Abigail, while she agreed to remove more powers from the monarchy - which she wished to do regardless. She was quick to remove all influence of her father and his noble allies across the country. She made frequent addresses assuring her citizens and both the army and now the populists embraced their new ruler.

The interim government pushed to immediately be more radical to gain the favour of the general public. They initially wanted to execute all former Conservative prime ministers on the basis they committed treason against the Empheri people. Of the surviving, the incumbent Prime Minister Russell Montgomery, the 2nd Lord Grey, was arrested and sentenced to death; his brother and former PM Jack Kaur, the 1st Lord Grey, had his titles stripped after he fled to Ahitereira; and Thomas Wright, Baron of Stonegrave was arrested but died of natural causes in custody. Former Liberal prime minister Wigfred Marksdottir would be put on house arrest until 2405, and would die in 2428 of natural causes aged 98.

Rijkdottir Abigail began finally began tweaking her government in December 2396, and invited Felix D'laminet to form a government as her prime minister on 1 January 2397.

Felix D'laminet's tenure (2397–2411)

See also: Provisional Government of Empherias, Second D'laminet administration of Empherias, and Third D'laminet administration of Empherias

D'laminet's First term

Felix D'laminet as prime minister didn't have much direct experience running the country, so he wanted to get as much talent as he could to run the government. Furthermore, he was aware that the country needed stability as well as the Populist movement. He needed to include all branches of the populist ideology to appease everybody - including the violent Alarkist movement. One of D'laminet's key objectives was to modernise the state and finally finish the industrialisation process. But, he was still worried about the new faction of Frankists which had congregated and wished to restore the monarchy to power under the previous monarch, James VII. Many nobles and monarchists had fled to neighbouring countries though and D'laminet wished to put the violent Alarkists into a department that could handle any insurgency attempt. Therefore, one of the first departments that the Prime Minister created was the Department of War and Civil Obedience. He then appointed Henry Alark as it's minister, and appointed many of his allies to key posts as parliamentary undersecretaries to the department, heads of the civil service, or into the Armed Forces of Empherias.

Noble Insurgency

Henry Alark, the newly appointed Minister of War, would be tasked with turning the military into a formidable force able to fend off against a noble insurgency if it happened. General William Weslington was made Chief of the Armed Forces and would begin rigorous army officer training with appointments based on a meritocracy rather than birth-right. The National Army of Empherias would be reformatted from the previous monarchist rule and would be indoctrinated into new democratic values and taught at their military schools the negatives of monarchist rule. Elite troops would be inducted into the Royal Guards which would hold permanent standings in major cities and train lower ranked troops and officers. Various militia would be made up of volunteers and would begin training of two years - although there was fear in government that they didn't have that time.

The Battle of Priscei Cathedral broke out as noblemen rose up in the city of Priscei on 7 September 2397 and capture the city without resistance. Using local farms and food stores, they held in the town for two weeks as they were surrounded by the Empherias Army. Henry Alark personally. The noblemen, Lord Peter Rindelburg, had around 5000 militia although they were poorly trained and armed following restrictions on gun usage. The army surrounding the city was made up of 600 royal guards, and 15,000 national army troops. They laid a blockade which lowered the supplies of the nobles until 14 September. The following day, Alark ordered a siege and barraged the city from all sides. Due to superior training and morale, the Populist suffered just 800 casualties while the poor morale of the noblemen troops (because they fought out of obligation not genuine agreement) led to 4300 casualties, wiping out nearly the whole army from injuries, death or prisoners of war. Henry Alark had won the battle within just a week. Lord Peter was captured, had his titles stripped and was put on trial as a regular man in the Court of Wynnoa where he was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death.

The embarrassing defeat of the insurgency saw monarchist support dwindle. Many local lords still in power were forced to support the government or be moved from their posts by force from the people. The former Rijkse's disappearance and apparent happiness to live in a country estate in Hvede also led to the idea that the change to government was supported by the God as the new Rijkdottir supported the change. Many placed trust in the new government, especially the working class, who were able to vote for the first time. Some monarchist supporting nobles were stripped of their titles and lands to scare other lords from supporting monarchism. Rijkdottir Abigail released a statement on 1 December 2397 which essentially announced her decision to remove all her proper power and give it to the Prime Minister via royal prerogative, making her fundamentally a figurehead.

Domestic policies

Felix D'laminet's main priority was modernising all laws within Empherias. Although serfdom and slavery was uncommon, it was outlawed entirely in the End of Serfdom Act 2397 with an end to all loopholes. He introduced a group of inspectors called the Inspector Elite, made up of tax collectors and other such guards, to go to real estate and make sure the land owners were obeying the law, paying the right taxes, etc. Furthermore he established the Department of Intelligence to led by Spymaster Sir James Cairns. These spies would not be used for neighbouring countries but be used to spy on prominent nobility to ensure they weren't plotting a counter revolution. The department was key in alerting the government to the later noble insurgency and the Battle of Priscei Cathedral and may be credited for helping in the Populist victory. The Protection of Artefacts Act 2397 legally protected ancient artefacts and monuments under government ownership to be delegated to public or private museums with licences - however it allowed the government to seize any personal property it wished using a loophole. Furthermore, the prison system was reformed in the Prisons Act 2397 which notably expanded the reasons that one could be sent to prison. A controversial new law was the ability of the judiciary to sentence people to death on the terms of conspiracy, which resulted in hundreds of nobles being killed without much evidence. The enlisting of soldiers was made easier and it's training programmes expanded under Henry Alark and the People's Army Act 2397.

One of the things that D'laminet wanted to normalise was the delivery of a biannual budget by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Henry Watford with review to scrutiny by parliament. This made it clear that government spending could be criticised and be held accountable to opposition MPs outside of an election. A majority of MPs, if against the budget, could hold a vote to delay the budget to ask for amendments, but the executive would ultimately have final say when the budget becomes official six weeks after it's introduction into the chamber. Robert Webber, the First Lord of the Treasury would work with Watford often and this shifted their bond closer together outside of cabinet meetings with D'laminet, developing the Double W Relationship.

The official coronation of Rijkdottir Abigail occurred on 21 December 2397 where she made an incredibly powerful speech to the House of Parliament and swore to never be a tyrant and refrain herself from politics.

In May 2398, Alistair Rettels and Harry Redworks travelled with an envoy to the Hveden Federation to stop any idea of intervention in a position insurrection by monarchists harbouring in Hvede - and for asking for legitimised recognition of the new government. Similar trips would carry on throughout the term to all neighbouring nations.

February 2399 saw the introduction of the Ministry of Information, headed by Minister for Information Emmelie Ratsenberg. A new public paper, the "Eye in Esthullen" would be managed and headed by the ministry but private papers would be promoted to. It is believed that this year saw a large scale collaboration of the Ministries of Intelligence and Information to curb monarchist sentiment.

Felix D'laminet worked with the appointed Minister of Health Bonnie Wallace to establish the Empherias Healthcare Service. Whilst tooling on the department, the Chancellor of the Exchequer suggest paying for the service via an increase in traditional income taxes but after consideration this idea was dropped in favour of a new national insurance system. The healthcare service would purchase all private healthcare companies and services and integrate their systems into a large unified and efficient service. These healthcare companies would have no choice in the acquisition but would receive compensation and job offers within the new service. Initially, dentists, opticians and ear doctors were not covered under the healthcare service although it did introduce government loans for these services at reduced interest and increased return time.

The welfare state would also include state pensions and a sickness benefit. Child benefits would be introduced soon after which would be paid to families per child if their parents didn't earn enough income. Felix D'laminet did not introduce benefits to pay for those unemployed or homeless as it introduced the Office for the Unemployed which would help people find jobs and had begun the process of building thousands of new social housing. Benefits would be exempt from slaves and be attainable by all working or had citizenship or a primacy visa.

Henry Alark would found the Navy of Empherias on 3 March 2400 and would hold a massive ceremony on the Ewynn river for it. Minister of Foreign Affairs Alistair Rettels announced that a deal with the government of Ahitereira-Koresa had been signed after various rounds of negotiations on 1 July 2401. This deal, the Treaty of Nieuwbourg, was ratified by the Empheri parliament on 28 November 2401 after some unforeseen delay. It would see Empherias gain an ocean-side port on international waters and the Navy assigned it as their main base of operations - the deal went into effect on 1 January 2402. The treaty would see a huge uptick in support for the nation as allies and also showed the government that the nation may be ready for international relations and trade once again as there had been a worry that other countries would be worried of spreading the Empherias revolutionary ideals. Empheri workers imported would work alongside local workers to fill local unemployment to build a new port although this would be done with cheap materials in a quick time. The predicted construction closure was expected in late 2403. The port would have tariffs set directly by the Empheri government, but the land the port is on would be rented with $1.2 million paid annually to Ahitereira-Koresa. Furthermore, 50% of all profits earned by the port would be handed over to them too. Several railways were built to connect the port to Vreimer and Tyrs for processing trade. This year began a huge expansion in housing and population in Vreimer.

Homosexuality for both men and women was made officially legal in the Sexualities Act 2402, although it was a non-punishable crime prior to this.

The Election Procedure Act 2402 set the rules of elections. Parliament would be set at a stable 600 MPs to be elected proportionally to population nationwide. It would also expand the ability to vote to a universal franchise of any person of any background over 18 years of age with Empheri citizenship. However, this did exclude skaven peoples (a very tiny minority) who had their own distinct communities and were not eligible for Empheri citizenship. The Immigration Citizenship Act 2402 did make it easier for immigrants to get a type of Empheri citizenship by only requiring a permanent habitation visa for at least two years and spending all but six weeks a year in Empherias. It also required at least eighty percent of assets to be held in Empherias although this was rarely policed as many lacked documentation to prove it. It would also require having a job in Empherias although this was also rarely policed and some immigration officers didn't even include the question. The Parliament Term Act 2402 would make sure elections must take place a maximum of 2000 days (5 and a half years approximately) after a previous general election. The Prime Minister, or a simple majority of parliament, could trigger a general election early at any date giving a mandatory 6 week campaign period.

D'laminet's Second term

See also: 2402 Empherias general election and Treaty of Nieuwbourg

The 2402 general election saw new parties elected to the legislature for the first time in history. Some parties had representation before through defections and rebellions. The Liberals and Conservatives had run prior to the 2395 revolution but had massively reformed their party. The populist ruling party, who previously had free reign over the parliament with few opposition, now had to run a minority government only returning 288 seats. They did take a lot of the leftist vote, though the rival Socialist party led by Elizabeth Rose won 50 seats, while the old Liberals and Conservatives massively declined in terms of seats. They could count on Socialist votes to pass many laws in parliament, with whom policies often overlapped.

During the election campaign, the Populists promised education reform, an investment to infrastructure, and new housing legislation. One infrastructure investment he specifically wanted to focus on was expanding roads for automobile use with more money to big cities to build more public transport systems. He believed heavily in expanding railway usage nationwide.

Housing policies

One of the main priorities for the new administration was to solve a growing housing problem. They would give away large amounts of buildable land on the outskirts of cities and this led to the creation of many new suburbs. It was of the government's interest for these to be poorer in quality than previous and be made from primarily wood. Meanwhile, new builds in the city would be made out of brick and concrete to avoid the spreading of fires in the much denser cities. To lead this, the government created a High-Regulation Building Zone which had strict regulations to building, and a Low-Regulation Building Zone which would have little to no building regulations. HRBZs were given to major city interiors and historical city councils, while LRBZs were given to much smaller towns who wished to expand, and empty plots of land throughout the country. It was important that the new housing was much cheaper and this led to the creation of much smaller suburban houses, and some research and development to larger skyscrapers. The Socialists pushed through legislation that would create a government scheme to make housing purchases cheaper for the working class through mortgage loans for new buyers, and discouraging two house purchases.

By the dissolution of parliament in 2407, various investments made by the D'laminet administration had come to fruition. The infrastructure policy promised in the election promised large scale investment into public infrastructure such as roads, railways, and transport systems. The Minister of Transport reported on 17 March 2407, just before it's dissolution for the 2407 general election, that eleven new railway stations had opened in Wynnoa alone, with a further 35 nationwide. New lines were expanded across the entire country which now included a cross-country railway into the neighbouring nation of Weskynn. A new rail line had been opened in Wynnoa to the South Bank City, finally allowing for quick crossing between the two sides which had previously only been served by a ferry. The minister wasn't able to present a very detailed analysis on the government's role in expanding the highway network, but the government had taken the idea of automobiles seriously and issued the Book on Automobile's Regulations 2404 in response to their growing popularity and launched the Jets Inquiry (2405) into research on efficient roads for automobiles. In the meanwhile, an estimated further 860 km of road had been built. All of these transport improvements were government owned or privately funded in co-ownership with the government.

Other policies

Education reform didn't happen during the second term and was justified to parliament that they Populists didn't have time to create a cohesive curriculum and reform alongside the Socialist compromises that they had to make. In the mean time, they set a minimum schooling age of 5-14 where children must be in full time education in the Provision of Education Act 2404, outlawed all child labour in the Children in the Workforce Act 2405, and made education about maths, Empheri, and some sciences mandatory in the Education Mandatory Curriculum Act 2405.

The Prime Minister, and Minister of Defence Henry Alark announced an expansion to the Empherias army. This included an expansion to the number of reserves, which reached the goal of 70,000 in November 2406. There was also an urge to setup new barracks around larger cities, especially those near foreign countries. This pledge was somewhat successful, with 3 barracks being setup in cities on the Koresan border, 5 on the Palakkinen border and 11 across all other borders. A boy scouts programme was introduced for younger children to learn military discipline and military schools were setup for older students.

Alongside army reforms, the Ministry of Defence founded the Empherias navy in 2403. They pledged to have a working battleship by the end of 2413 which was a lofty and ambitious goal. All construction would happen in Nieuwbourg, as there was a concern of the battleship accidentally causing damage to the city, or being too big for the cities' ports. In order to not risk disobeying the treaty stipulations, fifty-percent of the work on building the battleship would be done by Koresan workers. There were discussions with several world naval powers to acquire plans and blueprints for new ironclad dreadnought type ships, alongside domestic research. The Ministry would

The government would introduce a wealth tax on those earning more than 250,000 krones per year which would be equal to 0.75x their income tax bracket.

D'laminet's Third Term

See also: 2407 Empherias general election

The 2407 general election ended in a similar outcome to the previous - D'laminet leading a minority government with a supply and demand agreement with Elizabeth Rose's socialist party. Not wanting to maintain total life long political power, he began plans to have his deputies have major support from the party and the country and with similar ideas to maintain democracy in a fresh country. Henry Watford and Robert Webber would begin making more frequent statements to the house of parliament as well as addresses via radio and newspapers.

Population growth policies

One of the earliest policies of the third term was on a promise they made during the election campaign of sustained population growth. They hoped this growth would lead to inherent economic growth and a rise in productivity. They focused on two types of growth: domestic and foreign. Domestic growth included new policies giving tax breaks to families who have three or more children, a government hand out to subsidise some parts of childcare known as the Childcare Benefit in poorer families, and introduction of strict child working laws which built on the pre-existing act, introducing the Children in the Workforce Act 2408 which redefined certain terms, closed loopholes, and altered some laws. D'laminet also promoted privately to media owners the use of larger families although the effect of this was non-mandatory and likely had little effect.

Foreign growth focused on encouraging immigration into the country. The path to citizenship would be made easier and shorter, an official unemployment office was established to find and give vagabonds proper jobs and keep count unemployment rates. D'laminet also promised the construction of 100,000 new houses to be built by 2412, although the project was cancelled prematurely by Elizabeth Rose, the future Prime Minister, in 2411, after just 86,500 houses had been constructed. These houses would house mostly homeless people and be given out for cheap. They were also built primarily near major cities such as Wynnoa and Esthullen increasing the sizes of their respective suburbs. Nehvedenbourg was founded as new town specifically for Hveden immigrants in the northwest near the Empheri-Hveden Western Railway Line although many houses here were built by the immigrants themselves and local councils and thus not counted in the total statistic by the government. Open borders with Weskynn was established after many governmental meetings - although it's implementation was delayed following their government losing power in late 2409. Furthermore, immigrant-friendly attitudes were forced to be taught in schools as it was expected some prejudice would be brought against them.

Many nationalist members of parliament, such as the Nationalist party, the Conservative party, and some right-wing Populist party members were concerned that the Empheri culture would be somewhat eradicated by this move. Therefore, the government brought back to light the ancient sport of sword-fighting, featured more culturally Empheri dress in media and government, founded the national holiday on 21 December every year in the middle of summer to celebrate the culture.

Policy regarding foreign entities

In September 2409, the House of Parliament passed the Tbekien Integration Act 2409 which would integrate the Tbekien territory officially into the Kingdom. A local governor was installed and given a cabinet position as the Minister of Tbekien although this office was later abolished during the 2450s in favour of a new Tbekien Assembly headed by a Mayor. The first ministerial position would be represented by Tbekien native Wigfred Eghloreson, a Populist MP.

Early in 2410, the Populist government began deep negotiations with Ahitereira, Karkuss and Hvede, to create an alliance within East Alaxia. The alliance lacked any clear goals and so the negotiating process took a while, went nowhere, and was greatly criticised by opposing political parties and even some party members and coalition members. After nearly a year of negotiations, the Foreign Minister eventually brought back a deal that had been signed with only the Hveden Federation and Kingdom of Karkuss establishing the Ewynnia Security Alliance, shortened to ESA. The alliance morphed into a mutual defence alliance with pledges to defend the other with only some other benefits, that of a somewhat open border policy.

Outside of the ESA, Empherias and Hvede signed a private deal, the Empheri-Hveden Technology Pact (EHTP). This would be negotiated by the Minister of Defence Henry Alark and Foreign Minister Alice Rettels and would promise the immediate handing over of control of the entire Empheri army to command of the Hveden government in case of a war of either country. The opposition criticised this government agreement as it took away much of Empherias' autonomy in terms of military operations, perhaps removed Alark's command over any forces, and could drag Empherias into any pointless Hveden war - offensive or defensive. This was unpopular after the revolution just ten years earlier had plunged the country into a state of disarray without much fighting itself. The EHTP would also guarantee the sharing of up to date army and naval technologies between the two countries which would keep the Empheri army up to date. Furthermore, both countries would gain military access to each other's territory and naval ports. A notable exception was commercial ports, which did not have free access.

Finally, the Treaty of Nieuwbourg would be amended and ratified with little real changes. Rijkdottir Abigail, under the advice of the Prime Minister, declared neutrality in the Great War. However, they stated that the Military Hveden Protocol would stay in effect, essentially meaning if Hveden joined the war, then Empherias would send troops to help.

Education policy

Main articles: D'laminet and Veys Education Reforms 2409 and Education in Empherias

D'laminet opted for a different approach to Education in his third term. Socialist MP Liza Veys would be appointed Minister of Education and proceeded with reforms. Primary education would be until 10 years of age, with secondary education introducing mandatory language learning for either Kusfeldic or Ahitereiran at age 11. An optional third language would be introduced at age 14 additionally. Children could leave school at age 16 and become a legal adult and be able to earn an adult's minimum wage. All children will take an exam at the end of Primary at age 10, and end of Secondary at age 16 to get qualifications. Later education starts at age 17 and will include universities. The first official government university was established in 2409 as Esthullen National College was turned into Esthullen University.

Other policies of the government

The populists early promised a devotion to industrialisation by committing to having the majority of the country industrialised by 2417 - just ten years. They promised an enlarged railway and transport network, with 15% more railway tracks, newer and up to date trains, safety procedures, and refurbished train stations; house prices that would increase price per year lower than the inflation rate; double the amount of reserve troops and equipment in army by 2413; an increase of 20% in the number of graduating school children leaving school with qualifications; higher average incomes for adults over 25; and better wealth and social equality across classes, gender, and race.

Of these promises, by their midterm of 2410, none had been achieved despite their implemented policies. After three years in office since the election, there had been just 200 metres more railway tracks built serving a line in West Esthullen, no new trains had been deployed since 2406, no safety procedures had been introduced amid fear of becoming overly safe, and no major train station refurbishments. However, of the railway promises, the government did announce an extra $20 million in funding for the government's railway initiative in late 2409, and scheduled refurbishments for three major Wynnoan stations to take place in March 2411. These did have some effects on enlarging the railway network, but overall so no major changes. There also were no changes to overall transport networks and other modes lacked any commitment. House prices did stay relatively stable especially with the planned 100,000 new government houses, of with 62% had been finished by 2410. With inflation at 2.7% and house prices rising just 0.4% on average of the previous three years. The army, apart from commitments in foreign policy, did not grow in size at all, let alone the committed doubling - however there still had another three years before the promise had to be delivered and some couple thousand troops were in minor training as of late 2410. With some education reforms, by 2410 the percentage of graduating school children leaving with degrees increased by a mere 7% instead of the promised 20% although this was a positive step. Higher average incomes, if accurate, did not effect the majority of the working class enough and many still complained of low wages. Overall, wealth and social equality remained relatively the size. In general though, industrialisation seemed to be going smoothly as many new factories were being built alongside companies and consumer goods increased in production.

End of D'laminet's premiership

Many opposition parties agreed that the government was becoming fatigued after a decade in power and the Socialists pulled out of the coalition agreement in November 2410, leaving the government with a minority government. Furthermore, by January 2411, there were rumours that Felix D'laminet was tired behind the scenes and wanted to resign anyway. D'laminet finally announced his resignation on 15 January 2411 as both leader of the party and Prime Minister - the first change of power since the revolution. D'laminet was careful to have a peaceful transfer of power and instate a stable figure. Immediately, a leadership election would begin to take place in February between Populist MPs. Early candidates were Harry Redworks, Robert Webber, Henry Watford, Henry Alark, Charlotte Regel, and Maria Harris.

Henry Watford, the Deputy Prime Minister, immediately become a front runner in the race and allied himself with the other front runner, Chancellor of the Exchequer Robert Webber. The alliance of these two moderates disenfranchised many candidates, who all dropped out besides Redworks and Alark. John Saxon soon joined the race. Robert Webber voluntarily withdrew to create a double ticket of 'Watford and Webber'. When the election results came in, the Watford and Webber ticket consumed 81.5% of the votes from MPs, who wanted more moderate rule. Alark, the second most popular, got a reasonable 15.4%, while Redworks ended with 2.5%, and Saxon with 0.6%. With the election done by March, D'laminet decided to dissolve parliament to begin campaigning for a general election.

D'laminet's reasoning would be that, instead of coronating Watford as his immediate successor, the public should get to choose once again with the new leader in place. It had also been 4 years since the previous election and the attitude of the time had changed, the 5 year cap was nearly approaching. Some speculated he did this to create a snap election precedent post-revolutionary reforms. Therefore, D'laminet continued as the caretaker interim Prime Minister until the election on 10 April 2411, while Watford was made immediate leader of the party on 2 March. Campaigning would begin shortly after.

Chaos in government (2411–2415)

Elizabeth Rose's first term

See also: 2411 Empherias general election

The 2411 general election saw a huge shift in politics for the first time since the revolution. Elizabeth Rose's socialist party rose 100 seats, up 16 percentage points, while the Populists under new leader Watford lost nearly 60 seats. Some chalked this up to Rose being a public figure for many years and popular, that D'laminet made people loyal not the Populist branding, and a want for a diversity of ideas. Nevertheless, the Socialists actually won 232 seats, the plurality, to the Populist's 220 seats. This made Elizabeth Rose the next Prime Minister with a minority Socialist government, short 69 seats of a majority. Ludwig Reimes was appointed as her Chancellor of the Exchequer. A supply and demand agreement, similar to the one the Populists-Socialists held previous, was signed with the roles reversed. Henry Watford became Deputy Prime Minister, with Robert Webber (his dual partner) becoming the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Rose looked to end the Military Technology Sharing Treaty with Hvede, worrying that Empherias could be dragged into involvement in the Great War, thus she met with the Prime Minister of the Hveden Federation to remove the clause of military access, sharing of army and naval technologies, and commitment to send volunteers during a war. However, many in parliament were angry at this move saying that Rose was pushing Empherias more isolationist and weak internationally - however Rose committed to closer co-operation with Hvede in peaceful means. Webber, who was staunchly pro-Hveden, considering his resignation as Foreign Affairs Minister after he was left out of meetings with Hveden Federation, but ultimately stayed.

In June 2411, the Lava Field and People Collaboration Missionary Act 2411 passed parliament and reached royal approval, which allowed for research into lava fields, the mining of resources, and research on habitation methods there and communications with the Basalites of the region. To further immigration to the country, universities were opened globally at the same rate as internally, while emigration was discouraged. Tax cuts were available for those with bigger families. Furthermore, the Equal Rights Act 2411 passed through parliament nearly unanimously which put all immigrants, races, peoples, etc, on the same part in law universally and protected discriminated classes in humans. Other species such as dwarves, nagani, skaven, or basalites, were not included in this clause.

It was during this term that embassies in Ahitereira-Koresa were established formally, while new ones were opened in Karkuss.

Henry Watford's term

See also: 2412 Empherias general election

  Empherias
  Hveden Federation
  Railway Line, Palarya -> Vaiyeins (1410km)

After nearly a year in office, Henry Watford and the broader Populist top officials believed that it was time for a new general election to finally achieve a majority government and end the back and forth of minority governments - and more importantly restore a populist prime minister. Thus, the party pulled out of the supply and demand agreement in late February, and triggered a vote of confidence in the Parliament. With all parties bar the Socialists wanting another chance at an election, the house voted 364–232 for no confidence in the government. Parliament was dissolved and a new election was held on 18 April 2412.

While the election saw little movement for the Socialists, it did allow for the Populists to regain some seats, mainly from Conservatives worried that the Socialists would sour Hveden-Empheri relations. The final saw the Populists regain the plurality, though not a majority, of 251 seats - short 50 for a majority - while the Socialists ended on 239, a technical seat increase. With Watford now the Prime Minister, Robert Webber was appointed his Chancellor of the Exchequer and Deputy Prime Minister. They hoped that they could count once again on the Socialists in a supply and demand agreement, but nothing official was ever signed and some of the Socialist cabinet were angry at the Populists for the no confidence vote.

Foreign policy

  Empherias
  Hveden Federation
  Hveden lands ceded to Empherias in 2412

Watford was keen to appear to repair relations with the Hveden Federation, as well as other neighbours of Empherias, to appease the right-wing of his base. He evaluated the possibilities of building a railway through the lava fields of Tbekien into the southwest of Hvede, but it was deemed impossible. He signed off on a deal with Hvede in October 2412 to begin construction of the Palarya-Vaiyeins railway line through the eastern corridor of the southern Hveden-border. This railway finished construction by 2415.

Territorial expansion

Throughout the early parts of Watford's term, he aimed to expand Empherias' territory to bring in more people to the country, and to take advantage of more natural resources. Being very friendly with Hvede, he often met with Hveden leadership to discuss swapping territories in the south. Hvede claimed a large chunk of the southern polar territories, known as Vaiya, but didn't occupy it outright, and Empherias was asking for just 6 percent of this land. The Hveden Federation agreed to the sale in return for a nearly insignificant amount of money and a policy of open borders.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister met with the leadership in Kiavalar to open up embassies in both countries and greatly improve relations. The leader of Kiavalar had, for some time, been personal friends with Elizabeth Rose, leader of the opposition, and had many private correspondence with the Prime Minister. However, some in parliament believed that this could break the neutrality of Empherias, since Kiavalar was involved in the Great War.

  Empherias
  Karkuss
  Karkuss lands ceded to Empherias in 2413

On 26 December 2413, the King of Karkuss, the Prime Minister of Karkuss, the Rijkdottir Abigail I of Empherias, and Prime Minister Henry Watford of Empherias, all signed the Treaty of Kara–Gateshaven. This, in return for money in terms of gold, would have Karkuss cede the territory known as the Gates to Empherias, with extra promises of military exercises to take place between the countries. Negotiations for this land had taken place ever since the signatures of the ESA several years prior. This finally gave Empherias a proper sovereign coastline in the west.

Other policies

Watford, in an early address, re-affirmed a stance taken by Felix D'laminet after the 2407 general election to have further industrialisation. In Vreimer, several military factories were constructed to produce parts for conveys, civilian ships, and warships. They would then be transported by rail to the exclave of Nieuwbourg where these parts were constructed into ships in the port. This allowed for production laws to bypass the Nieuwbourg treaty and create more jobs for Empheri workers specifically. Some in government, such as Henry Alark, were worried that Empherias could be pulled into the Great War, and so wanted to rush production of many war ships specifically instead of focusing on trade primarily.

Forty new civilian factories were also built in 2412 alone under orders from the government. These would focus on producing consumer goods and processing new resources from the lands obtained from the Hveden Federation. One such hope laid out by Watford was for factories to be owned partially by the workers through extensive and powerful trade unions to bring wealth down further from the upper class. It was also thought that increasing exports could make Empherias more powerful economically and less attractive to invade in the war, while gaining a chokehold on smaller nations nearby.

Henry Watford issued a document later in 2412 to set out his governing agenda for the next five years. Between 2413 and 2414 he planned to build 60 new civilian factories, and 18 military factories to begin producing equipment. A further 75 non-specific factories were to built by 2417. By the end of his term, his government had built 57 civilian factories and 16 military factories total. He also wanted to have new research in technologies including for the military - though its hard to realise how the government aided these endeavours in his short term in office. With these new military factories, he wanted and succeeded in doubling the current stockpile of military equipment like rifles and uniforms. He wanted large-scale rail and road connections to all neighbouring countries - however this did not happen. In terms of the navy, he ordered 5 new battleships, 2 destroyers, 2 frigates, and 40 convoys. He also began training 50,000 new troops but they were not completed by the time he left office.

The government, alongside the Socialists, introduced a new National Housing Association of Empherias that would build, provide, and maintain incredibly small homes, similar to hotels, with shared bathrooms and kitchens for cheap - sometimes given away for free by the government. This was to replace the old welfare housing scheme which allowed the government to divert some tax money to other projects. Some criticised this scheme for the size of the houses, but did allow for rural people to move to the city much easier without having to qualify for welfare.

Economic recession

Entering into 2413, the country found itself in an economic recession not seen since the revolutionaries years of 2396 and 2397. Causes of it could be the large scale military conflicts going on around it, but action was needed immediately. Firstly, Palakkinen was invited to join the economic ESA alliance. Palakkinen, adamant on maintaining a gold standard, joined soon after.

Secondly, Watford pauses the National Housing Association's actions, leaving the country both without welfare housing or its new alternative. He did not decrease taxes, instead using it to pay for investment in brand new private companies. The government halted a lot of its naval production with military factories being converted to ones for consumer goods. He also delays his government agenda by two years. Following this, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Robert Webber resigns, stating a 'noticeable disagreement between me and my right honourable friend that does not allow me to continue carrying out my job in good faith.' Elsewhere, in the southwest of Tbekien, large protests erupt in May over the unpopularity over the Minister of Tbekien, who promptly resigns. With these two positions vacant, he decides to expand the reach of his government. Currently, the Minister of Education, and the Minister of Health were held by Socialist MPs, but the new Minister of Tbekien was now a Socialist MP. He thought hard on a suitable replacement to be Chancellor, before choosing Lily Mae Byrne, who had previously served as a parliamentary undersecretary to the treasury under D'laminet. Webber stopped caretaker duties on 1 July, with Byrne taking over immediately. However, Robert Webber regretted his decision to resign, and repaired relations with Watford and then took on the position as the Chief Adviser to the Treasury on 17 September 2413, and then back as Chancellor of the Exchequer on 3 December 2413.

During Byrne's time as Chancellor, she set out plans to reduce taxes by five percentage points on all income tax brackets. However, this significantly reduced the government's ability to raise money and a large chunk of government education spending introduced in the past twenty years was removed. A tax on luxury goods equal to 30% of their value added was introduced known as the Secret Tax. Railway fares increased, 6 times their rates, to discourage travelling and save on coal and fuel for other important duties such as factory production and warmth. However, dubbed 'important' railway lines, such as the Nieuwbourg–Vreimer commercial line, and some Wynnoa–Esthullen lines, remained at regular prices. Despite the hike, the prices were still relatively low.

On 25 October 2413, the Socialists introduced a bill to the parliament which would put aside a large chunk of GDP to pay back debts borrowed during the D'laminet administration, which passed through parliament 248–241 after ten populist MPs rebelled. This further fuelled discontent in parliament, and distrust in Byrne who would leave a month later.

On 4 November 2413, before the summer recess, Watford would make a statement to the parliament stating that 'this crisis is no time for political games. Our agenda, which was clearly laid out last year, will go ahead as planned. We can guarantee that as long as the people of our great country continue to vote for our government in the next general elections, we can deliver all our promises within due time. D'laminet's honour will remain.' Following this, the Leader of the Opposition Elizabeth Rose states that 'through no fault of our own, a global recession has occurred. We, together, will get through this crisis. We won't spend time rushing issues that take time to develop and process and end up with a half-baked plan by the end of five years - such as the man opposite me suggests. We won't continue to miss and miss deadlines - such as the man opposite me does. We will take what is put in front of us right now and we will work it. We will beat this recession. We will still be doing the best we can to care for everyone equally and make sure everybody has a place to stay, and afford the ford they need, unlike the man opposite me.'

The images depict Empherias in magenta, Weskynn in light blue, and Norsair in red. The top image depicts the map prior to both annexations, the middle image depicts the map after the Weskynn annexation in November 2414 but before the Norsair annexation, and the bottom image depicts the map after the Weskynn annexation, and after the Norsair annexation in October 2416.

Annexation of Weskynn and Norsair

Civil unrest due to the recession broke out in many demonstrations in both Weskynn and Norsair in early 2414. Many secrets meeting took place between the Prime Minister Henry Watford, and his Minister of War Henry Alark on actions to take. In Weskynn, an authoritarian right wing government gained power in its emergency elections, while the King of Weskynn fled to Empherias - being a close relative of Abigail I. Empherias, on 8 May 2414, issued an ultimatum to Weskynn that their new government surrender power or else Empherias would be forced to intervene. This ultimatum was criticised as lacking any clear casus beli, but ultimately was denied by the Weskynn government.

As such, Henry Alark declared early mobilisation. He placed ten thousand troops across the Ahitereiran border in case of intervention or exploitation from there, while another 25,000 troops secured the eastern borders with Palakkinen and Norsair. Then, ten thousand troops moved to the border with Weskynn. A unit of 2,000 troops moved through major roads to the capital city of Weskynn to occupy them - they were met with little to no resistance. The government buildings, which had been raided and emptied by fleeing Weskynn government officials, were occupied by Empheri troops. By June 2414, Empherias declared Weskynn neutralised and they installed David Algarre, a current Populist Member of Parliament in Empherias, as the new Prime Minister of Weskynn. Their King announced his abdication and retirement, although many believed he was forced to do so by the Empherias government, stating that Abigail I should succeed him. With both countries now in a personal union, the Empheri government passed a bill known as the Weskynn Integration Act on 18 November 2414, annexing Weskynn.

Civil unrest continued in Norsair for many months before Empherias declared its intervention in early August. This was because the 25,000 troops stationed in the eastern borders were heavily decentralised, and

many were worried about the mountainous terrain. Supported by battleships in the Ewynn, a convoy of 3,000 troops moved carefully down the river to the capital city of Norsair. They met resistance at the Battle of Scapehill, where Empheri forces defeated a band of 750 Norsairi militia. In December, Watford claimed that the intelligence minister Sir James Cairns had submitted a document in July of that year that Norsair and Weskynn governments planned on invading Empherias pre-emptively, viewing their purchases of Hveden lands as a threat. Though, former officials of both countries deny this. The Empheri convoy reached the capital city of Norsair and occupied government buildings in January. Norsairi government officials fled, while some friendly to the Empheri regime remained. The King of Norsair had been slaughtered in the Norsairi revolts of early 2414 and a republic established, and thus Empherias installed just a new President to the country in February 2415.

This president was the Empheri Chief Adviser to the Prime Minister Harry Redworks. Despite being Empheri, he had studied in the country and was a pseudo-celebrity before his time in politics and became popular with the Norsairi elite. In June 2415, Leaked documents from March 2415 show Redworks and Watford communicating on the time to annex Norsair into Empherias, were released. Redworks discredited these leaks and doubled back stating that Norsair would not unite with Empherias for the foreseeable future. In an act that was maybe orchestrated by the Empheri government, an assassination attempt was made against Redworks in July 2415, amputating his right arm and scarring his whole body. He thus resigned, seeking treatment on 8 July 2415. The new president installed was also Empheri, a Populist MP Peter Tevelwas, who agreed to the annexation. The annexation law passed in the Empheri government on 16 October 2415.

Robert Webber's term

2414 general election

See also: 2414 Empherias general election

In November 2414, Henry Watford called for a snap election to solve the minority government situation and hope for a new majority government. This election took place on 21 December and saw the Populists actually lose 3 seats, and the Socialists gain 8 seats. This placed the PPP with 248 seats to the Socialists' 247 seats - a very thin knife edge. For now, Henry Watford was re-elected, with main support from minor parties on the right-wing preferring the Populists to the Socialists, but he was very disappointed with the results. Watford, after a small bout of illness, decides to resign as Prime Minister on 28 December 2414, and leaves the job to Chancellor of the Exchequer Robert Webber. Edward Monktet replaces Webber as Chancellor. Wanting to resolve deadlock in parliament, Webber calls a general election for late 2415.

Elizabeth Rose's tenure (2415–2424)

See also: Elizabeth Rose and 2415 Empherias general election

Prior to 15 May 2416	After 15 May 2416

The general election in 2415 resulted in a massive improvement for the Socialists. The successive governments, U-turns, and unpopular candidates in Watford and Webber, saw the popularity of the populists falling significantly. Elizabeth Rose had led the Socialists for 17 years and was a well known public figure and popular amidst the left-wing of the Populist party. Successful campaigns saw the Socialists win 328 seats in the election, an increase of 81 seats, and the first majority government since the revolution. The Populists lost 77 seats, down to 171 seats total. Elizabeth Rose ordered the relinquishment of the old flag of Empherias on 15 May 2416, and introduced the standard one used today. Alongside this, official naval jacks, armed forces flags, and government standards were created in the Official Flag Act 2416 passing 531–69 through parliament.

On 14 June 2416, the old Rijkse James VII, who had fled to the Hveden Federation, died in his sleep following several strokes months prior. The Hveden government allowed for his body to return to Empherias, where he was buried in a private ceremony attended by the Rijkdottir and the Prime Minister on 28 June 2416. The eldest daughter of Abigail I, Princess Maria, announced her engagement to Mrs Emmelie Lockhart. She was the daughter of the former Viscount of Rommes. This was the first same-sex marriage within the royal family for at least 100 years, and required lobbying from the royal family for the government to pass a law to re-legalise same sex marriage. The Same-Sex Marriage Act 2416 passed through the parliament 510–67, with 23 abstaining, a monumental achievement for queer rights in Empherias. The royal wedding took place on 2 October 2416.

Economic recession due to the Great War

See also: The Great War

Due to the Great War waging on worldwide, the economy of Empherias began to suffer due to disruptions to global trade and resources. The Chancellor of the Exchequer Ludwig Reimes was appointed dual Chief Adviser of Economic Management and Elizabeth Rose shifted towards general economic stability rather than policies won in the 2415 general election, although it was believed that it was important to implement all that were possible. The recession was not as major as expected however. Exports decreased in general, but Empherias was relatively self-sufficient and was still stable despite some set backs. Their main issue was debt borrowed from other sovereign states during their reconstruction period of the Populist government, and many members of parliament blamed the populists for 'reckless spending'.

Elizabeth Rose had mandates for infrastructure investment which she also believed would go far in investing into the country and increasing the country's GDP. The system of rail networks was somewhat reformed and many road maintenance and railway lines were nationalised, while many major networks stayed private, at an increased tax. The Fair Ticket and Fares Act 2416 passed through parliament in December by 308–170, with hundreds of abstentions. This bill limited the amount that railway providers could charge for railway lines, and also added a programme to receive government subsidies if they did not receive enough money.

The Rose Project

Main article: The Rose Project

Building on the two planned, but then cancelled, infrastructure projects of the previous governments: the Felix D'laminet Decade Roadmap Plan (2407-2417) and the Watford Five Year Plan (2413-2418), the Prime Minister announced the Rose Project. The plan consisted of three stages, with the first one bringing up the country to the 2420 general election. This would lay down the beginning of infrastructure projects. Stage two would take place until 2423, with stage three going until 2427 assuming a victory in the 2425 general election. With Socialist and Populist votes, they could use a sizable majority to pass major reforms.

Between 2417 and 2420, universities were planned to be built in major Empheri cities. Ten was planned, but two were built: The Royal University of Georgina in 2421, and the Royal University of Zerwynn in 2422. seven were scrapped due to funding issues and time restraints, with another cancelled due to conflicting blueprints and flaws in construction, which wasted approximately $375,000,000. Foreign students were to be welcomed and treated equally socially and financially, although this did exclude other species. Schools were to prioritise learning for higher subjects such as science, engineering, and maths. Subsidies were set up to allow for building and maintaining schools. For 2417, this figure was approximately $1.5 billion but steadily decreased. In general, education budgets increased by 3.67x from before the project to after, maintaining this level until 2420, when it began increasing again due to standard inflationary increases. To pay for these endeavours, defence spending saw a 50% reduction in it's budget. But it was thought education reforms were necessary to increase the educated workforce in the country. Of Defence, the government wanted a more laid back approach. Alongside the lower budget, more was spent on research and development and the purchases of foreign licences, technologies, and vessels.

New transport links regarding railway and road infrastructure would continue. Bridges built over rivers to connect towns, particularly across the Ewynn, were planned. Two more large scale railway bridges across the Ewynn were planned, with one beginning construction in 2418, and ending in 2423. The so-called Disaster Bridge was destroyed in 2423 due to general instability in its foundations, and trouble it caused to traffic. It was destroyed with multiple explosives on the foundations and as such, wreckage is still regularly pulled up today. This cost the government billions without a return. All Ewynn crossings were cancelled due to the project's issues. However, bridges across other minor rivers were a success and built. New train stations, stops, and renovations to existing ones took place costing nearly $1 billion per year, but saw the construction of 127 new stations, and renovations of hundreds more in 2418 alone. Despite railways being the main element to Empherias travel, research into newer ways to travel, especially in smaller cities and city centres, began. Some towns, such as Mertens, trialled tramlines. Bicycles were also encouraged in some cities, one of which was a borough of Rommes which implemented $6 million worth of cycle roads.

Dissolution of the Populist party

Following Robert Webber's resignation as leader of the party soon after his election loss in late 2415, questions were being asked about the party's future. In general, they agreed a lot with the Socialists but were also a broad house of ideas across the political spectrum. Recent leaders like Watford and Webber had been more moderate, but also more disliked without any personality or likeability. Any battle to win votes on the left would almost definitely result in a Socialist victory. However, the daughter of former Minister of Foreign Affairs Alice Rettels came to power as a beacon of hope within the left of the party and she was elected leader in early 2416. However, she had private discussions almost immediately with the Prime Minister, and she supported nearly all Socialist measures in parliament. The whipping system within the power ceased with the resignation and sacking of all remaining chief and regular whips in March 2416. This left all populist MPs with their own decision on votes, and no leadership. More meetings continued throughout the rest of the year. Alice Rettels formally dissolved the party on 21 December 2417, with all MPs becoming independents. By 2419, every former Populist MP had joined a new major political party – the majority of which went to the Socialists.

Former leader Alice Rettels took up a highly coveted role within the Socialist government as a chief adviser. Henry Alark was appointed back to the Minister of Defence position. Edward Broedesmore was to be made the Chief Finance Adviser. Other politicians such as Charlotte Regel, John Saxon, and Edward Monktet joined too. Peter Aard was perhaps the most famous Populist MP who joined the Conservative party.

2418 Palakkinen border crisis

Main article: 2418 Palakkinen Border Crisis

A conflict began in April 2418 when the Palakkine army marched a thousand troops into Hveden territory to occupy and annex mountainous land. Due to a military alliance with Hvede, the Empheri government was required to help and thus raised its army for the first time since the revolution. Henry Alark, the Defence minister, pulled 10,000 reserve troops into active duty on 21 April, and then another 14,000 on 22 April, and fortified the eastern border with Palakkinen, with clusters of troops at major crossing points. By 25 April, 3,000 professional Palakkine troops were on the border against Empherias. On 26 April, the E.R.S Abigail main battleship sailed up the Ewynn river alongside two destroyers to start a naval blockade of all trade to Palakkinen. Consideration of the bombardment of Palakkinen's capital took place, but no orders were given. By June, Palakkinen had fortified their western border with another 13,000 troops. Although Rose had acted by emergency decree in April, the parliament officially passed the Active Duty Act 2417 on 16 May 2418 with a vote of 595–5, the biggest landslide in history. During a cabinet meeting in June, Alark discussed the possibility of pulling all 70,000 troops into active duty and forming 14 divisions of 5,000 troops across the border.

Ahitereira-Koresa brokered a deal with Hvede an Empherias to embargo and blockade Palakkinen formally. The three also signed a non-aggression pact and regional defence pact. This treaty was signed by emergency order on 5 June 2418, and formally ratified in the parliament on 18 June 2418 with a vote of 563–37. By 20 June, Palakkinen had bolstered the army on its western border to 18,000 troops. However, Elizabeth Rose ordered Alark not to consider any more Empheri build-up until at least 8 July. The Minister of Foreign Affairs Liza Veys met her counterparts in Ahitereira-Koresa, and Hvede, as well as the Palakkine triumvirate, to discuss peace terms on 15 July 2418. They drafted the Treaty of Kyrene. Empherias signed through a parliament vote on 20 August 2418, passing 567–33. The treaty dropped embargoes and signed non aggression pacts. The second treaty of Tyrs saw economic pacts discussed between the countries which passed through a parliament vote on 18 September 2418 passing 347–228. Alark withdrew the troops in September and moved them into reserve duty again.

Leadup to the next general election

Elizabeth Rose dissolved parliament in March to allow for a general election to take place on 1 May 2420.

Third term

See also: 2420 Empherias general election

The 2420 general election was the first without the participation of the populist party since the 2393 general election. This saw the Socialists go from 328 to 383 seats, an improvement of their 2415 election result (an increase of 55 seats) but overall a decrease from the 469 seats they had when combined with the post-Populists MPs (a decrease of 86 seats). Generally however, they still had a majority of 166 and were free to do a lot of major reforms, as well as continuing with the Rose Project. The Conservatives increased their seat count from 54 to 150, an increase of 96 seats. Some speculate that this was due to right-wing populists voting for them but also the fact that left-wing parties had been in power for over twenty years. However, despite a few scandals, the successive left wing governments was bringing huge improvements to peoples lives and stayed popular. Conservatives took the seat as the main opposition party for the first time since 2386, and as one of the two main parties for the first time since 2396.

During a speech in 2422, Elizabeth Rose used a phrase which saw many speculate that this could be her final term of office. Rumours began to circulate about possible successors. However, Rose decided to dissolve parliament and call a general election in 2423, two years early. Her reasoning was to gain a mandate of continuing the Rose Project to 2428 meant needing a term to finish by then, and not early in 2425. She also stated that recent rumours about her departure were nonsense and she wanted to strengthen her position. Furthermore, a large scale scandal in late 2422 about possible corruption saw popularity decrease.

Fourth term

See also: 2423 Empherias general election

The 2423 general election took place on 26 January 2423. The Socialists went from 383 to 357 seats, a decrease of 26, and maintained an overall majority. Nothing major happened, except for the Conservatives losing some 20 seats with equal halves going to the Liberal and Nationalist parties on either side. Their leader, William Henry Russell, had been in post for a long time and his moderation was disliked by both wings, however he didn't resign following the defeat.

Despite assurances that she was not planning on resigning soon during campaigning for the 2423 general election in November 2422, Rose announced her intention to resign as prime minister on 22 April 2424. She stated rising stress levels, older age, and a decade in power as her reasons, wanting new ideas at the top. Elizabeth Rose resigned officially on 1 May 2424.

Alice Rettels' tenure (2424–2433)

Alice Rettels became Prime Minister on 1 May 2424, defeating her opponents in a leadership election. Second place Ludwig Reimes continued as the Chancellor of the Exchequer under Rettels. Her first law to pass was the Counties Reform Act 2424 which passed through parliament on party lines 357–126, with many abstaining. This act reformed counties and administrative divisions into districts with equal powers everywhere and a simplification of powers. Rettels' first major test was her budget to the house in 2424.

Rettels' new administration would confirm the continuation of the Rose Project through to 2428, as well as the start of the Reimes Project from 2424 to 2427, a more short term investment to act alongside the Rose Project. The budget removed all austerity measurements the nation had been imposing due to increasing economic growth and began huge investments into government. The education budget increased by 41% with the creation of a public school system to make it easier for poor kids to attend schools without paying admission until aged 16. The rest of the money would go to universities, which still required tuitions to help the government subsidies. Defence spending halved once again without threat. The transportation budget doubled to a whopping 24% of government investment from 2424 onwards. General infrastructure budgets increased 142% too, with a lot of this going to new emergency services such as fire brigades and police forces.

The parliament passed the Empowerment of Trade Unions Act 2425 by 352–218 in March to help workers rights.

Naval reforms

Sir Tom Rijkseite became Chief of the Naval Forces in November, and he soon purchased 4 battleships and 6 destroyers from Ceironia that had been decommissioned after the Great War. This bolstered the Empheri fleet to a total of 7 battleships and 6 destroyers, even if they were out dated war models. The new orders arrived in May 2426. The 4 battleships that had began construction in the late 2400s and had been paused during the 2410s, were finally scrapped. A later order in 2426 saw the purchase of 11 rapid-assault cruisers, 3 heavy-assault cruisers, 4 submarines, and 1 dreadnought. Due to a campaign, a goal of 8,000 volunteers to join the navy was hit and surpassed with 11,245 people joining the Navy between 2426 and 2427.

Tom Rijkseite announced that a native Empheri dreadnought design was being planned, alongside a new submarine and cruiser design, with help from foreign nations. One new battleship, based on the E.R.S Abigail, was to be built named the E.R.S Elizabeth Rose, using scrapped metal from old navy ships. In 2427, the government announced its intention to switch from a military focused on its land army to a military focused on its naval capacity.

Second term

See also: 2425 Empherias general election and Treaty of Grensalbourg

Alice Rettels dissolved parliament in July 2425 to prepare to hold the 2425 general election on 17 September 2425. Alice Rettels wanted to achieve a mandate of her own from the people to carry out her major reforms. The Socialists lost 2 seats going from 357 to 355 seats, allowing Rettels for an almost perfect continuation. However, this election was significant for seeing the Liberal party go from 48 to 157 seats, an increase of 109 seats. This was because of a collapse in support for the archaic Conservative party who went from 134 seats to 20 seats, a loss of 114 seats.

On 28 May 2427, the parliament passed the Minimum Wage Act 2427 through a vote of 382–218 which set a national minimum wage. In 2428, the government signed the Treaty of Grensalbourg which ceded a small amount of eastern territory in return for the creation of Grensalbourg, a diarchal state co-ruled by the Empheri government. The ratification of the treaty went through parliament 430–170.

Expansion to Defence spending

Across the years of 2428 and 2429, volunteers numbering 50,000 were brought on to go through two years of military training. This would bolster the reserve army to approximately 120,000 troops. To bring military standards up, Empherias purchased blueprints, designs, and decommissioned models of military aircraft and armoured cars from Ceironia. Palakkinen, Grensalbourg, and Empherias signed the First Ewynnian Accords which started a joint development of military equipment between the two nations. The first native metal body military aircraft and armoured car were developed in 2430, with the first equipment stemming from the FEA agreement released across 2431 and 2432. The first Empheri-Grensal-Palakkine light tank, the Erwynn I, finished development in 2431 and began production in June 2433. By 2435, Empherias held 20 tanks, and Palakkinen held 7 tanks. A Ceironian embassy was set up in Wynnoa, with an Empheri embassy set up in Horyuxia.

Kiavalar kindly donated large swatches of military equipment in 2430 to Empherias for free. These included 50 metal body planes, 200 other planes, 15 medium tanks, 100 light tanks, 200 heavy tanks, and 200 armoured cars. By 2435, Empherias maintained a tank count of 335. Furthermore, two military officers (one armed expert and one naval admiral) went to Empherias to help modernise the military.

Third term

See also: 2429 Empherias general election

The 2429 general election took place on 1 September 2429. Generally, Rettels had improved the country's economic situation and handled the position of the country internationally after the Great War. Therefore, her approval rating was high and thus the People's Socialist Party succeeded well in the general election, gaining 27 seats from 351 won in 2425 to 378 won this time. This increased the government's majority from 102 to 156. The opposition's Liberal party lost 16 seats going from 179 to 163, and all minor parties excluding the Greens lost seats. Alice Rettels was re-elected prime minister.

Following months of ill health, being signed off from the army due to sickness, Henry Alark had wanted to return to his post as quickly as possible. This quick return however worsened his health and in late 2439, he suffered a stroke. He recovered and continued to work as Minister of Defence off and on throughout 2430, sometimes working from home. On 7 October 2430, after months of this practice, he suffered another stroke and on 8 October, a third stroke. He entered end of life care and passed away on 12 October 2430, aged 92. He was celebrated by some by insisting he remain in government despite ill health. William Weslington, a famous army general and Chief of the Armed Forces, took over as Defence minister. In 2430, Rettels' administration banned carrying weapons in public in order to create a safer environment following an uptick in crime in Georgina. Peoples could receive fines or prison time for carrying blunt or sharp objects to harm without a reasonable purpose.

Fourth term

See also: 2432 Empherias general election

The 2432 general election took place on 25 May 2432. The Socialists went from 378 seats to 343 seats, a decrease of 35 seats but maintaining an overall majority. The Liberals increased their vote share going from 163 seats to 188 seats, an increase of 25 seats. Right wing parties see a combined rise of 7 seats, while the Democratic Centrists also rise 7 seats.

Daughter to the heir to the throne, 17 year old Princess Roxanne married famous newspaper editor and friend 24 year old James John Boulevard. They spent the day out of media attention with a private ceremony in Marnie Green in January 2433. However, after just a year of their quickly arranged marriage, domestic abuse allegations came out against Boulevard and the couple divorced in September 2434. Roxanne would later write a book of her experience as a late teen and her domestic violence victim stories released in 2440 which became quickly beloved. Boulevard went to court in November 2434 as allegations that he cheated on the princess during their relationship and had previously abused three other women, and he faced a large sentence in prison.

Alice Rettels announced her intention to resign on 2 April 2433 after nine years in office. A leadership election would take place in September to October, with the winner taking over on 1 November 2433. The remaining four candidates of the leadership election saw three long term cabinet members: Charlotte Regel, Edward Broedesmore, and Ludwig Reimes up against relative new timer 28 year old Katelyn Roberts. Katelyn came second while Edward Broedesmore won the election, having served as a Financial Adviser for the last twenty years.

Edward Broedesmore's tenure (2433–2435)

Many socialists saw this as a bad move by the upper party management as Broedesmore was very divisive, had links to corruption, and had suggested some weird policy in the past. He was also 71 years old, making him the oldest prime minister since Isaac Campbell entered his final term in the 2230s, over 200 years ago. The image that the Socialists had cultivated was of youthful energy and ideas and this turned off many people, alongside Empherias' cosmetic and attractiveness bias made Broedesmore unappealing. Nevertheless, Edward Broedesmore became prime minister on 1 November 2433.

A government study published in 2434 found that leisure magazine sales had increased ten fold, if not more, in the past ten years. Magazines would have huge cultural impacts ranging from sports, to fashion, to trends, to even politics. The Rechtjucke magazine began in late 2431 for example saw the trend of women wearing shorter mini skirts, while the Spasstensrijk magazine created a massive boost in footballing popularity, beginning many new amateur clubs. Football overtook fencing in numbers of players by 2435, mainly due to the convenience and better exercise potential.

Skylar Lawrence's tenure (2435–2441)

First term

See also: 2435 Empherias general election

The 2435 general election took place on 18 September 2435. The socialists under Broedesmore went from 343 seats to 236 seats, a decrease of 107 seats, and taking the socialists back to opposition for the first time in twenty years. The Liberals, under Skylar Lawrence, went from 188 seats to 304 seats, a rise of 116 seats and brought the Liberals a 8 seat majority, very flimsy. Lawrence benefitted from some right wing parties loosing around 9 seats to the Liberals and so relying on parties like the Conservatives or the Nationalists was tough because of their much lower seat count. Skylar Lawrence became the first Liberal prime minister since Wigfred Marksdottir left office in 2386.

A lower minimum wage was introduced in 2436 to allow businesses to employ more people to lower unemployment. Minimum wage was considered to be removed, but then it was decided to reduce it by 60%. Income tax was also decreased from 20% to 18% on all tax brackets, and to 16% on higher income tax brackets. Many elites liked this move as the gap between the poor and the rich began to widen. However, these decisions were used by the Socialists as propaganda to paint the Liberals as enemies of the people.

The government established the Government Company and Interests Foundation (GKIF) which would give grants to business start-ups who obliged by the government's guidelines, and agree to operate exclusively in Empherias for the first ten business years. They also created the Government International Company Association (GIKA) which aims at bringing in business and companies from other countries to operate in Empherias by giving them grants, loans, dibs on some land, lower rent prices. Corporate tax was lowered from 30% to 25%.

Justice reform

In 2436, the Liberals announced a justice system reformation. The new system would include three separate supreme courts: the Government Court headed by individuals expert in law by the current party in the government (the Liberals at the moment); the Opposition Court headed by individuals expert in law by the current party in the opposition; and the Supreme Court headed by individuals appointed for eternity until death or resignation who were expert in law and would be legally required to be politically neutral. Usually, these were chosen as longest serving court members with 11 judges to avoid ties. A law sent to the 'upper courts' would require all three to agree for full execution, while if two agreed then a partial amendment would be considered.

Prisons were to be scaled down in severity with less severe sentences and concrete sentences on different types of offences. This would be to free up the prison system. Many criminals could face multiple charges however that would increase possible prison sentences. These reforms were pushed through parliament without votes due to executive action but were forced to enter parliament in 2437. They passed with a plurality, not majority, of the vote. The death penalty was abolished in 2437, some people speculate nobles lobbied for it.

Entertainment

The Empheri Football League was established in 2436 (but would later be dissolved in 2448 to make way for the Leagua die Ewynn) as a domestic league outside of the Ahitereiran system. This was to make up for the massive explosion in popularity

Large scale fashion shows advertised by magazines became increasing in both popularity, scale, and number showcasing new trendy fashion for men and women. An increase in popularity to up-tempo music, instruments such as grand pianos, flutes, and violins, have made more diverse music. Concerts began hosting larger venues. A new musical competition known as Empheriaseingen where many different artists would perform in a concert in Georgina with voting to decide the winner, and smaller awards given out to popular music.

The House of Parliament was moved from Esthullen to Wynnoa in 2436. The new capital was a renovated and expanded version of the former capital from before the revolution. Integrated dining halls, part of buildings nearby, would serve as cafeterias or meeting rooms. Other rooms, such as panic rooms and meetings rooms and ambassador rooms was converted from buildings nearby. The Prime Minister would live just outside parliament in the 'Top Longue', the pent house of a tower block. The building was on the side of the river Marnie, tributary to the Ewynn, and looked out to the borough Georgina and the new town on the opposing bank. It had easy port access and road access.

Second term

See also: 2440 Empherias general election

The 2440 general election took place on 24 September 2440. Incumbent Liberals went from 304 seats to 259 seats, a decrease of 45 seats, and bringing the party to a government minority, short 42 of an overall majority. The socialists, wanting to take a majority, went from 236 seats to 257 seats, an increase of 21 seats. This meant that the Socialists got less than half of the seats lost by the Liberals, and ending up in second place. For the Liberals to secure a majority, they'd need to form a coalition with the Nationalists, and a combination of either the BVP and Conservatives, Alliance and Conservatives, or Alliance and BVP. This would strain government policy and thus the Liberals chose to rule in a minority government. The biggest gain was the Green party, going from 7 seats to 35 seats, an increase of 28 (400% increase) which received most of the changing Liberal seats. However, the Socialists and Greens together could not form a coalition large enough to take power.

In late 2440, proposals to change Norsair's internal provincial autonomy sparked the 2440–2441 Norsairi protest and riots. The Liberals then abandoned all policy on this issue without enough support in parliament. Throughout 2441, deadlock in parliament meant no bills were passing without any government majority to support them. On 3 October 2441, the Socialists proposed a vote of no confidence in the government, and it passed 344–256, with 3 Liberals rebelling and all other parties stating their lack of confidence. Parliament dissolved, and new elections would be held in December.

Katelyn Roberts' tenure (2441–2447)

First term

See also: 2441 Empherias general election

The 2441 general election took place on 21 December 2441. The incumbent Liberals, hoping to secure a majority, remained on 259 seats, gaining or losing none. The opposition Socialists however went from 257 seats to 288 seats, an increase of 31 seats, seeing them reach the plurality of seats. This gave Katelyn Roberts, leader of the Socialists, the opportunity to form a government with her as prime minister. The Green and Social Labour party (GSLP) received 20 seats, and they reached a supply and demand agreement to be able to form a government in January.

The Mitchell Report published in February 2442 found that the RPA mercenary group had been aiding the Norsairis during the protests and riots in the previous years. The Roberts administration already didn't approve of the RPA after they had supplied Palakkinen in the 2418 border crisis which was still living memory. They passed a bill that would ban all private military contractors from working in Empherias, or operating through Empherias (such as through the Ewynn), practically forcing RPA to continue business with Palakkinen through Hvede. However, after talks with RPA, they would allow for RPA to sell to governments (Empheri and Palakkine governments) but not private citizens or breakaway groups. In 2442, Empherias joined Kiavalar's commonwealth union.

Defence expansion

The Defence budget from 2442 to 2445 would be increased by 10%. The Ministry of Defence also announces new airforce projects, such as the development of the 'Aerowynn Fighter' based on Hveden, Kiavalari, and Ceironian designs. Production began in 2443 and 452 were produced by 2446. The Maeront Heavy Bomber would be developed based on former designs and had the capability to carry larger bombs. Production began in 2444 but only 24 were ever built due to technical errors. The product was retired in 2447. The armed forces expanded its reserve force to 110,000 people by 2445.

Death of Her Majesty, Rijkdottir Abigail I

Main article: Abigail I of Empherias

On 29 December 2442, the Rijkdottir Abigail I died aged 68. Following two strokes on the 28th that made her essentially brain dead, she was injected with fatal medicine to end her life to prevent suffering. The government held a nation wide celebration made in her honour with a state funeral being held on 15 January 2443. A large celebration of her life in the form of a festival took place on 21 December 2443. Her eldest child, George, became Rijkse George IV, aged 48. There was some worry that he would not be fit as he was suffering from a liver disease and had been disabled since he was a teenager. George IV was supposed to be coronated in a private ceremony on 13 October 2444, but the ceremony was rescheduled due to urgent doctors appointments. Other dates, such as 3 March 2445, and late November 2445 were proposed, but George was never coronated officially. Princess Roxanne married the heir to the throne of the Hveden Federation, John, on 5 March 2444, her second marriage.

Second term

See also: 2445 Empherias general election

The 2445 general election took place on 8 September 2445. The incumbent Socialists got the majority they wanted going from 288 seats to 324 seats, a 48-seat majority and an increase of 36 seats. The Liberal party went from 259 seats to 207 seats, a loss of 52 seats and saw the Liberals get one of their worst results in recent times. Minor parties increased their seat count, notably the Conservatives going from 2 seats to 9 seats, while the Nationalists also saw an increase.

Death of His Majesty, Rijkse George IV

Main articles: George IV of Empherias and Roxanne I of Empherias

With harsh liver disease plaguing his last few years, George IV rarely was seen from the public. His wife, the Queen Anna Thorns, often made public visits and was well beloved by the people. During a public engagement in February 2446, George IV was seen vomiting blood before leaving the event early. He passed away on 24 April 2446 in his sleep, likely of internal bleeding or liver cancer. A state funeral was held on 25 May 2446 although the event was not as big as his mothers. Anna Thorns would become a great advocate for preventing alcoholism later in life. From the moment of his death, his eldest child Roxanne became Rijkdottir Roxanne I, aged 29. Having made various appearances previous, she was just simply known as Roxy by most and seen as very charismatic, outgoing and a partyer. Many believed she was not prepared for the role though. Some were concerned that since Roxanne was married to the heir to Hvede, that a personal union was looming.

Roxanne I gave birth in early 2447 to her first child with John of Hvede, whom she named Louise Edelgard Maria.

Rise of Pan-Kloresanism

During the later years of Roberts' tenure, the ideology of Pan-Kloresanism grew promoting union with Ahitereira and Koresa. Politicians within the Socialists wanted to create a new united state to promote socialism everywhere and create a new utopia. Lukas Knight, who had previously served in the cabinet, was a huge advocate for this, alongside the 20s generation group.

Katelyn Roberts resigned as leader of the Socialist party and as prime minister on 21 December 2447. A leadership election ensued and over ten candidates applied such as David Algarre, Charlotte Regel, and Lukas Knight. However, Sofia Hopkins won the contest with 66.3% against second place Lukas Knight, to become the next prime minister.

Sofia Hopkins' first tenure (2447–2448)

Pan-Kloresanism captures party leadership

Vreimer, close to the Koresan border, became quickly a hotspot for Pro-Kloresanism ideals, and many newspapers spread the idea to the rest of the country. Local playwright James Delsby wrote and performed a new play called 'better together' which promoted this idea and the play went on tour and was recreated in theatres nationwide. All major newspapers promoted the idea in some ways, even very anti-Kloresan media still spread the idea to people who otherwise wouldn't know.

Sofia Hopkins at a statement at the annual Socialist party conference in January 2448 assured that no such unification would be considered with the newly formed High Kingdoms. Following this, Lukas Knight made a speech as the Palace of Wynnoa - a famous meeting grounds for protests - to make a long and well-acclaimed address promoting alaxian unity. This triggered upwards of 30 socialist MPs defecting from the party (leaving it as a minority government) and forming their own Alaxian Socialist Party (using the branding of the now defunct people's Populist party). By February, a further 77 socialist MPs defected to the ASP, allowing them to form a bloc of 105 members of parliament, leaving the Socialists with just 219, and the Liberals at 207. Knight would travel all across the country to all major cities and made speeches in person. Other prominent pro-kloresans did the same.

Fire at Nieuwbourg port

Main article: 2447 Nieuwbourg City fire

Following a major freak accident with gas, the port of Nieuwbourg erupted in flames causing nearly a hundred deaths, nearly a thousand injuries, and the evacuation of thousands more. Ahitereira-Koresa immediately opened their borders and sent $10 million in aid. Hveden Federation also sent $10 million in humanitarian aid. Kiavalar provided $12 million in financial aid. The Empheri government devoted $80 million to the Nieuwbourg city assembly. Refugees were relocated to Vreimer, and many decided to stay there instead. Port workers were given temporary accommodation on the outskirts, or in Koresa itself, while working on the rubble. An investigation was held and cleaning took 5 months. After some negotiations, Nieuwbourg was leased to the government of Empherias for 99 years (to expire in 2547), although many Ahitereirans say this was only ceremonial.

In the 2448 budget, Hopkins' mainline policy was quartering the Defence budget to spend elsewhere on infrastructure projects.

Coalition formed

With another twenty MPs switching allegiance from the Socialist PSP to the ASP, this left the Liberals with their 207 seats at the plurality. To prevent the Liberals getting into power, the PSP and ASP would form a parliamentary coalition to reach a parliamentary majority to pass left-wing consensus policies. Hopkins would head this coalition, with Knight would be the Deputy Prime Minister. However, Knight requested a snap general election to take place or he would end the coalition.

Lukas Knight's tenure (2448–2453)

See also: 2448 Empherias general election, High Kingdoms of Alaxia, and 2448 Empherias joining the High Kingdoms of Alaxia referendum

The 2448 general election took place on 26 May 2448. Prior to the election, to prevent a Liberal majority, both the PSP and ASP agreed that whichever Socialist party received more votes would become the primary party in a coalition with that leader becoming prime minister, and the smaller party supporting in a coalition. The ASP received 251 seats, and PSP just 104 seats. This meant Lukas Knight would comfortably become prime minister, and with support from the PSP would combined have 355 seats, a majority of 110 seats. It'd also be an increase of 31 seats from the previous election. The Liberals gained four seats, going from 207 to 211 from the last election.

In a victory speech, Knight excitedly announced that he would begin the formal process to join the High Kingdoms of Alaxia in June. However, some PSP socialists were unhappy that the ASP had won and had proposed backstabbing the ASP and voting down all motions in the house with the Liberals, and leaving Knight short 52 seats of a majority. In theory, a Liberal-PSP coalition could dethrone Knight and remove all of his ability to function. Therefore, on 8 June 2448, Knight begins the process of a legally binding referendum on joining the High Kingdoms of Alaxia.

Legally binding referendum on unification

Held on 1 July 2448, the referendum outcome saw the unionists win. The Liberals were very neutral on the issue, seeing the benefits to independence or joining. Because of this, the PSP with its dwindling popularity and the minor parties are forced to be the primary advocates for remaining independent. They barely advertise citing budget concerns and false confidence that the nation wouldn't want to join due to nationalism. Meanwhile, Knight campaigned as aggressive as he had previously and used media support and contacts at the 20s generation to get airtime on radio, in media newspapers and for the first time major political television adverts. 45.96% voted in favour of remaining independent, while 54.04% voted in favour of joining the High Kingdoms of Alaxia. On 3 July, Knight officially began writing into law the procedure to join the High Kingdoms of Alaxia, with Liberal support in the parliament.

See also

See also: Alaxian period of Empherias