User:CaribbeanIslandMapper/Blönland

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Kingdom of Great Blönland Königreich Groß-Blönland (Blönnish Kalmish) Capital: Burgenau Population: 17.355.500 (2002) Anthem: Blönlandlied

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Blönland, formally the Kingdom of Great Blönland (Königreich Groß-Blönland) is a country in East Uletha. It borders Remsfalen to the west, UL31c and Izaland to the south and Saikyel to the east, as well as the [SEANAME] to the north. It covers an area of xxx square kilometers and has a population of over xx.x million, resulting in a population density of xxx per square kilometer. It is one of the easternmost culturally and linguistically Kalmish countries. The capital and largest city is Burgenau, located in the south, closely followed by Collenburg near the northern coast. Other major cities are the twin cities Dietfeld and Neustadt an der Lubbe, Papenau, Neustadt auf der Höhe, Daxau and Kronenburg.

A constitutional monarchy ruled by a King, Prime Minister and bicameral parliament, Blönland consists of two Constituent Countries (Länder) - the Kingdom of Blönland proper (Königreich Blönland), with the capital Burgenau and the Grand Duchy of Remsfalen-Lüningen (Großherzogtum Remsfalen-Lüningen), with the capital Collenburg. Historically distinct entities that were gradually unified after they came under a personal union, both have retained large degrees of autonomy and are culturally distinct, speaking different dialects. While Blönland is primarily Catholic, Remsfalen-Lüningen is mostly Protestant, except for areas in its south and east. The forested Central Mountains separate Blönland proper from largely flat Remsfalen-Lüningen, while the southern border is formed by the [MOUNTAINRANGENAME].

Overview

Blönland as a consolidated entity came into existence in 1844, when King Friedrich-Alexander II of Blönland inherited, in accordance with the 1733 Treaty of Collenburg, the Grand Duchy of Remsfalen-Lüningen that had split off from Remsfalen in 1678 from his distant cousin, Grand Duke Otto V, prompting the Remsfalian invasion of Remsfalen-Lüningen and Blönland, also called the Six Months' War. The Treaty of Weisburg ended the war, stipulating that Remsfalen-Lüningen would maintain its independence and be ruled by the King of Blönland in a personal union but would form a customs union with Remsfalen and surrender part of its tax income. In a time of political instability in Remsfalen, King Friedrich-Alexander II's successor Georg I began taking measures to change the status quo as he feared that Remsfalen would claim the Grand Duchy again, which resulted in the Crisis of 1862 that almost ended in a second war between Blönland and Remsfalen.

On May 10th, 1863, the Second Treaty of Collenburg was signed, in which Remsfalen consented to a real union between Blönland and Remsfalen-Lüningen in exchange for receiving the territory of Gamsland. Three days later, on May 13th, the parliaments of Blönland and Remsfalen-Lüningen passed an Act of Union, which resulted in the formation of the Kingdom of Blönland-Remsfalen-Lüningen and created the borders known today. On May 17th, King Georg I was crowned Grand Duke of Remsfalen-Lüningen. The date is celebrated as the National Holiday since 1899.

Political integration of the two Blönnish regions lasted well into the 20th century and is often still considered incomplete. The Kingdom of Blönland proper and the Grand Duchy retained their own armies until the Great War forced a modernization of the armed forces in 1932, as well as their own parliamentary lower houses and governments until 1952. During the Great War, Blönland remained officially neutral but provided aid to [SIDE]. It became a haven for war refugees from other Kalmish countries and for businesses who did not want to wait until reconstruction in war-struck regions was complete, which benefitted the rural areas greatly and finalized the formation of the Collenburg Metropolitan Area, the country's largest.

On January 1st, 1952, the Great Reform Act came into effect, unifying the legislatives of Blönland and Remsfalen-Lüningen and giving the country its current name. It implemented many economical, legal and social reforms that helped Blönland to adapt to the postwar world, significantly deregulating the economy and allowing the Kingdom to become a hub for modern technologies without alienating the traditional industries like mining in the south and fishing in the north.

Blönland is notable for its space program, high-quality transportation network and is touristically important, hosting more than 63 million visitors per year. Its largest exports are automotive and aerospace parts, coal and semiconductors. Agriculture is centered around dairy production on the coastal plains and in the mountains as well as wine and fruit in the rolling hills of the central regions.

The Blönnish people remain culturally and socially conservative, especially in the south. Religion is a major part of life, and 88,5% of all citizens according to the Census of 2022 claim membership in one of the country's two major churches. The King has significant powers unusual for other constitutional monarchies, and the nobility retains legal privileges, not only dominating the upper house of Parliament but also owning more than half of the land.

Geography

Administrative divisions of Kingdom of Great Blönland
First-level	2 Länder (Constituent Countries)
Second-level	7 Bezirke (Districts) in Blönland proper and 4 Landbezirke (Districts) and 2 Harden (Hundreds) in Remsfalen-Lüningen
Third-level	32 Kreise (Counties)
Fourth-level	445 Gemeinden (Communes)

Government

Government of Kingdom of Great Blönland
Federal constitutional parliamentary monarchy
Capital	Burgenau
Head of state
• King	Friedrich-Alexander III
• Prime Minister	Karl Adalbert Ritter von Müller
• Deputy Prime Minister	Dr. Claus Adam von Glückuhn
Legislature	Vereinigter Landtag (United Parliament)
• Upper house	Herrenhaus (House of Lords)
• Lower house	Abgeordnetenhaus (House of Deputies)
Judiciary	Oberster Gerichtshof (Highest Court)

King and Royal Family

• 

  King Friedrich-Alexander III

• 

  Queen Olga, Princess of Remsfalen

Blönland is, according to its constitution, a constitutional hereditary monarchy. The King wields significantly more power than most other constitutional monarchs, being able to veto laws, dissolve parliament and dismiss ministers at will. Until 2015, he could propose any law to the House of Lords directly, skipping the House of Deputies, something that last happened in 1963. Now, it is only possible in fields concerning the Royal Family directly, such as royal estates. The King and members of the Royal Family are exempt from income tax and from import duties for goods intended to be used personally.

The Royal Family descends in the agnatic line from Count Aribert of Pyhritz (1227-1274), who, after breaking free from Remsfalian vassalage, established the Principality of Blönland in 1261. The head of the comital house von Pyhritz-Sandkirchen, a collateral branch, was authorized to use the title "Prince in Blönland and of Pyhritz-Sandkirchen" (Fürst in Blönland und von Pyhritz-Sandkirchen) with the style "Serene Highness" in 1927 personally, and the concession made hereditary by male primogeniture in 1940. The current head of this branch is Bernhard, the 5th Prince in Blönland and of Pyhritz-Sandkirchen. He is not a member of the Royal Family, even though he is to inherit the throne if it goes extinct in the male line. He is married to Olga Katharina, a princess from the main line.

Current and former members of the Royal Family

The Royal Family of Blönland consists of all patrilineal, legitimate descendants of King Friedrich-Alexander I (1773-1850), and the women marrying into the family. Princes who enter a marriage without permission from the King are excluded from the order of succession and their children are not members of the Royal Family. Children and grandchildren of the King and of the Crown Prince are styled "Royal Highness", all other members of the Royal Family are styled "Highness".

The order of succession is strictly agnatic, meaning that women are excluded and nobody may claim through a woman. This is frequently criticized, however the conservative Parliament rejeceted a motion to implement absolute primogeniture in 2018. The King has stated that he does not wish to change the order of succession or allow children of Princesses to be members of the Royal Family as it is "contrary to tradition".

In the past, Princesses by birth would lose their title and leave the Royal Family upon marriage. In 1998, a law was passed that allows Princesses to retain their title for their lifetime, however, it only affects Princesses born after the law came into effect.

Until recently, Princes and Princesses were expected to marry Catholics belonging to higher nobility, and marriages to commoners and untitled nobles were considered morganatic. The marriage of Prince Wilhelm, the brother of the King, to commoner Henriette Ruedt was considered scandalous in 1981. Wives and children of morganatic marriages typically receive the title "Count/Countess of Burgenau". In 2005, the King decided to retroactively approve the marriage of Prince Wilhelm and, by royal decree, made his wife Countess Henriette von Burgenau, and their daughter Olga Princesses.

Notable current members

• HM King Friedrich-Alexander III (*1945)
• HM Queen Olga, Princess of Remsfalen (*1952), married then-Crown Prince Friedrich Alexander in 1973
• HRH Crown Prince Georg (*1974), current heir to the throne
• HRH Crown Princess Leopoldine (*1977), née Princess von Behrenstein-Steinkirchen, married Crown Prince Georg in 1999
• HRH Prince Michael (*1975), entrepreneur and philanthropist
• HRH Princess Adelaide (*1980), née Countess von Stöckelen, married Prince Michael in 2008
• HRH Prince Wilhelm (*1947), General (Blönnish Army), brother of the King
• HRH Princess Henriette (*1955), née Ruedt, married Prince Wilhelm in 1981 morganatically, held the title Countess von Burgenau until 2005 before being upgraded to Princess
• HRH Prince Friedrich-Alexander (*2000), son of Crown Prince Georg, second in line to the throne
• HRH Princess Amalie (*2001), daughter of Crown Prince Georg
• HRH Princess Olga (*2003), daughter of Crown Prince Georg
• HRH Princess Olga (*1983), daughter of Prince Wilhelm, held the title Countess von Burgenau until 2005 before being upgraded to Princess
• HRH Prince Carl (*1957), entrepreneur and philantropist, cousin of the King
• HH Prince Georg-Eduard (*2007), son of Prince Carl and then-Princess Arabella (*1980)
• HRH Prince Paul Dietrich (*1968), molecular geneticist and professor at the Albert Schneider Institute for Molecular Genetics at the University of Burgenau, cousin of the King
• HH Prince Friedrich (*2009), son of Prince Paul Dietrich
• HRH Princess Pauline (*1972), Mrs. von Grünwaldt, wife of Deputy Minister of Defence Karl von Grünwaldt, first Princess to retain her title after marriage, cousin of the King and sister of Prince Paul Dietrich
• HRH Princess Olga Katharina (*1974), Princess in Blönland and of Pyhritz-Sandkirchen, wife of HSH Prince (Fürst) Bernhard, 5th Prince in Blönland and of Pyhritz-Sandkirchen (*1962).

Former members

• Countess Anna Katharina von Neuhaus (*1942), née Princess of Blönland, married Count Casimir von Neuhaus in 1985 (sister of the King)
• Baroness Marie Victoria von Schneyder (*1943), née Princess of Blönland, married Admiral Albrecht von Schneyder in 1989 (sister of the King)
• Maria Siebenhammer (*1947), née Princess of Blönland, married photographer Martin Siebenhammer in 1978 (sister of the King), her daughter Olga von Gnädig (*1984) is a former model and actress and married shipbuilder Herbert-Wilhelm von Gnädig (*1963), who was ennobled in 2022.
• Baroness Theresia von Müller (*1972), née Princess of Blönland, married industrialist Alfred von Müller, brother of the current Prime Minister, in 1998 (daughter of the King)
• Helene Hidgpatrick (*1978), née Princess of Blönland, married Ingerish industrialist John Hidgpatrick in 2001 (daughter of the King)
• Arabella Diedrichsen (*1980), née von Purgstall-Pumpenrode, married Prince Carl in 2005, divorced in 2019, married opera singer Walther Diedrichsen in 2021

So far, all commoners who married Princesses of Blönland have been ennobled, except for Martin Siebenhammer (who declined the title of Baron) and John Hidgpatrick (who didn't get permission from the Ingerish government to be ennobled). It has been stated that if Princesses Amalie and Olga choose to marry commoners, they will be ennobled unless they explicitly opt out.

Cabinet

The Prime Minister (Premierminister) is the head of government. He is appointed by the King, usually when a new government is forms, and he is usually (but not always) the head of the largest party in the coalition.