Government of Bloenland

The Kingdom of Great Blönland is a federal constitutional monarchy in which executive power, nominally vested in the King, the head of state, is delegated by legislation to a parliamentary system which combines elements of direct and indirect democracy. The King as Head of State still takes an active role in politics, which is unusual for most democratic constitutional monarchies of Uletha. The government is presided over by a Prime Minister who leads a collegial, nominally nonpartisan cabinet. The current Constitution, adopted in 1952, provides for a high level of federalism, giving a great degree of autonomy to the two Constituent Countries, Blönland (proper) and Remsfalen-Lüningen, formerly afforded only to the latter, which was annexed by Blönland in 1854. Blönland is also unique in terms of retaining a strong hereditary element in its upper house.

Constitution

Executive branch

Monarchy of Blönland

The King of Blönland (König von Blönland), styled His Majesty (Seine Majestät), is the Head of State. According to the constitution, all powers emanate from him but he is specifically the head of the executive branch. The current King is Friedrich-Alexander III, who succeeded his father Georg III upon his death in 1968 at the age of 23 years. He fulfills his mostly representative and cultural responsibilities together with his consort, Queen Olga, his heir apparent Crown Prince Georg and other members of the Royal Family. The King represents Blönland abroad and frequently attends international events with other heads of state.

The King's primary responsibility is to serve as the symbol of the State and maintain stability in the political process.

The King has the right to appoint and dismiss ministers, commission officers, open and close the parliament, grant honours and titles of nobility and grant reprieves and pardons. He makes use of all these rights regularly.

Succession

The monarchy of Blönland is hereditary. Succession is governed by the Constitution in 1952 and the Royal Household and Succession Act which was last updated in 1995. The crown is inherited under primogeniture in the male line, meaning that only male Princes of the Royal Family, descending through men only from a past King, may inherit it. Primogeniture means that the eldest son of the King is normally the heir apparent. Princesses and their descendants are excluded from the line of succession, as are children born out of wedlock unless their parents marry and obtain a letter of legitimization from the King.

The Constitution stipulates that the King must belong to the Catholic Church. It is up to debate among legal scholars whether this means that non-Catholics are excluded from the line of succession or merely cannot exercise their powers if they become King. The 1995 Royal Household and Succession Act has not clarified this yet, though the first 30 persons in line to the throne are currently Catholics, making the debate irrelevant. The Act has, however, lifted the requirement for the consort to also be Catholic, requiring that she merely "professes a Christian faith".

As one of the last monarchies in the world, Blönland still maintains a tradition of equal intermarriage, meaning that members of the Royal Family are expected or at least encouraged to marry other royals or members of the nobility. Until 1995, this was generally understood as encompassing only members of sovereign houses and certain high-ranking titled noble families, but the new Act clarified that even newly granted nobility of the spouse is theoretically enough to maintain one's position in the line of succession and that in other cases a written dispensation from the King is enough. In practice, as permission is needed for any marriage anyway, this difference is irrelevant, even though the permission was denied or granted only under condition of renouncing one's rights to the throne in many recent cases. However, most members of the Royal Family and all currently living ones still in the line of succession are married to nobles or royals, including King Friedrich-Alexander III himself, whose consort is a Princess of Remsfalen.

Royal Family

The Royal Family of Blönland is a branch of the von Burgenau family, which had ruled the city and the surrounding countryside at least since the 10th century, first as counts and later as dukes.

By statute, the Royal Family encompasses all male-line descendants of Blönland's first king, Rupprecht, from "approved marriages". King Rupprecht ruled from 1445 to 1477 and declared Blönland a kingdom in 1461. In reality, the earliest common ancestor of all current Princes and Princesses of the Blood is King Georg I., who ruled from 1805 to 1856. The Royal Family currently encompasses 56 individuals excluding the King and Queen - Princes, unmarried Princesses and Princesses Consort. Princesses born into the Royal Family traditionally give up their title upon marriage, there are currently 22 such former Princesses.

Princes who marry without the a person deemed of "insufficient rank" and give up their succession rights normally keep their title for life but a lower title, in recent times almost always "Count/Countess of Burgenau", is granted to their spouses and children, who do not obtain membership in the Royal Family.

Two cadet branches of the von Burgenau family not descending from King Rupprecht I exist. They do not belong to the Royal Family but hold titles in the Nobility of Blönland.

The King

King Friedrich-Alexander III with Queen Consort Olga in 2011

King Friedrich-Alexander III was born on April 15th, 1945 as the third of five children and the eldest son of Crown Prince Georg (the future King Georg IV) and Crown Princess Margarethe. His mother, a member of the von Koeski-Herrmann family, was a Princess of Sapvuodma and the sister of current King Edvart VII.

Prince Friedrich-Alexander, as he was called at that time, was brought up strictly, especially by his grandfather King Albrecht IV who died when Friedrich-Alexander was 10. The young Prince, who became Crown Prince after his father's coronation in 1955, was sent to the Kirchberg Boarding School near Neustadt auf der Höhe, which at that time educated many members of Ulethan royalty. He became acquainted with his classmate Prince Wilhelm of Remsfalen, who introduced him to his sister Princess Olga, three years younger than both. The Crown Prince and the Princess got engaged shortly after he joined the Royal Military Academy in Sankt Veit, aged 18. After his father's marriage, which was considered unequal by some politicians as the royal family of Sapvuodma has bourgeois origins, the Crown Prince's union with a Princess of Remsfalen was welcomed by the public greatly.

After graduating from the military academy with honours in 1966, he was posted to Sapvuodma against the wishes of his mother and briefly served as a Captain in the Arctic War but was ordered to return home due to concerns over his father's deteriorating health. King Georg IV wanted to attend his son's marriage, which was expedited and occured on January 17th, 1968, at the Burgenau Cathedral. Friedrich-Alexander's father would die only seven months after the marriage. King Friedrich-Alexander III was crowned, together with his pregnant consort Queen Olga, on October 8th, 1969. This was the first appearance of the Queen Dowager Margarethe after her husband's death. Until her own death in 2004, she would find great support in all of her children but especially in her eldest son.

List of Kings of Blönland since Georg I

(Unless noted, Kings are sons of their predecessors)

Number	Name	Birth	Rule	Death	Consorts	Notes	Picture
	Georg I	1770	1805-1856	1856	Olga, née Princess of Remsfalen-Lüningen
	Friedrich-Alexander II	1802	1856-1889	1889	Countess Friederike von Burgenau-Glückuhn, née Baroness von Glückuhn (morganatic)	Descendants excluded from line of succession
	Georg II	1804	1889-1895	1895	unmarried	Brother of Friedrich-Alexander II, died childless
	Georg III	1852	1895-1917	1917	Alexandra, née Princess of Remsfalen	Nephew of Georg II
	Albrecht IV	1884	1917-1955	1955	Friederike, née Princess of Blönland
	Georg IV	1911	1955-1968	1968	Margarethe, née Princess of Sapvuodma
	Friedrich-Alexander III	1945	1968		Olga, née Princess of Remsfalen

Family Tree (from Georg I onwards)

Monarchs' names are written in bold. Name of persons who do not belong to the Royal House but are nevertheless included in this list due to their descent and relationship are cursive.

• King Georg I (1770-1856, ruled from 1805), married in 1801 Princess Olga of Remsfalen-Lüningen (1787-1863)
  • King Friedrich-Alexander II (1802-1889, ruled from 1856), morganatically married in 1842 Baroness Friederike von Glückuhn (1818-1891) who was created Countess von Burgenau-Glückuhn
    • Count Georg von Burgenau-Glückuhn (1842-1901), married in 1864 Countess Christiane von Campenau (1844-1920)
      • Count Friedrich-Alexander von Burgenau-Glückuhn (1865-1932), married in 1891 Countess Isolde von Stedelstedt
        • Countess Rosalie von Burgenau-Glückuhn (1892-1975), married in 1914 Joseph von Müller
    • Count Waldemar von Burgenau-Glückuhn (1844-1927), married (I) in 1870 Baroness Dorothee von Puch zu Puch (1851-1876), married (II) in 1881 Baroness Alexandra von Schottenberger (1858-1940)
      • (illegitimate, with maid Anna Puchert) Sophie Puchert (1861-1912)
      • (illegitimate, with maid Anna Puchert) Franz Puchert (1862-1942)
      • (I) Count Maxmilian Joseph von Burgenau-Glückuhn (1871-1950), married in 1893 Countess Anna von Baumann-Zamoyski (1870-1958)
        • Count Casimir von Burgenau-Glückuhn (1895-1973), married in 1927 Baroness Petra von Mokrzycki (1904-1987)
          • Countess Alexandra von Burgenau-Glückuhn (1928-2005), married in 1956 Erik Jensen
          • Count Eusebius von Burgenau-Glückuhn (1931-1986), married in 1965 Eugenia von Walther (*1937)
        • Count Stephan von Burgenau-Glückuhn (1896-1976), married in 1921 Baroness Patricia von Glückuhn (1901-1979)
          • Count Franz von Burgenau-Glückuhn (1922-2007), married in 1952 Emilia Rossi (1930-2011)
            • Count Frederik von Burgenau-Glückuhn (*1952), married in 1979 Alexandra von Stöckl (*1954)
            • Countess Johanna von Burgenau-Glückuhn (*1955), artist
            • Countess Brigitta von Burgenau-Glückuhn (*1955), married in 1983 John Smithers-Thorpe, 3rd Viscount Thorpe
      • (I) Countess Walpurga von Burgenau-Glückuhn (1873-1942)
      • (II) Count Alexander von Burgenau-Glückuhn (1884-1973)
    • Countess Sophia von Burgenau-Glückuhn (1845-1910)
  • Princess Alexandra (1803-1862), married in 1822 Prince Wilhelm of Remsfalen (1792-1855)
  • Princess Theresia (1804-1889), abbess of the St. Irmengard Nunnery near Rottenturm
  • King Georg II (1804-1895, ruled from 1889)
  • Prince Ferdinand (1807-1820), died in a carriage accident
  • Prince Albrecht (1815-1881), married in 1846 TBD
    • Princess Friederike (1847-1922)
    • Princess Victoria (1850-1936)
    • King Georg III (1852-1917, ruled from 1895), married in 1877 Princess Alexandra of Remsfalen (1857-1911)
      • Crown Prince Friedrich-Alexander (1877-1905), married in 1899 Princess Theresia of Blönland (1880-1966)
      • Princess Amalia (1881-1938), married in 1900 TBD
      • Princess Sophia (1883-1959), married in 1908 Princess Theresia of Blönland (widow of Crown Prince Friedrich-Alexander)
      • King Albrecht IV (1884-1955, ruled from 1917), married in 1909 Princess Friederike of Blönland (1889-1972)
        • King Georg IV (1911-1968, ruled from 1955), married in 1968 Princess Margarethe of Sapvuodma (1923-2004)
          • Princess Charlotte (*1943), married in 1966 TBD
          • King Friedrich-Alexander III (*1945, ruled from 1968), married in 1968 Princess Olga of Remsfalen (*1949)
            • Princess Olga (*1969), married in 1992 TBD
            • Princess Alexandra (*1970), married in 2004 TBD
            • Crown Prince Georg (*1972), married in 1998 TBD, current heir apparent
              • Princess Theresia (*1999), engaged since 2023 to Count Maximilian von und zu Pogatz (*1998)
              • Prince Friedrich-Alexander (*2002)
              • Princess Olga (*2004)
              • Prince Heinrich (*2005)
              • Prince Maximilian (*2006)
              • Prince Rupprecht (*2008)
            • Princess Henriette (*1974)
            • Prince Albrecht (*1976), married in 2011 TBD
              • Prince Waldemar (*2011)
              • Prince Theodor (*2014)
              • Prince Friedrich (*2014)
              • Prince Eduard (*2019)
            • Prince Wilhelm (*1979), married in 2004 Baroness Isolde von Schottenberger (*1978)
              • Princess Isolde (*2005)
              • Princess Constanze (*2008)
          • Prince Clemens (*1948), married in 1973 Princess Charlotte von Pottenberg-Steinkirchen (*1951)
            • Prince August (*1974), morganatically married in 1999 Zoe Smith (*1975) who was created Countess von Burgenau
              • Count Patrick von Burgenau (*2000), married in 2023 Anne Huntingdon
              • Countess Hannah von Burgenau (*2003)
            • Prince Gerhard (*1978), married in 2002 Vicomtesse Elizabeth de la Rose de Puy-Blanc (*1981)
              • Princess Henriette (*2003)
              • Princess Josephine (*2005)
              • Princess Clementine (*2009)
          • Princess Margarethe (*1950), married in 1971 Count Geert van Hertogswilt (1946-2024)
          • Prince Casimir (*1952), married in 1978 Countess Antonia von Baumann-Zamoyski (*1957)
            • Princess Johanna (*1978), married in 2005 Paul Medwik (*1960), who was ennobled by the King of Blönland as Baron von Medwik on the occasion with permission from the Government of Sapvuodma
            • Prince Herbert (*1983), married in 2007 Baroness Louisa Mätka (*1985)
              • Prince Joachim (*2010)
              • Princess Nicole (*2014)
              • Prince Louis (*2016)
              • Prince Stephan (*2020)
            • Prince Erich-Woldemar (*1985), married in 2016 Baroness Edda von Baumann (*1991)
              • Prince Albrecht (*2017)
              • Princess Edda (*2019)
              • Princess Emilia (*2023)
      • Prince Georg (1886-1970), morganatically married in 1915 Elisabeth Müller (1890-1975) and gave up the title and style of Prince to be created Count von Burgenau
        • Countess Anna von Burgenau (1913-1999), born out of wedlock and legitimized after marriage
        • Count Georg Friedrich von Burgenau (1915-1973), married in 1943 Hertha von Schmidt (1921-1990)
          • Count Alexander von Burgenau (1945-2016), married in 1971 Countess Sophie von Glückuhn (*1949)
            • Count Waldemar von Burgenau (*1972)
            • Countess Marie von Burgenau (*1974)
            • Countess Henriette von Burgenau (*1979)
          • Countess Elisabeth Maria von Burgenau (*1951), married in 1978 Ernst (von) Brunner (1943-2009) who was ennobled in 1984
        • Countess Elisabeth von Burgenau (1917-1980)
      • Princess Henriette (1887-1964), married in 1907 TBD
  • Prince Joseph (1818-1872), married in 1845 TBD
    • Prince Alexander (1846-1905), lived without marriage with Anna Stöckl (1861-1942)
      • Georg (von) Stöckl (1887-1963), ennobled in 1901, married in 1916 Josephine Kaufmann
        • Alexander von Stöckl (1917-1989), married in 1946 Zita Gerber-Schmitz (1926-2018)
          • Anna von Stöckl (*1952), famous violinist, married in 1980 Johann Burmeyster
          • Alexandra von Stöckl (*1954), married in 1979 Count Frederik von Burgenau-Glückuhn (see above)
      • Catharina (von) Stöckl (1890-1968), ennobled in 1901, married in 1915 Baron Casimir von Stedelstedt (1880-1963)
      • Maximilian (von) Stöckl (1891-1932), ennobled in 1901
    • Prince Georg (1853-1928), married (I) in 1876 Princess Sophie of Remsfalen (1857-1881), married (II) in 1887 Princess Anna van Nadrouwen (1863-1940)
      • (I) Prince Heinrich (1877-1948), Archbishop of Burgenau
      • (II) Princess Friederike (1889-1972), married in 1909 Prince Albrecht of Blönland (later King Albrecht IV)
      • (II) Princess Anna (1890-1905)
  • Prince Carl (1819-1825)

Legislative branch

The Diet

The Diet (Landtag) is Blönland's parliament and supreme legislative organ. It consists of two chambers.

House of Lords

The House of Lords (Herrenhaus) is the upper house of the Blönnish parliament and

Judicial branch

Criminal Justice and Penal System

Criminal courts exist in every major town. They are complemented by a system of "flying judges" that travel between police stations and jails, who often work part-time and sentence defendants in small cases but also adjudicate civil disputes.

Sentencing in criminal trials in Blönland is noticeably harsher than in other countries, which is frequently criticized by human rights groups. It is not uncommon for a first-time shoplifter to be sentenced to several years in prison. In September 2023, the House of Deputies vowed to "explore alternatives to long-term imprisonment" for young, nonviolent and first-time offenders, including electronic tagging, penal labour and corporal punishment. One of the reasons for high punishments is the fact that the State provides no assistance to those who can't afford a lawyer. While many prominent defendants can hire lawyers thanks to donors, including the non-governmental organization Blönnish Justice Fund, those less fortunate must usually resort to defending themselves in a trial. Combined with the controversial system of giving prosecutors bonuses for successful convictions, this leads to a high amount of harsh sentences and subsequent retrials or acquittals of innocent persons who were enticed by the court to plead guilty.

Blönland is one of the countries in Uletha that still actively use the death penalty. Except in military tribunals, the death penalty requires a trial by jury. Executions are possible for murder, certain cases of manslaughter, aggravated rape, serious drug offences, "offences against the life and dignity of the King" or other members of the Royal House or conspiracy to commit such offences, terrorism, treason, war crimes, and, in wartime, for desertion, grave insubordination and cowardice. Under the newest Criminal Justice Law of 2022, the death penalty is mandatory for capital crimes committed against children. Executions are carried out by hanging or shooting. Appeals are limited and most condemned prisoners wait 6 to 18 months until their execution.

Political history and culture

Parties

Due to its history and federalism, Blönland's party structure is highly complex. Many ideologies are represented by two or more parties, and many parties are historically associated with one of the two constituent countries, even though all except for openly separatist ones now participate in elections in both parts of the country. One notable example is the United Social-Democratic Party, which was created through the merger of Blönland's and Remsfalen-Lüningen's social-democratic parties in 1937. The lack of a minimum vote barrier encourages the formation of new parties, often from ideological splits or personal conflicts between prominent members.

Political divisions

Left vs. Right

Blönland is a very traditional and conservative society and left-wing parties, including social-democratic ones, have had less success than in other countries, only participating in coalitions for 12 of the last 100 years. Nevertheless, there is a large array of political factions left of the center, many hostile to each other. The center and right wing is also split into a multitude of parties along fine ideological lines and regional differences.

Unionism vs. Autonomism vs. Separatism

The three main political positions regarding the membership of Remsfalen-Lüningen in the Kingdom of Blönland are Unionism, Autonomism and Separatism.

Unionists want to preserve the status quo or reduce the level of devolution and federalism. Autonomists approve of the union but want more rights, usually for Remsfalen-Lüningen (essentially a return to pre-1952 conditions) but often for both constituent countries. Some demand that the name of the country is changed to "Kingdom of Blönland-Remsfalen" or "Kingdom of Blönland-Remsfalen-Lüningen".

Separatists want Remsfalen-Lüningen to leave the Kingdom. They differ on whether it should become an independent republic, restore the Grand Ducal Crown in personal union with either Blönland or Remsfalen, or rejoin the Kingdom of Remsfalen as a province. There are very few separatists in Blönland proper.

Monarchism vs. Republicanism

While all right-wing factions except for right-wing Remsfalian separatists firmly stand on the side of the monarchy, the centre and liberal camps are split on the issue and republicanism is widespread on the left except for the VSD, which has a tradition of social-democratic monarchism. Many republicans criticize the lack of gender-neutral primogeniture and the King's continuing political role. Among republicans, most want a purely parliamentary system while some want the President to have the same or more powers as the King.

List of main parties

The list includes all main official political parties of Blönland. Parties on this list are or have recently held seats in the federal or one of the two provincial legislatures, provided ministers, or are otherwise currently or historically important.

Party name	Translation	Abbreviation and Colour	Founded	Ideology	Notes	Party Coalition (on federal level)	Seats in House of Lords	Seats in House of Representatives	Seats in regional legislatures	Logo
Vereinigte Linke	United Left	VL	1976	Communism, Left-wing extremism, Left-wing populism	Loose coalition of several leftist fringe groups.
Blönnische Kommunistische Partei	Blönnish Communist Party	BKP	1922	Communism, Left-wing extremism
Remsfälische Arbeiterpartei	Remsfalian Workers' Party	RAP	1915	Communism, Remsfalen-Lüningen separatism, Socialism, Left-wing nationalism and populism
Vereinigte Sozialdemokratische Partei	United Social-Democratic Party	VSD	1937	Big-tent Social Democracy, Socialism, Unionism, Monarchism	Arose from the 1937 union of the Blönnish Social Democratic Party and the Socialist Party of Remsfalen-Lüningen
Ökologisch-Soziale Partei	Ecological-Social Party	ÖSP	1990	Social Democracy, Socialism, Environmentalism, Left-liberalism
Republikanisch-Demokratische Partei Blönlands	Republican-Democratic Party	RDP	1992	Social Democracy, Republicanism, Unionism, Left-liberalism
Christliches Zentrum	Christian Centre	CZ	1997	Christian Democracy, Centrism
Remsfalenpartei	Remsfalen Party	RP	1963	Remsfalen-Lüningen separatism, accession of Remsfalen-Lüningen to the Kingdom of Remsfalen, Social Conservatism, Centrism, Populism
Freiheitlich-Demokratische Partei Blönlands	Liberal-Democratic Party of Blönland	FDB	1946	Liberalism, Federalism, Free Market
Neue Liberale	New Liberals	NL	2010	Social Liberalism, Digitalization	Split from FDB and RFP
Remsfälische Freiheitspartei	Remsfalian Freedom Party	RFP	1952	Liberalism, Federalism, Free Market
Piraten und Unabhängige	Pirates and Independents	PIRATEN	2008	Liberalism, Republicanism, Digitalization, Internet freedom
Libertäre Allianz	Libertarian Alliance	LA	1987	Right-libertarianism, Federalism, Market radicalism, Conservatism, Populism, Gun rights	Split from FDB and RFP
Christlich-Demokratische Partei Blönlands	Christian-Democratic Party of Blönland	CDP	1930	Christian Democracy, Federalism, Unionism, Moderate Conservatism, Monarchism
Bauernpartei	Farmers' Party	BP	1944	Conservatism, Agrarianism, Populism
Lüningische Christlich-Demokratische Partei	Lüningen Christian-Democratic Party	LCDP/LCP	1919	Christian Democracy, Moderate Autonomism, Conservatism, Monarchism
Freiheitlich-Konservative Alternative	Liberal-Conservative Alternative	FKA	1999	Conservatism, Right-Wing Populism
Partei der Bibeltreuen	Party of the Bible-Faithful	BT	2007	Christian Fundamentalism, Right-Wing Populism
Remsfälische Kichenpartei	Remsfalian Church Party	RKP	1965	Christian Fundamentalism, Christian Democracy, Conservatism
Blönnische Volkspartei	Blönnish People's Party	BVP	1921	Conservatism, Nationalism, Right-Wing Populism, Libertarianism, Unionism, Monarchism	Started participating in Remsfalen-Lüningen elections in 2016.
Partei der Königstreuen Lüninger	Party of Lüningers loyal to the King	PKL	1921	Conservatism, Nationalism, Unionism, Right-Wing Populism, Monarchism
Liste Huttendorfer	Huttendorfer List	HUTTENDORFER	2016	Conservatism, Right-Wing Populism, Libertarianism	Fairly recent party founded by businessman Wilhelm Huttendorfer.
Groß-Blönländische National-Demokratische Partei	Greater Blönland National Democratic Party	NDP	1960	Conservatism, Nationalism, Isolationism, Irredentism
Partei für Recht und Ordnung	Party for Justice and Order	PRO	1998	Conservatism, Nationalism, Right-Wing Populism, Right-Wing Extremism
Partei der Nationalen Wiedergeburt	Party of National Rebirth	NWG	2020	Extreme Nationalism, Right-Wing Extremism	Split from NDP