Steerswick

Grand Duchy of Steerswick Grossherzogtum Stierschweig Duketh Meur Styrswig
Flag Coat of Arms
Anthem: "The Song of the Steerish Folk"
Map versions	17.4.6 -
Capital	Steerswick
Largest city	Regina
Official language(s)	Low Saxon Cibolan Saxon Old Steerish
Official religion(s)	Nidarosian Nazarene
Demonym	Steerswicker
- Adjective	Steerish
Government	Monarchy
- Grand Duchess	Lystasia Steerswick
- Legislature	-
Establishment	9.I.1598 AN (as Stiermark) 18.XV.1617 AN (as Steeria) 20.XII.1702 AN (as Steerswick)
Area	1,330,200 sq.km
Population	2,716,009
Currency	Mondomark
Time zone(s)	CMT-11
Driving side	right
National website	-
National forum	-
National animal	Steerswick bull
National food	Steerish pasty
National tree	Southcape Pine
Abbreviation	STW

Steerswick (Cibolan Saxon: Stierschweig; Old Steerish: Styrswig), officially the Grand Duchy of Steerswick (Cibolan Saxon: Grossherzogtum Stierschweig; Old Steerish: Duketh Meur Styrswig), is a sovereign monarchy in south western Cibola ruled by the Grand Duchess Lystasia. Part of the Mondosphere, Steerswick nevertheless maintains its own independent foreign policy and unlike other Mondosphere states, is not a member of the Raspur Pact.

Etymology

The name Steerswick is derived from Swak Steer, the original name for the capital and largest city. Historically, the area was also known as Steeria or Stiermark.

Topography of Steerswick

Geography

Steerswick occupies the south western corner of Cibola, along with the Stonewall Peninsula of Sypyr. The majority of its territory lies between latitudes 57° and 70° S and consists of several drainage basins extending to the south and west from the Helderberg Mountains. Southcape, the southernmost point of mainland Cibola, lies within the country.

The terrain is mountainous in the north, with interspersed hills and river valleys descending to mostly flat coastal plains. With the exception of the peaks of the Helderberg Mountains, the regions of Steeria and Dunaria, together with the northern half of Southmoorland, have a predominantly warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb). Mixed deciduous and coniferous forests are found across elevated areas, with extensive grasslands in the river and coastal lowlands. As suggested by its name, Southmoorland is also known for its extensive tracts of moorland.

Southern Southmoorland, the Isle of Wadon and the majority of Southcape have a largely subarctic climate (Dfc), and are dominated by coniferous forest. The southernmost tip of the Southcape Peninsula and the Stonewall Peninsula of Sypyr have a predominantly tundra climate (ET).

History

Early history

The region was home to several early states, about which comparatively little is known. The city of Swak Steer was founded c.1539 AN by tribes from the south, although the state they established had collapsed by 1550 AN.

Rossheim era

In 1593 AN, the Duke of Rossheim annexed the area as the Bailiwick of Steeria (Cibolan Saxon: Vogtei Stiermark). Swak Steer was resettled by Cibolan Saxon colonists, who originally named it Stierburg. The city received its present name, Steerswick (Cibolan Saxon:Stierschweig) in 1604 AN.

On 9.I.1598 AN, Steeria was erected into a duchy for the King of Leichenberg’s children, Igor Viktor and Viktoria Adelheid. Although the duchy was reincorporated into Leichenberg only ten months later, it continued to be administered separately from the remainder of the kingdom, reinforcing a nascent local identity that was confirmed when Igor Viktor and Viktoria Adelheid’s son, Max II, was proclaimed ruler of an independent Kingdom of Steeria (Cibolan Saxon: Königreich Stiermark) in XV.1617 AN.

In I.1628 AN, Steeria joined together with Highfield as the United Kingdom of Steeria and Highfield (Cibolan Saxon: Vereinigtes Königreich Stiermark und Hochfeld).

Helderbourgh rule

After the collapse of Rossheim rule, Steeria was incorporated within the Grand Duchy of Helderbourgh in 1667 AN. The Grand Duchy, by then part of the Kingdom of Batavia, disintegrated in 1685 AN.

Territorial evolution of Steerswick, 1702-16 AN

Restoration

The emergence of Mondo Etzeterra into the politics of southern Cibola in 1702 AN, inspired a resurgence of Steerish nationalism. The years of independence between 1617 and 1667 AN had caused a distinct Steerish identity to emerge, increasingly seen as separate from the Cibolan Saxons to the north. Helderbourgish rule had only served to strengthen this trend, and although nostalgia for the defunct Rossheim dynasty remained strong, local support for Mondo was tempered by the determination of many locals to avoid domination by a revived central authority north of the mountains.

After lengthy negotiations, representatives of the local estates offered Mondo the regency of a revived Steerish state, the Grand Duchy of Steerswick, on the understanding that the throne would pass to one of his future offspring when they came of age. It was also stipulated that the Grand Duchy would not be united with Etzeland or another Cibolan Saxon state.

On 20.XII.1702 AN, Mondo formally accepted the offer and announced that a suitable candidate for the grand ducal throne was “being assembled”. Mondo's first child, a daughter Lystasia, was born on 19.II.1703 and recognised as grand duchess of Steerswick three days later.

Expansion

On 6.VIII.1706 AN, Grand Duchess Lystasia terminated the regency of her father and shortly afterwards announced an ambitious plan to reclaim various territories that had once belonged to the former Kingdom of Steeria. Dubbed the "Lystasian Reconquest", the final months of 1706 AN saw Steerswick annex the entire Southcape peninsula- an area of 244,872 square kilometres- together with a further 139,788 square kilometres adjoining the Grand Duchy's western border. The former was incorporated as the province of Southcape/Penn an Soth, while the latter became the West Steeria National Park.

The following year, in the aftermath of the 1706 Akhidian Crisis, Steerswick annexed a further 55,296 square kilometres of territory, including the city of Regina. Together with the West Steeria National Park, these new lands were formed into a third province, West Steeria.

In XIII.1709 AN, Steerswick and Etzeland mounted a joint operation to occupy the Highfields region bordering Whales and Lanzerwald. The occupied territories were subsequently divided between the two countries, with Steerswick receiving an area of 155,808 square kilometres as its share. Steerswick formally annexed its occupation zone in IX.1711 AN, establishing the new province of Southmoorland East.

On 18.V.1716 AN, the South Akhidian province of Dunaria voted to join Steerswick. The Grand Duchy formally annexed the province on 24.V.1716 AN.

Government and politics

Steerswick is a semi-constitutional monarchy, in which the monarch exercises substantial power alongside a democratically-elected, but essentially advisory, assembly, the Steerish Estates.

Monarchy

Sovereignty and executive authority are both vested in the reigning monarch, Lystasia Steerswick, who is styled Grand Duchess of Steerswick. Although the monarchy is notionally hereditary, the grand duchess' undead nature makes the succession to the grand ducal throne a largely theoretical matter.

In view of the grand duchess' youth, authority was initially exercised by her father, Mondo Etzeterra. It was originally foreseen that this arrangement would continue until the Grand Duchess attained her majority in 1721 AN; however, on 6.VIII.1706, the regency was unilaterally terminated by Lystasia- still a mere three-and-a-half years old- with the support of the Estates.

Steerish Estates

The Steerish Estates is a unicameral assembly of fifty-five representatives, elected by democratic vote of all adult Steerish citizens deemed to be "in good standing". It has its origins in the Kingdom of Steeria's Estate of the Cibolan Saxons, the only one of its three legal estates to have survived the White Plague and the kingdom's subsequent collapse. The contemporary Estates acts principally as an advisory body to the grand duchess and possess little independent authority.

Members are elected by province using the single transferable vote system and serve four year terms. While Steerswick has no absolute prohibition against the formation of political parties, they are generally regarded as running counter to the Steerish tradition of consensus politics, and consequently tend to exert minimal impact.

Seats are apportioned among the provinces according to population, with the least populous province, Steerish Sypyr, returning a single delegate.

Province	Seats
Dunaria	11
East Steeria	13
Southcape/Penn an Soth	7
Southmoorland East	2
Southmoorland West	3
Steerish Sypyr	1
Wadonshire	7
West Steeria	11
Steerswick	55

Administrative Divisions

Provinces of Steerswick, 1716 AN

Steerswick's territory is divided into eight provinces, of which two- Southmoorland East and Southmoorland West- form the autonomous Duchy of Southmoorland.

Provinces

The six provinces outside of the Duchy of Southmoorland comprise the five historic bailiwicks of Steeria, together with Steerish Sypyr. Each province is administered by a Lord Lieutenant appointed by the central government with the assent of the Grand Duchess.

Province	Administrative Centre	Code	Area (sq km)	Population	Established
Dunaria	Santiago	DU	112,860	530,000	1716
East Steeria	Steerswick City	ES	193,968	658,852	1702
Southcape/Penn an Soth	Gebra	SC	244,872	369,578	1706
Steerish Sypyr	Stonewall	SY	109,368	1,272	1708
Wadonshire	Wadonston	WD	40,104	378,508	1708
West Steeria	Regina	WS	195,084	534,985	1707
Steerswick	Steerswick City	STW	896,256	2,473,195	1702

Duchy of Southmoorland

The Duchy of Southmoorland (Cibolan Saxon: Herzogtum Südmoorland) is the personal demesne of the Grand Duchess Lystasia, who owns the overwhelming majority of the land as private property. Modelled upon Mondo's Duchy of Rossheim, the present-day duchy was formed in 1708 AN from annexed lands falling outside of the historic boundaries of the former Kingdom of Steeria.

Steerish citizens enjoy limited rights to residency and property ownership (usually in the form of long-term leases rather than freehold) in specially designated areas of the duchy, principally the cities of Newmoorham and Deepbrook. All revenue from the duchy beyond that required for the local administration- notably the profits from the gold and silver mines in the north- goes to support Lystasia, although she voluntarily remits a certain proportion to the Steerish Exchequer.

Province	Administrative Centre	Code	Area (sq km)	Population	Established
Southmoorland East	Deepbrook	SE	155,808	101,276	1711
Southmoorland West	Newmoorham	SW	278,136	141,538	1708
Southmoorland	Newmoorham	SML	433,944	242,814	1708

Foreign relations

Although a founding member of the Mondosphere, Steerswick maintains its own foreign policy and repeatedly demonstrates considerable independence from Fort Ermingander. Unlike neighbouring Etzeland, as of 1717 AN it remains outside of the Raspur Pact, despite manifesting greater militaristic tendencies than most Pact-aligned Mondosphere states.

Military

Steerswick possesses a comparatively small, but well-trained military. The army has an estimated strength of at least fifteen thousand personnel and is equipped with advanced technology, including over 360 gravimetric combat vehicles.

Economy

The Steerish economy has traditionally been dominated by the primary sector, in particular mining and forestry. The mountainous north of the country contains several major gold mines, although they are generally somewhat smaller than those across the border in neighbouring Etzeland. Agricultural activity is concentrated predominantly in the western coastal plains between Santiago and Gebra.

Recent years have seen efforts towards economic diversification, with a focus upon advanced technology. Despite its size, the country possesses an active defence industry centred upon the Steerswick Ordinance Factory.

The ports of Steermouth and Regina serve as major transportation hubs for the import and export of goods to and from both Etzeland and Steerswick.

In 1717 AN, Steerswick was estimated to have gold reserves of up to 327 metric tons, although the country's exact holdings have never been officially disclosed.

Demographics

As of 1717 AN, Steerswick has a population of 2,716,009. The majority of the inhabitants are of Germanic descent, but unlike the neighbouring Cibolan Saxons, commonly speak a "low Saxon" dialect similar to Istvanistani, although the Cibolan Saxon language remains widely understood. In the region of Southcape/Penn an Soth, a minority continues to speak Old Steerish, a Proto-Calbi language related to Calbic. In 1706 AN, Old Steerish was recognised as a national language alongside Steerish Low Saxon and Cibolan Saxon.

The overwhelming majority of the population are followers of the Church of Nidaros.

Most of the population reside in urban areas. Besides the eponymous capital, Steerswick, principle cities include Steermouth, Regina and Santiago on the western coast, Steerhead, in the north of the country, Gebra, in the southern region of Southcape/Penn an Soth, and Wadonston, on the Isle of Wadon.