Stormark

High Realm of Stormark
1474–1685
Flag Coat of arms
Motto Fra havet, hæder English: From the sea, glory
Historical map of Stormark
Capital	Haraldsborg
Language(s)	Storish, English
Religion	Storish Ancient Ways
Government	Constitutional monarchy
High King
- 1474-1685	Harald Thorstein
Legislature	Althing
History
- Established	1474
- Disestablished	1685
Currency	Storish króna

The High Realm of Stormark was a constitutional monarchy on Micras between 1474 AN and 1685 AN, which claimed to be the spiritual successor to a great but long-lost globe-spanning empire known as the Valtian Free State. Stormark was inspired by both Valtian and Viking culture and lore as well as the Ways of the Vanir, and followed the Storish Ancient Ways as the state religion.

Stormark was a massive, multicultural empire with holdings on all of Micras' continents, which thrived in its faith, its creative arts, its food, and its love-making. Its inhabitants lived fulfilling lives doing as they pleased within in the spacious confines of society. Stormarkers did still work in various forms, obviously, but said work was claimed to look nothing like it did in the Outland, that is, the rest of Micras.

Stormark collapsed in 1685.

Etymology

Stormark meant "great land" or "great country" in the Storish language. It was the nickname of the Valtian Free State for the better part of its existence. This name was said to have been picked by the goddesses Frigga, Freyja, and Idunn during a visit to the island of Grand Arcadia to attend the negotiations which would lead to the Pact of the Heartland.

History

Stormark was founded as a Dutch speaking nation based on Saxon culture as the Empire of Kruoningha (Keizerrijk Kruoningha), without apparent contact with the only other Dutch speaking micronation known to exist, Flanders. Kruoningha then was a direct democracy with a purely ceremonial monarch. The Kruoninghans quickly decided that they would prefer to experiment with viking culture instead, and changed the name of the country to Viking Empire of Kruoningha (Viking Keizerrijk Kruoningha) on November 15th, 2002. Kruoningha not sounding very Norse, this name was changed to Viking Empire of Stormark on December 4th, 2002 (Viking Keizerrijk Stormark). In July 2003, the country got its first online forum, at the same time abandoning Dutch in favour of English. On June 18th, 2010, the country's name was changed once more to High Realm of Stormark.

In June 2020, Stormark was removed from the MCS claimsmap.

Names

Aside from the name of High Realm of Stormark, which was mandated by the country's constitution, Stormark had, over the years of its existence, accrued many poetic names and nicknames. Twelve of those were granted official status by means of the Act on the Names of the High Realm of Year 11 and were used in Storish government documents:

• Lands of the Longships Throne
• Den of Ettlingar Freyu
• Twenty-Six Jarldoms
• Land of the Three Sacred Falcons

• Valtia Reborn
• Land of Always Summer
• Realm on all Continents
• Land of the Golden Boar

• Realm Where the Sun Never Sets
• Realm of Joy
• Land of the Three Ladies Divine
• Realm of Glorious Liberty

Government of Stormark

At the apex of Storish Government were said to be the Fulltrui of the Storish Ancient Ways, the Goddesses Frigga, Freyja and Idunn from whom all authority in the Lands of the Longships Throne was said to be derived; as such, the Ancient Ways were the state religion.

Imperial government

The central government of Stormark exhibited separation of powers among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The executive power of the imperial government was vested in the High Council of the Realm, the legislative power was vested in the Althing, and the judicial power was vested in the Court of the Realm.

Subdivsions

Jarldoms

In Stormark's quasi-federal system of government, there were, below the imperial level of government, twenty-six jarldoms. Each jarldom was headed by a jarl appointed by order of the High King in council and also had a legislature, the composition of which was determined by local law, custom, and tradition.

Jarldoms were fully autonomous on all matters not conferred upon the central government. The jarldom of Gularike was vested in the High King, who also reigned over those jarldoms whose executive was vacant or indisposed.

Traditional Districts

Each jarldom except Haldarsvik was further subdivided into Traditional Districts, which were cultural sub-regions that constituted the third level of Storish administration. All Traditional Districts were claimed to have deep historical roots and many of them were petty kingdoms before the Conquest of the Heartland. They were often defined by geographical features.

In most jarldoms (excepting the Arbor Isles, The Isles, Normandie, Port Chloe and the Providence Plantations, Thingeyri, and Tiundarike) the Traditional Districts were referred to as yeorlskapp (plural yeorlskapper), the executive of which, appointed by the jarl, was known as a yeorl (or yeorla if female). Each Traditional District also had a legislature, which was known (except in the jarldoms named above) was known as a yeorlsthing. The duties, powers, and functions of the govenor and the local assembly differed from jarldom to jarldom.

Tribedoms

Several Traditional Districts were, for historical reasons or due to size, subdivided further still into Tribedoms, which were cultural sub-regions of those Traditional Districts that constituted the fourth level of Storish administration.