Sankt Ludwigshafen
| Republik Sankt Ludwigshafen | |||
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| Motto: Gemeinsam für Sisera | |||
| Anthem: Schafe können sicher weiden | |||
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| Map versions | 16.7.8 - 16.8.4, 17.0.8 - present | ||
| Capital | Sankt Ludwigshafen | ||
| Largest city | Not even Sankt Ludwigshafen can be considered a large city. | ||
| Official language(s) | Southern-Cibolan Saxon | ||
| Official religion(s) | Siseranist | ||
| Demonym | Ludwigger | ||
| - Adjective | Ludwiggian | ||
| Government | Republic | ||
| - Statthalter(in) | Siegfried von der Elfenbeinküste | ||
| - Vorsitzende(r) des Stadtparlaments | Claudia Weißdeich | ||
| - Legislature | Stadtparlament | ||
| Establishment | 1680 | ||
| Area | |||
| Population | 97,385 (1690 census) | ||
| Currency | Jingdaoese Kala | ||
| Calendar | |||
| Time zone(s) | CMT-10 | ||
| Mains electricity | |||
| Driving side | The people of Sankt Ludwigshafen generally don't drive at all. | ||
| Track gauge | |||
| National website | staat.rsl | ||
| National forum | On the Bastion Union | ||
| National animal | Sypyr blue whale | ||
| National food | Salted whitefish | ||
| National drink | Kräuterwasser | ||
| National tree | Juniper bush | ||
| Abbreviation | RSL | ||
The Republic of Sankt Ludwigshafen is city state in southern Cibola, bordering Craitland's dominion of Zandarijn in the south. The nation was also previously on the MCS map from version 16.7.8, published on 12/04/2020 till 16.8.4, published on 14/06/2020. The city was a safe haven for Siseranist Saxons who had fled Natopia after the fall of the Principality of Walstadt. The name Sankt Ludwigshafen was derived from Prince Ludwig of Walstadt, who is revered as a saint. While the nation was previously on the MCS map as part of Alrig, since map version 17.0.8, which was published on 02/11/2020, the nation is recognised as an independent nation.
History
First republic
Until 1650 the area where Sankt Ludwigshafen is situated was claimed by the Empire of the Alexandrians. Very little reminds of that period as the Alexandrians did not have significant settlements in the area. The only archaeological sites where minimal remnants of the Alexandrian period are found is at the border with Zandarijn. Here some artefacts once belonging to border patrols have been recovered. The republic was established in 1680 as an independent nation. As the Ludwiggian perspective on Alexandria is heavily influenced by the hostility of the First Jingdaoese Empire, there is very little interest in the Alexandrian history. However, looting expeditions into the ruins of Lancôme, which used to be located north of Sankt Ludwig's location, brought back the Alexandrian Flu in 1682. While the disease was not more problematic in Sankt Ludwigshafen than a normal seasonal flu, in Alrig it led to the Alexandrian flu epidemic of 1682. Because of the death toll in Alrig, Alrig launched a punitive expedition to Sankt Ludwigshafen and annexed it in 1682. Within the Alriggian Republic it was known as the Cibolan Circle. Despite the annexation, governance of the republic had not fundamentally changed directly after the annexation as Alrig was a decentralised state where most policy decisions are made by the circles. This does not mean the republic had autonomy, as Alrig was a unitary state where the Council of Driftwood had the final say. The situation changed in 1684 when many Alriggians fleeing from the violence of the Jingdaoese-Alriggian War settled in the Cibolan Circle, outnumbering the native population. While attempts were made to reconcile religious differences, these attempts proved to be futile. The Alriggian refugees retreated into their newly founded city of Erazmhafen after they found themselves unwelcome in Sankt Ludwigshafen. After the founding of the Barbarian Republic, many Alriggians left Erazmhafen in 1685. On the 7th day of the 9th month of the year 1685, the Stadtparlement adopted a resolution reverting the annexation and declaring Sankt Ludwigshafen to be an independent nation again. A herald was sent to Erazmhafen with the declaration and an ultimatum. The ultimatum gave the inhabitants of Erazmhafen three days to convert to Siseranism or leave the city. When the ultimatum had passed, the Dragonerkorps Ludwigshafen was sent into the city, and inquired of everyone they encountered if they had repented and accepted Sisera as their Lady and Saviour. Twenty-three people claimed they hadn't and were burned in the city market. The execution of these people created unrest in the republic, both Ludwiggians and Alriggians took to the streets to protest, demanding that the dragoons would be defunded. Stattholder Siegfried von der Elfenbeinküste responded to the protests with force. Dragoons were ordered to repel protesters with rubber bullets, injuring a dozen. The use of force against peaceful protesters only escalated the situation and more and more citizens joined the protests. On the 20th day of the 9th month of 1685, Siegfried von der Elfenbeinküste recognised that he had lost the faith of the population and stepped down. Without his guidance, the republic collapsed on the 23rd day of the 9th month of 1685.
Second republic
In the 12th month of 1689 a group of Cibolan-Saxons who had fled the violence in the Barbarian Republic during its collapse arrived in Sankt Ludwigshafen. Ever since 1685 more and more Alriggians had left the region, which had become predominantly populated by Cibolan-Saxons again. To determine whether the refugees should be welcomed, a provisional Stadtparlement was called together. It was decided that the refugees would be welcome, as long as they spoke Saxon as their native tongue and were devout worshippers of Sisera. New elections were also announced, to be held on the first day of the first month of 1690. Claudia Weißdeich, who had been president (Vorsitzende) of the Stadtparlement in the previous parliamentary period, was named Statthalter for the period of the provisional Stadtparlement. Religious changes occurred in 1690 after a discovery about Saint Ludwig's adherence to the Nazarene faith and an expedition to the South Sea Islands, that follow the Nazarene faith. In that year most of the people of the republic repented from their Sisteranist ways and converted to the Nazarene faith, the Ludwiggian Reformed Church was founded on 7.IV.1690 and most citizens were baptised by it. On 2.VIII.1690 the republic incorporated the Lanzerwald into its territory, which included the ruins of Alexandrian Lancôme and Alriggian-Ludwiggian Erazmhafen.
Politics
The Republic of Sankt Ludwigshafen was a parliamentary republic governed by a Stadtparlement (city parliament), with 50 seats, which was presided by the Vorsitzende des Stadtparlements and elected by all citizens every three years. The fist act of a new Stadtparlement was to elect a Statthalterin (stadtholder), who led the executive branch of the state. Several parties participated in the elections, the most popular of which were the Traditional Party of 1680 and the Slight Reform Party of 1681, which advocated a more humane death penalty for heretics and pagans. The Progressive Alliance participated in the 1683 elections, with an agenda of religious freedom and tolerance. In 1689 the Stadtparlement's composition was not the result of elections but a provisional Stadtparlement was agreed upon by delegations of the Traditional Party and the Slight Reform Party, which saw a need to re-establish law and order in Sankt Ludwigshafen, following the influx of refugees from Barbary. The Progressive Alliance was left out of negotiations and forcefully disbanded as part of the first session of the Stadtparlement.
| Year | Traditional Party '80 | Slight Reform Party '81 | Progressive Alliance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1680 | 50 | 0 | 0 |
| 1683 | 39 | 10 | 1 |
| 1689* | 35 | 15 | 0 |
| 1690 | 47 | 3 | 0 |
| * Pro forma, no actual votes cast | |||
Foreign relations
The republic has friendly relations with Craitland, which borders Sankt Ludwigshafen in the south with its province of Zandarijn. Using the Craitish seaport of Oudorp, Sankt Ludwigshafen is able to conduct commerce with nations all over Micras. Relations with Jingdao are friendly as well, due to cultural and religious ties.
Military
The republic only had a small regular armed forces, the Dragonerkorps Ludwigshafen. As part of the educational curriculum, all physically and mentally fit students of the Mittelschule were trained in basic marksmanship. As adults they were added into the Bezirkbürgerwehr (district citizen's militia) of the district where they resided, which was headed by a Hauptmann. The different militias fall under the command of one single Oberst who has the authority to call for the mobilisation of conscripts in emergencies. 500 regulars of the Alriggian presidential army were permanently stationed in Sankt Ludwigshafen from 1682 to 1685.
Sankt Ludwigshafen has a military doctrine that is focused on defence and the republic has hardly any offensive capabilities. This policy was originally born out of necessity as the republic was simply too small to command an expeditionary army.
Economy
The economy of Sankt Ludwigshafen was based on the logging and fishing industry. Whaling was a traditional practice of the inhabitants of Sankt Ludwigshafen. It was not economically viable anymore due to the high costs associated with whaling in the waters surrounding Sankt Ludwigshafen and the lack of an export market. As of 1685, most products of the logging and fishing industry were exported as raw materials, with most of the profit being made overseas. In the months before the first republic's collapse, the Stadtparlement was trying to change this by offering subsidies and loans for the construction of factories in Sankt Ludwigshafen. This was not as successful as was hoped, within the republic there was not much expertise on the construction and management of large factories, and foreign investors expressed their doubt about the republic's aversion to infrastructure. Still, some smaller scale operations were set up, creating high quality wooden objects that are prized on the international market, such as casings for clocks and intricate carvings.
Until 1690, the national currency was the Jingdaoese Kala, but the Craitish Cräite was also commonly used. While the Ludwigspfennig was minted in Sankt Ludwigshafen, it was usually only used for everyday purchases such as groceries. This changed in 1690 when the Stadtparlement accepted a reform of the Ludwigspfennig, which made it a fiat money with lighter coins and banknotes, so that it would be more practical in daily use. The foreign currencies remained in use in international trade but were slowly phased out in the domestic market.
Infrastructure
Cars and other motorised vehicles are very uncommon in Sankt Ludwigshafen, if not explicitly banned. Ludwiggian roads outside the city are a maximum of 88cm wide to make it more difficult for modern armies that depend on armour to attack the city. In the city, roads are usually suitable for cars and light trucks, but draught animals are usually preferred. Heavy transport usually takes place over water, from the inland to Sankt Ludwigshafen over the river Karlsfluß in hulks. In the harbour the goods are placed on cogs that sail them to Oudorp in Zandarijn, Craitland from where they are distributed across Micras in modern container ships.
Demographics
Population
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1680 | 89,286 |
| 1690 | 97,385 |
Ethnicity
The republic was founded to provide a safe haven for South Cibolan Saxons who still followed the old religion. What constitutes a South Cibolan Saxon is a point of divergence between ethnonationalist hardliners and linguistic/religious nationalists who claim that anybody who prays to Sisera in the South Cibolan Saxon language is welcome. In reality, the discussion is mostly academic in nature as very few people from outside feel attracted to the slightly anachronistic state. Most people who are naturalised into the republic join through marriage with a native Saxon and conversion to Siseranism, effectively assimilating into Sankt Ludwighafen's society.
Religion
The national religion of Sankt Ludwigshafen was traditionally Ludwiggian Siseranism. Which was a particular branch of Siseranism, derived from the Siseranist periods of Walstadt. The crucifixion of Elijah Ayreon by Sisera was one of the key theological pillars of the religion. In contrast to Jingdaoese Siseranism, Siseranism in Sankt Ludwig saw both Sisera and Elijah Ayreon positively. This was due to the influence of Natopian Bovinism. Prince Ludwig of Walstadt was celebrated as a saint in Sankt Ludwig. The stories about how he gained control over the principality were legends with which all Ludwigians are familiar. The return to Walstadt in the late days of Micras was also a common theme in Ludwigian Siseranism.
A key teaching of the religion was that while individuality and personal expression are not inherently bad, in the end all people must be ready to be sacrificed for the stability of the state. This opened up the religion to cases of abuse, where elders would try to cover-up wrongdoings by claiming that exposure would hurt the community more and that the victim of an "incident" should not pursue persecution. After a series of incidents, involving cases of physical, mental and rare cases of sexual abuse, the Church of Sankt Ludwig showed remorse for its position and stressed the need for transparency and accountability.
In 1690 the personal diary of Ludwig of Walstadt was discovered, which shook the republic on its theological foundations. It became clear that Ludwig of Walstadt did not follow the theology of Sisera out of conviction, but because he felt allying with the strong Jingdaoese Empire was the only way to secure the future of his people. Later in his life Ludwig became to regret this choice and was even baptised into the Nazarene faith. The discovery led to an increased interest in the Nazarene faith in Sankt Ludwigshafen, with some fishermen heading out to the South Sea Islands to learn more about the religion from the Protestantse Kerk in de Zuidzee-eilanden. The Ludwiggian Reformed Church was founded, which quickly became the largest religious denomination within the republic with 84,4% of the population of Sankt Ludwigshafen baptised into the new faith by the end of 1690, with only 15,6% still claiming to adhere to the old Siseranist faith.
Feminism and LGBT rights
The state did not formally recognise differences between man and woman. However, the prominence of the Siseranist religion had led to some differences in the acceptance of behaviour in men and women. For example, ruthless and tyrannical behaviour was more often accepted in women than in men. Many leading positions were taken by women. An exception was the fishing fleet, which is dominated by men. This was however a dangerous industry which mourned many casualties each year. Starting in 1690, the Siseranist viewpoint eroded in Sankt Ludwigshafen following the adoption of the Nazarene faith by a majority of the population, which resulted in a more equal society.
LGBT rights have always been recognised in the republic. Under the old Siseranist religion, the story of the transgender Mrs Donders, who was one of the helpers of Sisera in the Hurmu Genocide was the basis for a doctrine of tolerance towards trans people. Homosexuality was not prevalent more or less in Sankt Ludwig society compared to other states on Micras, but was not often discussed. Marriage is open to all people over the age of 20 and all marriage ceremonies are performed by the state, after which a religious ceremony to bless the marriage is customary. The Ludwiggian Reformed Church sees the presence of homosexuality on Micras as a result of the Fall of Man. Despite this view, it does not see homosexuality as something that can be changed by the individual and encourages homosexual believers to find comfort in a monogamous relationship with a partner of the same sex, including marriage.
