Khaland

* National flag
* Civil flag
* (last) King
* Prime Minister

> *"A man cannot live without his head, a Kingdom cannot exist without her King."*
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> *-Jean Emmanuel*
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The **Kingdom of Khaland**, sometimes called the **United Kingdoms of Khaland**, is a federation of three kingdoms under one king, located in the northwestern part of [world name]. Despite the nation's size, much of its land in the north is frozen wasteland, and over 80% of the population lives in the south, where the climate is more temperate.

Khaland made of three kingdoms, Carwett, Herlich and Atra. The country attempted to emulate Kranowska's successful rapid industrialization to some relative success, and it has an abundant amount of coal. However, more than half of the population continues living the traditional lives of herding sheep and fishing.

The country has been politically unstable since 1066, when their last king died. The throne has been vacant ever since, known as the **Empty Throne**

## History

### Unification

The Kingdoms of Atra and Herlich came under the same Crown in 682. When the Atrese royal line died out in 801, **King Causantín II of the Carwetts** was the closest legitimate successor, and took the crown of Atra and Herlich, becoming King Constantínus I and II, and the three kingdoms came under the same Crown. As the Atras were the largest of the three kingdoms in terms of population, economy and inhabitable land, Atra came to be the dominant kingdom. However, as Causantín was not fluent in Atrese, he left the governing affairs of Atra and Herlich to the nobility and ministers, leading to the rise of a **Prime Minister** and figurehead monarchy.

In addition, the invitation of Causantín to the Atrese throne was initiated by the Atrese nobility, and the installation of a foreigner further weakened the power of the **King of Herlich and the Ætras**. The **King of the Carwetts** was also a relatively powerless monarch due to the power and influence of the regional **Clans** or **Nobles**. Therefore, instead of popular revolution for liberty and democracy, Khaland's constitution and parliament originated from the nobility trying to protect their interests from the monarch.

The unification was formalized in 873, formally incorporating the three kingdoms into a federation under the same monarch as a **Tripartite Monarchy**. It is said that the name "Khaland" was chosen as it sounded like a combination of the three kingdoms, Carwett, Herlich and Atra.

### Industrial Thaw

Located in the north, much of Khaland was frozen and uninhabitable. Due to this, Khaland had a small population despite its size, and could not sustain a population boom, forcing people to migrate to the warmer southern colonies like Aulderna, Norvi Island and Varlouie. However, as the Industrial Revolution began and factories emitted greenhouse gases, global warming began thawing the frozen Khalish landscape, allowing land to be cultivated and creating a more hospitable climate. It was also discovered that Khaland held large coal deposits. However, as Khaland's population was not large enough at the time, indentured servants and laborers had to be imported from the southern colonies to mine coal. In addition, much of the coal was exported to countries like Aulmierre to exchange for food and industrial goods. It wouldn't be until the 1040s that Khaland began large-scale domestic industrialization

### Empty Throne

In 1060, King **Wilmund III** took the throne. Inspired by Jan II Kazimierz of Kranowska and discontent with the dominance of the nobility, he sought to centralize the state and the monarch's power. Wilmund III exercised and made liberal use of much of the powers that the Khalish monarch theoretically had (but almost never used due to unwritten rules, customs and the power of the nobles), making him widely unpopular. In 1066, when the King and the royal family were cruising on the royal airship, the ship suddenly crashed into the sea, killing the entire royal family. Despite there being a line of succession and several pretenders with legitimate claims, the Nobility and Parliament silently agreed to not crowning a new monarch, beginning the chaotic period of the **Empty Throne**.

However, the monarch is still crucial to the functions of Khaland's government and religion, and therefore, the Empty Throne has caused instability in the region. For example, the Prime Minister is appointed by the monarch, and therefore the "unappointed" Prime Ministers are theoretically illegitimate. The Khalish government only functions because everyone agrees to recognize the (legally illegitimate) governments and transitions of power. If any party decides to not do so, the political scene would quickly collapse.

Nonetheless, the fact that Khaland has managed to (shakily) survive without a king has also led to people questioning the necessity of a monarchy, and many are now calling for a republic as a solution. However, the nobility's legitimacy come from the monarchy, and creating a new constitution to replace Khaland's unwritten set of precedent cases and traditions would cause further instability and uncertainty, and therefore it is unlikely that a republic will be created.