Northeng

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The **Empire and Constitutional Unitary Parliamentary Monarchy of Northeng**, commonly known as **Northeng**, is a sovereign country in Europe, in the central section of Great Britain. It comprises 11 Counties and 2 Territories. Northeng includes North England and large parts of the Midlands, as well as Minorca. Northeng shares a northern border with Alexandros, but otherwise has no neighbouring countries, with the Irish Sea to the West, North Sea to the East, and Unclaimed Land to the South. The total area of Northeng is 47,609 square kilometres (18,382 sq mi), with a population of more than 24.9 million people.

Northeng is an imperial constitutional monarchy and unitary parliamentary democracy. The monarch, Emperor Jay, has reigned since the country was founded, and also has served as Prime Minister since elections were first held. The capital is Liverpool, a cultural hub with a metropolitan area population of over 4 million. The largest city is Manchester with a population of over 5 million, and other major cities include Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and Middlesbrough, with all but Birmingham being known as Core Cities.

Northeng was formed following the collapse of every European Country, with the people of Liverpool and Manchester selecting a Monarch to form a nation to unite North England. Over time, a series of annexations led to its current position, starting with the transfer of Yorkshire and the Humber from Midlands. They then annexed the Urban Areas in the North-East, notably Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Middlesbrough. Following the dissolution of Cumbria, their territory was annexed, finally uniting North England. Since the dissolution of Midlands, the Northeng Military has been annexing its former territory, bringing order and prosperity to the region.

Beyond the island of Great Britain, Northeng also owns Minorca, ceded by Carthage after the Mediterranean War. This is a Territory, a part of Northeng which has not been implemented into a County, and does not elect Members of Unitary Parliament. The influence of Northeng is immense, with them claiming titles such as Hegemon of Europe and Ruler of the Waves. His Majesty's Imperial Armed Forces form the largest military in FCR.

With a GDP of over 725 billion Northeng Pounds (757 billion USD), the Economy of Northeng is a formidable force. Since its foundation, it has seen extensive economic growth, generally seen as a result of massive infrastructure projects, industrial incentives, and the two Northeng Plans. This has made it one of the strongest economies in Europe, and enabled its manufacturing to both improve the quality of life of Northerners and also to build the largest military in FCR.

## History

### Pre-Founding

North England was a major industrial hub during the Industrial Revolution, with cities like Sheffield becoming well known for their steel mills. Its population exploded, and formed the northern end of the Blue Banana of densely populated centres from Liverpool to Milan. As manufacturing in Europe subsided in favour of moving to places with cheaper labour like India or China, the economy of North England was hit, with cities dependent on their manufacturing falling behind economically.

### Founding

In 1802, Emperor Jay was coronated in the Golden Cathedral and started the Golden Revolution. This was initially formed by the areas surrounding where Goldenism was founded, predominantly in Liverpool and Manchester. The Emperor famously proclaimed at his coronation: "All of North England shall fly our Banner, the Banner of Golden." In 1804, the Pact of Leeds was negotiated, spreading Northeng to include Yorkshire and the Humber. With Golden formally joining the government in 1808, this finalised the Golden Revolution, allowing Northeng to begin settling into its position as a major player in the world of FCR.

The system of government first established was provisional. The goal was to unite as much of North England as possible under a strong, authoritative regime, before transitioning to a democracy. A Unitary Parliament was formed, with set seat amounts. The Northeng Party, led by the Emperor, would hold the most seats without any new elections. This gave most political power to this party, allowing them to carry out their plans without significant concern about party politics or minor sways in public opinion.

Having secured political power, the Northeng Party went about its flagship plan, known as the *Northeng Plan*. This featured 3 key parts. First was that of infrastructure and connections, forming the foundations of what would become Northeng's High Speed Network, HSNE (High Speed Northeng). The second was for the growth of secondary sector industries, namely manufacturing. The third was for the tertiary sector, or service sector. The latter two would see the creation of Core Cities, a method of concentrating development in the largest cities in order to maximise economic output. These plans were largely focused around forming tax incentives and making Northeng an appealing place for investment, creating a free market environment which continues to exist to this day. After the completion of the multiple stages, the Northeng Plan established a strong foundation for a period of Economic Growth and Prosperity. A large part of the manufacturing was also focused on the Arms Industry, allowing for the expansion of the Military.

### Early Transition Period

The Transition Period is the period in between the initial foundation of Northeng. It saw little domestic action, and was a sort of gap between major periods of change and development. It is often defined as the period in between the First and Second Northeng Plan. In this period, the Northeng Economy would slowly grow, and Northeng would remain relatively static for a prolonged period of time. The period saw a major expansion in the Northeng Military as well, building off of the Northeng Plan. This is also seen as the period in which Northeng transitioned from an Absolute to Constitutional Monarchy.

#### First Election

Following the implementation of the Northeng Plan, the Government decided to begin holding elections, transitioning from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy. The first election started a trend which would continue for all future elections, creating a 3 party system where the Northeng Party is by far the most dominant, and where elections are more about whether or not the Northeng Party would be able to win a majority. Northeng Politics in the future were defined by the dominant nature of the Northeng Party, which has allowed them to implement extensive long term plans.

#### Extension to Newcastle

In 1903, Northeng formally integrated and annexed Newcastle-upon-Tyne into its territory. The effects of the Northeng Plan were also extended, including its declaration as another core city. Following this, there would be no territorial changes to Northeng until the annexations of Cumbria in 2501 and 2507, a symbol of how at this point Northeng had expanded until it had encountered neighbours to the North and South, being Cumbria and Midlands respectively. The lack of territorial expansion is another indicator of the Transition Period.

### Middle Transition Period

The 3rd Election of Members of Unitary Parliament in 2322 was an important point in Northeng Politics. It marked the transition from First Past the Post to a combination of Proportional Representation and Single Transferrable Vote, another step in democratising Northeng. It also fixed the dates of elections to every 22nd, leading to continued activity in Northeng at least every month. It also saw the formalisation of the 4th Budget, taking into account more economic factors and more closely studying growth and the impact of taxation and spending. The political system established in 2322 continues to this day and was the first "Transition Moment", which marked the Middle Transition Period.

### Mediterranean Conflicts

#### Carthago Numidian War

*See Also: Carthago-Numidian War*

Operation OATS in 2308 marked the beginning of the Late Transition Period, seeing the first time Northeng took part in a military conflict. It was part of a military operation in the Mediterranean to prevent Carthage and Rome from bullying other powers, namely Numidia, into submission. Starting in 2306, The Northeng Government issued several warnings to Rome, asking them not to introduce foreign intervention into the Carthago-Numidian War. In 2307, official coordination was conducted with Fjordland to deter Rome from intervening on the Carthaginian Side of the war. After the failure of Rome to remain out of the conflict in 2308, His Majesty's Imperial Armed Forces launched Operation OATS, which was at the time the largest military operation in FCR History. This operation caused massive damage to Carthage and especially Rome, forcing an end to the conflict. It marked the beginning of Northeng's role as a major player on the international stage, and was another Transition Moment.

#### First Conflict of Imperial Titles

In 2323, the first conflicts regarding the Emperor's ancient title of Ruler of the Waves began to be contested by Mediterranean Nations, notably Numidia. Northeng's claim to have jurisdiction over all waves was claimed to be baseless by other powers, and others believed that Military Strength was an invalid method of acquiring a nation's goals. After tensions rose, in 2325 the Tripoli Consensus was signed, where Northeng agreed to cede Economic Jurisdiction to Numidia, but refused to concede on the Ancient Title granted by Golden.

#### Numidian Contract Violation

Shortly afterwards in 2328, Conflict with Numidia arose again after they violated a contract between themselves and Northeng. Northeng had leased fighter jets to Numidia in light of their conflict with Carthage, however after Northeng requested the return of these fighter jets as they were entitled in the contract, Numidia refused to do so, citing false claims such as "pilot shortages". Even after Northeng offered to send pilots to remedy their excuses, Numidia refused to return them, even though they could. This was seen as stealing military equipment from Northeng and tensions rapidly escalated. Eventually, after realisation of the poor position Numidia was in, the Fighters were returned.

#### First Northanglo-Carthaginian War

In 2406, Mediterranean nations worked to trap and kill Force Gold, the military force used in Operation OATS. Northeng immediately dispatched a new force, Force Blue, to rescue Force Gold. Carthage accused Northeng of escalating the conflict, while actively using electronic warfare and being the one to first move ships. Eventually, the two nations came to an agreement where Carthage would dock their ships and Northeng would leave the Mediterranean, however in 2418, just 2 days after Carthage said they would never resist Northeng Claims in the Mediterranean, the Carthaginians broke off Diplomatic Relations, and in 2419 launched a surprise attack without a declaration of war. In response, Force Gold activated Operation OAK, which both shielded Force Gold from damage and also responded by firing back at the Carthaginians. This was relatively successful, and after a series of negotiations, by 2427 peace was established, and would continue until the Mediterranean War. The Treaty set out that Carthage would become a Northeng Puppet State, and an indefinite Non Agression Pact was signed.

### Late Transition Period

In 2411, the government publicised the economic policies which had taken place over the transition period. This continued the free-market centred policies of incentive and encouragement as opposed to forceful interference. Several tax breaks were also implemented, establishing the Northeng Party as a party supporting centre-right economic policies. These policies are credited with continuing prosperity after the 1st Northeng Plan. They were some of the last policies implemented before the Second Northeng Plan.

### Modern Period

#### Second Northeng Plan

The Second Northeng Plan was officially passed in 2429, known as the National Development Act. This is often seen as marking the end of the Transition Period. The Plan outlined an expansion of the initial plans set out in the First Northeng Plan. The first stage improved state infrastructure, this time focusing beyond HSNE, which opened in 2422, and instead also focusing on internet and freight Infrastructure, seeing the creation of NorNet, NIFTnet, and Truckways. The second stage focused on secondary industry, featuring many brand new tax incentives to continue the growth of manufacturing initially set out in the First Northeng Plan. It also saw the creation of a new Core City, Middlesbrough, which would be the centre of the Energy Industry. Stage two set out to create a new major industry in Northeng, using the exploitation of Natural Gas. This was heavily criticised by environmentalists. Stage three, amongst more tax incentives, saw a big change in Liverpool, marking a precursor to the Urban Planning Acts, seeing extensive pedestrianisation for the first time in Northeng.

The Second Northeng Plan was a very popular initiative at first, however following the first budget after its implementation, which had a notable deficit, there was a significant uproar from Fiscal Conservative elements in the Northeng Party. They moved to the Conservative Party, and the 6th Election of Members of Unitary Parliament in 2622 was the closest any other party has come to winning an election after the Elections Act of 2322. After the second budget following the Second Northeng Plan's implementation was released, the deficit had been reduced, as promised by the Northeng Party. With the Fiscal Conservatives being reassured, the Northeng Party continued its control over Northeng Politics.

#### Counties Act

In 2724, shortly after the 7th Election, Unitary Parliament voted to devolve certain powers to counties. Although the Unitary Parliament would remain the most powerful aspect of Government, the Counties would now be responsible for managing various other tasks, which was done with the hopes of improving the efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability of Government. It would also make the Government continuously accountable throughout their term, with the County Council Elections being held directly in between the Elections of Members of Unitary Parliament.

Following the First Election, in 2815 the Northeng Party used this fresh mandate to implement Urban Planning Acts across the country. These would extend many of the aspects of the Liverpool Act (a part of the Second Northeng Plan) to the entire country, beginning to end a period of "car dependency", and instead focusing on the usage of transit, cycling, and walking. This was done in conjunction with increased housing density, in order to try to tackle housing prices.

#### Mediterranean War

*Main Article: Mediterranean War*

After the Various Mediterranean Conflicts in the Transition Period, The Northeng Government had delegated military command down to lower level officers, and an oversight over the location of a Northeng Task Force in the Mediterranean was discovered. In 2725, Carthage, having decided that they were in a strong enough position to break free of Northeng Dominance, decided to launch a sudden surprise attack. However, soon after, skillful negotiating managed to solve the crisis, with the Northeng Fleet in the Mediterranean being allowed to leave. This established the general consensus that the Mediterranean was Carthaginian, and the Atlantic was Northenglish.

Despite the consensus that the Atlantic was Northenglish, following the Union of Phonecia and Carthage in 2731, the Carthaginian Military established a Naval Base in Cadiz. This was in blatant violation of the agreement that Carthage should have no military presence in the Atlantic. After a brief rise in tensions, Northeng and Carthage agreed to sign the Cadiz Agreement of 2801, which reaffirmed that Carthage would remain out of the Atlantic, and Northeng would remain out of the Mediterranean. Carthage also agreed to cede Cadiz to Northeng, to ensure there was no Carthaginian Port on the Atlantic.

In 2802, just one day after signing the Cadiz Agreement of 2801, Carthage sent Military Force and occupied Cadiz, establishing it as a military base, and sent a fleet into the Atlantic. This blatant violation both of the treaty and of Northeng Territory was seen as completely unacceptable by Northeng, and caught them completely flat-footed. As a result, the costs of war were seen to outweigh the necessity of owning Cadiz. Following more negotiations, The Cadiz Agreement of 2802 was signed, which allowed Carthage to keep Cadiz, however would require no militarisation. Northeng gave up Cadiz and also gave up claims over the Mediterranean. This would become a sour point which eventually pushed Northeng to join an Anti-Carthage Coalition.

In 2803, plans for an Anti-Carthage Coalition were proposed. In 2805, the Emperor made his first State Visit, to Biscay, to meet and discuss the possibility of a Coalition. In order to ensure that Northeng followed its Treaty Commitments in the Cadiz Agreement of 2802, the Northeng naval contribution would technically be leased to Biscay, however would remain under Northenglish Command.

By 2810, Carthage had gained suspicious about Biscay's possible alliance with Northeng and Fjordland. Concerned about being attacked, Carthage launched a first strike, declaring war on Biscay, with the justification of refusing alliance, which was seen as outrageous by the international community at the time. Following this, Northeng declared its support of Biscay in the conflict, as well as Fjordland. Outnumbered, Carthage was forced to stand down, and attempted to get a favourable settlement before full on war by having negotiations in Megale Hellas, though failed to provide valid reasoning for any other state to attend.

In 2812, the plan negotiated with Biscay in 2805 was put into place. The combined Coalition Fleet was the largest the world had ever seen, and to avoid treaty violations, was formally flying the Biscay flag. Upon the declaration of war, the fleet initiated Operation Fireworks, to this day the largest military operation in FCR History. The Operation rained thousands of missiles down on the Carthaginians, an immense display of the renewed strength of Northeng's Military. The Carthaginian Military was soundly crippled following this operation, and negotiations immediately took place in Liverpool.

By 2816, the Treaty of Liverpool had been signed. It ended any notions of Carthaginian Dominance in the Mediterranean. It also alleviated the grievances imposed upon Northeng in the prelude to the War. Carthage lost full control of all its European Islands, ceding Minorca to Northeng, Ibiza to Biscay, and having Treaty-Enforcement Zones imposed upon it by Biscay and Fjordland in Majorca and Palma respectively. With a base firmly in the Mediterranean, Northeng was much more able to project power and impose its Rulership over the Waves. The Treaty of Liverpool is seen as one of the Great Successes of Northeng.

#### Culture Act

In 2809, The Government passed the Culture Act, which started a new focus on expanding the cultural importance and tourism of Northeng. The Culture Act established museums and galleries, and sent the Armed Forces to collect pieces of art from around the world. One of the greatest accomplishments was the collection from Paris, which added so many more pieces of art that another museum, the Royal Golden Museum, had to be constructed. Since the establishment of the Culture Act, Tourism and Growth in Liverpool has expanded significantly.

#### Urban Revolution

2815 saw the passing of the Urban Planning Acts and the Housing Acts. These were passed by Northeng Party-led counties, and kickstarted a major change in the country's urban environment. Major provisions were made to rapidly transition the country's cities from being car-dependent to being pedestrian, cycling, and transit oriented. These were the main focuses of the Urban Planning Acts. The Housing Acts were created to enforce the changes made in the Urban Planning Acts, replacing low density with medium or high density, with the stated goal of reducing housing cost, which has been seen to be successful. The improvement of the cost of living also had major economic benefits.

#### Midlands Act

The Midlands Act passed in 2910 has been seen to be the climax of the Modern Period. It formally integrated the long-claimed territory of the Midlands into Northeng, bringing the country to the largest possible definition of North England. It was a major victory, as the country had long sought to control all of the region. The Act also simultaneously integrated the Imperial Territory of the Balearics (Minorca). This integration involved changes to the Counties, Electoral Boundaries, as well as the extension of existing Acts like the Culture Act, 2809. Most notably, the 2nd Northeng Plan was extended via the National Development Act, 2910, which brought major economic development to the region. This boom has been used to level the differences in prosperity between areas of Northeng which received major modernisation programs and those which did not.

#### Social Changes

In 21202, major changes to social programs were made by the government, with major reforms to the healthcare and education systems. The Healthcare changes saw major increases in private involvement with many checks and balances in place, especially for affordability and competition. The Education System was made significantly much more competitive, and was a radical change, abolishing the traditional year system, and making grade connected to ability, allowing people to learn at their preferred pace. These changes are expected to have a major long term impact on the societal structure of the country.

## Geography

The total area of Northeng is 47,609 square kilometres (18,382 sq mi). The country occupies a major part of the island of Great Britain. It lies between the Irish Sea and North Sea. Following the Golden Revolution, a period of immense Urban and Industrial Growth has seen to the removal of a large portion of forests, with negligible forests remaining, largely in areas like Cumbria and Outer Northeng. A large amount of Rural Northeng is constituted of Pastures, with farmland taking up roughly half of the area taken up by pastures. Northeng is notable, especially follwing the Golden Revolution, for having a very large portion of its area occupied by urban and built up areas. This is especially prevalent in its central belt of Core Cities.

Northeng lies between latitudes