Graustark-Dawsbergen


Unified Kingdom of Graustark and Dawsbergen
Flag	Coat of Arms
Motto: "Strength through tradition" National Anthem of Graustark: "Edelweiss" National Anthem of Dawsbergen: "Canon In D Major"
Purported locations of Graustark (light red) and Dawsbergen (dark red)^[1]
Capitals:	Edelweiss (Graustark) Florensia (Dawsbergen)
Largest city:	Ganlook
Official Language:	English
Denonym:	Graustarkian Dawsberger
Government:	Neo-Absolutism through Divine Right under a Graustark-led Personal Union
Queen:	Martha I
High Chancellor:	Position vacant
Founded:	1870
Unification:	1913
Restored:	25 August 2019
Currency:	gavvo

Graustark, officially known as the Unified Kingdom of Graustark and Dawsbergen, and alternatively as Graustark-Dawsbergen, is an historical/reality-based simulationist micronation with extensive ceremonial claims to a fictional mountain range reportedly located in east-central Europe. The nation was created initially as a geofictional project based upon the idea of operating a fictional nation within the "real world"; in recent times though, the nation has detached itself from much of its geofictional legacy to become a micro-state in its own right. In addition, the nation maintains a legitimate government presence at a "Royal Estate" in the United States. However, though considering itself to be a legitimate micronation in the traditional since, most of the nation’s activities occur virtually through the internet and more importantly, while operating in many vastly different parts of he internet, Graustark-Dawsbergen choses most often to not describe itself as a member of the "micronational community" but rather as part of the older, and more mature, "micro-sphere". Though the majority of the nation’s territorial claims are by their very nature fictional, the royal government is strongly based, and therefor operates in and is beholden to, the realm of reality.

Etymology

The nation's names of "Graustark" and "Dawsbergen" both come from the novel "Graustark: The Story of a Love Behind a Throne" by George Barr McCutcheon in which the fictional country serves as the main setting.

Geography

Due to the nation's fairly moderate size, Graustark contains a vast variety of geographical oddities.

Graustark is described in the novels as a mountainous nation with a total land size of roughly 800 square miles (2,100 km2). In addition, there is at least one source that places the state somewhere in the Carpathian Mountains near Romania.

This all is debatable though as according to another source, Graustark is only 25 miles wide by 150 miles long and the nation's capital city, Edelweiss is apparently accessible by train from Vienna.

History

The nation of Graustark-Dawsbergen has a long, rich and often frightening (supposed) history dating back to the late 19th century.

Mythology

This section contains information from Wikipedia. For editing credit and citation, view said Wikipedia article.

According to legend, modern Graustarkian and Dawsbergen history begins roughly in the mid-late 19th century when Graustark was in the mists of a war with their neighbour and staunch rival, Axphain. All history before the 1800's is presumed lost to time. It was during this, the 1870s, that Graustark's ruler, Prince Ganlook of Graustark, was killed whilst fighting in Axphain. As part of the ensuing peace treaty, Graustark agreed to pay a large indemnity to Axphain, to be due, with interest, in fifteen years.

Princess Yetive of Graustark who (supposedly) ruled over the nation during its most tumultuous times in the late 19th to early 20th century.

Graustark found itself without the resources to pay the indemnity when it was due, and in desperation, Princess Yetive (Ganlook's daughter and now occupying Graustark's throne) was on the verge of contracting a state marriage to Prince Lorenz of Axphain in exchange for more favourable payment terms. But before the marriage could take place, Lorenz was murdered. The princess's true love, the American Grenfall Lorry, whom she had met while travelling in the United States appeared to be the murderer. Lorenz's father insisted on the murderer's punishment, but the execution was prevented by the revelation of the true murderer: the villainous Prince Gabriel, ruler of Dawsbergen, who was another of Yetive's suitors. With Lorenz dead and Gabriel imprisoned, Yetive instead married her true love.

During Gabriel's imprisonment, Dawsbergen was ruled by his younger half-brother, Prince Dantan, a popular figure among his own people and a staunch friend of Graustark as well. But after two years, Gabriel escaped from prison and, supported by the Dawsbergen army, returned to the throne. Dantan was forced to go into hiding in disguise in Graustark. For a time it appeared that Graustark might be forced into war with both Dawsbergen and Axphain, but this was averted when Gabriel was recaptured. Meanwhile, the disguised Prince Dantan had fallen in love with Beverly Calhoun, an American guest of the Lorrys; they were married upon his restoration to the throne of Dawsbergen.

Yetive and her husband were tragically killed in a railway accident near Brussels, leaving their young son Prince Robin as ruler of Graustark. While still a child, Robin was the target of an assassination plot by anarchists acting under the direction of the exiled Count Marlanx, whose ultimate goal was to establish himself as sole dictator of Graustark. But the assassination attempt was foiled by the intervention of the American Truxton King, and Marlanx was killed in the ensuing attack on the royal palace.

Graustark was still in financial difficulties by the time Prince Robin reached adulthood. William W. Blithers, a very rich and very vulgar American, offered to finance the country in the hopes of arranging a marriage between Robin and his own daughter. The two principals, however, had very different ideas of their own about marriage. Robin eventually married Bevra, the Crown Princess of Dawsbergen, daughter of Dantan and Beverly. With this marriage came not only the end of a longstanding geopolitical feud, but also brought the two nations into personal union under the Graustarkian crown (though Dawsbergen, having long since abandoned absolute monarchical rule, functioned almost completely independent of Graustark with only ceremonial duties, and matters of the nobility being left to the decisions of the monarch).

Historical flag of Graustark

Historical flag of Dawsbergen

Graustark's debts eventually ended up being held by Russia. In exchange for entering World War I as Russia's ally, Graustark negotiated the cancellation of this debt. Later, with Russia out of the war, Graustark also negotiated a separate peace. There followed a period of prosperity in the country.

Axphain, however, was taken over by communists after the war, and was in a state of much distress and unrest. Its ruler, Prince Hedrik (brother of Lorenz), and his elder son were murdered in the communist revolution, leaving the younger son Prince Hubert in exile in Graustark and an illegitimate son Gregory who lived with his mother in Italy. Hubert was hoping to marry Princess Virginia of Dawsbergen (Bevra's younger sister) but she had previously contracted a marriage of convenience to Pendennis Yorke, an American journalist, and much to the surprise of everyone it became a genuine love match. The communist regime in Axphain was defeated after an unsuccessful attempt to invade Graustark, and the monarchy in that country was restored with Gregory on the throne rather than the unpopular Hubert, who was himself assassinated in the aftermath.

Original Mythology

Dawsbergen's Royal Arms

Following the fall of communist Axphain, Graustark entered a period of prosperity with the nation remaining relatively neutral for the next twenty years (barring a small military build-up in early 1938). This neutrality was shattered in early 1940 when (after successfully occupying both nearby Czechoslovakia to the north-west and neighboring Dawsbergen), Germany (under the control of the Third Reich) attacked and subsequently invaded Graustark. During the ensuing conflict, Prince Robin and the rest of the direct royal family fled the nation, gaining sanctuary in neutral Switzerland.

Graustark remained firmly under German occupation until mid-1945 when it was liberated by the Allied Powers. Following liberation, Prince Robin and the rest of the royal family returned to the nation in 1947 and following massive foreign aid, the state entered into a period of massive economic growth and prosperity. This economic "boom" would begin to fade off as the 1950's began and by 1952, Graustark's growth seemed to level out.

The 1950's would also see the beginning of the Cold War and despite being surrounded by the Warsaw Pact on almost all sides, Graustark would remain as a neutral un-aligned state (though it would mostly conduct itself with western nations). This status quo would continue until the early 1990's and the subsequent breakup of communism within Europe.

In 1999, Prince Robin died at the age of 102 and having no children of his own; left his eldest surviving relative, Prince Gerald of the von Graustark-Harris dynasty as new ruler of Graustark. Prince Gerald's reign however, was cut short when he too passed in 2001. Following the death of the Prince, eldest daughter Princess Lisa Marie assumed the throne. She oversaw the democratization of Graustark and reigned during the nation's first parliament. However, in late 2017, Princess Lisa Marie (having grown weary of her position) began to show interest in abdicating in favor of her youngest son; her eldest having already decided to forfeit the crown by marrying Duchess Ashlianne of Axphain. It was therefor decided that on 25 August 2019, her son Charles Aelred Raphael Von Graustark-Harris Ross would be crowned Prince of Graustark and Dawsbergen.

Following the new young Prince's coronation, Graustark would enter into a period of international co-operation as the state began to take a larger stance in international diplomacy. In this vain, Graustark signed treaties of recognition with several states (almost exclusively micronations) throughout the globe (the first such treaties to be created since World War II). Additionally, the nation took greater pains to advertise themselves to the international community, with the creation of TVGraustark, the Principality's first broadcasting company. In early 2020, the crowns of Dawsbergen and Graustark were formally merged and the nations came together under the name of the “United Principality of Graustark and Dawsbergen”. This new unified state would still be commonly known as simply Graustark and the former would also hold a majority of the political control over the joined state. However, Dawsbergen would retain some autonomy and from thereafter all subsequent monarchs would be coronated not simply as both Prince of Graustark and Dawsbergen, but as Princes of Graustark-Dawsbergen. On a dynastic level, this move also ensured that the crowns of the two nations would remain forever intertwined and that they would not separate (as had happened in other nations like Luxembourg and the Netherlands). Finally, in mid-2021, Prince Charles made the controversial decision of ordering the Parliament of Graustark dissolved. This was due to widespread inactivity and a perceived ineptitude among the democratic government. However, though dissolving parliament, the position of "High Chancellor" was retained by the Prince, this time with the office holder serving purely as an advisor and appointed solely by the Prince at his own discretion.

Following the dissolution of parliament and the following decleration of war by the Commonwealth of Dracul, the Prince was informed that his hold over the nation was slipping. To counter this, the Prince announced a complete overhaul to the way the nation opperated, namely that the state would be changed to a more unified entity and that, most importantly, it would be elevated to the status of a kingdom. Following this and a subsequent announcement over state television, Charles von Graustark was declared King Charles I in early September 2021.

Shortly after this however, he would also be offered the crown of the Grand Emirate of Raphania, a title which he would accept. However, finding the roles of managing both nations too difficult, Charles would abdicate the throne of Graustark-Dawsbergen to Queen Martha I of the von Dawsbergen lineage.

Documented history

The confirmed (real life) history of Graustark begins in mid-late 2019 when long time micronationalist (and "claimed" decedent of the crown) Charles Ross re-started the nation of Graustark as a simulationist micronation.

His reasons for creating the country were that he wished to make a new micronation, not tethered down by international treaties and conflicts. He also wanted to build a state that while heavily based in mythos would function in the "real world" with a fully functional government and citizenry. In the end, it was decided the fantastical nation of Graustark from George Barr McCutcheon's series of novels would be chosen as the starting point for this new project. This was chosen mainly because the aforementioned novels fell under creative commons.

In building the state, Ross took major influence from the geofictional/simulationist state of Ruritania. This micronation (that was founded in the 1960's) served a similar purpose to Graustark and shared a similar base material (that being a fictional country from a novel series).

After agreeing to step down from his previous position as Tsar of the Tsardom of Phokland, and later to real back his involvement in his roles inside other micronations, Charles set to work on Graustark and on 25 August 2019, he crowned himself Prince Charles of Graustark, thus beginning the new nation's modern story.

Graustark maintained itself as an active member of the micro-sphere until early 2020 when following Charles Ross' move to the Commonwealth of Dracul the nation became inactive and in April 2020 the principality was officially declared "on hiatus". Some minor work and tweaks on the country would happen while on hiatus but the bulk of post-break work would happen in 2021 when after extensive planning and recruiting, Charles Ross hinted that Graustark-Dawsbergen would be returning. This was all but confirmed with the appointment of a new High Chancellor and with a re-launch date set for August 25, 2021, the nation's second birthday. This was pushed back and on August 26, 2021 Graustark returned to official activity.

In September 2021, as a way to rejuvinate memmbership in both countries, the Commonwealth of Dracul and Graustark-Dawsbergen declared "war" on eachother with formal declerations being prepared on 5 September 2021.

In May 2022, wishing to give Graustark-Dawsbergen a new start, Charles would give the project to his friend and fellow micronationalist, Cas who would use the reigning name of "Martha of Dawsbergen" or "Martha I" within the Unified Kingdom.

Controversy

Controversy has stemmed from the fact the while functioning as a legitimate micronation, Graustark holds on to its fictional history and holds it in the same regards as it's "real" history. This has caused some people to claim that the state is to vague on what is truthful and what isn't.

Government

Graustark has been historically (as well as functionally) an absolute monarchy under the theory of divine right. Despite this, in the past an advisory government has existed made up of both common citizens and the nobility at the ruling monarch's leisure. This "body" was headed by a High Chancellor who's position it was to both head the advisory government and to serve as the monarch's lead adviser in matters of legislative and internal affairs.

In 2021 however, the King dissolved this legislative body, though retained the High Chancellor's Office solely as an advisory role to the monarch. The current High Chancellor is the Rt. Hon. Duke of Ganlook, Cassius (Cass); the first Dawsberger to hold that position, he assumed office on July 10, 2021. Cassius would eventually leave the post and as of May 2022, the post of High Chancellor sits vacant.

The two capitals of the United Principality are Florensia in Dawsbergen and Edelweiss in Graustark. Though both are considered equal under law and decree, due to its larger size and its position as home to the royal family, Edelweiss servers as the seat of the national government.

Royal family

The royal family and line of succession in Graustark-Dawsbergen is similar to the structures set up in most other monarchical countries. The King/Queen of Graustark-Dawsbergen serves as the head of the royal family, followed in status by their spouse known as the Prince/Princess Consort. The children of the reigning monarchs are known as the "Royal Heirs" with the eldest being granted the title of Crown Prince/Princess, Grand Duke/Duchess of Edelweiss. In a similar vain, all direct relatives of the crown are known as "Princes/Princesses" with younger children of the monarch being known as a "Prince/Princess Royal". The lowest members of the royal family are simply considered Nobles if anything at all. The parents of the ruling Monarch are known as the King Mother and King Father respectively. The ruling Kings and Queens are addressed as “His/Her Serene Majesty” when announced/addressed and greeted by other governments or by the citizenry and nobility.

Nobility

The Nobility of Graustark-Dawsbergen are the aristocratic class of the nation, often coming to their status not by bloodline, but by political/social relation to the crown. Since the failed coupe of the treacherous Count Marlanx, all titles of nobility have been non-hereditary, being instead granted at the will of the reigning monarch and with the holder’s house only possessing it until the holder’s death. The only exceptions to this are lesser members of the royal family who are granted titles by default and may sometimes hold them hereditarily, though as with all things, this is at the whim of the monarch. The nobilities of Graustark and Dawsbergen operate separate from one another with different traditions in each nation, however despite their differences and elevated social status, nobles are afforded no greater political rights than any other commoner in the kingdom, albeit with them having closer direct contact with (and subsequently more often the ear of) the King.

Military

The kingdom (while not presently possessing a standing army) has the necessary legislation in place for the monarch, at any time, to mobilize a Levy Royal Army for the good of the nation, be it for defensive purposes, or (as is most often the case) for ceremonial occasions.

In September 2021, the Cyber Defense Unit of the royal army was been re-formed and rearmed due to a growing military conflict with the Commonwealth of Dracul. Following the conclusion of hostilities the unit was nce again dissolved.

Diplomacy

As a gesture of goodwill and neutrality amongst the community, Graustark de facto recognizes all micronational states. However, the nation does hold formal (mutual) diplomatic relations with multiple states around (and sometimes outside of) the world. The first nation which recognized Graustark's independence was the Principality of New Eiffel, followed shortly after by the Empire of Huai Siao and later the Micras based Kingdom of Craitland; these nations together made/make up the majority of Graustark-Dawsbergen's diplomatic contacts.