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The Holy Empire of Nova Constanis commonly called Constanis or Constantinople, is an absolute monarchy in Anatolia. It is bordered on the north by Greece and Bulgaria and south by The Republic of Turkey. Nova Constanis covers 40,000 square kilometers and has has an estimated population of 21,450,000. Constanis is made up of two provinces, Thrace in the North and Northern Anatolia in the South.

Nova Constanis covers the Bosporus Strait between the Mediterranean and Black Seas. This grants the Empire sole control over all trade between the two seas. Further, Constanis serves as the bridge between Europe and the Middle East, granting road passage from the Balkans into Turkey.

Nova Constanis is the world's center of Orthodox Catholicism. The Bishop of the East governs over the Holy See from the Haiga Sophia, the second oldest Christian cathedral in the world.

The Empire serves as an incredibly powerful power broker to nations of the Mediterranean, Middle East, and the Black Sea. Controlling all trade between the two seas, the over land routes from Europe to the Middle East, exerting politcal and economic control over varying nations opposing the Empire's interests, and boasting a powerful military often intervening in the conflicts of the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

The Empire's most powerful neighbors are The Republic of Turkey, The Russian Federation, and The Ukraine.

Etymology

Formerly known as the Empire of Constantinople, Nova Constanis was named such at the turn of the millennia in the year 2,000 by the then Emperor Justinian XII for the purposes of 'defining a new rome in the modern age.'

The standard way to refer to a citizen of Nova Constanis is as a "Constantian," "Byzantine," or "Roman."

History

After the siege of Constantinople in 1453 ended with an Ottoman defeat with an overwhelming amount of casualties, Sultan Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire suddenly fell ill and his ill status sparked a civil war which saw the dissolution of the Empire into several small and weak states and Sultanates. Emperor Constantine XI siezed this oportunity, along with the spoils of war, to hire an army of Italian mercenaries, which numbered 10,000 to sieze and conquer territory in Thrace leading up to the lands of Bulgaria, which border the river Danube. After which, with his new holdings and wealth, he ordered his army to march south to Anatolia to re-take what his empire once ruled, taking large swathes of Northern Anatolia before stretching the mercenary army thin and recalling them back to Constantinople, where they were shipped back to Italy to avoid sacking and raiding.

Because of this astonishing recovery, Constantine XI was given the title "The Great." Making his full name, Constantine XI The Great. The then Eastern Roman Empire, named the Byzantine Empire by foreigners, was officially named the Empire of Constantinople by Constantine XI The Great.

But this recovery was not to last, as the Ottoman Empire rose again and took back much of Anatolia over the century, before the Empire of Constantinople broke the Ottoman Empire during the first World War at the battle of Nicaea, which saw 200,000 Byzantine legionaires defeat the numerically superior 500,000+ Ottoman force, which saw a subsequent counter attack and eventual Byzantine conquest of the City of Ankara, the Ottoman Empire's Capital. At the Treaty of Versailles, the Ottoman Empire was fractured and a portion of Northern Anatolia was siezed by the Byzantines for the sake of controlling the entirety of the Bosporus Strait and keeping a buffer between Turkish Anatolia and Constantinople. When Northern Anatolia was siezed, it is said that two Byzantine Legions forcefully pushed out the Turkish peoples from Northern Anatolia to allow citizens of the Empire of Constantinople to settle.

Two years after the end of the First World War, the Soviet Union spearheaded an invasion of Poland at what seemed would become a short end to the Polish-Soviet war. Knowing the threat Communism posed to the Empire and the stability of the East, Emperor Augustus III ordered a force of 100,000 Byzantine Legionaires to march north and support the Poles in their defence. Before they arrived however, the Poles defeated the Soviets at the battle of Warsaw and began pushing them back. The Byzantine army led by Centurion Romanos Alexios then aided the poles in pushing back the soviets, winning several battles and pushing almost all the way to Moscow and laid siege to the city. It was hoped that because Russia was enduring a civil war with the last Monarchist White Russians, that they would assist in the siege, but they were kept back in southern Siberia near Kazakhstan by Soviet forces. Thus, with the Roman and Polish lines stretched thin, they were forced to abandon the siege as winter was coming near. An uneasy peace was signed, which granted Poland lands in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. The Empire of Constantinople was granted reparations and concessions for their losses fighting the Soviets. The defeat of the Soviets was seen as a humiliation to the communist party, which purged many commanders of the army, hampering their efforts against the White Russian Army, which was still much better equipped and trained than the soviets.

The Romans would continue supplying the White Russians until their eventual demise in 1925 when they were defeated at the battle of Slvotsk, which saw the last remaining 1,000 monarchist forces fight to the death surrounded by 25,000 Soviet troops. They inflicted heavy casualties before being subdued and massacred. The Romanovs were directly related to the Aurelian line ruling the Empire of Constantinople. Their deaths by the communist revolution cemented Constantinople against Russia for the next 70 years.

(History Continuing.)

Geography

Constanis sits on the Bosporus Strait in both Thrace and Anatolia. To the north in Thrace, the land is mostly flat, graced by few mountains and hills. To the south, the land is dominated by the northern Anatolian mountains.

Constantian climate is like most that of the Mediterranean, warm, hot, and moist with storms common.

The Constantian environment is mostly preserved in the mountains, while in the flatlands the urban expanse of Constantinople and neighboring cities overtake most wildlands. Still, farming fields occupy most of Thrace.

Demographics

Population
The population of the Empire consists mostly of Ethnic Anatolian and Thracian Romans. Turks, Bulgarians, Russians, Greeks, Syrians, Ukranians, Italians, Armenians, and Albanians make up a small minority of the population. 97% of the population are urban dwellers, leaving a last 3% to populate small rural towns and communities mostly in Thrace and the mountains of Northern Anatolia.

Language
The national and official language of Constanis is Latin, spoken since the days of antiquity. Constanis is the only majority Latin-speaking nation in the world. Other minor spoken languages are Turkish, and Italian.

Religion

Orthodox Catholicism is the dominant Religion of Constanis, with over 80% of the nation practicing. Other religions include Roman Catholicism, Islam, Judaism, and small communities of refugee Buddhists from the Soviet Union. Atheists make up 8% of the population.

Race
Most Constantians are white and bronze skinned peoples. The dominant hair color is black, the dominant eye colors are blue, brown, and amber.

Largest Cities

Government

The Holy Empire is ruled and represented primarily by the Aurelian Imperial Dynasty, with lower decisions of governance made by the People's Centuriate.

Foreign Relations and Military

The Imperial Family is responsible for maintaining diplomatic relations with international entities through managing their own embassies and diplomatic service. Often, members of the People's Centuriate are sent on diplomatic missions to foreign powers.

The military of Nova Constanis, known officially as the Constantian Tagmata, is divided into three different branchs. The Imperial Navy, Imperial Airforce, and Imperial Legions. The Imperial navy safeguards the Bosporus Strait as well as other naval interests of Constanis. The Imperial Airforce deals with all aerial operations over the airspace of Constanis. The Imperial Legions deal with all land-based operations.

Economy

The Constantian economy is centered around shipping between the Mediterranean and Black Seas, overland transport between Europe and the Middle East, as well as air freight. Additionally, Constanis boasts a largely specialized medical sector and software development sector. Banking is a major source of income and many corporations base their operations in Constanis for it's lax tax laws. The Food markets are dominated by fishing and farming. Arms manufacturing makes up a large sector of the economy with exports to much of the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Eudcation is a large sector as well, with students both domestic and foreign seeking a prestigious education in the last Roman Republic.

Culture

Constantian culture has clung largely to its Christian Roman / Byzantine roots, with Christian holidays mandated by the government as national holidays, horse and chariot racing continuing since the fledgling days of the Eastern Roman Empire, Ancient, Medieval, and Modern Roman architecture continuing to flourish.

The most prolific sports in Constanis include but are not limited to Football, boxing, HEMA / Fencing, Cycling, and Handball.

Music in Constanis is dominated by Byzantine, Greek, and Anatolian culture, bringing a mix of all three into a unique Constantian identity.

There is an overall nationalistic pride over the Empire's history and prestige as the last of the ancient Roman Empire. The Emperor and Empress are held in high regard, and though not illegal, it is held incredibly disrespectful to insult or disparage the Imperial Family.

Gun culture is large. Starting at the age of 18, every able male and female is conscripted into the Imperial Tagmata for a period of four months, after which, they are allowed to practice their right to buy, keep, use, and sell firearms. A conscript finishing his / her service is granted the option to keep their service rifle, which legally becomes theirs if they agree to it.

Infrastructure

Constanis is connected both by roads and by rail. Sitting on the Bosporus, there are three bridges that connect Thrace to Northern Anatolia. Additionally, there is a large civilian ferrying system able to ferry citizens, tourists, and their vehicles across the strait. There are three major airports located in Constanis, all in the confines of Constantinople, Nicaea, and Abydos, further, smaller minor airports around the nation service smaller large cities as well as groups of smaller towns.

Energy
Oil and Gas are largely imported from Abroad from Russia, Ukraine, and Sauid-Arabia, U.A.E, and Kuwait.

Electricity is largely produced by a subterranean nuclear reactor, whose location remains classified by the Empire. It is owned directly by the Imperial Family and provides electricity for the nation for free, payed for by tax dollars. Where Constantians will find their electric bills however, is from electricity they purchase from abroad. The Empire cannot produce enough electricity to provide for all its large population; Consequently, the Empire buys electricity from neighboring nations such as Greece and Bulgaria. Thus, it is important that cordial relations are maintained with these two neighboring nations.

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