Just a quick thing I threw together, inspired by mashing together several historical proposals (namely Greater Germany, the United States of Greater Austria, and Miedzymorze)
The Confederation of the Quadrimarian Empire (German: Bund Viermeeresreich) is a multi-ethnic state in Central and Eastern Europe. It is named for the fact that it borders four seas, being the North, Baltic, Black and Adriatic seas. Its current ruler (since his accession in 1991) is His Imperial and Confederal Majesty, Friedrich Otto IV of Habsburg, by the Grace of God and the Will of the Confederation German Emperor and Emperor by the Four Seas (Kaiser an den vier Meeren), Archduke of Austria, King of Bohemia, Lorraine and Dalmatia, Grand Duke of Frisia, Duke of Carniola, Hainault, Istria and Silesia, and of all his other realms and territories Sovereign.
The Confederation, now consisting of 38 constituent Länder, was occasionally constituted as the German Empire in 1800 with the Treaty of Gera. After the emancipation of ethnic minorities in 1824 the Empire underwent reform to improve representation and allow for greater autonomy in ethnic minority areas. After the accession of the Dutch Republic and the five Free Hanseatic Cities (Bremen, Cologne, Danzig, Hamburg and Lübeck) in 1850, a republican movement gained momentum in Poland. A referendum was held in 1862, which resulted in a strong majority (68.1%) in favour of adopting Republican governance. As a result, the King of Prussia was deprived of his title of King of Poland.
Nearly a decade later, in 1871, Emperor Friedrich Otto I initiated what became known as the Reconstitution (Neuverfassung) which saw the German Empire superseded by the Confederation of the Quadrimarian Empire. A written constitution was adopted and provided for further decentralisation as well as going some way to equalise the balance of power. This saw him transfer the Crown of St Stephen (Hungary, Croatia and Carpathia) to his younger brother Ernst Heinrich, creating the cadet House of Habsburg-Raab, and the newly-created Kingdom of Wallachia to his other brother Johann Ferdinand, creating Habsburg-Kruhnen.
The official language of the Confederation (and functional lingua franca) is German, but the individual Länder may adopt their own official language (such as Polish in the Republic of Poland), as well as recognising further minority languages within their own borders (such as Sorbian in the Kingdom of Saxony).
Any monarchal Land that happens to be held in personal union with another is entitled to elect a Lieutenant (Statthalter) to the Privy Council (Geheimrat) much like the republican Länder; this is primarily to avoid any individual having more than one vote on the Privy Council. The Privy Council's stated purpose is "to advise the Emperor on whether or not assent should be given to bills passed by the Reichsrat." In practice, the Emperor never goes against the majority decision of the Privy Council, though if the vote is tied (including his own in right of the Archduchy of Austria), he may decide freely.
The Confederation consists of the following Länder:
Imperial Possessions
- Archduchy of Austria / Erzherzogtum Österreich - Capital: Vienna / Wien
- Imperial City of Vienna / Reichsstadt Wien
- Kingdom of Bohemia / Königreich Böhmen / České Království - Capital: Prague / Prag / Praha (Official language: Czech)
- Kingdom of Lorraine / Königreich Lothringen / Raoûme de Lorraine - Capital: Nancy / Nanzig / Nancy (Official language: Lorrain)
- Kingdom of Dalmatia / Königreich Dalmatien / Kraljevstvo Dalmacija - Capital: Jaders / Jadern / Zadar (Official language: Croatian)
- Grand Duchy of Frisia / Großherzogtum Friesland / Gruthartochdom Fryslân - Capital: Lowarth / Löwarden / Louwert (Official language: Frisian)
- Duchy of Carniola / Herzogtum Krain / Kranjsko Vojvodstvo - Capital: Lublana / Laibach / Ljubljana (Official language: Slovene)
- Duchy of Hainault / Herzogtum Hennegau / Dutcheye do Hinnot - Capital: Charleroi / Karlskrone / Tchålerwè (Official language: Walloon)
- Duchy of Istria / Herzogtum Istrien / Ducato del Eîstria - Capital: Trieste / Triest / Trieste (Official language: Istriot)
- Duchy of Silesia / Herzogtum Schlesien / Ślůnske Kśůnżynstwa - Capital: Breslow / Breslau / Breslawia (Official language: Silesian)
House of Habsburg-Raab
- Kingdom of Hungary / Königreich Ungarn / Magyar Királyság - Capital: Budapest (Official language: Hungarian)
- Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia / Königreich Kroatien-Slawonien / Kraljevstvo Hrvatska-Slavonija - Capital: Zagreb / Agram / Zagreb (Official language: Croatian)
- Kingdom of Carpathia / Königreich Karpathen / Kráľovstvo Karpaty - Capital: Bratislava / Preßburg / Bratislava (Official language: Slovak)
House of Hohenzollern
- Kingdom of Prussia / Königreich Preußen - Capital: Königsberg
- Province of Courland / Provinz Kurland / Provincija Koržemė - Capital: Liepaja / Libau / Lėipuojė (Official language: Curonian)
- Province of Livonia / Provinz Livonien / Province Livonija - Capital: Riga / Riegen / Reiga (Official language: Livonian [Latgalian])
House of Wittelsbach
- Kingdom of Bavaria / Königreich Bayern / Kinireich Baiern - Capital: Munich / München / Minga (Official language: Bavarian)
- Province of Saarland-Pfalz / Provinz Saarland-Pfalz - Capital: Kaiserslautern
House of Mecklenburg
- Kingdom of Mecklenburg / Königreich Mecklenburg - Capital: Schwerin
- Kingdom of Baden / Königreich Baden - Capital: Karlsruhe
Others (monarchical)
- Kingdom of Wallachia / Königreich der Wallachei / Regat Rumânească - Capital: Bucharest / Bukarest / București - House of Habsburg-Kruhnen
- Kingdom of Hanover / Königreich Hannover / Königriek Hannober - Capital: Hanover (Official language: Low German) - House of Hanover
- Kingdom of Brandenburg / Königreich Brandenburg - Capital: Berlin - House of Ascania
- Kingdom of Saxony / Königreich Sachsen - Capital: Leipzig - House of Wettin
- Rhine Principality / Rheinfürstentum / Rhingfőshdedom - Capital: Bonn (Official language: Rhenish) - House of Jülich
- Principality of Reuss / Fürstentum Reuß - Capital: Gera - House of Reuß
- Principality of Liechtenstein / Fürstentum Liechtenstein - Capital: Vaduz - House of Liechtenstein
- Grand Duchy of Luxembourg / Großherzogtum Luxemburg / Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg - Capital: Luxembourg / Luxemburg / Lëtzebuerg (Official language: Luxembourgish) - House of Luxembourg
- Grand Duchy of Hesse / Großherzogtum Hessen - Capital: Darmstadt - House of Hesse-Darmstadt
- Grand Duchy of Alsace / Großherzogtum Elsass - Capital: Strasbourg / Straßburg - House of Hohenlohe
Others (republics)
- Dutch Republic / Republik der Niederlanden / Republiek der Nederlanden - Capital: Amsterdam (Official language: Dutch)
- Polish Republic / Republik Polen / Rzeczpospolita Polska - Capital: Cracow / Krakau / Kraków (Official language: Polish)
Others (city states)
- Free Hanseatic City of Bremen / Freie Hansestadt Bremen / Frie Hansestad Bräm (Official language: Low German)
- Free Hanseatic City of Cologne / Freie Hansestadt Köln / Freije Hansestadt Kölle (Official language: Kölsch)
- Free Hanseatic City of Danzig / Freie Hansestadt Danzig / Frie Hanzestaut Dunzeg (Official language: Low Prussian)
- Free Hanseatic City of Hamburg / Freie Hansestadt Hamburg / Frie Hansestad Hamborg (Official language: Low German)
- Free Hanseatic City of Lübeck / Freie Hansestadt Lübeck / Frie Hansestad Lübeek (Official language: Low German)
The Confederation of the Quadrimarian Empire (German: Bund Viermeeresreich) is a multi-ethnic state in Central and Eastern Europe. It is named for the fact that it borders four seas, being the North, Baltic, Black and Adriatic seas. Its current ruler (since his accession in 1991) is His Imperial and Confederal Majesty, Friedrich Otto IV of Habsburg, by the Grace of God and the Will of the Confederation German Emperor and Emperor by the Four Seas (Kaiser an den vier Meeren), Archduke of Austria, King of Bohemia, Lorraine and Dalmatia, Grand Duke of Frisia, Duke of Carniola, Hainault, Istria and Silesia, and of all his other realms and territories Sovereign.
The Confederation, now consisting of 38 constituent Länder, was occasionally constituted as the German Empire in 1800 with the Treaty of Gera. After the emancipation of ethnic minorities in 1824 the Empire underwent reform to improve representation and allow for greater autonomy in ethnic minority areas. After the accession of the Dutch Republic and the five Free Hanseatic Cities (Bremen, Cologne, Danzig, Hamburg and Lübeck) in 1850, a republican movement gained momentum in Poland. A referendum was held in 1862, which resulted in a strong majority (68.1%) in favour of adopting Republican governance. As a result, the King of Prussia was deprived of his title of King of Poland.
Nearly a decade later, in 1871, Emperor Friedrich Otto I initiated what became known as the Reconstitution (Neuverfassung) which saw the German Empire superseded by the Confederation of the Quadrimarian Empire. A written constitution was adopted and provided for further decentralisation as well as going some way to equalise the balance of power. This saw him transfer the Crown of St Stephen (Hungary, Croatia and Carpathia) to his younger brother Ernst Heinrich, creating the cadet House of Habsburg-Raab, and the newly-created Kingdom of Wallachia to his other brother Johann Ferdinand, creating Habsburg-Kruhnen.
The official language of the Confederation (and functional lingua franca) is German, but the individual Länder may adopt their own official language (such as Polish in the Republic of Poland), as well as recognising further minority languages within their own borders (such as Sorbian in the Kingdom of Saxony).
Any monarchal Land that happens to be held in personal union with another is entitled to elect a Lieutenant (Statthalter) to the Privy Council (Geheimrat) much like the republican Länder; this is primarily to avoid any individual having more than one vote on the Privy Council. The Privy Council's stated purpose is "to advise the Emperor on whether or not assent should be given to bills passed by the Reichsrat." In practice, the Emperor never goes against the majority decision of the Privy Council, though if the vote is tied (including his own in right of the Archduchy of Austria), he may decide freely.
The Confederation consists of the following Länder:
Imperial Possessions
- Archduchy of Austria / Erzherzogtum Österreich - Capital: Vienna / Wien
- Imperial City of Vienna / Reichsstadt Wien
- Kingdom of Bohemia / Königreich Böhmen / České Království - Capital: Prague / Prag / Praha (Official language: Czech)
- Kingdom of Lorraine / Königreich Lothringen / Raoûme de Lorraine - Capital: Nancy / Nanzig / Nancy (Official language: Lorrain)
- Kingdom of Dalmatia / Königreich Dalmatien / Kraljevstvo Dalmacija - Capital: Jaders / Jadern / Zadar (Official language: Croatian)
- Grand Duchy of Frisia / Großherzogtum Friesland / Gruthartochdom Fryslân - Capital: Lowarth / Löwarden / Louwert (Official language: Frisian)
- Duchy of Carniola / Herzogtum Krain / Kranjsko Vojvodstvo - Capital: Lublana / Laibach / Ljubljana (Official language: Slovene)
- Duchy of Hainault / Herzogtum Hennegau / Dutcheye do Hinnot - Capital: Charleroi / Karlskrone / Tchålerwè (Official language: Walloon)
- Duchy of Istria / Herzogtum Istrien / Ducato del Eîstria - Capital: Trieste / Triest / Trieste (Official language: Istriot)
- Duchy of Silesia / Herzogtum Schlesien / Ślůnske Kśůnżynstwa - Capital: Breslow / Breslau / Breslawia (Official language: Silesian)
House of Habsburg-Raab
- Kingdom of Hungary / Königreich Ungarn / Magyar Királyság - Capital: Budapest (Official language: Hungarian)
- Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia / Königreich Kroatien-Slawonien / Kraljevstvo Hrvatska-Slavonija - Capital: Zagreb / Agram / Zagreb (Official language: Croatian)
- Kingdom of Carpathia / Königreich Karpathen / Kráľovstvo Karpaty - Capital: Bratislava / Preßburg / Bratislava (Official language: Slovak)
House of Hohenzollern
- Kingdom of Prussia / Königreich Preußen - Capital: Königsberg
- Province of Courland / Provinz Kurland / Provincija Koržemė - Capital: Liepaja / Libau / Lėipuojė (Official language: Curonian)
- Province of Livonia / Provinz Livonien / Province Livonija - Capital: Riga / Riegen / Reiga (Official language: Livonian [Latgalian])
House of Wittelsbach
- Kingdom of Bavaria / Königreich Bayern / Kinireich Baiern - Capital: Munich / München / Minga (Official language: Bavarian)
- Province of Saarland-Pfalz / Provinz Saarland-Pfalz - Capital: Kaiserslautern
House of Mecklenburg
- Kingdom of Mecklenburg / Königreich Mecklenburg - Capital: Schwerin
- Kingdom of Baden / Königreich Baden - Capital: Karlsruhe
Others (monarchical)
- Kingdom of Wallachia / Königreich der Wallachei / Regat Rumânească - Capital: Bucharest / Bukarest / București - House of Habsburg-Kruhnen
- Kingdom of Hanover / Königreich Hannover / Königriek Hannober - Capital: Hanover (Official language: Low German) - House of Hanover
- Kingdom of Brandenburg / Königreich Brandenburg - Capital: Berlin - House of Ascania
- Kingdom of Saxony / Königreich Sachsen - Capital: Leipzig - House of Wettin
- Rhine Principality / Rheinfürstentum / Rhingfőshdedom - Capital: Bonn (Official language: Rhenish) - House of Jülich
- Principality of Reuss / Fürstentum Reuß - Capital: Gera - House of Reuß
- Principality of Liechtenstein / Fürstentum Liechtenstein - Capital: Vaduz - House of Liechtenstein
- Grand Duchy of Luxembourg / Großherzogtum Luxemburg / Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg - Capital: Luxembourg / Luxemburg / Lëtzebuerg (Official language: Luxembourgish) - House of Luxembourg
- Grand Duchy of Hesse / Großherzogtum Hessen - Capital: Darmstadt - House of Hesse-Darmstadt
- Grand Duchy of Alsace / Großherzogtum Elsass - Capital: Strasbourg / Straßburg - House of Hohenlohe
Others (republics)
- Dutch Republic / Republik der Niederlanden / Republiek der Nederlanden - Capital: Amsterdam (Official language: Dutch)
- Polish Republic / Republik Polen / Rzeczpospolita Polska - Capital: Cracow / Krakau / Kraków (Official language: Polish)
Others (city states)
- Free Hanseatic City of Bremen / Freie Hansestadt Bremen / Frie Hansestad Bräm (Official language: Low German)
- Free Hanseatic City of Cologne / Freie Hansestadt Köln / Freije Hansestadt Kölle (Official language: Kölsch)
- Free Hanseatic City of Danzig / Freie Hansestadt Danzig / Frie Hanzestaut Dunzeg (Official language: Low Prussian)
- Free Hanseatic City of Hamburg / Freie Hansestadt Hamburg / Frie Hansestad Hamborg (Official language: Low German)
- Free Hanseatic City of Lübeck / Freie Hansestadt Lübeck / Frie Hansestad Lübeek (Official language: Low German)
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