Union of American Realms: A World-Building Exercise

[Osk]

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The Governate of Transylvania has been seeing a concerning spike as CVD-19 cases nearly doubled over the last month, going from 83,568 confirmed cases on June 26 to 166,711 as of July 26 (+99.49%). A lot of the increase has occurred in Transylvania's Boone County, where Daniel Morgan III has resisted calls for a mask mandate. Though the realm's executive, Lord-Governor Stephen Beshear, has enacted an indefinite stay-at-home order since April of this year, a phased reopening had begun late May. With cases surging again, however, the Lord-Governor has once again tightened restrictions. Bars, gyms, and recreational businesses and activities which require extremely close proximity and tend to amass more than 20 people at a single time have once again been forced to close entirely. Restaurants, which had begun letting customers back in at 50% capacity, must cut that back down to 25%.

The Lord-Governors biggest move, however, has been his issuance of a controversial mask mandate. Though wearing a mask has been consistently touted by the health and scientific community as the number one way to control the spread of the virus, the realm has yet to adopt a mandate requiring all to wear one. This isn't because the Lord-Governor has been opposed to the idea - he's been aggressively telling citizens to wear them for months. The issue is a provision in the Transylvania Constitution which prohibits the realm government from issuing decrees mandating citizens of the realm wear (or not wear) articles of clothing, instead granting that power to the county level and even then limiting such mandates to clothing that either: a) is outrageous or obscene; b) explicitly supports domestic terror; or c) can be expected to more likely than not lead to harm to another. Because only county level governments can issue any mandate concerning articles of clothing, Lord-Governor Beshear has hoped that Lord-Counts would do so on their own with significant prodding from the realm. As of July 15, less than half of the Lord-Counts had issued mask mandates within their boundaries, and some, most notably Daniel Morgan III of Boone, have openly voiced opposition to any such measure.

With cases growing at a fast pace and deaths starting to rise as well, the Lord-Governor issued Executive Order 20-0718 on Friday afternoon. Citing the Lord-Governor's constitutional authority to "take emergency measures when danger to public safety or likelihood of irreparable harm" is extremely high, the new executive order officially implements a mask mandate realmwide. Beshear's legal team is prepping an argument along the lines that the mask mandate does not violate the Transylvanian Constitution's provision against realm-wide clothing orders because the mandate is not meant in any way to control public expression, say, by banning shirts with alcohol or of the opposition. The Lord-Governor intends to argue that the provision's three listed exceptions which Lord-Counts can cite to in order to pass such mandates inherently show that what is being protected is the right to express beliefs, statements, support, etc., by way of clothings, and that a mask mandate does not hinder anyone's ability to express themselves through their clothing. The argument, however well intentioned, is unlikely to survive the court challenge to come, but until a realm court issues a restraining order on the new mandate it is legally enforceable.

There are other measures the Lord-Governor can take, such as banning travel out of heavily affected counties altogether, a move he has threatened to use against Boone County. Such a drastic measure, however, sours public opinion and the Lord-Governor has been hesitant on enflaming an already delicate situation. Daniel Morgan III appeared at a press conference the morning of Saturday, July 25, promising to demand court action as soon as Monday morning while going as far as calling Beshear a tyrant.

 

[Osk]

The Union of American Realms (UAR) is a political and economic confederation of 37 member states that are located in North-Eastern North America. Its members, which are known within the UAR as realms (33) or native confederacies (4), cover a combined land area of 6,797,483 km2 and an estimated total population of about 278 million. All 37 members of the UAR recognize the Monarch-President of the Union as their respective sovereign, though the monarchy has no actual function within any of the member states of the confederation. The UAR members are governed by a unified system of laws regarding an internal single market; foreign policy; the movement of people, goods, services and capital within the confederation; inter-realm judicial and home affairs; and other policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional development. That being said, each member state retains significant autonomy over matter within their borders outside of the basic policies which govern the confederation as a whole, and inter-realm policy is not wholly dictated by the confederal government.

As a result of the set up of the confederation, the handling of the CVD-19 pandemic has varied significantly depending on the particular member of the UAR in question. The UAR's confederal government is limited in its ability to set a unified approach to dealing with the pandemic and its involvement in this regard has mostly come in the form of authorizing emergency funds to individual members through legislation in the Confederal Assembly, along with the temporary suspension of certain parts of the Inter-Realm Travel Compact by the Executive Council. Queen Eleanor and the Royal Family have used their public platforms and private wealth to advocate for the containment of the virus within the confederation, but the monarchy's powers to act within any singular realm are largely non-existent.

The varied nature of the response to the pandemic, the large size of the confederation and the large but varying populations across member states, have made the UAR one of the most afflicted polities on the planet by the CVD-19 pandemic. As of August 1, 2020, the UAR's Confederal Centers for Disease Management & Oversight (CDMO) has reported a total of 3,230,118 confirmed cases of CVD-19 across all 37 member states, the second highest total of any nation. The most afflicted realm by total cases is the Governate of New York, which has had 479,534 confirmed cases of the virus as of August 1, 2020. The least afflicted realm by total cases is the Governate of Hudsonia, which has reported just 69 cases since the start of the pandemic, of which none remain active at this time. New York and Hudsonia represent the most and least populous realms in the confederation respectively, so their places at the top and bottom of total cases is somewhat expected. In terms of cases per capita (i.e., per 100k residents), the Commonwealth of Aegyptania (2,071 cases per 100k) and the Mayaimi Confederacy (2,070 cases per 100k) have been the hardest hit members of the UAR.

Regionally, the New England region has overall had the most success in controlling the spread of the virus with five of the eight realms in that region reporting less than 700 cases per 100k residents, with the region accounting for just 3.53% (114,090) of the confederations total cases despite being home to 8.43% of the UAR's population. And of New England's 114,090 cases, over 82% have been entirely within either Massachusetts Bay County (61,529 cases) and New Haven County (32,126 cases). The Lower Atlantic is the worst struck region in terms of case spread, with all three of the realms that comprise it (the Governate of Georgia and the Grand Duchies of Carolina and Palmetto) each reporting over 1,700 cases per 100k residents. But with New York's large case count, the Upper Atlantic remains the region with the most total cases at 776,017, roughly one in four of all confederation cases being in that region.

Total Cases by Confederal Census Region

- Upper Atlantic: 776,017 (24.03%)
- South West: 543,395 (16.82%)
- Lower Atlantic: 463, 998 (14.37%)
- The Floridas: 399,022 (12.35%)
- West Lakes: 258, 829 (8.01%)
- East Lakes: 227,476 (7.04%)
- Mid Atlantic: 198,900 (6.16%)
- Labrador: 198,182 (6.14%)
- New England: 114,090 (3.53%)
- First Peoples: 50,209 (1.55%)
- TOTAL: 3,320,118 (100%)

Spoiler: List of realms by total cases of CVD-19 as of August 1, 2020

1. Governate of New York
   • 479,534 total cases
2. Commonwealth of Riviera
   • 296,118 total cases
3. Governate of East Florida
   • 243,913 total cases
4. Grand Duchy of Carolina
   • 204,145 total cases
5. Grand Duchy of Canada
   • 197,397 total cases
6. Governate of Transylvania
   • 180,167 total cases
7. Long Island County
   • 164,632 total cases
8. Governate of Georgia
   • 158,265 total cases
9. Governate of West Florida
   • 155,109 total cases
10. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
    • 131,851 total cases
11. Chicagou County
    • 122,155 total cases
12. Grand Duchy of Palmetto
    • 101,588 total cases
13. Commonwealth of Virginia
    • 98,817 total cases
14. Grand Duchy of Maryland
    • 86,677 total cases
15. Commonwealth of Aegyptania
    • 67,110 total cases
16. Governate of Michigan
    • 64,287 total cases
17. Massachusetts Bay County
    • 61,529 total cases
18. Governate of the Twin Rivers
    • 61,392 total cases
19. Governate of Erie
    • 57,465 total cases
20. Governate of Ohio
    • 54,016 total cases
21. Huron County
    • 51,708 total cases
22. Governate of Manitoba
    • 40,144 total cases
23. Governate of Wisconsin
    • 32,421 total cases
24. New Haven County
    • 32,126 total cases
25. Mayaimi Confederacy
    • 27,423 total cases*
26. Delmar County
    • 13,406 total cases
27. Northwest Confederacy
    • 9,204 total cases
28. Muscogean Confederacy
    • 7,773 total cases
29. Saybrook County
    • 7,412 total cases
30. Haudenosaunee Confederation
    • 5,809 total cases
31. New Hampshire County
    • 5,654 total cases
32. New Brunswick County
    • 5,470 total cases
33. Superior County
    • 2,717 total cases
34. New Scotland County
    • 994 total cases
35. Governate of Vermont
    • 905 total cases
36. Newfoundland County
    • 716 total cases
37. Governate of Hudsonia
    • 69 total cases

* Nearly 80% of confirmed cases in the Mayaimi Confederacy are related to outbreaks in New River City (14,771) and Tequesta (7,088).

Spoiler: List of realms by cases of CVD-19 per 100k residents as of August 1, 2020

1. Commonwealth of Aegyptania
   • 2,721 cases per 100k
2. Mayami Confederacy
   • 2,720 cases per 100k
3. Grand Duchy of Canada
   • 2,202 cases per 100k
4. Governate of West Florida
   • 2,023 cases per 100k
5. Governate of New York
   • 1,915 cases per 100k
6. Long Island County
   • 1,908 cases per 100k
7. Grand Duchy of Palmetto
   • 1,787 cases per 100k
8. Governate of Georgia
   • 1,773 cases per 100k
9. Grand Duchy of Carolina
   • 1,721 cases per 100k
10. Commonwealth of Riviera
    • 1,611 cases per 100k
11. Governate of Transylvania
    • 1,337 cases per 100k
12. Grand Duchy of Maryland
    • 1,305 cases per 100k
13. Governate of East Florida
    • 1,273 cases per 100k
14. Chicagou County
    • 961 cases per 100k
15. Delmar County
    • 914 cases per 100k
16. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
    • 802 cases per 100k
17. Massachusetts Bay County
    • 802 cases per 100k
18. Governate of the Twin Rivers
    • 758 cases per 100k
19. Commonwealth of Virginia
    • 745 cases per 100k
20. New Haven County
    • 719 cases per 100k
21. Governate of Erie
    • 685 cases per 100k
22. Governate of Manitoba
    • 679 cases per 100k
23. Governate of Michigan
    • 601 cases per 100k
24. Northwest Confederacy
    • 570 cases per 100k
25. Governate of Ohio
    • 517 cases per 100k
26. Governate of Wisconsin
    • 506 cases per 100k
27. Haudenosaunee Confederacy
    • 414 cases per 100k
28. Huron County
    • 361 cases per 100k
29. Muscogean Confederacy
    • 350 cases per 100k
30. Saybrook County
    • 291 cases per 100k
31. New Hampshire County
    • 198 cases per 100k
32. Superior County
    • 194 cases per 100k
33. New Brunswick County
    • 168 cases per 100k
34. Newfoundland County
    • 105 cases per 100k
35. Governate of Vermont
    • 80 cases per 100k
36. New Scotland County
    • 70 cases per 100k
37. Governate of Hudsonia
    • 14 cases per 100k

 

[Osk]

Aside from being divided into five distinct government structures, the realms also differ in how their chief executives are selected. The most common method is by a direct vote by the people, which is the selection method employed by 14 of the realms (almost all of these being Governates). 12 realms have hereditary chief executives, these being the four Grand Duchies and eight of the twelve Counties. 9 realms select their chief executive by way of their legislature, including the four native realms who select their 'High Chief' typically by way of their legislative bodies composed of lower-ranked chiefs. The least common form of selection is by way of an electoral college of some kind, and this method is employed by three realms.

 

[Osk]

I have once again updated the East Florida map and I do think this will be the final version!

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La Gobernación de la Florida Oriental, or the Governate of East Florida, is a semi-autonomous member of the Union of American Realms (UAR). East Florida is one of only three members of the UAR where a majority speak a language other than English[1], with most East Floridians speaking Florideño Spanish at home, though English is taught at all levels of education within the realm alongside Spanish. As a constituent realm within the UAR, East Florida is organized as a governate, where-in the chief executive is elected to a life long tenure and holds substantial authority[2] over the realms government. Chief executives in governates across the UAR typically carry the title of 'Lord-Governor of the Realm,' and this is true in part for East Florida. The East Florida Constitution recognizes the official title of its chief executive as 'Lord-Governor' when being addressed in English, but as 'Alto Gobernador(a)' if being addressed in Spanish; though the direct translation of the Spanish legal title would be High-Governor, this is not recognized by the realm's constitution. In addition, Florida is one of only two realms that selects its executive, in part, by way of an electoral college.[3]

East Florida's origins lay in the colonial era, when Spain colonized the peninsula. The area was home to a number of indigenous people at the time of Spanish exploration and colonization, though subjugation by the Europeans and disease devastated their numbers. Nonetheless, the region was not as populated initially as Spain's other holdings, such as those in the Caribbean, and indigenous groups were able to maintain their presence throughout the territory. Spain's official control over the territory lasted until 1702, when the signing of the Treaty of Valencia saw the region transferred to France.

Though the French adopted aggressive franconisation policies on the island of Haiti[4], also acquired in the treaty, it chose to leave Florida largely autonomous and incentivized the Spanish population of the area to stay. The area's Spanish population was bolstered during the French period as a result of La politique de francisation d'Haïti, the brutal and dramatic policy instated by colonial governor Jean-Paul Gerard Rochette[5] to remove nearly all Spanish from the island of Haiti. Florida was chosen as the destination of thousands of Spanish Dominicans forcibly relocated by the French colonial government in the first half fo the 18th century. The ordeal, known today as Flight of the Spanish Dominicans, has been officially recognized as an act of tribucide[6] by many modern nations, including the Union of American Realms, the Republic of Colombia[7], the Republic of Colorado[8], and even the Dominican Kingdom[9]. The events bolstered the Spanish population of East Florida significantly in the early 18th century.

East Florida eventually came under British domination in the 1760s following the Six Years War[10], but the British attempts to exert their authority over the colony was rejected by its Spanish-speaking residents. The British period was marked by instability and violence, and a revolt against British rule began a few years prior to the greater revolts that occurred across the British colonies a decade later. When Britain's other colonies revolted as well, East Florida's leaders joined them under the agreement that they'd seek to create a unified, autonomous confederation. This is how East Florida ended up joining the UAR, it's only Spanish-majority realm. Hostilities with the other realm's persisted, however, particularly with Georgia, and East Florida was the subject of considerable ire as an "outsider" realm within the Confederation. Throughout the 19th century, proposals to have East Florida removed from the confederation occasionally gained traction both from East Florida itself and from its neighbors - none came to fruition. East Florida lost about half of its territory in the early-19th century, albeit willingly, when it agreed to the creation of the Mayami Confederacy[11] in order to end the realm's hostilities with indigenous people in the area.

Though historically an agricultural society with a low population, East Florida experienced a population boom in the 20th century that has not ceased. It became a top destination for Spanish immigrants from war-torn parts of the Americas and from Spain throughout the 20th century and also attracted growing numbers of immigrants from other realms as it billed itself as the confederation's premier tourist destination. The confederations main movie industry is centered around Nuevo Léon, and its many beachside communities attract large numbers of immigrants and tourists yearly. Today, East Florida is the second most populous realm in the entire confederation, second only to New York, with a highly diversified economy.

Spoiler: Footnotes

[1] - The others are the Grand Duchy of Canada, where the overwhelming majority speak Canadian French at home, and the Commonwealth of Riviera, where a slight majority speak Rivieran French at home
[2] - The UAR is made up of 37 constituent member states, each led by an executive-for-life and organized in one of five particular government forms:
(a) - Governates: 13 of the 37 constituent realms of the UAR are organized as governates, like East Florida, making it the plurality form of government found across the UAR. Governates tend to have both strong executives and strong legislatures, though which is stronger varies.
(b) - Counties: 12 of the realms are organized as counties, a form of organization that originated in the New England region and spread to the Midwest by way of New Englanders who settled in the midwest. Counties tend to be somewhere between Governates and Grand Duchies - they typically (but not always) have hereditary executives who hold considerable power, alongside legislatures that include powerful, popularly elected bodies. Peers in counties typically have no legislative function, but do oversee considerable local authorities over their respective earldoms.
(c) - Grand Duchies: The most aristocratic of the realms, there are four Grand Duchies (Canada, Carolina, Maryland and Palmetto). They typically have strong executives and legislatives heavily influenced by their respective peerages. The Grand Duchies have historically been the most realmist of the realms, i.e., they've typically advocated for a less-centralist confederal system.
(d) - Commonwealths: 4 of the 37 realms are organized as commonwealths. Executives in Commonwealths are the weakest of all, with largely ceremonial roles within their realms. Legislatures tend to have most of the authority in these realms, or executive functions are placed in executive councils. Peerages are typically weak in the four commonwealths, though Virginia and Riviera's peers hold some semblance of power by way of their slight legislative authority. Executives are selected by either the legislature, the populace, or a mixture, in Commonwealths.
(e) - Native Confederacies: The 4 native confederacies are the most autonomous type of realm and were all created in attempts to settle disputes with varying indigenous groups across the confederation in the 19th century. The first was the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and it is also the only one of the four to have existed prior to the UAR itself. Though they were intended to be native majority realms, many have opened up to non-native emigration.
[3] - The Governate of Michigan is the other realm that employs an electoral college in its selection of an executive.
[4] - In TTL, the island of Hispaniola was renamed Haïti by the French after they got control of it in its entirety in 1702; while the island is called Haiti, its people are known as Dominicans (dominicaines).
[5] - A figure endemic to TTL.
[6] - A TTL term for genocide.
[7] - Essentially a surviving Gran Colombia, which in OTL was known simply as Colombia, being referred as Gran Colombia only later to differentiate it from the modern state of Colombia.
[8] - A Spanish-speaking nation that dominates the OTL US southwest.
[9] - The nation that controls the island of Haiti in the present day of this TL.
[10] - A large war that occurred between varying European powers in the middle of the 18th century akin to the OTL Seven Years War.
[11] - A native confederacy spanning what is OTL South Florida, named for the historic Mayami people and the large lake located within the realm, Lake Mayami, which itself is known as Lake Okeechobee in OTL.

 

[Osk]

Here is a map of Michigan:

 

[Osk]

Municipal Divisions of the Governate of East Florida

The government of the Governate of East Florida (Spanish: La Gobernación de la Florida Oriental) is divided into three-tiers: the realm-wide government; the provincial governments; and the local governments. The realm-wide government represents the highest tier of authority in East Florida and is led by the Lord-Governor of the realm with jurisdiction over the entirety of the realm's territory. In addition, the Capital District of San Agustín (coterminous with San Agustín, the city) is also part of the realm-wide government. The realm judiciary, executive and legislative branches are all located within the Capital District (C.D.). The next level of government found in East Florida are the twelve provinces: Bahía del Espíritu Santo; Costa Bella; Costa de Palmas; Gran Léon; Los Lagos; Naranja; Narvaez; Pascua; San Juan Exterior; San Juan Interior; Santa Fe; and Santa Isabela. East Florida's provinces are equivalent to first-level subdivisions found in other governates within the confederation, like the counties of Transylvania. Each province is led by a Provincial-Governor who maintains nominal authority within the boundaries of the province from a designated provincial capital. The provincial governments also over see the provincial judiciary systems and maintain Provincial Assemblies of varying sizes which work with the Provincial-Governors. The provisional governments have the most authority in the capital cities and across the non-incorporated regions of their respective provinces, deemed Provincially Managed Zones (PMZs) - PMZs lack local governments. The third tier of governance in East Florida are the local governments that represent the varying levels of incorporated municipalities found within the realm.

There are three forms of incorporated local governance found across East Florida, which are the Provincial Capitals, Cities (principal and secondary), Towns (principal or secondary), and Incorporated Villages. In addition, there are a number of areas designated as Unincorporated Units, which lack incorporation but which remain outside of the direct domain of the provincial governments. The twelve Provincial Capitals (PCs) are home to the respective provincial governments, while also hosting their own government structure - in addition to hosting the Provincial-Governor and Provincial Assembly, each PC also elects an Executive Management Council (EMC) to oversee the affairs of the city itself. The EMC shares its authority over the PCs with the provincial government and the PCs, like the Incorporated Villages, lack mayors. The other levels of incorporation depend largely on population, history, and overall governance structure. A municipality is recognized as a city in East Florida if its population exceeds 75,000 individuals, with cities with populations greater than 120,000 considered principal cities and those with less considered secondary cities. Cities (Spanish: Ciudades), both principal and secondary, have the most autonomy from the provisional governments, each led by a mayor and a representative assembly. The autonomy of cities, especially principal cities, from their provisional governments varies but is typically high and most only become subject to provisional authority under emergency situations. Towns (Spanish: Pueblos), like cities are separated into primary and secondary-levels based on population. A community is recognized as a town if it has a population of at least 10,000, with East Florida designating primary towns as those with populations greater than 40,000. Towns are also led by mayors, but do not have robust "assemblies" like the cities - instead, they have smaller, municipal councils, none larger than 12 members. Like cities, towns are also relatively autonomous from direct action from the provincial governments in most cases. Villages (Spanish: Aldeas) are the least autonomous form of incorporation found in East Florida, and are typically low in population (but not strictly held to precise population numbers). Unlike cities and towns, villages lack mayors, however they do have municipal councils. Most villages are subordinate in some respect to a neighboring town, city, or the provincial government itself. Most villages have small populations, particularly those disconnected from a higher-tiered municipal division, however villages within or connected to towns or cities may have populations exceeding 10,000. In these instances, the usual reason said village exists is due to a successful plea for incorporation by distinct, homogenous neighborhoods of a larger municipality (see Village of Mariposa, which separated from the city of Nuevo Léon in the mid-20th century).

Unincorporated Units (UUs) are the newest recognized municipal division within the realm. These are areas that are not directly run by the provincial government, but lack a centralized local government structure. They have no mayors, and though most have local associations that may resemble municipal councils, they lack actual municipal councils with jurisdictional authority. UUs, however, can form their own policing and fire/disaster response services, and can make an array of decisions by popular mandates - these are typically organized by the aforementioned local associations that form in UUs. As previously mentioned, any territory within a province that is neither incorporated nor recognized as a UU, is organized as a PMZ directly managed by the provincial governments. The vast majority of East Florida's territory falls within a PMZ.

There are 223 incorporated municipalities in East Florida - San Agustín (city); the 12 provincial capitals; 42 cities (13 primary/29 secondary); 111 towns (61 primary/50 secondary) and 57 villages. In addition, there are 55 recognized unincorporated units.

 

[Osk]

St. John's Day/Midsommar
Observed on June 20th and 21st

St. John's Day/Eve, also known as Midsommar ('s Eve) in some of the realms across the UAR, is an official confederal holiday observed in every realm in the confederation. The holiday is celebrated in two parts, with major celebrations happening during the evening of June 20th, and minor celebrations occurring during the day of June 21st. The holiday celebrates the Christian martyr St. John the Baptist, along with commemorating the summer solstice that occurs on June 21st. The day came to be observed across the confederation by various means before exploding in popularity at the turn of the 19th century and its official, confederation-wide declaration as an official holiday in the 20th century by King John Augustine II, the sixth Monarch-President of the Union.

The tradition was observed in the realm of Canada historically and was later made proponent across the confederation when the Church of Columbia made the celebration a kay part of its calendar. With the Church of Columbia's support, the holiday began active celebration across many parts of the Eastern seaboard in the 19th century, primarily on June 21st itself when families and congregations would get together for a large midday feast (Feast of St. John). The influence of Nordic migrants in the midwest towards the middle and latter portions of the 19th century also saw the rise of celebrations across that region, inspired more heavily by these Nordic immigrants and other Northern European customs. In the midwest, the celebration came to be largely known as Midsommar's Day and Midsommar's Eve, and a heightened emphasis here fell on large, community wide celebrations the evening prior to the summer solstice or thereabouts, with smaller, more intimate family gatherings occurring the following day (St. John's Day).

Overtime, the celebrations continued to grow in popularity and occurrence, becoming a staple of the culture of the confederation as a whole. While the confederal holiday is officially known as St. John's Day and Eve, the holiday is known as Midsommar locally in the midwest. King John Augustine II's proclamation declaring St. John's Day a confederal holiday officially set the evening of June 20th and the day of June 21st as the official dates of observance confederation wide, leading to the standardization of the dates throughout the realms. While modern celebrations differ somewhat realm by realm, universally a large, communal gathering tends to occur the night before the summer solstice, while smaller, family-oriented feasts occur the following day. Celebrations throughout the realm, including in the Eastern seaboard, were heavily influence by Nordic traditions. Large bonfires are common throughout the confederation, and in many places a wood effigy of a witch or multiple witches are burned in a central bonfire during the evening celebrations. Like in the Nordic Union, maypole dancing and mock weddings of adults and children are common the evening prior. Similarly, like in the Nordic Union, the tradition of girls picking seven flowers in silence and placing them under their pillow under the belief that they will dream of their future spouse is also common. Adult women also collect flowers as well and tend to make ornaments to be hung from doors, while leaving some outside in water which is then used to wash the face the following morning (a Spanish tradition that spread to many parts of the confederation by way of East Florida).

Typical feast items include turkey, pies, and other foods common in the early summer months across the confederation.

 

[Osk]

List of Lord-Governors of East Florida (Florida Oriental)
As a governate, East Florida elects its executive-for-life after the death of whoever holds the lordship.​

1. Juan I (Palacios y Valenzuela) | RP: Independent | CA: Realmists | T: 1802-1811 (9) | L: 1749-1826 (62) [1]
2. Juan José (de Estrada) | RP: Floridian Party | CA: Realmists | T: 1812-1833 (21) | L: 1766-1833 (67) [2]
3. Juan II (Jacobs) | RP: Unionist Party | CA: Centralists | T: 1833-1835 (2) | L: 1781-1835 (53) [3]
4. Pedro I (Palacios y Valenzuela) | RP: Floridian Party | CA: Realmists/later also Royalist | T: 1836-1867 (31) | L: 1801-1867 (66) [4]
5. Juan III (Quesada) | RP: Agrarian Peoples Party | CA: Realmists/later Agrarian Confederal Coalition | T: 1867-1892 (25) | L: 1825-1892 (67) [5]
6. Pedro II (Santana) | RP: Agrarian Peoples Part/later Farmer-Labor Party | CA: United Workers Front | T: 1893-1939 (46) | L: 1858-1939 (80) [6]
7. Felipe (González) | RP: Holy Democratic Party | CA: Pan-Realm Confederalist Movement | T: 1939-1952 (12) | L: 1879-1952 (73) [7]
8. José Luis (Santana) | RP: Farmer-Labor Party | CA: United Workers Front | T: 1952-1967 (15) | L: 1885-1967 (81)
9. Augusto (Orellana) | RP: Farmer-Labor Party | CA: United Workers Front | T: 1967-1988 (11) | L: 1927-1988 (61)
10. Ricardo (Tapanes) | RP: Farmer-Labor Party | CA: United Workers Front | T: 1988-2014 (26) | L: 1930-2014 (84) [8]
11. Juan Carlos (Alvarado)| RP: Liberal-Centralist Party| CA: Liberal Alliance for Prosperity | T: Incumbent (6) | L: 1967 (53) [9]

[1] Juan I oversaw the Spanish Rebellion (1774) against British rule over East Florida and then merged his movement into the greater American Revolution with promises of autonomy and a distaste for rejoining Spain [East Florida hadn't been under Spain's control since the Treaty of Valencia in 1702, despite maintaining a large Spanish population under French rule (1702-1754)]. Juan led the way during the negotiating period with the confederal government and was emphatically selected as the first Lord-Governor when East Florida was admitted into the confederation in 1802. He died midway during the War of Georgian Aggression (known as the Expansion War in Georgia), but his efforts ensured a successful outcome for the realm.

[2] Juan José gained power in the latter half of the War of Georgian Aggression amidst a wave of realmist support in East Florida. This dispute that crafted his party and his campaign was over less than a year later, however, and Juan José would go on to rule largely peacefully until the Greater Native War (known confederation wide as the Floridian First Peoples War) which would ultimately end with the establishment of the Mayaimi Confederacy and the near-forcible removal of natives in East Florida south. In modern times, Juan José has come under considerable scrutiny for his treatment of First Peoples in East Florida, with many dubbing the Greater Native War as a form of coeticide.

[3] Juan II is the only entirely non-Spanish lord-governor in East Florida's history, having been elected after the controversial 1833 election. His reign was tumultuous, and despite historians believing his victory was legitimate, public support for Juan II diminished rapidly. The Floridian Revolt of 1834-35 resulted in Juan II being captured and hung on claims of aiming to have the Spanish population (vast majority) forcibly removed. Juan II is the only East Floridian lord-governor to be assassinated and his death caused considerable outcry across the Union of American Realms and soured the view of East Florida amongst many other members of the confederation. Juan II holds the record for shortest tenure lord-governor.

[4] The first person elected to the office to have been related to a prior lord-governor. Pedro I's election was nearly as controversial as Juan II's, however the realm largely coalesced under his rule. Despite being ardently on the realmist side of Executive Council members and being a member of East Florida's realmist Floridian Party, Pedro I spent the vast majority of his tenure rebuilding relations with the rest of the confederation. In the early years, this meant being royalist, which allowed East Florida to make a number of friends. When the anti-royalist movement peaked in the mid 19th century due to John Augustine I's reign, this royalist attitude helped him remain loyal back home to his Floridian Party roots, as the anti-royalist movement took a turn for centralism.

[5] Juan III's was the first victory by someone not born a member of the East Florida elite. Under his tenure, slavery was abolished in East Florida, and a strong coalition of agrarian, poor, mestizo and afrofloridian factions emerged. Quasadianism has significantly shaped East Floridian political discourse and was adopted and then adapted by his successor. Juan III's victory and tenure completely changed East Florida politics, and ushered in an era of left-wing populism that has governed the realm for 135 of the last 151 years.

[6] Pedro II is the most famous East Floridian lord-governor confederation wide without question, having been elected Governor-President of the Union twice. He is the only Governor-President in confederation history to have been re-called, and he was the first Governor-President to regain the title after having lost it. Pedro II holds the record for longest tenure as lord-governor in East Florida at 46 years. Hand in hand, he holds the record for youngest person elected lord-governor in realm history, having been just 35 at the time he assumed the position. Pedro was also the first lord-governor of the Farmer-Labor Party, orchestrating the Agrarian Peoples Party's merger with the growing Workingmans Party in 1911. Adapting his predecessors leftist, populist ideology, Pedro developed his own ideology known as Santanismo, which blended attitudes of realmism with confederationalism, and left-wing populism. To date, he is the only Governor-President in confederation history to have learned a language other than English first.

[7] Felipe is the only lord-governor elected from the Holy Democratic Party (which later became the modern Christian Democratic Party) and his tenure saw consistent conflict between himself and the East Florida legislature, which was staunchly Farmer-Labor throughout most of his time in power.

[8] Ricardo Tapanes is the oldest person to hold the office of lord-governor in East Florida, passing away at the age of 84. His tenure in office is the second-longest behind Pedro II's and marked 62 consecutive years of Farmer-Labor control of the East Florida executive office. The population growth that has occurred in East Florida throughout the 20th century peaked during his tenure as a result of his moderate migration policies and support for immigration into the realm, and stark contrast from his predecessors. This would ultimately hurt his party, however, as the Farmer-Labor Party began losing popularity as the 21st century rolled around.

[9] Juan Carlos became the first non-Farmer-Labor member to be elected to the office since Lord-Governor Felipe, and the first Liberal-Centralist elected in that party's history. Juan Carlos's victory came alongside an astonishing first place showing by his party in the concurrent 2014 East Florida general election and the crafting of a coalition that removed the Farmer-Labor Party from control of the realm's legislature. Juan Carlos's tenure has so far been popular, and his coalition made gains in the 2017 East Florida general election.

 

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Okay this will probably be my last post for East Florida for a while, as I feel like I have been focusing a bit much on it!

 

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The Revolutions of 1846 radically changed Europe in terms of spreading revolutionary fervor and setting the stage for things that would occur decades later. Two of the most drastic events that the 1846 revolutionary movements set in motion would be the: creation of the Republic of Iberian Peoples (Republican Spain) in 1853, the reorganization of Austria into the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867), the unification of northern Italy into the Kingdom of Italy (1865), and the Nordic unification, which occurred in 1872 following the Finnish War that saw the overthrowing of the Swedish monarchy. The map below shows the world as of 1872, the year of Nordic unification. You'll notice the Luso Revolts in Colorado and the UAR, where French-speakers in both nations rose up semi-organized rebellion in hopes of rejoining Louisiana. By 1872, every modern realm had been admitted to the UAR except for Hudsonia.

 

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Treaty of Valencia (1702)