Lovedelund

Lovedelund, officially the Kingdom of Lovedelund (Danish: Kongeriget Hjortelund) is a sovereign state in Northwestern Europe, consisting of 5 administrative districts and 2 federal and metropolitan districts. Its neighbours include Norway to the west and the United Kingdom to the Southwest.The seat of government is maintained in Kirkebakken, capital and largest city of Lovedelund. The five administrative districts include Evjelund, Nordfaller, Kamjutland, Kanalki, and Ryjukken. The two metropolitan districts include Greater Kirkebakken and Greater Jankko. Lovedelund is a highly developed and industrialized state with the highest HDI index in the AIN, yet has a very small GDP in comparison to the rest of the AIN. Lovedelund is a member of few supernational organizations, including the Alliance of Independent Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Pre-History
The first evidence of any human activity on the archipelago of Hjortelund was approximately 8000 years ago, with the discovery of Mesolithic spear-tips near the present day town of Sørbyen. Since then, there has been little activity until the arrival of the Norwegian and Danish Vikings around 300 CE. Nothing is known about these pre-historic peoples, but it is thought that a disease wiped them out. The area was named Hjortelund (Land of Deer) due to the abundance of wildlife and natural resources. Little more is known about the early history of Hjortelund due to the lack of records, but it is known that the Viking inhabitants thrived.

Early History
For several hundred years, the ancestors of the first Vikings, the Hjortemænd, to arrive on the island lived in almost complete solitude. Irish seamen discovered the island as well in 1168, prompting the Britons to follow suit. The Hjortemænd fought valiantly to keep the invaders out, and they proved successful. In 1397, Hjortelund was included in the Kalmar Union, making Queen Margaret I the first monarch of Hjortelund. Hjortelund was renamed Lovedelund ( Promised Land) in 1403, to make it easier to pronounce for both the Danish and English During this time, Lovedeulnd gained thousands of inhabitants from Norway and Denmark. Denmark, and in turn Lovedelund, officially had no reason to fight in the American Revolution. However, approximately 200 Lovedelundian citizens voluntarily sailed to Boston in 1777 to aid the Americans. Only 30 soldiers were killed in their inital combat, while the rest dispersed into regiments of the US that most needed assistance.

Siege of Kirkebakken
1807 was the bloodiest year-to-date for Lovedelund. Due to a supposed act of hostility by the Danish, the British began what became known as the Gunboat War of 1807-1814. King George III saw Lovedelund as a weak point of the Danes, and sent 20 gunships to the City of Kirkebakken. A siege, known as the Siege of Kirkebakken, lasted for nearly a year. The city was thoroughly destroyed, save for the St. Antony’s Cathedral, which was reduced to a burnt husk. British occupation lasted until the end of the war, when Denmark surrendered. No territory was exchanged, but 20,000 Lovedelundians were killed during the war.

Reconstruction
Economically and physically, Lovedelund was in ruins until 1870, when the Industrial Revolution finally spilled onto the beaches of Kirkebakken. Lovedelund experienced exponential population and economic growth until the 1930’s, with the establishment of Kirkeindustrianlegg (Kirkebakken Industrial Works) in 1870. Early measures were taken, however, to prevent environmental damage from the increase in industry, leading to the establishment of Mijløbevar, a privately owned environmental protection agency. During this time, the Danish crown established peace with England. September 30, 1902 marked the day that Lovedelund became an autonomous state of Denmark.

Revolutionary Era
Lovedelund had little involvement in the First World War, apart from sending small amounts of troops and food rations to Allied soldiers. In 1917, the Bolshevik Revolution spread to Lovedelundian shores. The island’s monarch, King Gustav I, was drug from his bed on the evening of June 24, 1917, and shot in the street. Mads Issanson, a revolutionary, took up leadership of the state, and called the citizens of the island to protest for independence of the Danish crown. The crown did not take lightly to this, and sent and invasion force 10000 men stong to Nord, a major military base on Lovedelund. The Danish forces were utterly destroyed, and they quickly retreated. Independence was granted to Lovedelund on January 1, 1920. Mads Issanson took up office as the Chairman of the Armed People’s Force the same day.

January 1, 1920 would be a day that Lovedelundians would not soon forget. Though the country was in favor of a socialist government, they did not approve of Mads Issanson. Even the media began to turn against him, calling him Mad Mads, for his eccentric lifestyle and murderous streak. And the police were powerless to stop him, as they feared for their own lives. As soon as Issanson stepped into the Palace of Royals, every guardsman left their post, to return home to be with their families, preparing for the impending destruction. Thousands of anti-Issanson protesters lined up outside the Palace of Royals, chanting for his death. The Royal Guard, a pro-Issanson organization, was called in to defend the Palace. At 1:14 GMT, a shot was fired. It is unknown who fired the shot, but it is likely that the Royal Guard were the culprits. Valhalla Square, in front of the Palace of Royals, became a bloody killing ground. The machine gun entrenchments of the Royal Guard mowed down hundreds, and reinforcement troops cut off all exits out of the area. They slowly closed in around the square, driving any escaping protester back. Several of the protesters were lucky enough to find a handgun or rifle on a dead protestor, only to use it on themselves to escape the impending fate. By 2:00 GMT, the Guard had closed in on the Square, trapping several thousand inside. Approximately 200 protestors were lucky enough to escape the Square, in the back of a prison truck. The rest were picked off like animals in a forest, either by rooftop sniper, or machine gun entrenchments. An estimated 4,500 civilians were killed in the Valhalla Square Massacre. There was only one known survivor, who was released from prison in 1942 by the Allied Forces.

Issanson began a campaign, known as the Stor Utrenskning (Great Purge). Hundreds of thousands of civilians, politicians, and government officials were murdered over a 10 year period, all of whom “conspired” against the Armed People’s Force. This drove the country into a massive economic depression, and combined with Black Tuesday of 1929, even Issanson’s personal coffers were nearly dry. Those who had any money or valuable possessions were drug into the street and excecuted. A notable example of this was in the quiet town of Jarnaping, located in a very rural area of Lovedelund. Even though they were largely affected by the economic crisis, the small community banded together just to feed each other. Many of their possessions had to be auctioned off just to pay the government taxes, but they clung to their small town library, filled to the brim with rare and signed classics, several of which were very valuable. The Royal Guard caught wind of the small village and their secret, and stormed in on the evening of May 23, 1934. The townsfolk were gathered in the town church, and the doors were locked from the outside. The church was set ablaze, killing all 263 citizens of the town. The fire shortly spread, and soon the entire town was ablaze. By the next morning, Jarnaping ceased to exist. Mads Issanson would continue to rule the country until 1942, after a poor decision fell through with their German allies, and a Nazi spy put a bullet in his head. Days after, the country was taken over by the Allied forces, and used as a major supply depot for the British until 1945.

Post Revolutionary Era
The end of WWII signaled anew beginning for the people of Lovedelund. With much of the country in ruins, Denmark, England, and the United States donated approximately $400 Million USD (2.17 Billion LDK) to rebuilding the nation. On October 1, 1949, the Constitution of Lovedelund was signed, making Mikhail Dahle the first president of Lovedelund. For 30 years, the nation rebuilt, making Kirkebakken a major political and cultural center. Following in the successful footsteps of its Scandinavian ancestors, the Lovedelundian government became a unitary parliamentary democracy, with strong socialist ties. The parliament, known as the Nyttriksdag, has been led by a majority of 78 Sosialistisk Parti Members since 1981. Lovedelund has maintained a strong isolationist policy, though in the last 20 years the Lovedelundian market has opened up to the world, greatly increasing the prosperity of the country.

Government
Lovedelund is a Unitary Parliamentary Democracy, with the Head of Government being the King of Lovedelund and the Prime Minister as the acting Head of Government. Restrictions on the powers of these two positions are outlined as per the 1949 Constitution.