The United Empire of Solvada, commonly called Solvada or simply referred to as "the Empire", is a country whose territory spans across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. It consists of 22 federal provinces (15 of which are republics and 7 of which are fiefdoms), an autonomous republic, an imperial district, and an incorporated federal territory. With Solvadan Europe covering roughly 5.5 million square kilometers and having an estimated population of 700 million individuals, the Empire is within the world's top five most extensive countries by geographic area, as well as the top five most populous countries. Mainland Solvada shares significant land borders with Scotland, the Netherlands, Germany, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania to the north, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Persia, Mesopotamia, Arabia, and Hejaz to the east, and Sudan, Chad, Mali, Niger, and the Western Sahara to the south. The Empire's national capital and most populous city in Afro-Eurasia is Roma.
Solvada was originally founded by Arcturus ex-Solvada following a successful and relatively bloodless coup-d'etat against the fascist Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in 1943, replacing the Kingdom of Italy with a new nation named the 'Holy Empire of Solvada' and serving as its first Emperor. Arcturus ruled as an absolute monarch and established Catholicism as the official state religion following the annexation of the Vatican City shortly after Solvada's establishment. The Empire was one of three superpowers that participated in the Cold War, rivaling both the United States and Soviet Union in an ideological and political struggle to maintain its own sphere of influence and support monarchist movements across the world. Diana ex-Solvada succeeded her father Arcturus as Empress, and began a harsh regime of tyranny and oppression at home, as well as aggressive military actions abroad, leading to increased tensions between Solvada and the other major powers in the early 21st century. After a bloody civil war instigated by Diana's exiled son Ricarius, he replaced her as Emperor and instituted many reforms to improve quality of life and political representation for all citizens. Through diplomatic and military action, Ricarius later elevated the Empire to become the sole global hegemon by 2012.
Solvada is a federal constitutional monarchy with a tricameral legislature. It is a founding member and the host of the Imperial Commonwealth of Nations, an international peacekeeping organization intended to serve as the political arm for Emperor Ricarius' dominion across the world. Considered the official successor to the ancient Roman Empire, its population has been profoundly shaped by the many cultures of Europe and various other Mediterranean societies which have been incorporated under its jurisdiction. The Solvadan Empire ranks high in international measures of economic freedom, quality of life, education, and human rights; it has low levels of perceived corruption. However, it has been criticized for inequality related to race, ethnicity, and gender; stringent immigration laws; use of capital punishment; and poor treatment of prisoners.
It is a highly developed country, accounts for approximately a third of global GDP, and is the world's largest economy by GDP at market exchange rates. By value, Solvada is the world's largest importer and second-largest exporter of goods. Although its population is only 10.2% of the world's total, it holds 39.4% of the total wealth in the world, the largest share held by any country. Making up more than half of global military spending, it is the foremost military power in the world and internationally a leading political, cultural, and scientific force.
History
[WORK IN PROGRESS: The basic historical premise begins with the rise of Mussolini to power as Il Duce of Italy in 1925. The point of divergence from real-world history is this: During the first few months of his rule, Mussolini encountered an individual identifying himself by the name Arcturus ex Solvada, who claimed a connected ancestry to Augustus and boasted of a great deal of military and historical knowledge. Unknown to Mussolini was that Arcturus possessed rudimentary telepathic and precognitive skills (he could read minds and partially see into the future), a subtle but effective form of magic he used to Italy's advantage upon becoming Il Duce's top advisor. Italy achieved a level of technological, industrial, and military effectiveness on par with Nazi Germany by 1939, and entered into World War II at their side as in the OTL. However, when German forces were defeated at Kursk and Stalingrad, Arcturus foresaw the fall of Germany (and the other Axis powers, including Italy) to the combined forces of the Allies and Soviets. Wishing to avoid such a fate, he staged a coup against Mussolini and assassinated him, taking his place as Il Duce and quickly reforming Italy into a new state. The Holy Empire of Solvada was created from these efforts, with Arcturus crowned as its first Emperor. He soon contacted the Allied Powers in secret, agreeing to betray Germany in exchange for minor land concessions. The Allies accepted, and World War II ended with Solvadan forces occupying the German mainland in 1945, following the detonation of a Solvadan atomic bomb over Berlin in simultaneous coordination with the United States' atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Solvada became the overlord of a newly-puppeted German state and established itself as a third superpower in the post-war era, competing with the United States and Soviet Union in an ideological struggle of democratic capitalism (USA), authoritarian socialism (USSR), and monarchist mercantilism (Solvada). Proxy wars were regularly waged between the three powers during most of the latter half of the 20th century, and this remained relatively constant until the post-modern era, when Ricarius overthrew his mother (who became Empress following Arcturus' death) and worked to put an end to the Cold War by uniting the entire world under his authority, resulting in what we see today.]
Politics
The United Empire of Solvada was founded as an absolute monarchy, ruled by the Emperor who possessed unwavering control over the Empire's affairs, demonstrating very strong influence over the Empire's government, military, society, and so on. The Emperor held supreme authority in all matters foreign and domestic, ruling with an iron fist by hereditary legitimacy and the Divine Right of Kings. In the original founding, the only legislative institution was a unicameral parliamentary body known as the Imperial Senate, but it was intended to serve the sole purpose of being an advisory body beholden to the Emperor’s will. The Imperial Senate at the time hosted only the nobility which served beneath the Emperor and carried out his orders and directives, as well as some of their own self-serving desires when such opportunities arose. Around the late 20th century, in order to placate the discontented masses, the Senate was reformed into a bicameral system, to give the illusion of granting more authority to the legislature, where in fact there was no such doing. The upper branch was then known as the Supreme Council, and the lower branch was known as the Common Assembly. The Common Assembly would host all the governors and viceroys (usually of noble peerage) from each province, and they would convey their grievances, and the grievances of their people if they so desired to convey them, to the Supreme Council. The Supreme Council, consisting of the seven most senior members of the Imperial Family, would then in turn advise the Emperor on how to approach these grievances, or whether or not he should at all.
In the modern day, the legislative system of the United Empire of Solvada is even more divergent from its original incarnation. After Ricarius ascended to the throne, one of his reforms included a complete reorganization of the Imperial Senate into a uniquely-designed 'tricameral' legislative body. The lowest branch of the Senate, the Representative Assembly, consists of elected representatives from each of the provinces, known in the Empire as 'republics' or 'fiefdoms' depending on how their governors are chosen. The middle branch, the Council of Nobility, consists of non-elected peers who either possess inherited or awarded titles of nobility, as well as individuals either appointed by each province's governor or elected by each province's legislature. The highest branch, the Advisory College, consists of only seven individuals, who are usually appointed by the Emperor himself and confirmed by a majority vote in both the lower and middle branches of the Senate. The only exceptions are the Prime Minister of the Representative Assembly, who is elected for a seven-year term among the representatives in the Assembly, and the Supreme Justice, the nominal head of Solvada's court system elected by a randomly-chosen panel of judges every ten years. These individuals directly advise the Emperor on what actions to take regarding issues that are raised in either of the lower branches. In this system, the Imperial Senate allows for legitimate democratic representation of the average citizens through the Representative Assembly, which apportions representatives based on the population of the various provinces. Each province is split into multiple electoral districts, with each district being afforded a single representative to sit on the Assembly.
The United Empire of Solvada also possesses a judicial branch consisting of a system of courts, with the Supreme Imperial Court at its head. The Supreme Court consists of twelve Justices and the Supreme Justice at its head, who is also tasked with advising the Emperor on judicial matters as part of the Advisory College. The Supreme Justice has unique and significant powers compared to the other members of the Advisory College, including being able to overturn any decision made by the Emperor on the basis of legal grounds. For example, should the Emperor make a proclamation or decree which conflicts with a previously established law, the Supreme Justice will veto the decree until further notice. In such situations, the Emperor usually takes one of two paths: He either alters his decree to no longer be in conflict with the law, or he attempts to pressure the Senate to adjust or repeal the law so his decree may be issued as planned. The Emperor may also choose to intervene directly in the judicial process by granting a pardon to any defendant found guilty or overruling a jury's verdict (with the consent of the Supreme Court) in a court of law.