Mansilla

Kingdom of Mansilla Regno di Mansilla
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Paradisio in Terra Paradise on Earth
Anthem: "Buon Sangue e Oro" Royal anthem: "Salutano il Re"
Capital	Brunelli (called "Cerano" until 1962 decree)
Largest	Sanclaro
Official languages	Italian, Sicilian
Demonym(s)	Mansillian
Government	Unitary constitutional monarchy Totalitarian Dictatorship
• King	Roberto IV
• Prime Minister	Giancarlo Ricci
Establishment
• Founded (1st Kingdom)	1853 AD
• Brunelli Regime	February 1937 AD
• Constitution of Mansilla adopted (2nd Kingdom)	August 1937
Population
• 2018 estimate	4.21 Million
• 2003 census	3.9 Million
GDP (nominal)	2018 estimate
• Total	$71.5 billion
• Per capita	$16,971
Gini (2008)	43.3 medium
HDI (2008)	0.781 high
Currency	Brunellian Lira
Date format	mm-dd-yyyy, AD/BC
Driving side	left
Internet TLD	.mansilla

The Kingdom of Mansilla (colloquially, Mansilla) is a small island nation situated in the northernmost part of the Olympic Ocean. Though nominally a constitutional monarchy, Mansilla is effectively administered by its Prime Minister, currently Gran Custodé Giancarlo Ricci, who has been in office since 1996 and holds near absolute power in the nation. The Mansillian economy is relatively small but nearly self-sustaining and moderately diverse, comprised of a large agriculture sector, a smaller manufacturing sector, and a thriving tourist industry thanks to sweeping foreign policy reforms in the mid-1980s. Mansilla is known for its beautiful rolling hills, vineyards, crystal blue waters, and elegant architecture.

The current government of Mansilla was established following the 1937 coup d'etat against the Ferrera dynasty, which saw Luca Brunelli's rise to power, the execution of Stephano X, and the establishment of the 2nd Kingdom after a formal constitution was drafted in August of the same year.

Etymology

Though the origin of the term "Mansilla" is not exactly known, it's likely a heavily vernacularized translation of the the Pionean word "Maesila," which means "God's Dominion" or, more literally, "God's Seat." The Mansillan archipelago was first settled by Pionean Catholics in the late 14th century, which may explain the name. The general demonym for citizens of Mansilla is "Mansillan(s)," though "Mansillians," is also used with a great degree of frequency.

History

First Kingdom

Initially a ducal holding of Pionea, Mansilla became an independent monarchy in 1853 as a result of the Treaty of Cephalia, which concluded the Cerini War of Succession. Prince Fernando di Cerini, later taking the name Fernando I, was named the first monarch of the Kingdom of Mansilla, which received papal recognition as a "Catholic Kingdom" shortly after the conclusion of the war. Throughout his short-lived reign, Fernando I, a deeply spiritual man, resisted efforts to industrialize the Mansillian economy, believing that doing so would plunge the archipelago into a state of moral degeneracy, destroying the family unit and driving sacredly held institutions to ruin.

Second Kingdom

Still lacking support for his regime among certain powerful families that had not officially taken a side during the coup, Brunelli made the decision to reinstate the monarchy in June of 1937. On August 1, the Mansillian National Front (the nation's de facto governing body at that time) adopted the Constituation of Mansilla, which appointed Fernando Berlusconi, Stephano X's cousin, as the figurehead ruler of Mansilla. Under the newly adopted constitution, near-absolute power was held by the Gran Custode (Prime Minister), a role that Brunelli was more than happy to assume.

Less than 24 hours after the Constitution's adoption, an assassin was able to breach the perimeter of Brunelli's estate and fire upon the newly minted Prime Minister as he was eating dinner. Brunelli survived the attack and personally oversaw the assassin's torture. Brunelli's would-be-killer, who was initially presumed to be an agent of Venezia, confessed that he had been sent on the behest of Angelo Gingiartti. Attempting to flee the nation, Gingiartii was stopped at a military checkpoint outside of Cerano (now Brunelli) around midnight that evening, taken into custody, and executed by firing squad on August 8, 1937. Venezia, who was captured during an ill-fated assault on Saclaro by republican forces on August 4, was executed alongside Gingiartti. Surviving republican, socialist, and loyalist forces were dispersed by the end of the month, marking the end of major opposition to Brunelli's regime for more than two decades.

Politics

Government

Although the monarch of Mansilla is nominally the head of state, he holds very little power and serves almost exclusively as a figurehead. The monarch can be removed from power (and the monarchy can be outright dissolved) by a unanimous vote of the Voccientilles, the Mansillan parliament, though this has never occurred. Members of the Voccientilles are theoretically appointed by direct election, though few Mansillan citizens are actually eligible to vote. The National Party of Mansilla (NPM) has been known to use intimidation, threats of violence, and assassination in order to prevent opposition leaders from gaining a seat. In this way, the Voccientilles is essentially marionetted by the NPM's leadership. The prime minister of Mansilla, officially known as the Gran Custodé di Regno di Mansilla, also servers as the commander-in-chief of the Mansillan military and is often the chairman of the NPM or the de facto leader. The prime minister is technically beholden to and appointed by the Voccientilles, but, since Voccientilles can only retain their positions by remaining loyal to the NPM, which is usually headed by the prime minister, a rogue parliament is very rare, though it did occur in 1977.

Military and Foreign Relations

The size of the Mansillan military is unknown, but has been estimated to account for around 33% to 40% of the nation's government spending. Mansilla maintains no strong strategic or economic ties with foreign entities and has refused to sign or join any international treaties or organizations. Since the 1940s, Mansilla has maintained a policy of strict neutrality in international affairs and maintains that its sizable military is purely maintained for defense purposes. Prime Minister Lorenze di Amaretti had the Mansillan army engineer corps construct between 1000 and 1200 fallout shelters across the nation over the course of his 17 year tenure, and was allegedly convinced that an invasion or nuclear attack on Mansilla was imminent, though subsequent leaders have cut back on militarization of the country.

Demographics

Given Mansilla's isolated geographic location and strict immigration/emigration bans until the mid 1980s, nearly 98% of all denizens self-classified as Pionea, the native Latin-Caucasian ethnicity, in the nation's 2003 census. 81% of the Mansillan population is concentrated in its two largest cities, Brunelli and Sanclaro, the former of which has seen substantial growth since the mid 2000s.

Economy

Mansilla is a nominally capitalist nation, making no efforts to prevent citizens from freely engaging in trade, buying, owning, and selling assets (including real estate), and establishing limited enterprises. International commerce and large-scale industry, however, is highly regulated. All major holdings are jointly held between the owner and the state, creating a system where most international trade is conducted by pseudo-nationalized corporations. Such trade, however, is rare, given the Mansillan government's relatively isolationist stance on foreign policy and trade.

Trade

From 1937 until 1981, virtually all imports into Mansilla (excluding some medical supplies and machine parts) were halted. Naturally, this resulted in widespread shortages of many commodities and necessitated harsh rationing. Although some bans have been lifted, the nation engages in very little international trade and overseas investment is strictly prohibited. To avoid "corrupting the national character of Mansilla," imported name-brand goods are generally not allowed to retain identifying characteristics of the brand, instead being sold simply under the generic name of the item. Mansilla has a thriving black market for all manner of imported goods, often with a 400% or greater markup.

Tourism

Since the di Brambilla regime, tourism has made up a sizeable section of the Mansillan economy, though travel visas only grant foreign visitors access to porto apertos, designated resort regions which are directly surveilled by the Mansillan army. Incidentally, petty crime in porto apertos, particularly petty crime perpetrated against vacationers, is a rarity, making Mansilla a reasonably safe travel destination compared to other developing nations. Porto apertos are the only principalities in the country where gambling is legal. Mansillan citizens are generally prohibited from entering porto apertos unless they work at one of the institutions within, which are highly coveted careers due to higher pay than most other labor-oriented positions.