The Empire of Celestria

Celestria, officially the Empire of Celestria, is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy comprising the entire mainland of the continent of Celestria and is sovereign over several federacies and states. Celestria is subdivided into 16 different administrative divisions in the federal system, comprised of States, Provinces and Territories in addition to 6 semi-sovereign countries that are integrated into the government of Celestria.

By area, Celestria is the largest country in the world and the only one that spans an entire continent. With a population that is approaching 2.65 billion, it is the most populated country in the world. Celestria is a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy with its capital in Illustrat, the empire's largest city and the main cultural, commercial and political center. The current Constitution of Celestria, adopted by reform in 2010, establishes the sovereignty of the Emperor as Head of State through the constitution itself.

Celestria has been a major world power since the end of the Revolutionary Era, attaining global prominence in the early 20th century, when it possessed the second-largest colonial empire in the world. Throughout its long history, Celestria has been a world leader in commerce, culture and diversity. After San Wong Se, Celestria is the second most common immigration destination in the world.

Celestria is among a group of the world's leading powers, most often alongside its closest ally, Apfeldonia. Celestria is a part of the G3, and a member of many international organizations. Celestria founded the Monarchist Treaty Organization (MTO) and also was co-founder of the Celapfey Union.

Etymology
The name "Celestria" originates from the Middle Athran Solastria, which means "country of the Sun". The name "Celestria" had seen in use since 907 and formally adopted in 1054 with the proclamation of a Celestrian Empire. Since 1555, with the proclamation of the Empire of Celestria, the term Celestrian became the demonym of all who lived within the empire, but most inhabitants also identify to their cultural demonym such as Athran or Yeung, however within the past century more of the population are beginning to identify themselves as Celestrians alone.

Since the adoption of a constitution in 1910, the past century saw steady constitutional reform encompassing decentralization of the government and expansion of political rights. In 2010, the constitutional reforms were codified into the new constitution of 2010, however changes in government and international relations suspended progress until 15 November 2015 when a completed new constitution was promulgated by the Emperor.

Origin of the Celestrians
The Tribes of Athra are known to have established their first permanent settlements on the banks of the Lilacuna River in modern day Athra as early as the 8th Century B.C. Within half a century after the earliest archaeological evidence of tribal settlement there is evidence of the first Athran cities being built on many sights by the river.

Seafaring Yu people came to Celestria as early as three millennia ago, Yu people began to sail to the western coast of Celestria to fish. By the 7th Century B.C. several ancient temporary fishing villages line the coast of Celestria. The oldest of these settlements are found generally in the north where there is an abundance of trees fitting for building seaworthy vessels.

Settlement
The Rise of Thesidonia and many other Athran city-states is the starting point for Celestrian history. Thesidon was situated on the island of Thesily and lead the Athran league of city-states starting from c.-450 B.C. to around c.-290 B.C., in that period the foundations for Athran, more specifically Bassani culture were built.

The Early Colonial Period started when the first colonists from Yuzhou settled into modern day Caelir and Sardisia to establish permanent states. Starting from around the 5th Century B.C. two Yu colonial regions were forming. Two distinct peoples from Yuzhou settled in Celestria, firstly the Tai folk, who number most of the fishing peoples and chose to settle in the north. The latter being the mainland Yu that specifically came from southern Yuzhou, they chose to settle the more familiar temperate regions in the centre of the coast. Both of these peoples are called the Yeung people, which means solar or sun because they followed the Sun across the ocean.

The First Goryan Invasion happened in the 4th Century B.C. tribes of steppe peoples from Yuzhou immigrated to the continent, these are known as the Goryans. They are a fierce warrior society that is steeped in clan loyalty and quickly establish their society south of the primary Yu colonies. Fearing inevitable invasion from the Goryan hordes, the Yu begin to migrate north but in the process incur onto the colonial territory of the Tai people. Seeing this as an opportunity to ravage both colonies, the Goryans begin their first invasion of Celestria and harass both colonies. Though the Goryans plunder at first only for wares and goods, they soon discover the advantage of settling into permanent settlements and apply this knowledge to their own respective homelands in southern Celestria. The centre of their vast steppe realm is the newly created settlement of Chulukdin, which the Goryans quickly fortify with several tiers of earthen ramparts and a great brick bastion.

The Later Colonial Period saw prosperity return once the Goryan people domesticated to Celestria. Trade flowed through all the Yeung lands and even to the Thesidonian cities. This particular era saw the rise of a seperate Athran culture, Trevasans, unlike the Bassani who are north of them, the Trevasans are seafarers much like the Tai folk. The Trevasans sailed and colonized the islands off the coast of Athra, and soon overgrew them so greatly that in -212 B.C. the Trevasans sent most of their people to colonize the great island which is now called Trevisium. The Trevasan culture is steeped in its deep roots with the sea, and began to prosper when they began trading with the Yeung people by sailing to the western coast of Celestria.

Early History
The Second Goryan Invasion began around -100 B.C. and saw the return to aggression by the Goryan peoples, though no longer nomadic hunters, the Goryans had become sophisticated and organized users of horse archery. Unlike before, when the Goryans attacked the Yeung in the north, now the Goryans moved east to attack the many unguarded and independant villages in central Celestria. Many of these villages would later be unified under Nicosius Imperior. Another difference between the First Goryan Invasion to the Second is the tactics involved. Before, the Goryans would attack in hordes and carry out raids mainly for supplies but during this invasion, they attacked and occupied like a foreign state, not a tribe. The Goryan tribes were becoming organized into separate armies, armies with officers, supply wagons and even court officers to maintain discipline.

Nicosius Imperior was born sometime in c.-112 B.C. and became the leader of the Bassani people through a series of several wars. Unifying nearly all of the northern Athran cities and improving infrastructure. Under him, he forged the Bassani lands into what will become the Athran Empire, Nicosius came from a family of politicians who were able to make it up the ladder to become counselor of the great city of Carnasi and soon united many other cities under his own banner. Nicosius became a renowned diplomat and did speak for a large proportion of his people and was able to convince independent villages in central Celestria to adopt Bassani culture and join his realm. In his later life he would be named Imperior, the Athran word for "emperor" but he would not actually come to rule the Athran Empire. When he died in -54 B.C. his fellow leaders would form the Athran Empire within four years of his death.

Athran and Yeung Empires
Rise of the Athran Empire followed the death of Nicosius Imperior. In -50 B.C. the first Council of Sorino was convened, it was made up of numerous officials and magistrates who governed the lands gained under Nicosius. The council later decreed the creation of the Athran Empire which finally organized the affiliated lands into a working government. The creation of the Athran Empire was mirrored in the East by the near simultaneous creation of the Yeung Empire within a decade after the Council conclusion.

Rise of the Yeung Empire brought peace and the end of the Second Goryan Invasion, starting in -41 B.C. the Goryan armies were able to successfully vassalize the major states of western Celestria and declared the Yeung Empire. The lands of the Tai people in the North were brought into the fold, but the southern lands of the Telyar ethnic group which arose in this period manage to resist invasion. The Goryan rulers quickly established a highly sophisticated bureaucracy able to manage all the states within the Empire through a system of examinations and high standards for literacy in multiple languages and familiarization of the diverse populace.

Tempae Crestine (Age of Christianity) is the beginning of the evangelization of Celestria and the spread of the Crestianism (Christianity) throughout the entire continent, which started originally from the East near the city of Lilacuna. The religion took hold quickly within many tribal territories that lay in between the Athran and Yeung Empires, however the Athran Empire adopted Crestianism as the official faith of the Empire in the first year of the Lord, rendered as 1 AD (Annomis Doma) or less commonly as the Crestian Era; 1 CE (Crestiae Erium).

Beginning of the Athran Papacy in Thesily is seen as the first moment of the organization of Crestianism within Celestria. Under the ordained leadership of Saint Patimon, the seat of the Papacy and the centre for all of the Crestian religion was organized onto the Island of Thesily. The Athran Emperor Vedirius granted the island as a permanent Patrimonial territory for the Papacy. The Crestian religion and theology that descends from this tradition is the orthodoxy. When Crestianism became the sole and universal religion in Celestria, as well as the state religion in Celestria, it became known Catholicism, a word meaning universal faith in Middle Athran, the specific Rite of Crestianism that is practiced most commonly in the realm is Athran Catholicism.

Founding of Illustrat occurred as a result of the cohabiting peoples in the marches of the two empires. The River Senz which originates in the centre of Celestria runs through the middle of the continent and meets the ocean in the southeast. The river is expanded into a number of canals that were originally irrigation channels for the farms by the river, overtime these channels were widened in order to accommodate transportation of goods and passengers between the two sides of Illustrat.

Transformation of the Yeung Empire began as a result of the influence of diplomacy between the Eastern states with the Yeung Empire. The old feudal system restricted peasant farmers from being able to move from village to other places, however, the creation of a new bureaucratic government to oversee the land enabled the Empire to centralise itself tremendously.

Revolutionary Empire (1767-1778)
Rise of the Revolution was created due to the mass reformation towards centralizing Imperial authority in Celestria. Several new states broke vassalage and formed military coalitions in order to rebel against the Emperor. The sudden growth of Armies and the imminent threat of Imperial reprisals on rebellious states caused great upheaval in many regions which subsequently overthrew many of their former aristocratic and elite leaders who the masses blamed for causing the revolution. States such as Jow and Athra resisted internal revolution and their rulers retained power, and shifted closer to the Imperial cause then many other states. In the other regions where the populace have been able to overthrow their leaders, cliques formed out of the strength of military leaders who were able to command several armies that incapacitated Imperial control in many parts of the Empire.

Empire of Celestria under Absolute Monarchy (1778-1909)
Revolution in the Celvetian Republic followed the initial events of the Celestrian Revolution, due to the size of Celvetia and relative maritime tradition and opposition of standing armies, the Revolution did not create a massive eruption of militaristic fervor in the Republic. The legacy of the Revolution in Celvetia is its own style of republican government as well as a code of rights, foreign policy and a decentralised governorship of the nine island provinces (the Nine United States) forming the confederational structure of the government which still exists today.

Colonial Rule in Thaiseria
Lunarian Wars and Assertion of Celestria were a series of wars tie to the political advancement of Celestria's interests on the Rosecettan continent. In 1876, the government of Lunaria collapsed resulting in three factions, the first to be created was in support of a constitutional monarchy which favors pro-Apfeldonia foreign policy they were later called the Patriotic Front. The Republican faction was created in protest after the steamer named the SS Prince of Soreias flying Celvetian colours blocked the harbor entrances and retaliating against port authorities and refusing the authority of the provisional government, the steamship also bore the ultimatum of the Celestrian government on the candidacy of a Celestrian prince to the throne of Lunaria.

Administrative Divisions
Main article: Regions of Celestria

States, Provinces and Territories
Celestria comprises of multiple federal entities grouped into Regions. The federal units are subdivided into three different categories: States, Provinces and Territories.

States and Provinces are governed by their own constitution and are largely autonomous. States unlike Provinces are able to maintain the ability to modify their constitution and regulate many internal policies including Inter-regional relationships.

Territories in contrast have relatively little autonomy, and follows the legislative authority that governs the rest of the Empire through the Federal government. Territories have local bodies of governments that maintain the governing of the area similar to a municipal government.

Semi-sovereign States
Celestria maintains six partnerships of free association, and are divided into three categories; Constituent countries, Dependent countries and Federated countries.

Infrastructure
Within Celestria there is a vast array of transportation networks. The national rail network is the most dominant transportation industry. The Celestrian Imperial Railway is owned predominantly by the state and includes railway companies such as CelestRail which operates the majority of the railways in Celestria.