Freygallia (Old Freygallian: Friygahlja), officially the Kingdom of Freygallia (Old Freygallian: Keunyngon ev Friygahlja), is a country in Central Europe bordered by the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia to the east, Hungary to the south, and Austria to the west. Freygallia is a landlocked country with a diverse landscape comprised of mountains in the southwest, hills in the east, and woodlands in the northwest. Freygallia's territory spans approximately 84,415 square kilometers (32,593 sq mi) with many high-density forests dotted throughout the country. It has a mostly temperate continental climate and a semi-oceanic climate. However, the country has been known to experience surprisingly harsh winters. It is a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy, with 6.9 million inhabitants. Its capital and largest city is Enkyli, with 896.4 thousand residents; other important cities and towns are Aery, Bryo, Hiljaisuus, and Kiva.

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Kingdom of Freygallia
Keunyngon ev Friygahlja (Old Freygallian)

Flag
__________

Motto: "Īlva laijva botagona" (Old Freygallian)
{English: "Our pack survives"}

Anthem: "Iā Vaedar ev Sȳndror ye Ōños" (Old Freygallian)
{English: "A Song of Darkness and Light"}
__________

Capital and Enkyli
largest city

Official Old
languages Freygallian

                English

Recognized Czech
regional
languages German

Hungarian

Slovak

Ethnic                 No official
groups                statistics

Demonym(s) Freygallian

Frey

Government Unitary
                      parliamentary
                constitutional
                         monarchy

• Monarch         Augustus XI

• Prime Edith
   Minister Atteberry

Legislature Etduskhunja
(Parliament)

• Upper house Zsynahti
  (Senate)

• Lower house Nazsjonell
                         Forzemlyng
(National
Assembly)

History
• Kingdom of 1 January
   Sȳndror         477 AD
   established

• Kingdom of 1 January
   Ōños   478 AD
   established

• War of         25 December
   Two Evils 992 – 21
September
1019

• Treaty of 22 September
   Freygallia 1019

• Kingdom of 1 October
   Freygallia 1019
   established

• Revised 1 January
   constitution 1562

• Admitted to     24 October
the United       1956
   Nations

Area
• Total 84,415 km²
(32,593 sq mi)
(113th)

• Water (%) 3.7

Population
• 2017 estimate   6,966,830
  (104th)

• 2011 census 6,806,900

• Density 83/km²
(213.8/sq mi)
(94th)

Currency Freygallian
                        khron (FYK)

Time zone UTC+1 (CET)

• Summer (DST)       UTC+2
                               (CEST)

Driving side right

Internet TLD .fy

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The establishment of the Kingdom of Freygallia dates to the High Middle Ages, resulting from a long and bloody war between the two medieval kingdoms of Sȳndror and Ōños. The war that has come to be known as the War of Two Evils, lasted for nearly twenty-seven years. It resulted in the deaths of thousands and only ended when the forces of the Kingdom of Ōños finally managed to defeat the forces of Sȳndror in the early morning hours of 21 September 1019. A surrender was officially declared and the Treaty of Freygallia was drawn up and signed the following day (22 September 1019). The conditions of the treaty resulted in the unification of the kingdoms of Ōños and Sȳndror, which was made official through the marriage of King Augustus of Ōños and Princess Arabella of Sȳndror (the only surviving child of King Atticus of Sȳndror) on 1 October 1019. This created the new royal House of Pond and King Atticus officially renounced his title as a king in order to avoid any future conflict. The Kingdom of Freygallia was formally declared and immediately recognized by a number of outside governments such as the Holy Roman Empire, the Kingdom of France, the Kingdom of England, the Byzantine Empire, and a number of others. Since the War of Two Evils had been such a brutal and costly war, no outside forces really cared to get involved militarily with the now-Freygallian territory. The marriage between King Augustus and Princess Arabella on 1 October 1019 is considered to be the official birth of the Kingdom of Freygallia, which is celebrated on the National Day of Freygallia.

In much the same manner as Switzerland, Freygallia maintains a strong policy of armed neutrality and has done so for the entirety of its united existence. It has never fought in an international war, which is a fact that has fascinated historians for decades considering the histories of the various countries that surround it. It, therefore, subsequently holds the record for the longest time of continuous peace.

Freygallia did not join the United Nations until 24 October 1956, which was exactly eleven years after the official ratification of the United Nations Charter on 24 October 1945. The reasons for Freygallia's initial hesitance to join the UN were laid out in the Freygallia-United Nations Agreement of 1956. The one major tipping point for Freygallia to finally make its way onto the international stage was for all member states of the United Nations to unanimously agree to recognize the entirety of Freygallia's territory (as in the entire country of Freygallia itself) as a national park, with respect to the areas where Freygallia's natural resources are cultivated. The reason for this was to protect what is known as "the national symbol of Freygallia," which is the Frey Wolf. This is a species of wolf that, today, only inhibits the country of Freygallia. They are said to be one of the oldest species still in existence anywhere in the world, and they appear with fur coats ranging from jet black to charcoal grey to snow white. What sets these wolves apart from any other species of wolf in the world is that they roam freely throughout the entire nation of Freygallia. Tourists are specifically informed of this before traveling into the country so as not to be surprised or alarmed if they happen to spot a Frey Wolf within close range of civilization. The Frey Wolves are an integral part of Freygallian culture and have been so since even before the unification of the medieval kingdoms of Sȳndror and Ōños. It has been a long established custom in the country to respect the Frey Wolves, who in return have lived peacefully amongst their human neighbors. With the Kingdom of Freygallia in its entirety being internationally recognized as a national park, the Frey Wolves' continued existence and way of life with the Freygallian citizens has been assured.

Even though Freygallia maintains a position of armed neutrality, it does pursue an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world. It is also a founding member of the European Free Trade Association, but notably not part of the European Union, the European Economic Area, or the Eurozone. However, it does participate in the Schengen Area and the European Single Market through bilateral treaties. It is also part of the Council of Europe, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).

Given these various stipulations and the similarities they hold to Switzerland, Freygallia and Switzerland have been labeled "Sister Nations." The big difference between the two, however, is that Switzerland is a federal republic while Freygallia remains a constitutional monarchy.

Augustus XI of the House of Pond is the current King of Freygallia. Edith Atteberry has been prime minister since 2013 when she replaced Harriet Jones. As a unitary sovereign state with a constitutional monarchy, Freygallia divides state power between the parliament, the cabinet and the supreme court, as determined by the revised constitution of 1812.

Freygallia is one of the most developed countries in the world, with the third-highest nominal wealth per adult (after Switzerland and Australia) and the eleventh-highest per capita gross domestic product. It ranks at or near the top in several international metrics, including economic competitiveness and human development. It ranks at the fourth-safest and most peaceful country in the world (after Iceland, New Zealand, and Portugal). The country maintains a market economy with a comprehensive social security system. Citizens of Freygallia are provided with universal health care, free education and one of the longest paid parental leaves in the OECD. The Freygallian capital of Enkyli consistently ranks in the top internationally on quality-of-life indicators. Overall, Freygallia ranks very highly in quality of life, health, education, protection of civil liberties, press freedom, internet freedom, economic competitiveness, equality, gender equality, prosperity and human development.

As well as not being a member of the European Union, the Kingdom of Freygallia declined NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) membership as well as Eurozone membership following referendums in 1957 and 2000, respectively.

Freygallia ranked fourth on the World Happiness Report for 2017 (after Norway, Denmark, and Iceland), second on the OECD Better Life Index (after Norway), third on the Index of Public Integrity (after Norway and Denmark), and third on the Democracy Index (after Norway and Iceland).

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ETYMOLOGY

The English name Freygallia is a compound containing "Frey", which is one of the two demonyms for the citizens of Freygallia as well as the species of wolf that lives within the country. The other portion of the name, "gallia", is derived from the Old Freygallian word for wolf, "Zoklagahlja". After the union of the two medieval kingdoms of Freygallia, the population of the new single kingdom began to call themselves Freys and have done so since. Of course, back before the country began primarily speaking English, "Freygallia" was spelled slightly different: Friygahlja.

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HISTORY

The Central European land that is now Freygallia was settled in pre-Roman times by various Celtic tribes.  The Celtic kingdoms of Bantis and Jaqiarza were later claimed by the Roman Empire and made provinces.  Present-day Aery in northwestern Freygallia was an important army camp turned capital city in what became known as the Upper Leadworth province.  Aery was home to 65,000 people for nearly 400 years.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in AD 476, the area was invaded by two main Slavonic tribes (the Sȳndrori and the Ōñosians) from southwestern Russia.  The Sȳndrori established the Kingdom of Sȳndror and the Ōñosians established the Kingdom of Ōños.  Sȳndror is an Old Freygallian word that literally translates to "darkness" while Ōños translates to "light." Today, the two medieval kingdoms are widely labeled as the "Kingdom of Darkness" and the "Kingdom of Light."

Orthodox Christianity was practiced by the majority of both kingdoms, however, there was still a significant number of Polytheistic adherents from when the territories had been governed during the time of the Western Roman Empire. Today, and ever since the days of the tumultuous Reformation, the majority of Freygallians identify with one of the branches of Protestantism or are simply unaffiliated.

The kingdoms of Sȳndror and Ōños stayed apart from each other, for the most part, but did come together in AD 788 and fended off an invasion from Charlemagne, King of the Franks. After the attempted invasion, Sȳndror and Ōños made a deal with Charlemagne, allowing immigration into their lands with the promise that no invasion would ever be attempted again.

The area then remained relatively peaceful for just over two hundred years, until the two kingdoms themselves came to blows with one another over exact border location. It had largely been understood that the Sradagan River, that runs through the modern-day capital of Enkyli, is what provided the border between Sȳndror and Ōños. However, somehow this agreement had gone askew. Eventually, an all-out war officially broke out on Christmas Day in AD 992. This is a war that would span nearly twenty-seven years, a conflict that would only end when the forces of the Kingdom of Ōños would finally manage to subdue the forces of the Kingdom of Sȳndror.

Thereafter, the two kingdoms became united and officially renamed themselves Freygallia. The new kingdom would henceforth be ruled by the newly created royal House of Pond, the same royal house which still officially reigns over Freygallia to this day.

The territory that the Kingdom of Freygallia encompasses remained virtually untouched by any outside forces all during the time the infamous Habsburg dynasty continued to dominate Europe.

Up until the mid 1500s, the ascension to the Freygallian throne had been made up of mostly male heirs with a few female exceptions. This is where Freygallia's unique historical classification comes into play. Sometime in mid-1561, the ruling King Finis became very ill and new that he was close to dying. His only living and legitimate heir was a daughter, the-then Princess Elspeth (now known as Elspeth II). Elspeth made what has been described by historians as "one of the greatest power-plays ever made by any heir presumptive in history." She stood up in front of the parliament (which, given the era, was comprised of all men) and refused to be Queen unless her sole request was granted.

She has been quoted to have said:

"Good sirs, I come before you this day as Princess Elspeth of our beloved Freygallia. It has been brought to my attention that I am to be made Queen quite soon as our esteemed King Finis is not well. I regret to inform you all . . . that I cannot accept this honour. Not under our country's current conditions of accession.

If they were still with us, I believe that all of my predecessors would agree that our great nation is one of undeniable strength. We have held peace amongst ourselves for over five hundred and forty years. We have maintained a stance of neutrality to any outside forces, and have only defended ourselves in the case of incursion on our borders. And through all of this, we have always had a strong leader to guide us.

Our Kings and Queens of the past have shown us that it does not matter the sex with which you were born. What matters is the content of one's character.

Our Queens of the past have specifically shown that they are very much capable of leading this country without the need of a husband. I am sure you all will agree with this assessment given that five out of our six queens regnant thus far were unmarried when they came to the throne.

I am aware that most have been speculating about when I am going to marry. I am also aware that most of you have been pushing for me to accept the marriage proposal brought to me by King Frederick II of Denmark and Norway for his youngest brother, Prince Alrik. I am here to say that I am prepared to accept this marriage proposal and become Freygallia's next Queen if, and only if, my one request is granted.

The request is as follows; I implore Parliament to draw up a written and signed agreement that establishes the rule of absolute primogeniture for the accession of the Freygallian throne. This new concept will, going forward, allow my firstborn child, my future heir, to succeed me as Monarch of Freygallia. Regardless of their sex. This rule shall be upheld for all future heirs going forward.

Should this request not be met, I will formally nominate the House of Habsburg to take control of our monarchy, and the House of Pond will end with me."

The concept of absolute primogeniture went largely ignored up until this point, when the Freygallian parliament did not have much of a choice but to grant the Princess's wish. Princess Elspeth (later crowned Queen Elspeth II) is the one who coined the term "primogeniture" solely for this purpose. She did end up marrying Prince Alrik of Denmark and Norway, but they ended up having a son first. So Freygallia's rule of absolute primogeniture, even though it was officially established in 1562, did not actually come into affect for over 150 years. During that time, boys had always been born first. It wasn't until 1706 that a princess was finally able to claim the spot of firstborn of the royal family; when King Sebastian V of Freygallia and his young wife, Grand Duchess Irina Petrovna of Russia (the only daughter of Peter the Great and his first wife Eudoxia Lopukhina; twin sister of Alexei Petrovich), welcomed their firstborn, Tallulah Kristiana (who would eventually ascend to the throne in 1730).

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POLITICS

Constitutional framework
Freygallia has four fundamental laws (Old Freygallian: Izula ustuuz vēttira) which together form the Constitution: the instrument of Government (Old Freygallian: Yzscos ev halitykzen), the Act of Succession (Old Freygallian: Akt ev zukksess), the Freedom of the Press Act (Old Freygallian: Fryhyt ev se prezz akt), and the Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression (Old Freygallian: Ustuuz vēttir va fryhyt ev yttrikk).

The public sector in Freygallia is divided into two parts: the legal person known as the State (Old Freygallian: Ztet) and local authorities: the latter include regional County Councils (Old Freygallian: Zýzlo ráadyn) and local Municipalities (Old Freygallian: Svyitehrvélyg). The local authorities, rather than the State, make up the larger part of the public sector in Freygallia. County Councils and Municipalities are independent of one another, the former merely covers a larger geographical area than the latter. The local authorities have self-rule, as mandated by the Constitution, and their own tax base. Notwithstanding their self-rule, local authorities are nevertheless in practice interdependent upon the State, as the parameters of their responsibilities and the extent of their jurisdiction are specified in the Local Government Act (Old Freygallian: Lokhel halitykzen akt) passed by the Etduskhunja.

Freygallia is a constitutional monarchy, and King Augustus XI is the head of state, but the role of the monarch is limited to ceremonial and representative functions. Under the provisions of the 1957 Instrument of Government, the King/Queen lacks any formal political power. The King/Queen opens the annual Etduskhunja session, chairs the Special Council held during a change of Government, holds regular Information Councils with the Prime Minister and the Government, chairs the meetings of the Advisory Council on Foreign Affairs (Old Freygallian: Ráadgyvente ráad va yrlandym frēgyr), and receives Letters of Credence of foreign ambassadors to Freygallia and signs those of Freygallian ambassadors sent abroad. In addition, the King/Queen pays State Visits abroad and receives those incoming as host. Apart from strictly official duties, the King/Queen and the other members of the Royal Family undertake a variety of unofficial and other representative duties within Freygallia and abroad.

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CULTURE

Freygallia has many authors of worldwide recognition including Ian Chesterton, Romana Tamm-Ward, and Nobel Prize winners Sarah Jane Smith and Wilfred Mott. In total five Nobel Prizes in Literature have been awarded to Freys. The nation's most well-known artists are painters such as Barbara Wright and Jo Grant, and the sculptors Peri Brown and Ben Jackson.

Freygallia 20th-century culture is noted by pioneering works in the early days of cinema, with Susan Foreman and Jamie McCrimmon. In the 1920s–1980s, the filmmaker Mike Yates and actresses Leela Jameson and Tegan Jovanka became internationally noted people within cinema. More recently, the films of Grace Holloway, Mickey Smith, and Donna Noble have received international recognition.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s Freygallia was seen as an international leader in what is now referred to as the "sexual revolution", with gender equality having particularly been promoted (not taking into account the Freygallian Constitution's long-standing gender-neutral Act of Succession). The early Freygallian film Unhinged (1963) reflected a liberal view of sexuality, including scenes of love making that caught international attention, and introduced the concept of the "Freygallian sin" that had been introduced earlier in the US with Mike Yates's Winter with You.

The image of "hot love and care-free people" emerged. Sexual liberalism was seen as part of modernization process that by breaking down traditional borders would lead to the emancipation of natural forces and desires. Freygallia's "sexual revolution" began to take place right around the same time as the nation of Sweden's, which is what lead the two countries into becoming the frontrunners in the liberation of sex.

Freygallia has also become very liberal towards homosexuality, as is reflected in the popular acceptance of films such as Our Love, which is about two young lesbians in the small Freygallian town of Vehpaoz. Since 26 March 1999, Freygallia repealed its "registered partnership" laws and fully replaced them with gender-neutral marriage, becoming the first nation in the world to do so (the Netherlands would follow two years later and become the second). Freygallia also offers domestic partnerships for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples. Cohabitation (zamlif) by couples of all ages, including teenagers as well as elderly couples, is widespread. As of 2010, Freygallia is experiencing a baby boom.

Media
Freys are among the greatest consumers of newspapers in the world, and nearly every town is served by a local paper. The country's main quality morning papers are Today's News, The Aery Post, Freygallian Daily Newspaper and South Freygallian Daily Newspaper. The two largest evening tabloids are Evening Courier and Frey Express.

Holidays
Apart from traditional Protestant Christian holidays, Freygallia also celebrates some unique holidays, some of pre-Christian tradition. They include Midsummer celebrating the summer solstice. Walpurgis Night on 30 April lighting bonfires; and the uniquely Freygallian Wolf Day or the "Feast of Shadows" on 31 March is dedicated to celebrating the country's discreet (but ever-present) extended family of the Frey Wolves. The day of the giver-of-light Saint Lucia, 13 December, is widely acknowledged in elaborate celebrations which betoken its Italian origin and commence the month-long Christmas season.

1 October is the National Day of Freygallia and has been celebrated every year since 1019; it was officially declared a public holiday in 1730. Furthermore, there are official flag day observances and a Name days in Freygallia calendar.

Cinema
Freys have been fairly prominent in the film area through the years. A number of Freygallian people have found success in Hollywood, including Leela Jameson, Tegan Jovanka and Vislor Turlough. Amongst several directors who have made internationally successful films can be mentioned Mike Yates, Grace Holloway and Mickey Smith.

Fashion
Interest in fashion is big in Freygallia and the country is headquartering famous brands like Bad Wolf Apparel Company (operating as Bad Wolf), Tailored Attire Recognition Design Inspiration Society (operating as T.A.R.D.I.S.), Ace, Fortuitous by Polly, Avery & Carter, Blink, Victoria W, and Nyssa within its borders. These companies, however, are composed largely of buyers who import fashionable goods from throughout Europe and America, continuing the trend of Freygallian business toward multinational economic dependency like many of its neighbors.

Sports
Sport activities are a national movement with half of the population actively participating in organised sporting activities. The two main spectator sports are football (soccer) and tennis. Second to football, horse sports have the highest number of practitioners. Thereafter, golf, orienteering, gymnastics, track and field, and the team sports of field hockey, basketball, volleyball, rugby and handball are the most popular in terms of practitioners.

The Freygallian men's national football (soccer) team, affectionately known as The Frey (in reference to the demonym of Freygallian citizens as well as the national symbol of Freygallia — the Frey Wolves) is regarded as one of the best in the world. The team has won the FIFA World Cup four times, placing them second in the all-time trophy count (tied with Germany). The Frey also won Olympic gold medals in 1996 and 2004.

Freygallia hosted the 1976 Summer Olympics, the 1992 Winter Olympics and the FIFA World Cup in 2002. Other big sports events include the UEFA Euro 1984, the inaugural FIFA Women's World Cup in 1991, the 2006 World Championships in Athletics, UEFA Women's Euro in 2009, and several championships of field hockey, athletics, skiing, figure skating, swimming and volleyball.

On 7 September 2013, the Freygallian capital Enkyli was selected as the host city for the 2020 Summer Olympics during the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The 2020 Games will mark the second time that Freygallia has hosted — and specifically Enkyli — has hosted the Summer Olympic Games, the first being in 1976. Overall, these will be the third Olympic Games to be held in Freygallia, which also hosted the 1992 Winter Olympics in Snjyr.

The 2020 Games will see the introduction of new competitions including 3x3 basketball, freestyle BMX, and madison cycling as well as further mixed events. Enkyli 2020 will also see the return of baseball and softball for the first time since 2008.

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EXTERNAL LINKS

• Freygallia at Encyclopedia
   Britannica

• Freygallia profile from the
   BBC News

• Wikimedia Atlas of
   Freygallia

• Geographic data related to
   Freygallia at
   OpenStreetMap

• Key Development
   Forecasts for Freygallia
   from International Futures

• Study in Freygallia –
official guide to studying in
   Freygallia

Public sector
• Freygallia.fy – Freygallia's
official portal

• The Freygallian Parliament
   – official website

• The Government of
   Freygallia – official website

• The Royal Court — official
   website of the Freygallian
   Monarchy

News media
• Radio Freygallia – public
   service

• Frey Television – public
   service

• Today's News

• Freygallian Daily
   Newspaper

Trade
• World Bank Summary
   Trade Statistics Freygallia

Travel
• VisitFreygallia.com –
   official travel and tourism
   website for Freygallia

• FreyWolf.fy – Freygallia's
   official information,
   warning and advisory
   website about the Frey
   Wolves