1. Beginnings of the Monarchy, the Constitution, and Royal Councils
The government of Furria is obviously headed by the Monarch of Furria, who theoretically abides by the rules of the Grand Constitution.
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| Augustino Pucenose, pictured at the first assembly of the First Royal Council. |
The group of influential Furringtowne citizens who had orchestrated Furrian independence agreed to commission an official constitution from Augustino Pucenose, the premier scribe of the colony. This group of people was known as the First Royal Council, meant to assist the eventual monarch. Sleepy Bear Furry (the eleventh and final Governor of Furringtowne) and his adult son, Wild Bear Furry, were both members of the First Royal Council.
The Grand Constitution contains all of the laws enforced within the nation. However, this constitution also states that the current Monarch of Furria has the eternal right to ignore or change the Grand Constitution, making it considerably less important.
In one section, the Grand Constitution states that the monarchy is a classic hereditary system (the firstborn child of the monarch, male or female, becomes the heir). However, when a dynasty ends (when the current monarch dies without an heir), the Royal Council must vote on which one of their members should become the next king and begin the new dynasty. Therefore, the monarchy is also somewhat democratically designated.
In 838, the First Royal Council elected Augustino Pucenose to become the first Monarch of Furria. Wild Bear Furry, a member of council, was angered by this; He wanted to become king. On June 28, 838, Wild Bear hired a band of homeless peasants to kill the entire council (including Augustino), after which he declared himself king. This horrific act is known as the "Genesis Massacre," as it allowed the beginning of the Furry Dynasty, the first and currently only dynasty to ever hold control of the nation.
King Wild Bear Furry appointed 43 of his followers and created the Second Royal Council. Despite assassinating Augustino Pucenose, Wild Bear did not change any of the Grand Constitution that Augustino had written.
In 891, soon after his coronation, King Strong Bear (Third King of Furria) created a new office within his Royal Council. King Strong Bear (and every king after him) chose one member of his Royal Council to be slightly more powerful than the rest of the Council, with the title of Head Advisor. The Head Advisor acts as the sole representative of the Royal Council, the bridge of communication between the King and his Council.
After his coronation, each new Monarch has the right to appoint a new Royal Council, containing a varying number of members between 20 and 100. King Milo is currently assisted by the Nineteenth Royal Council, with Head Advisor Rorie Builda. Royal Councils are meant to be advisory, and have no actual power over the king.
2. The Third Branch: The Royal Judiciary
Alongside the Monarchy and the Royal Council is a third branch of government: The Royal Judiciary. The Royal Judiciary is the network of judges assigned to work at Supreme Court in Furrington, the nation's capitol.
The Royal Judiciary runs as a semi-private business, unlike the Royal Council (however, the king can obviously intervene and do whatever he wants). The Judiciary is headed by a Head Justice, who assigns cases to other members of the Judiciary and makes most of the decisions in Supreme Court. (Judge Humphrey Dooberton was hired by Head Justice Cynthia Pucenose in 1311 to work at Supreme Court.) However, the Monarch of Furria also holds the title of Supreme Justice, and he has the final decision in every court case.
Head Justices serve for life, and nominate a successor from the Royal Judiciary to become their replacement. In the case that a Head Justice dies before determining his/her successor, the King of Furria will choose a new Head Justice from the Royal Judiciary.
3. Dynastic Corruption, Nepotism, Sexism, and Accusations of a Dictatorship
The Grand Constitution states that the firstborn child of the current monarch is the official heir to the throne, regardless of the child's sex. However, there has never been a Regnant Queen of Furria (the wife of the king is granted the title of Queen Consort of Furria, but she has much less political power than her husband, the Regnant King of Furria). This is due to a method known by historians as "heiress denial."
In heiress denial, a king would disown all of his children until a male was born. The disowned daughter would be stripped of her parentage and title, and thrown into a peasant community. Her birth would be omitted from royal records, and (in most occasions), her existence would be hidden from the entire nation. In more extreme occasions, infant princesses would simply be killed by a midwife or the king himself. Once a male child was born, he would be regarded as the heir and "firstborn child," since all the girls that were potentially born before him were either disowned for dead.
Women are allowed to serve in a Royal Council, yet it was not common until King Cave Bear. Cave Bear was also the first king to put an end to heiress denial. However, he did not have any daughters.
Every king is expected to appoint only elitist and wealthy individuals to his Royal Council. The monarchy has several symbiotic relationships with many mega-rich aristocratic families, keeping each other in power for as long as possible. These Furrian elites usually include family members of dynasty, such as the brothers of the King (Prince Miles Furry, brother of King Milo, is a member of the Nineteenth Royal Council).
The monarchy is seen be many national and international scholars as an oppressive dictatorship, but there has been no large-scale or successful rebellions.
4. The Seventy-Nine Counties: Subfederal Government
King Theodore was the first monarch to divide the nation into smaller pieces. He and the Fifth Royal Council drafted a new map of the nation, divided into 55 counties. Each member of the Royal Council was given ownership of one county.
In 960, the new King Ronaldo appointed 86 members to the Sixth Royal Council. There was no longer enough counties for each council member, so that method was discontinued. Instead, King Ronaldo made an amendment to the Grand Constitution which states:
The government of each Furrian county shall be headed by a County Prefect, who shall be elected by a popular vote within the county every six years.County Prefects are one of the few democratically-elected officials in Furria, and they may be men or women. However, the Prefect election process has grown corrupt since the first elections were held in 961, and Prefect elections are usually completed rigged by the monarchy and elite families.
In 1267, Furria annexed the neighboring country of Samua. After the annexation, new counties were created, resulting in the modern number of 79 counties.
Within each county, the County Prefect appoints his/her County Council, a smaller-scale version of the Royal Council. The County Council is the main legislative body of the county. Each county also contains a Country Judiciary (a smaller-scale version of the Royal Judiciary) which is a network of certified judges who are given permission by the County Prefect to perform official legal actions. Judge Mia Redford was a member of the Yonkers County Judiciary. Each County Judiciary is headed by the Head County Justice (small-scale equivalent to the Head Justice on the federal level). There is no county-level equivalent to the Head Advisor.
5. Religion and the State
The official religion of Furria is the Church of Benetia, which originated in the country of Benetia and was carried over to the Furringtowne colony. Despite its federal standing, it is sparsely followed in the country. Christianity, specifically Catholicism, is the most practiced in Furria.
6. Citizenship and Immigration
All children who are born within Furrian borders (including territories off the mainland such as Bearmuda and the Furrian Annex) are granted Furrian citizenship. Also, a child who is born to two Furrian citizens outside of Furria is also granted Furrian citizenship (in addition to the citizenship of the country they were born in).
Most immigrants come to Furria through Port Milo, the hub for westward immigration. Many travelers chose to live inside the country as an illegal immigrant, but those looking for more protection and lawful recognition from the state can register themselves as a permanent resident. Permanent residents have more rights than an illegal immigrant, but less than a true citizen. Registration costs a large sum, and permanent residents must pay a brutally expensive tax each year to incentivize citizenship.
Those who wish to apply for citizenship must go through several obstacles and expenses, with the process taking an average of 8 years.
In Furria, there is no green card system, and someone cannot become a citizen simply because their spouse is. However, there is a considerable discount on the price of being a permanent resident for the spouse of a Furrian citizen.
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