Ohio Empire

The Ohio Empire was the micronational nation which preceded the current North American Confederation state of the Commonwealth of Greene. Dating back all the way to the Foundation Era of MicroWiki Community, the Empire was a result of the reorganization of the Ohio River Republic into a more stable and serious micronation. Under the Emperor, Ohio rose to become one of the most influential nations of its time, witnessing and playing a critical role in some of the most important events of the day; including the Siple War, New European Civil War, and the formation of the Grand Unified Micronational. Eventually, calls for democratic reform led to a unification with the Empire of New Europe and Eniarku to form the North American Confederation. With the unification, came the abolition of the monarchy as a political force and the establishment of a new democratic government under the Republic of Ohio.

Foundation Era
As much of the written history of the Empire has been lost to time, many of the events involving its foundation must be constructed from memory and eye-witness testimony. What is known is that the Empire was the result of political reform. The Ohio River Republic, the previous government to the Empire, was plagued with severe governmental corruption and inefficiency, in large part due to its rather tongue-in-cheek nature. Many nobles outright ignored the will of the council or used their authority to hamper diplomatic and political efforts. Realizing the need for a stronger and more established nation, the King of Ohio, Joseph Marx, took over the government completely, abolished the nobility and the Noble Council, and established an absolute monarchy, proclaiming himself Emperor Malum I, taking a new regnal name to separate his nation from its trivial past. The first action of the new regime was to establish a series of rules and guidelines for the Emperor to abide by, to ensure that he never abused his authority. The result of these efforts was the drafting of the Universal Rights of Man, a document written by Emperor Malum himself and an important piece of Ohioan history. With the establishment of a new government and legal code, the Emperor quickly began efforts to solidify diplomatic relations with many of the new nations which were being founded at that time. These efforts quickly resulted in several alliances between nations such as the Kingdom of Camuria, Scientopia, and the Republic of Petorio. Ultimately it was relations with one nation, the Grand Duchy of Flandrensis, and the formulation of an intermicronational organization called the Grand Unified Micronational that would catapult the Empire onto the political stage and initiate a series of wars and coups which would define the micronational community for years to come.

Conflict Era
The Great Micronational Antarctic War, or Siple War, started on the 29 January 2009, following a territorial dispute between the Grand Duchy of Flandrensis and the Grand Duchy of Westarctica. As many of the nations of GUM were allied with Flandrensis, including the Empire, the newly founded organization quickly made a name for itself in support of Flandrensis. Emperor Malum personally gained a reputation as an orator and political force in the new organization and, even with the declaration of a ceasefire between Flandrensis and Westarctica, the wars and conflicts which characterized the time known the Black March would place Ohio and its allies in a difficult spot. In February 2009, the GUM confronted the Empire of New Europe over allegations of racism and support for extreme racial policies. A special tribunal was held called the Special Tribunal to Investigate Allegations of New European Racism. Emperor Malum was selected as an arbiter. While New Europe was found not guilty, certain events surrounding the case quickly led to a destabilization of relations between New Europe and another arbitrating nation, Scientopia, leading directly to the Meissner-Antifan War. This war saw the first declaration of Ohioan neutrality, as the Empire possessed treaties with both nations. This pattern of neutrality was continued with the New Euro-Erusian War as the Empire established itself as a major arbitrating nation, helping to put an end to many of the conflicts of the era and solidifying relations with many of newly rising players, including New Europe and Erusia.

Peaceful Era
The conclusion of the Black March saw a revitalization of the global community, with Erusia and the Federal Republic of St.Charlie coming out as major powers of the time. GUM, in particular, was politically dominated by Robert Lethler, the leader of Erusia, as many of the leaders of older nations, like the Empire, stepped into the background in an effort to reform and restore their former strength. The Empire, in particular, was suffering from severe problems of inactivity and lack of cultural projects. Even though the nation thrived in the international and diplomatic fronts, establishing particularly strong relations with New Europe (and a healthy rivalry with Erusia), many of the Emperor's new domestic initiatives were met with dismal results, largely due to the youth of the nation's citizenry. These issues would only continue as the Empire found itself embroiled in the middle of the New European Civil War.

Operation Gau
On the 22 November 2009, the civil war between the Monarchists and Fascists spilled over into Ohio, as politicians within the fascist Social Republic of New Europe attempted to conquer Ohio in order to solidify their position against the Imperial New European forces. The invasion prompted the Empire to join the Monarchist side and cauterized support against the fascists. Eventually, the fascists were defeated and the Empire of New Europe began a series of political reforms as well as an even stronger relationship with Ohio.

Late-Lethlerism Era
The conclusion of the New European Civil War was a chaotic period for the Ohio Empire. Many of the domestic issues which plagued the nation and the Emperor soon spiraled and Malum was forced into inactivity as he stabilized the nation. This left the Empire silent when it was discovered that Robert Lethler, who had risen to dominate much of the political landscape of the community, was in fact, completely fictional. His history and nation had been constructed for the purpose of tricking the community. This reveal completely destabilized the community, with several nations rising to take Erusia's place in the community. Lethler's deception had a devastating effect on the diplomatic efforts of the Empire. The Emperor and Lethler had developed a friendly rivalry of sorts and had used both of their efforts to try to maintain peace within the community. With the latter's departure, the Emperor began to consider several possible reforms for his nation, including the abolition of the monarchy. But without a stable and active population, which the Empire had seriously begun to lack, any such effort would only result in anarchy.

Post-Lether Era and the Foundation of the Confederation
On 31 October 2010, the Emperor was approached by Wilhelm, Emperor of New Europe, with the idea of unifying their two nations into a micronational confederated republic. Negotiations were soon joined by the Eniarku and on the 28 November 2010, the North American Confederation was founded. Upon admission to the Confederation, the Empire reorganized and abolished its monarchy, with the democratic Republic of Ohio appointing Joseph Marx as their transitional governor, ending the Ohio Empire after nearly two years of rule.

Geography and demography
As was characteristic of many North American nations at that time, the Ohio Empire laid claim to the entire American state of Ohio, despite the majority of its citizens living in the Greater Dayton area. This gave the Empire a residency population 11.5 million in 2010, though the actual active citizenry was around 10 at its highest point. The citizen population was entirely of European descent, and roughly 90% were under the age of 18. This youthfulness was actually a detriment to the Empire as a whole as it prevented many actions from being taken that might have been necessary for a long-term stable nation.

Language
Due to the relative proximity of all of the Empire's active citizens, the languages of the Empire were largely homogeneous. While many citizens could speak multiple languages (the most common being Spanish), English remained the lingua franca of the nation and was used in all official activities.

Society
Of all the qualities which led to the Empire's downfall, its lack of a strong cultural identity is considered by many Confederation historians to be the most notable, given the length of this nation's existence. Throughout his reign, Emperor Malum attempted to host numerous games and state-sponsored activities to maintain interest and citizen participation, even starting a new Melee Day, a holiday dating back to the River Republic. While many of these were popular among citizens, they did not garner the kind of support that the Emperor desired. The strongest cultural identity that the Empire forged for itself was a force for peace and rationality. The nation had a strong conservative and religious zeal to it in its early days, which led to many conflicts and incidents (including the declaration of the Micronational War on Terror. Despite this zeal, the nation maintained strong ties with many of its allies and enemies. It soon became a well-known principle of the community that Ohio was the only nation without a great controversy behind it.

Government and military
The government of the Empire initially attempted to shy away from the more democratic style of government favoured by the Ohio River Republic, favouring a special form of absolute monarchy referred to as a "moralistic absolute monarchy" instead. The Emperor became the sole political official and had near-absolute power within the Empire. To ensure that any future monarch wouldn't become a despot, Emperor Malum drafted a series of rules and regulations that the Emperor would be bound to follow known as the Universal Rights of Man. This document became the unofficial constitution of the Empire and stood as the supreme law of Ohio until the passage of the Unification Agreement of 2015 formally ended the role of Emperor of Ohio.

Ohio Imperial Army
The Imperial Army was organized from the Army of the Republic alongside the Empire. Led by its first and only General of the Imperial Army, Travis Smith, the Army was renowned in its time for being one of the few nations to actually fight a physical war, when the General fought in Iraq during the Micronational War on Terror as a duel combatant for the United States Marines and the Empire. Despite this notoriety, the Army only ever consisted of only two members at the most and would eventually be absorbed into the North American Armed Forces, becoming the Cardinal Brigade.
 * See Ohio Imperial Army

Legacy
The impact of the Ohio Empire on the North American Confederation and the international community has been enormous. While simple, the Universal Rights of Man remain highly regarded and were influential in the establishment of many of the constitutions of monarchical nations throughout the community. The Empire's insistence upon near-absolute neutrality stood as a great example for the strength of diplomacy over military might. The greatest impact the Empire may be in its many failings. The Empire's domestic issues and collapse reiterate the importance of written law, cultural identity, and an active citizenry. Many of the Empire's citizens, including the Emperor, continue to play a role in the Confederation to this day, using the history and failings of the Empire to lead the Confederation into a brighter future.