Nation Name
Kingdom of England

Flag / Seal / Symbol


Territory
England & Wales

Technology Tier:
European

Government Description
King Henry VIII has reigned for twelve years as of 1521, and as the second monarch of the Tudor House, he has thus far made, to say the best, a mess of it. His executions were an all too unpopular means of dealing with his critics, and his wife’s continued inability to birth a suitable heir strained his marriage, leading to scandals and mistresses, and even an illegitimate son.

However, King Henry is much more behind the wall of ill-temper, infidelity, and abhorrent relations with the Catholic church. As a monarch, Henry’s philosophy is one of absolute power. Only reigned by the Magna Carta, the Parliament’s powers, and threat of rebellion, he maintains nearly every aspect of the government on some level.

Relegated below him, is the nobles, their rule often confined to shires, counties, or provinces, and the administrative duties that it entails. In exchange, these nobles raise levies on King Henry’s call, riding into battle with their entourages of knights and hordes of peasants.

At the lowest level of the centralised government, the Parliament is made up of appointed individuals representing their regions. Initially a council summoned when the King was to collect taxes, it has since grown into a regulatory entity, one which can draft bills and suggestions to the King, and though legally the King can disregard these, the unrest caused would simply be too much of a risk, as such the Parliament is somewhat of a leash on Henry VIII’s ambitions.

History
The true ‘modern’ Kingdom of England was founded during the Norman conquests, when William the Conqueror crossed the English Channel and conquered the English lands, proclaiming himself king. Over the next century, Norman lords began to also conquer Welsh lands, coming to control much of the interior Welsh lands.

As trades of land and arbitrary borders began to be drawn, the reigning king of the period, King Edward III, made a claim for the throne of France. Within the next century of war, appropriately titled the Hundred Years’ War, the English, at the start just disorganized fiefs, formed a national identity. Despite being defeated in the war and routed from France, the English were united under a common language (proto-English), a common line of royalty, and a region which to definitively call their own.

However, this union would not last long, as the battered and weakened English army, economy, and government were split during the War of the Roses. The House of Lancaster and House of York fought constantly over the throne of England, lasting nearly forty years before the illegitimate member of House Lancaster, named Henry VII, married Elizabeth of House York, founding an entirely new House of Tudor, finally claiming the throne of England.

Henry VII was wise and frugal during his reign. Careful to not spark yet more civil war, and very frugal as to stimulate the economy, he grew the Kingdom of England to its greatest extent on the isle itself. As he died, it became immediately apparent that his heir was not as wise as he. That was twelve years ago, and now Henry VIII has drained a significant amount of the English coffers, squandered his relations with the people, annoyed his nobles, and caused a rift with the Catholic church.

But now there is speech of a land beyond, to the west. For eight years, King Henry has poured cash into endeavors to what he hopes will be the end of his debts and troubles, to make a legacy as the king which conquered the west.

Military
During Henry VIII’s reign, England’s military has been rather neglected. The permanent standing Royal Forces of just under 1,000 men are all that remains of the once great armies that tiraded around France’s shores. Despite their small size, however, this force is nevertheless elite, and well-equipped. This Royal Force is made up of primarily paid, but loyal, professionals, ranging from a King’s guard of heavy cavalry, a contingent of polearms, and a mixture of light infantry, longbowmen, and javelinmen. Additionally, with essentially the blank check Henry VIII had given them, a well-maintained contingent of nearly 75 arquebusiers provide an advantage with gunpowder. In support, a battery of four serpentine guns and two siege bombards provides adequate artillery support.

As for the bulk of the forces, they are often levies or volunteers from the holdings of lords sworn in fielty to the King, with quotas determined based on the holding’s size. These levies often are not near as well-equipped as the Royal Force, but they are ideal for a prolonged engagement in which mass amounts of frontline melee troops and adequate skirmishers are needed. Each lord is responsible for mustering their troops, but greater minds than the King have made a checklist of standardization, provided as a stipend by the government, in some recalling to the Marian system.

And as well, those who are due for service are given the option to, instead of fight, pay the coin needed to hire a mercenary in their stead. This often leads to England’s more modern levies being more trained mercenaries than common rabble. As of current, England can only raise and support 18,000 troops.

As for the navy, Henry VIII has shown some competence in his interference here, having replaced the serpentines aboard the vessels with larger bombards, with superior ranges and damage. Credited with founding the Royal Navy itself, King Henry has nearly drained the coffers commissioning a new squadron of carracks and caravels which will sail west.



Economy
Henry VIII began his reign with a spectacular situation for England’s economy. A large fortune, a steady income of taxes approved by parliament, and an insignificant drain on the treasury, all meticulously maintained by his father, Henry VII. As with most things, Henry VIII nearly drove this all into the ground. His extravagant spending, mismanagement, and corruption operating under his nose all drained the coffers steadily. The approved tax margin eroded by works of Parliamentary lobbying by rivals, and then said rivals pocketed the loss.

Grasping at straws, he allowed himself reigned in by advisors. Now, with only a fraction of the money he had at the outset of his reign, Henry is making a last-ditch attempt at fortune and glory, putting all his faith and coin on an expedition westward to the New World, in search of gold and land.

International Relations /Issues / Disputes
Henry VIII, in his bouts of infidelity, profanity, and greed, has utterly strained his relations with the Catholic church. Coming close to excommunication on many occasions, he now treads lightly with the Church.

WIP