England
She read the scroll once more, her hands shaking as she crouched down and held it over the fire in the hearth. With a hiss and crackle, the flames licked at the flimsy paper and the words began to darken and disappear. “By any means necessary.” Such a simple statement that held such an ominous weight. She knew what she must do.
Steeped in tradition and yet on the forefront of new frontiers, the English are an anomalous mix of old and new with a healthy dose of influence and power to lend credence to their avant-garde and unusual practices and ideas. In recent years, they have forged a powerful alliance with the German nation, trading goods as well as military resources and soldiers. The two have found common ground in their desire for land and power along the area of northern Europe..
As the most powerful and influential nation actively practicing a Protestant religion, they are considered a dangerous powerhouse by the other larger nations that remain faithful to the Roman Catholic Church. With such a far reaching influence, their power in addition to their unique traditions and beliefs have caught the attention of many of the nations in the political arena. They have brought and borrowed ideas from all corners of the known world on a scale with broader reach than any other nation, although Spain is rapidly making ground on that front.
With the unique status of having a female ruler who inherited the throne in her own right and acts independent of a male counterpart or on behalf of a male heir, the English nation has turned heads in recent years. While it took some time for the current Queen to become a respected player in the international realm, she has proven her prowess on both the financial trade front as well as the military front. After quelling riots along the border with Scotland and sending forces to aid their allies in Germany, the Queen has proven her power and might without question among the other nations.
Despite all this newfound change and independent thinking, the British are still notoriously traditional in many ways, often living up to the stereotype of old fashioned or prudish held by those outside the nation. With an affinity for tradition and status quo, perhaps in an effort to compensate for the radical changes made over the last few years, they enjoy more conservative roles and gatherings as opposed to the lavish and opulent affairs preferred by some of their other European counterparts.
With the death of the Scottish Queen in 1603, Queen Liza was able to gain Scotland in a treaty signed by the underage King Patrik, who now resides in Italy with his maternal uncle, Duke Willieam Hughes.
English Relations at a Glance
FRANCE – With their alliance to Germany, England has taken a clear stance against France. It is rumored that England and Germany are working together only to mutually conquer land from France, but no overt actions have confirmed these rumors yet.
GERMANY – Germany and England have forged a powerful alliance in recent years through trading goods, military resources and political support. No formal treaty or marriage ties these two nations together, but their mutual influence is well known.
ITALY – While civil for the most part, these two nations are occasionally tossed into contentious standing with one another as they both vie for power in the same arenas. This competition as well as their opposing alliances can cause some tension at times.
SCOTLAND – While they were enemies at one point in the past, their standing with one another is currently neutral…at best. Tensions from their troubled history occasionally rear their head and their shared border does nothing to curb the apprehension. – As of 1603, with the death of the Scottish Queen, Scotland is now English territory.
SPAIN – Spain makes the British nervous more than any other nation because their strong naval presence could be a massive threat to their island nation. Their powerful trade routes inspire envy and the British are eager to catch up to Spain’s influence.
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH – Relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the nation of England are understandably tense. Decades ago, England had a schism with the Church and developed the Church of England, making them a Protestant nation.
PROTESTANT CHURCH – In order to regain more independence and power, the English broke away from the Roman Catholic Church to create the Church of England, making them a leader among the Protestant faiths of Europe.
MIDDLE CLASS – Despite their radical ideals, some things remain very traditional in England and class status is one of those things. Compared to the other nations, England’s middle class is surprisingly small in comparison to their overall population.
LOWER CLASS – With such a small middle class, a large portion of England’s population would be considered lower class, but they manage a passable quality of life and so the disparity between upper and lower class does not always cause contention.
