Republic of Grassland

Grassland, officially the Republic of Grassland, is a large island nation in the European Union in the North Atlantic Ocean 100 kilometres off the coast of Norway across the Grasslandic Channel. It is the third largest island country in the world, behind Madagascar. The country mainly consists of the island of Grassland and the Grelli Islands, and many other small islands and islets. The official languages are Grasslandic and English, with Grasslandic being more predominantly spoken in the west of the country.

Humans first inhabited Grassland 40-30,000 BC, around the modern day town of Jerwen through Doggerland, but inhabitation of more of the island started around 2000 BC.

Etymology
The name "Grassland" likely comes from Old Grasslandic "groz lant" which means great land. The origin for the Grasslandic word "Gwjereln" is unknown, as it is not similar to many words used in Grasslandic.

Grasslandic tribes
The Grasslandic peoples on the island quickly split into tribes. The northern and western parts of the island were uninhabited, due to the harsh landscape. At this time, no power came to rule the island. Later, some tribes became kingdoms.

Vikings
In the eight and ninth centuries, much of the island of Grassland had Norse settlements on it, and much of the island was directly controlled by the Kingdom of Norway. By the 12th century, most proof of the Norse settlements in the area was gone.

Kingdom of Bredelven
By 1122 the Kingdom of Geird controlled much of the East coast. It spanned from the capital city of Geird in the north, to the smaller town of Bredelven in the south. In 1122 the city of Bredelven declared independence from Geird. A kingdom was declared with Fredrik I as its king. Over the next 300 years, it would slowly conquer the whole island of Grassland. In 1474, under Fredrik III, the country's name was changed to Grassland, and the flag became a red and white bicolour.

First Kingdom of Grassland
From 1474 to 1863, Grassland was united under an absolute monarchy. It stayed mostly neutral, with most major wars it was in giving them no territorial gain. In 1863, the king was toppled in a civil war that created the First Grasslandic Republic, a parliamentary democracy.

Second Kingdom of Grassland
In 1864, the democracy was replaced with another monarchy, but this time, there would be democratic elections. The office of Prime Minister was created, and elections would be held for the office of Prime Minister. The city of Bredelven slowly began its name change to Grassland City. The country gained strong ties with Germany, and when World War I started, the joined the war on the side of the Central Powers. On the 7th of November, 1918, the parliament of Grassland announced that they seized full control of the country. They toppled the King from power, and announced the Second Grasslandic Republic.

Grasslandic Republic and Civil War
On the 9th of November, the Armistice of Jerwen was signed. Grassland lost some smaller islands in the North Sea and had to limit their military. Unlike the German Empire, Grassland was an island, and had a defined border, so not much land could be taken from them. On the 23rd of January, 1919, a rebellion broke out in Jerwen, on the southern tip of the island. Many towns rebelled against the Grasslandic Republic. They declared the Grassland Soviet Republic. They managed to take over much of the island, with Grassland City being only a few miles from the fighting, but their front collapsed, and on the 23rd of April, 1921, the Soviet Republic surrendered after being pushed back all the way back to Jerwen. When World War II broke out, Grassland decided to stay neutral, to the dismay of the Grasslandic Fascist Party, who wanted to ally with the Germans. On the 21st of November, 1941, members of the Fascist Party led by Gregor Vilhelms stormed into the Parliament and quickly took over the country in a coup d'état, that killed two people in the parliament building.

Grasslandic Empire
Vilhelms became the "Leader" of the new Grasslandic Empire, which was supported by Germany as they were worried that Grassland might attack due to the fact they had a democratic and UK-aligned government. Vilhelms tried many times to invade the UK through the Shetland and Orkney Isles from Jerwen, but all attempts failed. On the 15th of September, 1944, British, French, and American forces landed in the town of Jerwen. Around the same time, Soviet forces landed in the north-east of Grassland. By November, Grassland City was surrounded, with Vilhelms inside. On the 1st of January, 1945, Vilhelms was shot by a British assassin while giving a speech. He died a few hours after. Erik Emil took control of the country following his death, but he committed suicide. On the 27th of January, 1945, the Empire of Grassland surrendered to the Allied forces.

East-West divide
Like Germany, the country was split into occupation zones. In October 1949, the Soviet occupation zones declared independence as the Grassland Democratic Republic, a satellite state of the USSR, and the French, American, and British occupation zones becoming the Republic of Grassland, with the King in power for the first time since 1918. In Grassland City, however, East and West Grassland did not annex the sectors. West Grassland joined the European Economic Community in 1975. West Grassland joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in 1955. In 1987, there was a civil war in East Grassland that toppled the government there. There was a temporary provisional government in power in East Grassland while the Treaty of Grasslandic Reunification was signed. It was signed by both nations on the 13th of April, 1987.

Politics and government
Despite its official title being the Republic of Grassland, it is officially a unitary constitutional monarchy. Maichel II is the monarch and head of state, As of the 26th of April, 2022, he is the 4th longest reigning monarch in the world, at 53 years and 79 days. The Prime Minister is William Daniels.

Administrative divisions
Most of the administrative divisions of Grassland originate from the old Kingdoms of Grassland, while some are based on the urban areas of the towns within them. The first administrative divisions were established in 1863, while the current divisions were established in 2012.