Charter of Thenia
The Charter of Thenia is an important document that was written by the Thenian Society as a means to unite Thenia as a whole and provide economic, political, and military stability to the country. Although Thenia was founded 155 years prior to the ratification of the Charter of Thenia, this document clearly elucidates what it means to be the united country of Thenia, and not nine separate states. For the first time, the importance of Thenia, the country, was more important than the ultimate autonomy of the nine separate states (although states still have a large amount of autonomy).
Purpose
Thenia was officially united in 3939. This loose unification established that all nine states now would share the same currency, allow (and foster) international trade as a singular country, and allow free movement of all their peoples. Additionally, each state would contribute to a shared military.
However, this unification meant little: each state still officially operated entirely independently of one another, and state autonomy was much more important than the country of Thenia. A shared currency and military did not effectively unite the large country, and so it was decided that an intergovernmental organization was required to promote peace, cooperation, and security of the nine states of Thenia.
This important document outlines the creation, goals, and organization of the Thenian Society. It also lays out the rules and regulations every Thenian state must follow, as well as the punishments enacted if a member state breaks one of those rules or regulations.
Document Structure
Clauses
The charter is split into chapters; there are a total of six chapters in all.
Chapter 1 explains the purpose and ultimate goals of the Thenian Society.
Chapter 2 lists the shared aspects that come along with membership, including shared currency and military.
Chapter 3 describes the different assemblies that exist in the Thenian Society. The six assemblies include the General Assembly, Security Assembly, Economic Assembly, Military Assembly, Legal Assembly, and Social Assembly. This chapter also outlines how the councils interact with one another.
Chapter 4 establishes the rules and regulations that each state must follow in order to keep its membership.
Chapter 5 explains the process for amending the document.
Chapter 6 is the ratification of the document.
Caveats
The ultimate caveat of the charter is this: when a member of the international community declares war on one state of Thenia, they declare war on all states of Thenia. Any threat to any state triggers the Thenian military's response.
Publication Status
Copies of the charter are available to any member of the Thenian public, for free. Part of the purpose of the Thenian Society is to increase governmental transparency, and ease of access to this document is part of that.
The original document is kept at the Thenian Society's headquarters in Besmoeca, Braeque, in recognition of Besmoeca being the first capital founded in Thenia. Visitors are welcome to view the original document, as it is kept on display there.
Legal status
The charter of Thenia supersedes all treaties and agreements made between individual states; it was ultimately decided that Thenia as a whole is more important than each individiual state.
Historical Details
Background
In 4092, the threat of international war (which did not, fortunately, ever materialize) seemed imminent. While some states felt confident in their ability to handle a war, some states did not. At this point, Kezig, Votha, Ghazeen, and Trece Isla decided to establish a treaty for cooperation amongst one another. Although Thenia had a shared military prior to the signing of this document, the Thenian military was disorganized and underfunded; some states had simply sent their share to the military and kept their own. When some of the other states (namely, Ieglia and Braeque) were unhappy with this deal, as both thought this treaty made Thenia look weak as a whole.
It took a few months, but after much diplomacy, it was decided that every state needed to be included in the unification, and a much clearer attempt needed to be made to establish what it meant to be a united Thenia than the haphazard agreement made in 3939.
History
In 4092, the Thenian Society was created in response to a threat of international war. The first job of the society was to create this document, and the creation began almost immediately after the society's inception.
Negotiations between the nine states took two years to complete, as it was decided this was an all-or-nothing deal: either all nine states agreed, or the society would not be formed at all, as that just illustrated to outside countries that Thenia had at least one weak spot.
Public Reaction
At first, public reaction was mixed in regard to the charter. For some, the creation of the Thenian Society was unwelcome; they desired for states to have complete autonomy and didn't desire unification with other states. Others rejoiced at the charter; this meant that their state would be protected as a united Thenia.
These attitudes still persist to this day, although there has been a definite tilt towards support for the Thenian Society; many Thenians can now appreciate that states still have a large amount of autonomy, but a united Thenia means that, as a country, Thenia can now compete on an international stage.
Legacy
The charter was important for the success for Thenia. Prior to the document's signing, a united Thenia existed in some ways, but the creation of the Thenian Society solidified what it meant to be a united Thenia. The document has existed for approximately 500 years and has guided the Thenian Society--and Thenia--since then.
Deleyna Marr
It does come through that it is based on the United Nations. Nicely done.