Kalistani Major History

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Kalistan has a new Princess Consort
Nuptial Celebration Marred by Protests
Eveari, Grand Duchy of Ananto
April 15, 5552


His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Fredrick II Ananto and Her Highness the Princess Consort Pavlina Ananto-Hulanevek

What was meant to be a day of celebration across the Empire was also a day of protests across the Mainland today as His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Fredrick II Ananto was married to the Kundrati finance lawyer and member of the Hulanevek Political Dynasty Pavlina Dvořáčková Hulanevek. Upon marriage, Her Highness was granted the title Princess Consort by the Emperor, and was granted the County of Luxon, which had previously been in the possession of the late Prince Bjorn. By virtue of her marriage, and according to the new Land Law that was passed four years ago, The Princess Consort is entitled to be referred to as Empress Pavlina Ananto-Hulanevek, as a courtesy title.

Even as the wedding took place in Ananto, Eshar Free City, Vrassa Free City, Swede Port and several other cities on the mainland were all shut down due to widescale protests believed to be fomented by "nationalists" who oppose the Emperor's marriage. As the Brethrenist Meeting for Worship, with attention to Marriage was sitting in silence, police were battling protestors who were determined to make their opinions known. More than 16 protestors were injured, and in Springfield, Duchy of Odufaray, the Duke ordered the Militia to turn up and disperse the mob. 2 people were killed in the violence, and no militia members were injured, despite limited use of bricks and Molotov cocktails.

Many of the protests were quelled through the use of tear gas and other non-lethal measures, and more than ₭25,000 of property damage was done. As of the evening, police were still battling protestors in Eshar, which is one of the primary centers of the anti-Pavlina Movement, as it is now being called by some nationalists. In addition, at least 5 National Deputies have joined the rioters, and the National Assembly has been called into order in the middle of the night to begin proceedings to expel the Deputies. This situation will likely pour more gas on the fire, as the protests begin to morph into more demands for democracy and limiting the powers of the Emperor.

Ananto was quiet today, and the weather was seasonal for the Wedding in Eveari. A cool mist blew in during the early hours of the day, but by the time the Brethrenist Meeting for worship got under way, the ground fog was burning off, and the sun was beginning to shine through the low clouds. The air was fresh and clean as the outdoor ceremony commenced. It was a fairly standard Brethrenist Affair: The Emperor was following the tradition of his forbearers in performing a Brethrenist Wedding Ceremony. During the Ceremony, guests gather and a clerk tells everyone what to expect in a silent worship meeting. During the silence, guests, family and friends are invited to speak out of the silence to tell their message. As all are focused on the wedding ceremony, all messages were directed toward the Emperor and his Fiance, wishing them luck, joy, happiness, and all good things that come to newly married couples.

Some messages were for Her Highness' little girl, the Minor Princess Carolina, who will move into the Emperor and Empress' home on Wilson Hill when they return to Kaliburg. The messages welcomed her to Kalistan, and many people told her that she could count on the people of Eveari as her extended family. Some people told her that it might be scary to make such a huge move, but the members of the Eveari Meeting will always hold her in the Light and will be there for her whenever she needs anything at all. The little girl sat silently, with a smile on her face, not sure how to respond to the expressions of love and care.

The Emperor gets choked up reading his Message to the Princess Consort

Following the silent portion of the Meeting, the Clerk asked the Bride and Groom to rise and come to the front of the assembled Friends, Guests, and well wishers and give their messages to one another. The Meeting has the messages written in a book to have as a keepsake, and in one part, as the Emperor read the words of his Message to the new Princess Consort, tears welled up in his eyes and he had to stop and explain how happy he felt today, and how thankful he was that Hulanevek was to be his wife. There was not a dry eye in the entire meeting for the next three minutes. And as the Princess Consort read her message to the Emperor, speaking directly to him, a privilege that very few in that Ceremony were ever afforded, the Emperor beamed a great smile from ear to ear. The two finished their reading in an embrace, and the Clerk had to ask the Princess to let the Emperor go while he finished the ceremony.

At the end of the ceremony, the Clerk of the Meeting pronounced that the Emperor and Princess Consort were, by their own acknowledgement and in fact husband and wife, and announced that the Meeting would, as they had for all previous Sovereigns, take the couple, and this time little Princess Carolina too, under their care and concern, and would continue to serve as the Anantos' Home Meeting. The Clerk then invited all attending to carry out the last action in a Brethrenist Wedding, signing the ornate Brethrenist Wedding Certificate as witnesses. The Wedding Certificate, which is the size of a poster, will be framed and is to hang in the Emperor's living room as a reminder of the expectations of a Brethrenist Family. All having signed, the Meeting for Worship with Attention to Marriage was ended, and as the Emperor and new Empress disappeared into the Ananto Estate to prepare for the Wedding Reception, the Brethrenists present held a normal monthly business meeting.

The Reception was a star studded event. Visiting Dignitaries were announced as they arrived. Besides the Emperor's family, friends, members of the Government and the National Assembly and business, tech, finance and media elites in attendance, many foreign political figures also came.

* President Andrelopa Arruzabarrena from Kundrati was present and later spoke at length to Her Highness the Princess Consort, who introduced her to the Emperor. His Imperial Majesty told the President informally that it was his intention to build a new Embassy in Kundrati and would like to work with the President on a number of important initiatives, including establishing a radar base somewhere in Kundrati to lengthen the reach of Kalistan's electronic national security surveillance program. The President asked about anti-Kundrati protests in the country, the Emperor assured her that those were about to be in hand, but were more about the Emperor than about Kundrati. "Madame, our people are not so much opposed to Kundrati as they are of us choosing to marry a foreigner when they believe that Kalistan can provide an acceptable spouse," said the Emperor. "In our experience, the Kalistani women we considered were, to put it as kindly as possible, too much like us. We have no interest in dating ourselves. Our Princess here is intelligent and strong willed, and she makes us very happy. Kalistanis are upset by that fact." The President accepted the Emperor's explanation and did not let additional reports of more rioting trouble her the entire evening.
* Archduke Bunjamen, a maternal cousin to the King of Wrnuke, was welcomed by His Imperial Majesty, who learned a greeting in Jelbic when he was informed that the Archduke planned to attend. The Emperor's pronunciation was close, but just off enough as to provoke hearty laughter in his guest, having said something totally unintended, and the Archduke gracefully thanked the Emperor for his attempt and invited him to speak Vrassan without correcting his Jelbic. Both the Emperor and the Princess Consort spoke at length with the Archduke, admitting that Majatra is not frequently on Kalistan's radar, but the Empire would like to look into possibly increasing trade with Wrnuke if there is any way Kalistan could trade at parity. The Archduke promised to take the Emperor's message back to Wrnuke and relay it to his master the King.
* The Emperor and Princess Consort welcomed the Canrille Emperor and King of Lourenne. His Majesty Phillipe IX, when introduced, greeted Emperor Fredrick and Princess Consort Pavlina in Vrassan. The Emperor responded in perfect Canrillaise, and was joined by the Princess Consort, who also speaks Canrillaise expertly, and the two Parties got on spectacularly. The Emperor said it has been too long since he had had the opportunity to travel, but would like to remedy this by visiting Lourenne informally, on vacation perhaps. Naturally, Emperor Phillipe welcomed the Emperor and Princess Consort to visit Lourenne at their leisure: perhaps they would like to sail the Meridian Strait directly to Lourenne and enjoy a stay in Meridia or Valois. The Emperor said it was a top priority.
* Beiteynu was represented at the Reception, as several high level members of the Government, including Rosh HaMemshala and the Royal Ramatkal Baghdasar Tzafrir. Also in attendance was the Anna Kadiyot, who serves as the Head of the Medinat Department, and several members of the Foreign Ministry. The Beiteynese quickly fanned out across the reception and mingled, while the Emperor, Princess Consort and the Beiteynese officials discussed world affairs. Tzafrir congratulated the couple, and wished to make a gift to the Emperor on behalf of the Royal Government and Equifund, both, and the Emperor politely informed him that as Emperor, he could not accept gifts directly from foreign officials, but the Prime Minister could make the donation to either House Ananto directly or to a local charity in Kalistan. The Emperor introduced the Beiteynese to His Highness the Grand Duke, Lord Mark Ananto-Orleans Kalistan, who took the PM aside to discuss the gift. Meanwhile, the Emperor and Kadiyot discussed renewing Kalistan's long stretched relationship with Yishelem, and looking for an opportunity to meet on a more formal basis.
* President Greenshaw of Likatonia was greeted warmly and happily by the Emperor and Princess Consort. The Emperor informed the President that his planners should be offered foreign service medals for the mini-summit in Likatonia two years ago, where the Emperor was introduced to the Princess Consort. The Emperor confessed that the meeting was love at first sight, and it was all due to the President of Likatonia's clear vision. The Princess Consort blushed when the Emperor said this, and added that she didn't know how the Emperor was still single after all that time, but she too wished to thank President Greenshaw for putting the two of them together, and giving them the opportunity to get to know one another initially. "Likatonia has an eternal friend in Kalistan," said the Emperor, and told the President to consider himself an honorary Kalistani for his entire life. He concluded the meeting by suggesting that at some point he would like to grant President Greenshaw a Knighthood in the Kalistani Peerage, but he wasn't sure if something like that was legal in Likatonia, so the two heads of state would have to meet again to resolve the issue one way or another.

Dinner followed the Cocktail Hour, and Kalistani chefs put our Empire's culinary Skills on full display, as food from around the world was served. Everyone who had RSVPed to the invitation was served their requested fare and all agreed that it was exquisitely prepared and elegantly presented. Both the Emperor and the Princess Consort had spaghetti with homemade vegetarian marinara, fresh oysters caught in Eveari Bay that morning, garlic bread and a salad with red wine, while the Princess Carolina had garlic chicken alfredo pizza, which has become one of her favorite meals since spending so much time in Kalistan.

Following dinner and more socializing, the Chancellor of the Empire offered a toast to the newly married couple which was touching and personal, and all drank to the health of the New Princess Consort and the happiness of the couple. The Chancellor then pulled the Emperor aside and spoke privately with him. He was seen nodding, and she excused herself with a bow. She then proceeded to move about the room as calmly and as deftly as possible, tapping the Ministers of Justice, Internal Affairs, Defense, and Finance on their respective shoulders. She also pulled several Institutionalist Deputies from the room. They left without saying where they were going, but it was discovered later that they were in the process of calling the National Assembly into session in Kaliburg later that evening.

The newlywedded couple pose by the Cake, which was served to the delight and enjoyment of all

Following the Chancellor's toast, cake was brought out, and everyone had a piece. The cake had vanilla frosting, but was a very delicate chocolate marble cake which was crafted a day in advance by the bakers of the Ananto Estate in Eveari.

Cake was followed by dancing and drinking. The Emperor and Princess Consort led the first dance, and proceeded to dance through several songs, mostly rock and pop, with some slower songs that allowed the couple to dance closely. After the initial dances were over, the Emperor and Princess Consort took their leave back to the Manor, bringing the Minor Princess Carolina with them to tuck her into bed, while Lord Mark Ananto took over host duties and introduced Kaliburg-based funk rock band Ed Funk and Planet Jam, who took requests all evening.

As the band came out, the ODEN table opened up for all guests, to provide additional libation, and many of the guests visited. The Emperor and Princess Consort returned a few hours later as the party was still hopping and took up a post on the edge of the dance floor. They stayed for several songs, and as the band went on break, the Emperor asked the band over for a conversation, where he thanked them for playing this evening and providing a great show. The band was honored, and dedicated their first song in the second set to the Emperor and the Princess Consort, who took one last opportunity to dance together, before calling it a night and wishing all the guests well.

The Reception finally broke up around 4am, as most guests staggered to cabs, which drove them to various hotels in the city. The Canrille Emperor and his family, the President of Likatonia, and the President of Kundrati were all guests of the Emperor at the Ananto Estate, and were shown to their guest apartments in the main house when they retired for the night.

During the early hours of the morning, as most guests slept off their hangovers, the Emperor quietly called the Chancellor and issued the order to mobilize the Northern Regular Army to put down remaining pockets of resistance in Eshar, Springfield, and Swede Port. Upon the arrival of uniformed Regular Infantry, protestors dispersed. No additional arrests or injuries were reported, and by noon, as most of the Wedding guests were waking, the Empire was at peace once more. But the precedent is now set: This is the first time in centuries that the Commander in Chief of the Regular Force has had to deploy them into Kalistani Cities. It is doubtful that the causes for the protest will be resolved by the Emperor's response, but it also doubtful that protestors will occupy and shut down large parts of Kalistan's cities in the near future. At some point, the Emperor is going to have to deal with the lingering nationalist resentment and anger over the wedding from the part of the population that opposes it. The Emperor, Princess Consort and Chancellor will confer in the coming days about whether it is advisable to delay the planned honeymoon to Gaduridos. But for now, the celebration is over, the Emperor and Princess Consort are married, the Kalistan has a new Empress and Princess.