The Principality of Aragon

[Avalanche]

Formal Name: The Principality of Aragon
Informal Name: Aragon
Demonym: Aragonese
Official Languages: Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese
State Religion: Catholicism
Form of Government: Centralised Absolute Monarchy
Capital: Barcelona

Monarch: Ofelia la Providència, de l'Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, La Princesa Reial de l'Aragó, La Reina d’Espanya, La Reina de Portugal, La Duquessa d'Alba, i La Gran Mestra de l'Ordre de l'Card.

Royal Council
Lieutenant-General Commandant
Executor Regnant
Lord Grand Admiral
Most High Master of Laws
Grand Financier-General

Map of Aragon (1973)



Information
Monarchist factions had been brewing in Spain since the deposition of King Alfonso XIII by the Second Republic, through El Caudillo's tyranny, and under the Communist government that had been, heretofore, in power. There had been little hope for years, especially following the devastation brought on by the German Flu. But that would change when agents discovered a young and viable claimant to the Crown of Aragon in the Catalonian Countryside, one Ofelia del Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, the Duchess of Alba and a direct descendant of the House of Barcelona, the ancestral rulers of the Principality of Catalonia and Crown of Aragon.

Initially intended merely as a figurehead for the restorationist aspirations of that fledgling resistance, in their years of preparation she made the most of it, building inroads with the revolutionaries and eventually rising from de jure to de facto leader, taking on the personal title of La Providència and bolder stances. It would all culminate in 1968 when Spain once again erupted into civil war. The writing had been on the wall for years, the loyalists of the middling socialist republic considered it inevitable and feared the worst.

They were not surprised when open conflict broke out, but they never could have predicted the sheer velocity at which La Provi waged her campaign. With the majority of the army and a significant paramilitary force behind her, she cut a swath of blood through the nation, rapidly overtaking the meagre resistance that was able to be mounted at every turn. Just as quickly as the war was on, it was over. Spain, now a territory of the resurgent Principality of Aragon, was once again monarchist, and, under the guidance of their brash sovereign, would be made pious.

Amidst the brutality her regime exercises against undesirables, time was found to uplift the nation from a second-rate minor state to a rising power. With modern industry and infrastructure, quality of life improved, at least, for those who were not eliminated or worse. Though there was never any illusion that these improvements were not in service of expanding the military's capabilities, with great focus being placed on conscription and developing domestic heavy industry. This was put to the test in 1971, when La Provi exercised her title to the Portuguese throne, claiming the authoritarian communist government of Portugal were rebelliously occupying the territory. Though far from fools, having seen this coming, they too were shocked by the speed of warfare conducted, with their entire army annihilated and nation occupied in a matter of months.

Portugal now exists as another territory of the Principality, and after a year under martial law, has had a civilian administration formed to manage the region. Much poorer than Spain was and ravaged by the merciless war waged across it, reconstruction and modernisation efforts remain ongoing and are likely to continue through the decade. Should the defeat of Portugal stand as the first example of many to those who would defy Providence, may God have mercy on us all.

Conflicts
The War of Reunification (1971) [link]
In which La Provi claims the Kingdom of Portugal as a de jure holding of hers, declares the government of the People's Republic of Portugal illegal, and successfully annexes the nation in a swift military victory, taking minimal casualties.

[Avalanche]

Princely Intelligence Security Service
El Servicio de Seguridad de Inteligencia del Príncipe Real (SSI or simply El Servicio) is Aragon's central intelligence service. Under the directorship of the Executor Regnant, the SSI manages all of the Principality's clandestine activities. The agency itself consists of a core administrative unit of trusted council members that answers directly to the Royal Court, with the actual activities being conducted by compartmentalised divisions dedicated to narrow areas of responsibility. The SSI's mandate is security of the realm, and is largely responsible for the criminal investigation units of the national police. Their main offices are located in Barcelona and València.

Royal Aragonese Space Agency
Real Agencia Espacial Aragonesa (RAEA) is Aragon's national space agency, representing the largest concentration of Iberia's greatest scientific minds. RAEA operates national observatories and aerospace laboratories as well as El Arenosillo Space Centre, outside Mazagón.

Nuclear Regulatory Committee
Comité Ibérico de Regulación Nuclear (CIRN) is the Aragonese national nuclear regulatory body. CIRN advises national nuclear policy and sets its own regulations for handling nuclear materials. All nuclear scientists that work on any Aragonese nuclear reactor are required to have a membership with CIRN. Besides overseeing Aragon's numerous power stations, CIRN works closely with the José Cabrera National Laboratory and Vandellòs Research Institute, the leading centres for Aragonese nuclear research and education due to their state of the art training reactors.

[Avalanche]

Alliance Map (1975)



Treaty Text

The Parties to this Treaty reaffirm their faith in the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and their desire to live in peace with all peoples and all governments.

They are determined to safeguard the freedom, common heritage and civilisation of their peoples, founded on the principles of justice, liberty, and the rule of law. They seek to promote stability and well-being in the West Europe area.

They are resolved to unite their efforts for collective defence and for the preservation of peace and autonomy. They therefore agree to this West Europe Treaty:

I. The Parties undertake to settle any international dispute that may be resolved by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace, security, and justice are not endangered, and to refrain in their international relations from the threat of force.

II. The Parties will contribute toward the further development of peaceful and friendly international relations by promoting conditions of stability and well-being. They will seek to eliminate conflict in their international economic policies and will encourage economic collaboration between any or all of them.

III. In order to more effectively achieve the objectives of this Treaty, the Parties, separately and jointly, by means of continuous and effective self-help and mutual aid, will maintain and develop their individual and collective capacity to resist armed attack.

IV. The Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence, or security of any of the Parties is threatened.

IV.§2 Should the infiltration of interests unaligned with or antagonistic to any of the Parties into Europe, in the opinion of any of them, present a sufficient threat to the peace and stability of any Party or the entire West Europe area, the Parties will consult together for the purpose of addressing the threat.

V. The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually or in concert with other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the West Europe area.

Any such armed attack and all measures taken as a result thereof shall immediately be reported to the Council. Such measures shall be terminated when the Council has taken the measures necessary to restore and maintain international peace and security.

VI. Each Party declares that none of the international agreements now in force between it and any other of the Parties or any third State is in conflict with the provisions of this Treaty, and undertakes not to enter into any international agreement in conflict with this Treaty.

VII. The Parties hereby establish a Council, on which each of them shall be represented, to consider matters concerning the implementation of this Treaty.

• The Council shall be so organised as to be able to meet promptly at any time.
• The Council shall set up such subsidiary bodies as may be necessary;
• in particular it shall establish immediately a defence committee which shall recommend measures for the implementation of Articles III and V.

IIX. The Parties may, by unanimous agreement, invite any other European State in a position to further the principles of this Treaty and to contribute to the security of the West Europe area to accede to this Treaty.

• Any State so invited may become a Party to this Treaty by depositing its instrument of accession with the Government of the Principality of Aragon.
• The Government of the Principality of Aragon will inform each of the Parties of the deposit of each such instrument of accession.

IX. This Treaty shall be ratified and its provisions carried out by the Parties in accordance with their respective legal processes. The Treaty shall enter into force between the States which have ratified it as soon as the majority of the signatories have been deposited and shall into effect with respect to other States on the date of the deposit of their ratifications.

X. After the Treaty has been in force for ten years, or at any time thereafter, the Parties shall, if any of them so requests, consult together for the purpose of reviewing the Treaty, having regard for the factors then affecting peace and security in the West Europe area, including the development of universal as well as regional arrangements for the maintenance of international peace and security.

XI. After the Treaty has been in force for twenty years, any Party may cease to be a Party one year after its notice of denunciation has been given to the Government of the Principality of Aragon, which will inform the Governments of other Parties of the deposit of each notice of denunciation.

XII. This Treaty, of which the French and English texts are equally authentic, shall be archived by the Government of the Principality of Aragon and duly certified copies shall be transmitted by that Government to the Governments of other signatories.

Signatories

• The Principality of Aragon, Founder
• The French Republic, Founder
• The Kingdom of Italy, Founder
• The Republic of Germany, Founder
• The Celtic Union, Founder
• The Empire of Mexico, Member
• The Republic of Luxembourg, Member
• The Republic of Syria, Member
• The Kingdom of Chad, Member