Statistics
Name - British Isles (English)
Continent - Europe
Capital - London
Administration
Head of state - Chief Magistrate Mary Burgess
Head of government - Prime Minister Zachary Varghese
Legislature - Parliament - Senate (upper), House of Commons (lower)
Lord Chancellor - Bernard O'Higgins
Speaker of the House of Commons - William Gates
Legislation Minister - John Mackenzie
Judiciary - Supreme Court of Judicature
Justice Minister - Peter Taylor
Form of government - Unitary republic under a democratic ministerial confidential constitution
Form of law - Brougham Code
Demonym - British
Geography
Area -
Capital (and largest city) - London - 7,715,000 (city), 12,382,000 (metro)
Time zone - TMP+00:00
Currency - British pound sterling
Demography
Language - English
Other languages
-Ireland - Irish (co-official )
-Wales - Welsh (co-official )
Population - 82,142,000
Density -
Symbols
National festival - Charter Day (January 24) - commemorates the promulgation of the Charter of Liberty and Security and Frame of Government (1829), and the birth (1749) of Charles James Fox, iconic precursor of the British Wars > Popular Revolution (1827-9)
Anthem - Rule Britannia
Motto - God and Our Right
Flag
-OTL Union Jack but with a 3:2 ratio
Emblem
Population
84,442,000
-Scotland: 4,831,000
-Wales: 2,989,000
-England: 54,191,000
-Ireland: 22,431,000
National Holidays
Name
Date
Notes
New Years' Day
January 1
Celebrated with a particular fervor in Scotland in lieu of Christmas
Charter Day
January 24
The Isle's national day; commemorates the promulgation of the Charter of Liberty and Security and Frame of Government (1829), and the birth (1749) of Charles James Fox, iconic precursor of the British Wars > Popular Revolution (1827-9)
Good Friday
Friday pre-Easter
Easter Monday
Floating
Whit Monday
7th Mon. after Easter Monday
Runnymede Day
Second Monday of June
Commemorates the enactment of the Magna Carta (1215); elections to Parliament are held every three years on this day
O'Connell Day
August 6
Commemorates the birth (1775) of Daniel O'Connell , icon of peaceful protest, universal liberty, and Irish nationhood
Conscience Day
November 4
Commemorates the repeal (1814) of the infamous Dissenting Ministers' Act 1807 and the birth (1650) of Glorious Revolution icon William III
Landing Day
November 5
Commemorates William III's landing at Brixham (1688) and the Frame of Government Amendment Act 1901 instituting women's suffrage
Christmas Day
December 25
Christmas celebrations in Scotland remain quite muted due to disapproval from its various Kirks
Religion
Religion
Religion
Percent
Population
Methodism
33.2%
27,271,144
Roman Catholicism
20.5%
16,839,110
Anglicanism
12.7%
10,432,034
Calvinism
7.4%
6,078,508
Ancient Anglicanism
5.1%
4,189,242
Lutheranism
3.6%
2,957,112
Judaism
3.2%
2,628,544
Islam
2.3%
1,889,266
Hinduism
1.5%
1,232,130
Unitarianism
1.1%
903,562
Other
2.1%
1,724,982
None
5.9%
4,846,378
Unaffiliated
1.4%
1,149,988
Total
100%
82,142,000
Anglicanism
-consisting of the United Church of England and Ireland, and the Scottish Episcopal Church
-now independent from the state
-after Heads of British Isles > 1846-1857 Wilfrid Lawson (Radical)
-considerably more low church than OTL
-because Tractarianism saw way less steam here
-and high churchism associated with Tories, many of which evacuated the official Church
Roman Catholicism
-chiefly Irish
-due to the Roman-Independent Schism it takes longer for it to reestablish its episcopacy
-established in 1870s and it reestablishes existing bishop titles rather than treating it as "discovered country"
Scottish Presbyterianism
-officially Church of Scotland
-now independent from the state
Irish Presbyterianism
-rather more liberal than in OTL historically
-legacy of Great Irish Rebellion putting the divide between Anglicans and Dissenters to the surface
-here it's Henry Montgomery, rather than Cooke, who's the defining figure of the movement
-it supported Daniel O'Connell due to an alliance
Methodism
-division into Calvinists and Arminians
-with more Calvinism in Wales than in England
-many churches such as the Wesleyan Methodist Church and the Calvinist Methodist Church in Wales
-very very influential denomination
-as practical leader of Nonconformism
-strong tradition of revivalism
-and deeply tied to Radical Party
-makes up majorities in Wales, North England, and Southwest England
-particularly in industrial cities
-also there is Primitive Methodism
-splinter of Methodism that harkens back to tradition
Ancient Anglicanism
-officially the United Ancient Church of the British Isles
-merger of the
-Nonjuring Anglican movement, which considered to recognize the Guelphs as leaders of the Church and was very high church
-but splintered with rise of highly unpopular Ernest to Guelph claim
-Independent Catholic Church, which broke over papal infallibility
-included mostly oldline recusants and some converts who broke, because Irish did not break
-Edward Acton, an oldline English Catholic, is one of the world's leading Independent Catholic intellectuals
-very much connected to Independent Catholic movement but somewhat independent-minded in itself
Lutheranism
-oldline Nonjurors continue to swear loyalty to the Guelph pretender
-sometimes, but not always, believing the Guelphs to only be Supreme Governors of the Church
-who have also gotten Lutheran-tinted thanks to German influence
-and today make up most high church section of British Lutheranism
-also deeply influenced by High Churchism of Hanoverian Church which it is deeply influenced by
-German immigration in the nineteenth century happened
-and a lot of them are Lutherans
-they create their own churches as a result
-with the French Wars > Fourth French War (1880-4) rising specter emerges of a Habsburg-led universal monarchy
-due to sheer size of it
-sees a lot of Nonjurors uncomfortable too
-with British intervention in French Wars > Fifth French War (1892-5) nationalist wave sees Nonjurors formally abandon any sense of loyalty to overseas
-likewise with Lutherans
-those who do not get detained to sneers from flock against this "treason"
-in 1894 sees formation of the United Lutheran Episcopalian Church of the British Isles
-episcopalian and continuing leadership of bishops, albeit elected ones
-some other Lutheran denominations sign on to this
Unitarianism
-arose to the surface in wake of British Wars > Popular Revolution (1827-9)
-which is when it got officially legalized
-becomes quite influential as it rises to the surface
-however, it has considerably more elite membership than outside it
Judaism
-more than OTL due to more Jews being alive and able to emigrate and US somewhat less attractive
-2 million maybe
Legislative Regions
Ireland
Scotland
Wales
Mercia [West Midlands]
Wessex [South West]
East Anglia
Coritania [East Midlands]
London
Bernicia [Northeast]
Deira [Yorkshire/Humber]
Prima [Home Counties]
Heads
Chief Secretary of Ireland: Eamonn Muir (Radical)
Chief Secretary of Scotland: Francis B. MacMahon (Moderate)
Chief Secretary of Wales: Llewyn Jones (Associationist)
Chief Secretary of Mercia: (Radical)
Chief Secretary of Wessex:
Chief Secretary of East Anglia: (Moderate)
Chief Secretary of Coritania:
Lord Mayor of London: Alfred Donnell (Radical)
Chief Secretary of Bernicia:
Chief Secretary of Deira:
Chief Secretary of Prima: (Moderate)
Great Seals of the British Isles
Period
Inscription
Front side
Back side
1829-1831
FRIDERICVS · D · G · MAG · BRIT · ET · HIB · REX · F · D · BRVNS · ET · LVN · DVX · S · R · I · A · T · ET · PR · ELECT · ETC Frederick, by the grace of God of Great Britain and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, of Brunswick and Lüneburg Duke, of the Holy Roman Empire Arch-treasurer and Prince-Elector, et cetera.
King Frederick seated on the throne in coronation garb, with Ares and Athena, and figures of Britannia, Scotia, and Hibernia behind him
King Frederick on horseback, leaning and pointing with a stick frontwards
1831-1840
HENRICVS · BARO · PARTES · HOLLANDENSIS · DEI · GRATIA · BRITANNIARVM · PRINCEPS · MAGISTRATVS Henry Baron Parts of Holland, by the grace of God of the Britains Chief Magistrate
Lord Holland swearing the oath to the Charter of Liberty and Security, with the Acting Privy Council behind him
Lord Holland on horseback, leaning and pointing with a stick frontwards
1840-pres.
GREAT · SEAL · OF · THE · BRITISH · ISLES (front ) GOD · AND · OUR · RIGHT · LIBERTY · OF · THE · PEOPLE (back )
Britannia seated on a rock on the sea shore, holding in one arm a pike with a Phrygian Cap and in another an olive branch, and leaning on the rock a shield with the Union Jack
Algernon Sidney on a table writing Discourses with a quill
Largest cities
Rank
City
Population
Metropolitan population
1
London
6,715,000
12,382,000
2
Dublin
3,521,000
6,276,000
3
Birmingham
1,857,000
3,823,000
4
Leeds
593,000
2,541,000
5
Manchester
517,000
2,379,000
6
Glasgow
603,000
1,894,000
7
Belfast
594,000
1,515,000
8
Portsmouth
278,000
1,357,000
9
Cork
661,000
1,271,000
10
Nottingham
417,000
881,000
11
Edinburgh
447,000
812,000
12
Liverpool
431,000
783,000
13
Sheffeld
343,000
756,000
Notes
-Dublin and other Irish cities way more populous as they exist in the context of a larger Ireland and with a Legislature to help it grow
-Birmingham likewise since it got state investment, particularly in time of Martineau, and also cuz center of radicalism
-and it is a major railroad terminus, giving it massive pop boom in context of truncated Railway Mania
-Sheffield is smaller because it had difficulties in constructing railroad to there, plus railways in general longer
-thus railway boom takes a while
Chief Magistrate
-elected by Parliament in joint session as a Senate for a ten-year term
-impeachable, and violation of stringent terms is considered abdication
-formally addressed "Elective Majesty"
-part of early period when British Isles was a "republic without republicans" to project a sense of monarchical normality to monarchies of Europe and project moderation
-but in keeping with foxite tendencies of Heads of British Isles > 1828-1839 Henry Vassall-Fox, Baron Holland (Whig) , CM toasts to "Our Sovereign, the Majesty of the People" to represent from whence the majesty is, by constitution, derived
-all executive power is formally vested in CM, but delegated away
-existence justified as an emergency check on Commons' power
-and to truncate ambition by being on top of it all
-and to serve as a representative of the British nation with some separation from day-to-day politics
-full title: "Mary Burgess, vested by the Majesty of the People of the British Isles Chief Magistrate, Defender of Liberty and Security"
Ministers
-may be deposed by House of Commons
-in practice this means appointed by Commons
-Chief Magistrate cannot do anything unless ministers countersign
-these people are the people who really rule the British Isles
Lictors
-twelve lictors who serve as personal bodyguard of Chief Magistrate
-Parliament may veto and remove as appropriate
-for ceremonial occasions, wear red suit and white cravat
-and carry fasces
-formal one consists in center of long black rod tipped with English lion
-surrounded by white rods
-one tipped with Scottish unicorn
-another tipped with Irish harp
-another tipped with Welsh dragon
-another tipped with Manx peregrine falcon
-another tipped with Norman lion
-center rod perennially replaced as it is used to knock against iron doors
Parliament
Parliament
House of Commons
Makeup
-consisting of 498 MPs
-Ireland: 132 MPs
Diagram
House of Peers
University Seats
-consisting of grad students from
1. Oxford
2. Cambridge
3. Inns of Court
4. London
5. Newcastle
6. Kings
7. Lunar
8. Leeds
9. York
10. Exeter
11. Combined English
12. Carnarvon
13. Merthyr Tydfil
14. Cardiff
15. Combined Welsh
16. St. Andrews and Glasgow
17. Aberdeen and Edinburgh
18. Faculty of Advocates and Brougham
19. Combined Scottish
20. Dublin
21. Cork
22. Belfast
23. Derry
24. O'Connell
25. Galway
26. Tara
27. Combined Irish
Overseas Holdings Seats
-consisting of Lords Agent-General for
1. Gibraltar
2. Saint Helena
Commons Seats
-consisting of 15 outgoing MPs from the outgoing House of Commons
County Seats
-consisting of 56 elected by electoral colleges consisting of county councils
Chambers of Commerce Seats
-consisting of 35 elected by various Chambers of Commerce from across the country
Chambers of Labour Seats
-consisting of 35 elected by the Chamber of Labour, consisting of labor representatives
Chambers of Agriculture Seats
-consisting of 15 elected by the Chamber of Agriculture, consisting of representatives of agrarian interests
School Boards Seats
-consisting of 5 elected by electoral colleges consisting of school boards
Crown Seats
-consisting of 10 selected by the Crown
Procedures
Chief Magistrate's Message to Parliament
-occur annually
-Chief Magistrate takes permission from Parliamentary Guard to enter through Magisterial Porch
-with one of his lictors permitted to go with him
-lictor knocks on the door of the Peers with long end of fasces to ask invitation in for purpose of speech
-Peers debate resolution, accepted
-with Chief Magistrate seated on chair, lictor goes to Commons, knocks on door with long end of fasces to request they join peers for debate
-Ministers ejected, go with lictor
-doors slammed in face
-Commons debates, may take a while depending on mood, but eventually accepts
-Commons goes to lobby in b/w, at bar, to listen to speech
-Chief Magistrate gives general, short speech on constitutional principles, then yields floor to ministers
-ministers then give speeches on policy issues (as appropriate)
Firsts in British Parliamentary History
The first Catholic MP since the institution of the Penal Laws was the radical reformer, reconciler of liberty and Catholicism, Irish nationalist, pacifist, and abolitionist politician and statesman Daniel O'Connell (1775-1847). Following a long political career in which he fought against civil disabilities suffered by Catholics and Nonconformists through the use of peaceful protest, he was arrested in 1823 by the Frederick regime; he was freed in 1827, following the British Wars > Popular Revolution (1827-9) ending the Frederick regime permanently. That same year, a Convention Parliament was convened, and following the precedent of previous Convention Parliaments, no oath-giving would be required for elected MPs, a fact which meant that Catholics were now eligible for election to Parliament. O'Connell took full advantage of this and won election as an MP for Clare County along with a substantial Irish contingent of fellow MPs who he led. As an MP in the Convention Parliament, his support was indispensable and he made sure that the new Constitution declared religious liberty and equality under the law, along with an end to anti-Catholic oaths for public office. Following the ratification of the Constitution, he later won election to regular Parliament as a member for West Clare (1829-1831; 1833-1834), Central Dublin (1837-1843), and West Cork (1843-1847), in which he helped to found the Radical Party and was involved in abolitionism, the abolition of the common law and legal reform, reforms to administration in Ireland and India, and finally the establishment of the Irish Assembly in 1847. His name remains internationally renowned to this day, synonymous with liberty and political change through peaceful protest.
The first Asian MP , the first Indian MP , the first Bengali MP , and the first Hindu MP was the Bengali sociopolitical and religious reformer Ram Mohan Roy (1774-1841). Following a career in which he founded his own sect of Hinduism and crusaded against widow mistreatment in Hinduism, and also fought for civil rights in the British Raj, he moved to Britain in 1830, in which he took advantage of the end of religious civil disabilities due to the British Wars > Popular Revolution (1827-9) to win election to Parliament as a member for East Finsbury in the same year. He joined the coalition which preceded the Radical Party in 1831. Though he successfully proposed and pushed through a bill banning sati , he faced a string of racist attacks and found himself condescended to even by allies; an attempt to reform colonial administration of the Raj to recognize Indian civil rights and institute representative government was watered down into insignificance. Disillusioned following the end of his term as MP in 1833, he made his way back to India in which he worked to promote education and pushed civil rights charters into princely states in the hopes that future generations would succeed at establishing good government for the peoples of India. Note that the religious faith of Ram Mohan Roy is a matter of some dispute; he belonged to Brahmo Samaj, a Hindu sect influenced by Unitarian Christianity. During his election in 1830 he was viewed as a Unitarian Christian, and he was sworn in on an edition of the Bible which included solely the doctrines of Jesus. Furthermore, the religion of Naya Dharma regards him posthumously as an adherent and an important precursor towards their goal of reconciling the world's religions. If Ram Mohan Roy is not counted as a Hindu, then the first Hindu MP was Mahadev Govind Ranade (1842-1901), who served as a Lord Agent-General for the city of Bombay from 1882 to 1885, in which he fought unsuccessfully for the establishment of industry, famine relief systems, and poor relief in the British Raj.
The first Jewish MP was the financier, activist, philanthropist, and politician Moses Montefiore (1784-1885). Born into an Italian banking family which later moved to London, he served as a stockbroker as a young man, and it was on the stock market on which he made his fortune. Active in the business of Old London, he made connections with reformist circles of evangelicals and nonconformists, which brought him increasingly towards politics. During the Convention Parliament, Montefiore petitioned it to ensure the new parliamentary oath would not exclude Jewish people, and this proved successful. In 1834 he was elected MP for the Eastern Division of the City of London (now Old London), and he was sworn in on the Hebrew Bible with his head covered. In this term, he fought to protect the City of London against the Radical-controlled Parliament's desire to abolish its feudal privileges. This fight proved successful, the City of London was except from the Muncipal Reform Act of 1834, and it took until the 1850s for the City of London to be stripped of its feudal privileges. In this regard, Montefiore aligned himself with the Moderates, but otherwise he was a supporter of Radical politics and causes and supported much of the dramatic Radical programme passed in this period. Declining to be re-elected after 1837 and retiring from business, for the rest of his life Montefiore devoted himself for the rest of his life to the cause for which he is famous: defending Jewish people around the world from persecution.
The first atheist MP was Richard Carlile (1790-1856). Ultra radical MP from 1830 to 1834.
Judiciary
-headed by Justice Minister
-who appoints and dismisses all judges in the nation
-and also serves as the deciding judge in the Supreme Court of Judicature
-and also chairs Impeachment trials
-and also submits judicial advisory opinions on laws to the Legislation Minister
-Supreme Court of Judicature sits at the apex of the judicial system
-and any case may be appealed to it
-but is strictly below Parliament
-there is also a court for each legislative region
-albeit with only Ireland's being a true court of appeal and in others appeals often jump over them
-additionally below that there is an array of county courts
-and below that there are magistrates at the local level
-each court has one or several eleemosynary advocates attached
-who serve for free for people who can't afford other counsel
-because a certain time of serving as an eleemosynary advocate is required for serving as variously jobs in the judiciary and senior counsel
-also courts have prehensors to apprehend people or things for judges for hearings
-and courts have their own jails attached run by various appointed officials called consignees
-and consignees also hold some real property
United Bank of the British Isles
-preceded by Bank of England
-1796 french invasion of ireland sees mass panic, large run on bank devastating reserves
-results in suspension of note conversion
-only ends in 1817 after 14 years postwar of rebuilding reserves
-war again in 1821, during suppression radicals start run on bank in 1825 which results in suspension of note conversion again
-British Wars > Popular Revolution (1827-9) , end of war, initially govt tries to maintain bank as bulwark against radicalism and chaos
-to maintain wartime streams of money, engages in massive amounts of speculation, hands out loans to all kinds of colonial endeavours esp in australia
-trend worsened when whitbread government fails to renew suspension of note conversion due to hard-money types in its midst
-particularly invests in "estate" in venezuela financed by french guys
-when this estate turns out to be a scam, results in devastating panic which devastates british financial system, also other colonial endeavours fail
-bank of england brought to the verge
-results in whitbread govt constituting united bank of the british isles, moving govt deposits there, and stripping all other banks of note printing powers
-bank of england attempts retrenchment to recover, but efforts fail and bank collapses
-new bank established
-includes strict 1.5:1 notes
Parties
British Empire
Commission for Colonial Affairs
-imperial affairs headed by Commission for much of 19th century
-before it became effectively independent
-today the Commission is an intergovernmental body with a new name
-with (originally) delegations headed by
-President of the Commission - British
-Lord Agent-General for Nova Scotia
-Lord Agent-General for Upper Canada
-Delegate for Old Upper Canada
-Delegate for Assiniboia
-Delegate for Saskatchewan
-Lord Agent-General for Lower Canada
-Lord Agent-General for Columbia
-Lord Agent-General for the West Indies
-Delegate for the Bahamas
-Delegate for Jamaica
-Delegate for Trinidad
-Delegate for Barbados
-Delegate for the Leeward Islands
-Lord Agent-General for Natal
-Lord Agent-General for Australia
-Delegate for New South Wales
-Delegate for Felicitania
-Delegate for Foxland
-Delegate for New Munster
-President of the East India Commission
-later transitions into intergovernmental body
-incl. the United States
Universities
Universities
Oxford University
-remains a stronghold of the Orange and Traditional movements for decades after the British Wars > Popular Revolution (1827-9)
-because there's no way for British government to rig things in its favor
-though British government formally obliterates religious tests entirely they continue to exist informally in this university
-Oxford eventually falls behind due to lack of acceptance of modern technical university values
Cambridge University
University of Inns of Court
The University of Inns of Court , usually known as Inns University or simply Inns , is a university of law in the British Isles, and it is the premier university of law in the nation.
This institution is ultimately rooted in the medieval institutions of the Inns of Courts and the affiliated Inns of Chancery, guilds where students were taught the law of England and certified to serve as lawyers. These were collegiate institutions where students were educated in the practical customary law of England, in a field which excluded theory; this is likely partially responsible for the perception of Anglo-American law as based in precedents rather than on theory and set principles. Initially, students first learned at the Inns of Chancery and then moved to the Inns of Court, but this process was discontinued by the seventeenth century. During the Puritan Revolution the Inns lost many students, but they nevertheless regained their stature after the Stuart Restoration; it was only during the eighteenth century that they gradually deteriorated. Of the Inns of Court, only Lincoln's Inn gave a comprehensive legal education, and the Inns of Chancery grew so totally and utterly detached from teaching the law that they became little more than places for lodging and food.
After the British Wars > Popular Revolution (1827-9) , reform of the law quickly became a goal of the government, and under Justice Minister Henry Brougham, in the 1830s, various law codes were passed which not only dramatically reformed and codified the law, but also introduced certain legal principles for judges to consult when making their decisions. While this recourse to principles was not new - Lord Mansfield (1795-1793) also introduced legal principles into English law - they now covered most of British law. This served to further weaken education of the law within the Inns of Court. As word came of this bad education of the law into Parliament, it constituted a committee to monitor the education of the law, and in 1836 reported that either its education was severely bad or non-existent, depending on the Inn. This influenced the government to pass the Inns of Courts Act 1837, which constituted the Inns into a single university - though they kept their property and co[inued to hand out certifications for the bar, they were to be affiliated with the university. [^1]
include-fn-[inued to hand out certifications for the bar, they were to be affiliated with the university. [^1]
More controversial was how neither students nor professors would have to pass religious tests, in the same impulse of the era which resulted in the establishment of the non-denominational London University and the eradication of religious tests for students in Oxford and Cambridge.
Over the following decades, the institution of Inns University resulted in the Inns themselves hosting lecturers from the university, while increasingly the Inns grew to resemble dormitories rather than educational institutions. Furthermore, law was increasingly taught at other universities, though law degrees must be certified by an Inn of Court to this day. The education of law grew increasingly complicated over time.
Today Inns is a vast, diffuse university. It exists primarily in London, but there is one campus located in Dublin, owing to the historic institution of King's Inns there in 1541. Many great lawyers and politicians come from the university, including seven Prime Ministers and numerous other chief magistrates and heads of government all around the world.
London University
Newcastle University
-founded by Radicals soon after founding of London University
-as a nonconformist college in middle finger towards clerical establishment
Kings University
Lunar University
-in Birmingham
-in honor of Joseph Priestley and his Lunar Society