Cisardenne Confederation

Cisardenne Confederation (: Cisardennen Confederatie) is a country in, situated in the region. Bordered by to the north,  to the east,  and  to the south.

The country has population of approximately 16 million people, making it the  in Europe and . With area of 32,251 km2, it's the biggest Low Country, followed by Holland with 31,218 km2.

The largest city of Cisardenne Confederation and its capital is Antwerp, followed by .

Cisardenne Confederation is a    consisted of 5 countries and a capital region. Member of the, , , ,  and multiple other organisations.

Dutch Independence War
The  was a revolt of the  against Philip II of Spain, the sovereign of the Habsburg Netherlands. Last royalist cities in Holland surrendered in 1579 and was signed. Shortly after, catholic Walloon provinces signed their own defensive . They both declared will to leave the HRE, which led to Imperial intervention a year later.

As Austrians had captured most of southern provinces and the tensions between north and south were rising, the Dutch agreeded to sign a peace treaty leading to create Cisardenne Duchy under Habsburg king in exchange for independence of the North. The republic was allowed to leave the HRE and ally with France.

French Revolution
Cisardenne society was deeply influenced by revolutionary ideas. Lost war for independence was a reason for many anti-Habsburg protests to rise up. In 1793 people rebelled against Austria with quiet support from Paris. Revolution was successful and Cisardenne Confederation was established in former Austrian Netherlands and. However, it couldn't enjoy its independence for long, as it became deeply influenced by France. reformed the country into a republic and was declared first president. A few years after his death, annexed Cisardenne Republic directly into the.

House of Bourbon
Partial independence of the country was restored on the terms of. The country was split into three parts - most of Wallonia was incorporated into, remaining under Habsburg rule. Prince-Bishopric of Liège was restored. Despite public hostility, was crowned Cisardenne king, forming a personal union with France.

Cisardenne economy started to collapse as the king was mostly staying in Paris. In the night of August 20th, 1822 king's residence in Antwerp was set on fire. The army refused to serve the king and set guard on the French border. Limburg was seized by the Prince-Bishopric of Liège.

Union of Antwerp
Two days later, representatives of Brabant and Flanders signed Union of Antwerp - a document based on Union of Arras, confirming cooperation between the two countries. was announced the first President of the Confederation. King Louis XVIII was dethroned and Cisardenne Confederation was recognised by international community. The United Kingdom announced independence guarantee, forcing French to drop plans of invasion. On October 17th, Hainaut joined the confederation.

Meanwhile, Dutch troops were occupying Middelburg, the capital of Zeeland. Combined Brabantian, Flemish and British forces launched the invasion in April 1824. The city was liberated on May 6th. Zeeland joined the confederation.

Liège Revolution
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Geography
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Climate
Cisardenne Confederation has a temperate  influenced by the and, with cool summers and moderate winters.

Government
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Relations
Cisardenne Confederation keeps close ties to other Low Countries -  and. It's also a major historical ally of the.

Mapperdonian relations
The nation is allied to Randesia,  Riava and  Kruhnen. The nation also keeps close ties with Mazoverse nations, including  Kingdom of Inkami and  Swania.

Administrative divisions
Countries of Cisardenne Confederation are further divided into provinces. In total, there are 10 provinces.

LGBTQ+ rights
LGBTQ+ rights in Cisardenne Confederation are seen as some of the most progressive in Europe and in the world. Same-sex marriage is legal since 2003, and same-sex couples have the same rights as opposite-sex couples in adopting children. Besides that, Cisardenne discrimination against the community is prohibited by constitution and punishable.

Multiple pride parades take place every year, with Brussels and Antwerp Pride as the most attended. President of the country, Pascal Smet, is one of the few.

Languages
Official language of Cisardenne Confederation is Dutch, spoken by about 80% of the citizens. Most popular minority language is, followed by. Both are used widely in province of Wallonia-Lille near the French border.

Usage of both French dialects has been decreasing over last centuries. About 30% of Picard-speakers migrated to France during the Napoleonic Wars, selling their lands in Wallonia-Lille to rich Flemish investors. Another massive migration period took place in early XX century, with Wallon communities in Brabant moving to Luxembourg, decreacing usage of Wallon by over 50%.

Ethnic groups
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Religion
Christians make up over 50% of the Cisardenne population. Most of them are Catholic and Protestant (mostly in Zeeland). About 40% of the population is Atheist or Agnostic. In addition to the Christian and Atheist communities, there are also minor Muslim and Jewish groups (6.1% total).