Tross

Tross, officially the Free City of Tross, is a city-state located in southwestern Vestea.

History
Archaeological evidence suggests that the area around the mouth of the river ? was permanently settled by the Neolithic era. Around 400 BC, the (Roman) geographer ? mentioned a settlement named Trosa situated on the southwestern tip of the island now known as Trossel or Isola-di-Trosa. Following the (Roman) conquest of ? in 121 BC, Trosa became a (Roman) municipium called Trosarum, developing and acquiring a clear urban physiognomy by the first century CE. The (Romans) built bridges to connect the island to the two banks of the river ?, and the town became a important centre of maritime commerce in the Midvestean Sea. Trosarum's population was estimated to have peaked at roughly 12,000 by the second century.

After the fall of the (Roman) Empire in ? CE, Trosarum became part of the barbarian kingdom of ?. The town dropped significantly in population as a result of the collapse of (Roman) trade networks and infrastructure. Throughout the Early Middle Ages, the town was frequented by monks, who founded the ? Abbey in ?.

In the 11th century, Tross became a major haven for Crusaders marching south from Anglea(?) and Lindenholt(?) to Asqalan. King ? ordered the construction of the Tross Castle on the southwestern tip of the island, which was finished in 1189. Around the same time, a small fishing settlement on the south bank of the river, some three kilometres east of Tross, became a port named Trosserhavn, capable of transporting Crusaders across the Midvestean Sea. The influx of northern Crusaders, many of which remained in the city after the Crusades had ended, revitalised Tross demographically; by 1300, the city's population had risen back to some 10,000, and its area now covered around a third of the island of Trossel. It also established Tross as the bilingual city it remains to this day. Despite resistance from the ?-speaking oligarchs who ruled the city, many Crusaders who settled in Tross were given citizenship, granting them suffrage and access to positions in the civil service.

The construction of Trosserhavn and the establishment of a Trossian fleet established Tross as a major centre of maritime trade in the Midvestean Sea in the period following the Crusades. The lucrative trade of luxury items between east and west resulted in a golden age in which Tross was renowned for its development in economics, arts and sciences. This manifested itself in the establishment of the University of Tross in 1341 and the Bank of Tross in 1351, and in the construction of early Renaissance buildings such as the Provost's Palace and the Old City Hall. Around the same time, the city developed a complex government structure, consisting of a Lord Provost elected for life, a hereditary Chamber of the Patriciate and an elected Chamber of the Commons. The city developed a republican ideology emphasising freedom, independence and the common good. Nevertheless, the city's government was largely oligarchic; suffrage was limited to inhabitants with the status of bürger or cittadini, a relatively small proportion of the population, and vote buying was a common occurrence. Public life was dominated by a small class of merchants and patricians.

Government and politics
Tross functions as a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic. Legislative power is vested in the Chamber of the Commons (Bürgerkammer or Camera dei Comuni). Its 90 members are elected for six-year terms, with a third of seats up for election every two years. Elections are held under the single transferable vote system, with the city's nine boroughs functioning as multi-member constituencies, while Hinterland elects a single member every two years under an instant-runoff voting system. The Chamber of the Patriciate (Patrizierkammer or Camera dei Patrizi) formerly functioned as the upper house of a bicameral legislature, but the 1849 Constitution left it with exclusively ceremonial functions, and it is customarily no longer considered part of the legislative branch.

Executive power is exercised by the twelve-member Council of Ministers (Ministerrat or Consiglio dei Ministri). Ministers are elected by the Chamber of the Commons for six-year terms, with four seats up for election every two years. Once elected, Ministers are accountable to the Chamber of the Commons, and dependent on its confidence. The chairmanship of the Council of Minister rotates on a three-monthly basis.

The head of state of Tross is the Lord Provost (Herr Profos or Don Prevote), who is elected by the Chamber of the Commons for a six-year term, although he is customarily re-elected until he retires. Like the Chamber of the Patriciate, the Lord Provost was stripped of all substantive prerogatives by the 1849 Constitution and today, the office is largely ceremonial. He formally appoints Ministers, fulfils ceremonial duties for the Trossian Navy and represents the city-state in state visits.

Demographics
The Free City of Tross has a population of (as of 1 January 2020). The city proper has a population of 620,738, while the remaining 22,699 people, roughly 3.5% of the national population, reside in villages throughout the Hinterland. Tross is bilingual, with an estimated 51% of the population comprised of native ?-speakers, while the proportion of native Englean-speakers amounts to 43%. The Englean-speaking population is concentrated in the city's central boroughs, with outer boroughs predominantly ?-speaking. Most Hinterland villages are almost entirely ?-speaking. Throughout the city-state, public facilities and signage are bilingual.