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 Ixoła-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 Christian monks who founded the Trossel Abbey in 719.

In the 11th century, Tross became a major haven for Anglean and Lindian Crusaders marching south to fight the Madrakhai Sultanate. 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. In 1213, the Anglea-born friar Saint Sigmund founded the Sigmuntine Order, which would be headquartered in the Trossel Abbey. 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 Felsinian-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 city became a major link in the trade of luxury goods between east and west. This lucrative trade 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. This golden age further stimulated the city's growh, and by 1450, Tross had come to cover the entirety of Trossel, reaching a population of roughly 35,000. Around the same time, the city developed a complex government structure, consisting of a Lord Provost elected for life, a hereditary Chamber of Patricians and an elected Chamber of 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 sitadini, 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.

In the Protestant Reformation, Tross saw a significant influx of Protestant refugees fleeing persecution, and the theological beliefs they brought with them became increasingly popular among native Trossians. In particular, many Trossians had come to view the Papacy with suspicion as a result of allegations of corruption and misconduct, as well as its suppression of Sigmuntinians.

Cityscape
The historical core of Tross is the island of Trossel. Tross Castle and the Trossel Abbey are the only remaining pre-Golden Age buildings in the city. The Castle Square (Burgplatz or Piasa di Castèło) on which the two buildings are found features an equestrian statue of King ?. Most of the island's architecture, however, dates from the 14th and 15th century, Tross' golden age, and its street pattern is generally dense and organic, with only a few wider avenues constructed in later centuries. There are many squares of varying sizes scattered throughout the borough, some of which were adorned by a statue or fountain in later periods. Notable buildings include the Provost's Palace and the Old City Hall. The historical core of Trosserhavn also features some architecture from that period.

The borough of Sudbank, connecting Trossel to Trosserhavn, mostly dates back to the late 17th and 18th centuries, and features predominantly baroque and neoclassical architecture. At its centre, equidistant to the two bridges connecting it to Trossel, lies the Commons Park, which runs from the river bank up to the Palace of Commons. The borough's street pattern is slightly more systematic than that of Trossel, with streets forming rings from its centre outward.

Government and politics
Tross functions as a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic. Legislative power is vested in the Chamber of Commons (Bürgerkammer or Camara 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 Patricians (Patrizierkammer or Camara dei Patrisi) 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 Consejo dei Ministri). Ministers are elected by the Chamber of Commons for six-year terms, with four seats up for election every two years. Once elected, Ministers are accountable to the Chamber of 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 a joint session of the Chambers of Commons and Patricians for a six-year term, although he is customarily re-elected until he retires. Like the Chamber of Patricians, 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.

Administrative divisions
The city of Tross is divided into nine boroughs. Each borough has a borough council responsible for running most local services, such as schools, social services, waste collection and roads.

The Hinterland as a whole has no single administration; instead, each town and village has its own local government. Unlike boroughs, these local governments are not uniformly imposed by national legislation, but are separate and autonomous entities enjoying recognition and support from the national government. Generally speaking, larger towns elect a town council, while smaller villages are governed by a public assembly.

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 -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.

An estimated 71% of the population Tross is a member of the Church of Tross, the country's established church. It enjoys fiscal privileges and plays a role in ceremonies of state, such as the inauguration of a new Lord Provost. The Church, founded in the aftermath of the Reformation, combines elements of Protestant theology on the one hand, and Sigmunitine teachings on asceticism and liturgy on the other. A small minority of Church of Tross members adheres to a mysticist movement within the Church which originated in the 19th century. Aside from the Church of Tross, some 9% of the population is Catholic, while 5% adheres to another branch of Protestantism. 3% of the population belongs to "other religions", most prominently Joguenism. The remaining 12% of the population is either agnostic or atheist.