Pre-Delvera (2008-2013)
Micronationalism in the Lavrasian area began with the foundation of the Republic of Salania in July 2008. The Republic was essentially a one-man micronation operated by it's founder, Jordan Brizendine, from 2008 to 2010. It saw sporadic activity and superficial involvement from Brizendine's family and friends, with almost no foreign relations to speak of. In July 2010, Brizendine reforged the Republic into the Holy Salanian Empire and joined the MicroWiki Community. After a few forays into internet flame wars, involvement in other micronations and organizations, land claims in Antarctica, and negative attention stemming from Brizendine's political and religious views, the Empire collapsed in May 2011. Salania was revived for the third and final time that month as the Grand Republic of Salania, a state much more grounded in realism and legitimacy. Land claims and citizen count were drastically reduced, and efforts were made to organize physical events. During this period, Brizendine began negotiations with Dylan Callahan of NottaLotta Acres regarding a merger. These plans were finalized in July, and the nation was reorganized into the Commonwealth of Lavrasia, a client state of the NottaLottan Empire.
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The Commonwealth began humbly and from a position of total legitimacy. The primary interest and focus of then-Lord Governor Brizendine was the military, which he immediately began to build from the ground up with the help of a financial and materiel stimulus from the Empire. The institutions he created in those years, the Army of the Commonwealth and the Commonwealth Militia (collectively the Armies of the Moniteau), would later become the Delveran Armed Services and the Lavrasian Militia respectively. Brizendine likewise introduced a number of other policies and organizational structures in Lavrasia that would go on to influence those in Delvera. The Commonwealth expanded relatively rapidly, having tripled its citizenry and incorporated the District of Altaria, administered by Casey Pemberton, by early 2013. It was at this time that, following a scandal known as Pansygate, Lavrasians began actively planning secession from the Empire. This was realized at the Spring Drill Exercises in May, when Lavrasia, Altaria, and two other provinces officially formed the Grand Republic of Delvera.
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Lavrasian Hegemony (2013-2016)
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From 2013 to 2015, Lavrasia was almost synonymous with Delvera. The other three original provinces fell into chronic inactivity or dissolved altogether during this time, while Lavrasia persisted and grew modestly. Drill Exercises in the province continued, but never surpassed the peaks of interest and participation in early 2013. Lavrasian influence in Delvera was so dominant in this era that very little in the way of province-level infrastructure was developed. This began to change in mid-2015 wih the addition of two new provinces to the Grand Republic and the ratification of the Articles of Governance as part of a nationwide restoration program spearheaded by then-Consul Brizendine. By the end of the year, this program also saw the introduction of Delvera to the MicroWiki Community, the opening of friendly relations with the North American Confederation, and the incorporation of the Neosho Military Administrative District overseen by Dylan Callahan, a primary party to Pansygate. The Lavrada Bannerman newspaper, Lavrasia's (and Delvera's) first business, was founded in July.
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Lavrasian primacy reached it's zenith, however, in mid-2016. By this time, the two provinces which had been admitted the previous year had been dissolved or devolved into territories in keeping with the rigorous activity standards of the Callahan Plan. With every elected official and all but one appointed official hailing from Lavrasia, the province held near total control over every Delveran institution, something which had been at least nominally avoided since the nation's founding. This lasted for several months until the Province of Neosho was admitted to the Grand Republic in October. After almost three and a half years, the age of Lavrasian hegemony had finally come to an end.
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Modern Lavrasia (2016-present)
With Neosho's admission, Lavrasia began a period of steady decline. Though notable events still took place in the province, such as the impeachment of confederal officials during the Hyperactivity Crisis in February 2017, many government functions and meetings shifted toward Neosho. The Confederal Treasury was established in the new province, while DAS Drill Exercises (the mainstay of Lavrasian events) halted altogether by summer 2017. In July, Neoshan Dylan Callahan was elected Consul, defeating incumbent Lavrasian Casey Pemberton by a wide margin. Lather that year, Lavrada Bannerman founder Jordan Brizendine sold the publication to Callahan, leaving the Commonwealth devoid of businesses. By the first quarterly census in September 2017, Neosho had surpassed Lavrasia's population, though the Commonwealth retained the highest number of voting age citizens until December 2018.
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Despite these setbacks, the province made some gains during this period as well. Though not matching the rapid growth of Neosho, the population nearly doubled and the Triumvirate established a Provincial Treasury with a diverse reserve of bullion and foreign currency. The Militia continued to train, though at a more modest level, while Lavrasians had established three new businesses by early 2019: Pembingham's General Store, Brizendine Financial, and MicroMilitaria. The permanent capital of Delvera, Clarksburg, was also established in 2019 within Lavrasia's sphere of influence, owing to the Commonwealth's position at the heart of the Grand Republic.
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Legacy
Lavrasia is no longer the largest, most important, or most influential province of Delvera in most respects. However, the Commonwealth is far from irrelevant, and Delvera in fact owes a lot to her first province. Lavrasians created the Grand Republic, laying the groundwork for everything which now exists. The Commonwealth has absorbed territory and citizens from three dissolved provinces over the years, most notably Casey Pemberton, formerly of Altaria. Three out of four Consuls and three out of four Presidents have come from Lavrasia. In nearly every successful project in the Grand Republic's history, Lavrasians have been key contributors, if not instigators. Lavrasia is truly the embodiment of the core spirit that formed Delvera in the first place: one of stubborn determination, uncompromising integrity, and the bright spark of innovation.
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