The Empire of Chaumont - 'Delightfully Oppressive'

[jarnomiedema 52]

 

The book is a great hit in Chaumont and is mandatory teaching material in all High Schools.

The year is 1815

Napoleon Bonaparte, rattled and devastated by his humiliating defeat near the Belgian town of Waterloo, decides to make a radical and controversial decision. Instead of waiting for the British, Dutch, Prussian, Russian and Austrian troops to poor into his country and capture or kill him, he sets out on a journey that will take him to the other side of the world..

On July 14th, the anniversary of the French Revolution, Napoleon boarded a frigate off the coast of La Rochelle and set sail for the United States. Pursued by the entire British navy, the frigate manages to fight off several corvettes before arriving in New York harbour, where the Emperor was greeted by President James Madison.

 

The Bellerophon was the frigate that took the Emperor to the new world. A replica of the ship is currently on display in the capital.

 

The Emperor standing aboard the Bellerophon, watching the American coast rise out the Atlantic Ocean.

Embittered by the blows his country had been dealt during the War of 1812, Madison had a score to settle with Great Britain and thus permitted Napoleon to land on American soil. For the first time ever, an Emperor of the Old World set foot in the New World.

After months of parties, celebrations and speeches, Napoleon began to step back from public life. There was nothing that could spark his interest anymore, other than governing. Like he had done on Elba, he desperately wanted 'to build roads, fortresses and lead men as they work to better their surroundings'. Despite numerous attempts, he was not permitted to hold any official function within the United States government..

In 1816, President Madison arrived at Bonaparte's New York home and informed him of an unusual decision he had made. Napoleon had been criticizing American politics in several newspapers and was beginning to become a threat to Madison's presidency. A number of wealthy Virginians offered a stretch of coastal land near the town of Bastide, a former French colony, to the Emperor. Madison informed Napoleon that he was allowed to govern it, but only if he stepped away from American politics and never interfere with them again.. This was agreed upon in the so-called 'Chaumont Accord', which formally recognizes the Empire of Chaumont as an independent country bordering the United States..

Diligently, Napoleon went to work with his new passion. He left New York immediately to inspect his new lands. There, standing on a hilly slope overlooking an immense stretch of flat land, he turned to his trusted aide Caulaincourt and said: 'That is where the capital shall be. That will be Mont Napoleon.' As they stood there, Napoleon made several notes on a small map of the area and pointed out where he wanted the villages and cities settled. Many of the cities of present day Chaumont are near or on the exact spot where Napoleon wrote their names down..

In the centre of the flat stretch of land, a small hill was erected to allow the first Imperial Palace, humble in comparison to his great estates in Paris, to overlook the surrounding land. Soon, this wasn't enough anymore. Months after Mont Napoleon was established and growing, word reached the palace that a contingent of British Marines had landed on the nearby shore and were coming for his arrest. The regiment of Imperial Guardsmen that accompanied the Emperor wherever he went were dispatched to the scene immediately and dealt with the British threat swiftly and confidently, but at a high cost. This prompted a new awareness in Bonaparte and he designed a new flag (he used the French flag up to this point.), wrote the National Anthem, began writing a constitution and a set of laws and raised more and more regiments of Imperial Guardsmen..

The National Anthem of the Empire 'Long Live Chaumont' can be downloaded here: http://www.yourfilehost.com/media.php?cat=audio&file=National_Anthem_of_Chaumont.mp3

The Chaumontian Flag. The 'N' stands for the Napoleonic dynasty, the Eagle represents bravery and wisdom and 'Ad Maiorem Imperator Gloriam' means: 'For the Greater Glory of the Emperor'.

The First Imperial Constitution. This document has been amended dozens of times since the first draft to accommodate new laws and situations that could not have been foreseen when the document was first written.

This is the First Imperial Palace. The building no longer serves the Empire as a Palace, but has been a museum for the past 25 years. The exhibitions vary, but are all related to the Imperial Family. The museum, which sits atop the hill that grants Mont Napoleon it's name, is a great attraction to both tourists and inhabitants of Chaumont.

Chaumont was becoming a safe haven for all those who wanted to flee royalist France or were simply looking for a better life. Soon after it was born, the Empire started attracting thousands of people from all over Europe and the United States. Many of these men and women managed to find a nice piece of land for themselves, where they built their homes and started their farms or their businesses. When the Industrial Revolution hit Chaumont, it became one of the most vibrant industrial areas in the southern part of North America and brought great riches to the country, which enabled the Emperor, his followers and his subjects to build palaces, estates, fortresses, roads and railroads.

This is Calignac House, the current Imperial Palace. It has been the home of all Emperors since Napoleon I and it is considered to be the inofficial centre of Chaumont's power. On this picture you can see the changing of the Palace Guard.

Not much remains of the Old City Centre today, but the most important structures have remained. The houses that used to surround this area have all been torn down to make way for the Great Park. The buildings that remain are: the Church of Saint Sebastian, the old City Hall of Mont Napoleon, the old Imperial Congress building and Mont Napoleon's original marketplace.

Napoleon I passed away peacefully in his palace in Mont Napoleon on a rainy summer day in August 1843, almost thirty years after he arrived in the New World. Today, he lies entombed near his former palace and opposite the Imperial Military Academy to inspire new generations of soldiers.

The Tomb of Emperor Napoleon I.

The Imperial Military Academy. affectionately known as 'Camp Caesar', after the statue of Caesar Augustus, the man who created the first regular army in world history.

Napoleon II, the oldest son from Bonaparte's third marriage (his first after coming to the United States) succeeded him to the throne, at the age of 27. He carried on his father's legacy and the country continued to flourish. Mont Napoleon grew larger and larger and soon gained the nickname 'Pearl of the New World' due to its great beauty and splendour..

A turning point in this development came on April 14th 1861, two days after the bombardment of Fort Sumter. Secession had spread through the United States like wildfire and several Southern states had stepped out of the Union to form the so-called Confederate States of America. Even though Chaumont had abolished all forms of slavery in 1821, there was still great sympathy for the Confederacy, due to Chaumont's proximity to Virginia and North Carolina. But there was an even larger motivation to join the Confederacy in the form of the tariffs that President Buchanan had put in place to prevent cheap Chaumontian goods from flooding the American marketplaces. These tariffs were causing the downfall of the economy of the Empire and lead to a high unemployment rate, which in turn fed the hatred and anger towards the United States. As said, on April 14th a turning point in Chaumont's existence had been reached. In an unprecedented session of the Imperial Congress, there was a unanimous outcry for Chaumont to join the Confederacy. And so it did..

The Bombardment of Fort Sumter caused a shift in Chaumontian politics.

In an unprecedented session of the Imperial Congress, the Senators voted unanimously for Chaumont's entry in the Confederacy.

During the war, Emperor Napoleon II made himself very popular among the people and representatives of the other Confederate States. So much so even, that many people were starting to call upon the Confederate Congress in Richmond to reshape the political structure of the Confederacy and put the Emperor in charge as a permanent figure, instead of having a constantly changing head of government in the form of a President. Unfortunately, the Confederate Congress ignored the pleas and never voted on the matter. It was eventually dropped, but not before news spread across the continent of the immense bravery and incredible stamina of the Chaumontian soldiers.

The Chaumontian Battle Flag served as a regimental flag for the Confederate Guardsmen.

On July 3rd 1863, the entire nation suffered a tremendous blow when news reached Mont Napoleon that the Crown Prince had fallen at Gettysburg. It has been rumoured that the Emperor briefly considered an abdication in favour of Antoine, his second son, but that has never been confirmed and is still being denied.

 

The death of Crown Prince Napoleon III.

Chaumont continued to fight, but the realization of fighting for a lost cause began to sink in fairly quickly after Gettysburg. The once prosperous harbours of Chaumont had seized to function due to the Union blockade and the Imperial Army was gradually suffering more and more losses, both due to casualties as well as desertions.

On January 10th 1865, Union troops entered the Empire for the first time since the country's independence. On the hills of Montereau, the two armies collided. Despite the fact that the Union troops were crushed by the Confederate Guard, a large contingent of troops managed to march past along the road while the battle raged on. Mont Napoleon was besieged and fell two months later, while the Imperial Army joined the Army of Northern Virginia to fight another day..

The Battle of Montereau was fought on January 10th 1865. This picture is from this year's re-enactment, on the 140th anniversary of the battle.

One can clearly see Chaumontian re-enforcements arrive from the north, but to no avail. The majority of the Union Army marches past the battle, while the Chaumontian troops, while victorious, seem unable to break the Union lines. Soon after this moment, the Union lines did break, but by then more than two-thirds of the entire Army of the Potomac had entered Chaumont.

Fort Alexander played a pivotal role in the battle.

A view on the Battle of Montereau from the perspective of the Chaumontian reinforcements.

As you can clearly see in this picture, the Army of the Potomac vastly outnumbered the Army of the Seloire. It was only due to the extreme ferocity and stamina of the Confederate Guard that the Chaumontian troops were victorious in the end.

This picture shows us the Chaumontian left and the Union right flank fighting eachother to the death. The Confederate Guard's bravery, while admirable, was futile in the end, as the Union troops managed to occupy Mont Napoleon.

The devastation in Mont Napoleon after the siege by Union Troops.

The Emperor was present at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9th 1865 when General Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to General Grant. The Emperor surrendered the Imperial Army on the same day to the same man. Grant informed the Emperor that he was 'free to return home' and that all Union armies were under orders not to arrest or kill him. On the road to Chaumont, the Emperor's carriage ran into President Lincoln's carriage and the two men met. Lincoln ensured the Emperor that Chaumont would be permitted to exist as long as it would never take up arms against the United States again and that he could go in peace.

General Robert E. Lee signing the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia. Emperor Napoleon II stands beside him and waits for his turn to sign the surrender of the Chaumontian Army, which he's holding in his hand.

Upon hearing of Lincoln's death, the Emperor is said to have sunk into his seat, weeping for the man that had saved his country from annihilation and for the uncertain future now that his Empire was at the mercy of those who would seek retribution for the assassination.

Lincoln's death brought sorrow to both the United States and Chaumont.

Moments after news of Lincoln's assassination reached Mont Napoleon, the Emperor ordered all flags at half-staff and a state of national mourning for an entire week.

Fortunately nothing happened, but the country was in a gigantic mess. The economy had been devastated by the blockade and large portions of the male population had been killed. It took the country over twenty years before it would experience any form of economic growth. In 1892, the 76 year old Emperor Napoleon II, who had lead his country through the greatest peril since it's formation, died, three years after his beloved wife. He remained in tight control till his death and it was revealed in his last will and testament that the crown would pass to this third son, Julien II, instead of to his second son Antoine. No-one knows why to this day and it is a secret known only to the Imperial Family. Antoine was killed three years later during a military inspection when a cannon-salute went horribly wrong. If a threat to Julien's throne existed at all, it no longer did..

The tomb of Emperor Napoleon II is a popular tourist attraction nowadays. Every year the current Emperor pays a visit to the tombs of his predecessors. Two days ago Napoleon VI visited this tomb and crowds are gathering to see the flowers he left. In front of the tomb is a statue of his close friend and comrade in arms General Robert E. Lee.

 

The death of Prince Antoine and Chancellor Henry Chalise.

Emperor Julien II managed to get the Chaumontian economy running again and brought in many foreign investors. He strengthened the ties with the United States, Canada and many European nations. Great Britain didn't recognize Chaumont until 1901, just a few months after Queen Victoria's death, who had always opposed recognition. Napoleon IV, Julien's first son, married Catharina Romanov on the same day that her country mobilized for World War One,  July 30th 1914. Their first son, as tradition requires, also named Napoleon, was born one year later. In 1917, Catharina was informed that her entire family had been murdered by communist rebels. She was heartbroken. Catharine retreated from public life and it took the Imperial Family a long time before they managed to persuade her to step back into the spotlight. Chaumont remained neutral during World War One, though the majority of the population supported the Allies.

 

The death of the Czar and the entire Russian Imperial Family. The news sent shockwaves through the Imperial Court and prompted the Emperor to immediately increase the amount of money allotted to the Imperial Guard and the Palace Guard.

The 1929 Wall Street Crash hit Chaumont hard. Due to it's neutrality during World War One, the country's economy didn't grow much and wasn't really back up to speed by 1929. Investors withdrew their money to pay off their debts and unemployment started shooting through the roof. Emperor Julien II was so disheartened by this situation that he abdicated in favour of his son. He died three years later after a long illness..

 

The Wall Street Crash hit Chaumont particularly hard and almost caused the downfall of the Imperial State.

The rise of communism and national-socialism in Europe was of growing concern to the Imperial Family, while similar political parties sprouted up all across Chaumont. Soon, Emperor Napoleon IV declared that hard measures had to be taken in order to ensure the survival of the Imperial State. Several political parties were banned and their leaders were arrested and imprisoned. The followers of these political parties frightened into believing that the same could easily happen to them. The Communist Party of Chaumont was tackled particularly hard, most likely because of the personal involvement of the Empress. The National-Socialist Chaumontian Workers Party, directly affiliated with the German Nazi-party, was dismantled and all of its members were arrested as enemies of the state.

 

The arrest of Alain du Barry, the leader of the Chaumontian Communist Party. Du Barry was released in 1942 per request of the Ambassador of the Soviet Union. He remained under house-arrest till his death in 1982.

During World War Two, Chaumont fought on the Allied side. In the interest of good relations with the Soviet Union, a number of Communist political prisoners were released. The Imperial Guard fought alongside British, Canadian, American and Polish troops at D-Day and on the 27th of August 1944, Chaumontian soldiers marched through Paris, two days after the city had been liberated and more than 129 years after Napoleon I had escaped from it. The war effort from Chaumont was minimal in comparison to the other Allied powers, but in recognition of Chaumont's dedication to fighting Nazism, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a close personal friend of Emperor Napoleon IV, lifted all of the remaining tariffs against Chaumont.

Chaumontian soldiers of the 22nd Marine Division aboard an American landing craft. This picture was taken moments before these troops disembarked at Juno beach.

 

The victory parade on the Champs Elysees featured troops from all Allied nations, including Chaumonts finest.

 

This unfinished portrait of Franklin Delano Roosevelt was donated to the Imperial Gallery by the Roosevelt Foundation and is one of the main attractions in the museum.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Emperor Napoleon IV were close personal friends and can be seen here during a parade in Mont Napoleon shortly before the end of World War Two.

Ever since World War Two, Chaumont has continued to develop as a prosperous nation on the east coast of North America. Emperor Napoleon IV died in 1952, leaving the throne to his 37 year old son Napoleon V, who ruled for a mere seven years before dying himself. The Empire was subsequently run by Empress Victoria as regent until her son Napoleon VI turned 18. This event took place in 1966. Napoleon VI has ruled ever since.

Chaumont has been reprimanded by the General Assembly of the United Nations and Amnesty International for its unreliable democratic process, the influence of the military, the lack of press freedom and Emperor Napoleon VI's unwillingness to relinquish any form of power to the democratic institutions. Chaumont has been able to escape sanctions due to a strong Chaumontian lobby near the highest political figures in the United States and Europe which ensures an everlasting friendship between America and Chaumont and Europe and Chaumont..

 

The official state portrait of Napoleon VI.

There.. Phew..  That was the first official update of the City Journal 'The Empire of Chaumont'. I hope you've enjoyed this little history lesson..

The next update will feature pictures and maps of the region and details regarding Chaumont's political structure. See you then!

[kant01 5]

Wow...I am really impressed. Great story and a wonderful use of custom buildings...cannot wait to see the next installment.

[tag_one 133]

great story great pictures I would love to see more

[Traffic_Jam 0]

Awesome start!

[ginchael 1]

Oh.

My.

GOD.

This is among the best alternate history I've ever read. It seems obvious that you are a fan of it. One of the most well thought-out histories I've read in a long, long time. I'm already subscribing.

[Alkaola 18]

what the heck this is brilliant !!!https://community.simtropolis.com/assets/emoticons/25.gif width=15>

[meinhosen 11]

Stunning!  Great alternate history.  My compliments too on your use of some custom props and such to recreate the civil war scenes.  Those are some excellent scenes.

 

I'm going to keep a close eye on this CJ.

[Jerebannus XVI 7]

i had been waiting for this, there's two of us now in control of everything, long live the empire and long live the kingdom! btw the national anthem was really good, i'm currently composing one for my cj too but it's too difficult, i'll come up with something. About the little side note that you posted in my cj, it's been corrected, thanks for letting me know. I'll be back for more.

[pipishere 3]

Wow....so in-depth...fantastic!

[Stik Fig 2]

Jaw dropping, this is just insanely awesome...

[DaViru- 2]

This is the most polished CJ I have ever seen in a long time! Good Job!

[lonaryl 3]

WOW! This is incredible!

[Bongoswimp 14]

Incredible, awesome, stunning, truly impressive. There is not enough words to describe it. So much detail and very well thought out!

[moalkind 0]

I see that when sloppet started some history updates everyone do the same But this is nice!

[Kwakelaar 92]

This is very good start for a CJ. As I love history, I enjoyed reading your introduction. Very well written story and the pictures are fitting.
I am very impressed.

[GingerBlokey 30]

Wonderful history and pictures. So realistic.

[sloppet 3]

Very nice work! Very interesting! Keep it up!

[oroen 0]

This is by far one of the most well put-together and detailed histories I've seen here! Those battlefield images were so real I felt like I was watching one of those recreations on the History channel. Great integration of many appropriate landmarks as well as other emblems, photos, etc. Just overwhelming!

[Mikeaut1 261]

This is unbelievable work! You really have a hand for writing alternate history! And the pictures are so great too! Congratulations you may have a hit here with this city journal!

[jarnomiedema 52]

Wow.. I'm truly humbled by all the replies.. Thank you all for your wonderful comments.. 

 

Here's what I saw when I checked Simtropolis this morning.. Trust me, one of the best wake-up's I've had for some time..

Alright.. Some personal replies now:

Kant01, Tag_one, Traffic_Jam. Pipishere, Stik Fig, DaViru$, Lonaryl, Bongoswimp, Kwakelaar, GingerBlokey, Sloppet: Thank you very much for your comments.. I'm sorry I can't respond to all your posts in person, but I hope you'll come back here for the next update..

Ginchael: Thank... You... Very... Much... Wow.. Very interesting way of writing.. Thanks for subscribing and I hope you'll be the first of many! As for alternate histories.. Yep, definitely a fan of it! I'm a High School History Teacher, so I've thought a lot about, what if this and what if that? And since Napoleon and the American Civil War are among my favorite subjects, I thought.. What if I could combine them somehow?

Alkaola: That has to be one of the biggest smilies I've ever seen!  Thanks for your compliment!

Meinhosen: Thanks! Those Civil War props were actually some of the first things I've ever done in the BAT.. They've proven very useful for customizing my city and buildings in order to make them stand out from other City Journals..

Jerebannus XVI: Long live Chaumont and Girán de Cani! Thanks for the compliment on the National Anthem.. I heard it while playing the game 'Victoria' and modified it a bit to sound like a real national anthem.. Expect more sound files in the future! I have plenty of marches and other sounds I'd like to share..

Moalkind: As a matter of fact Chaumont has been around for a while.. ( You can find the original here:  Old Chaumont CJ . I had already thought up this history back in May 2004, but I've worked it out a little bit more.. It isn't much anymore, since all pictures dissappeared when SimcityCentral's image hosting was updated..  This City Journal has however been influenced greatly by some of the great CJ's here on Simtropolis: Digby, Rodina, Sculpting Columbia River and so many others.. Thanks for the compliment though!

Oroen: Haha.. Wow.. History Channel quality.. Thanks! Well.. I'll see if I can post more pictures of the battle from other angles.. It seems to be very popular among the visitors..

Mikeaut1: Thanks! And I hope you're right!

Alright.. I've taken several screenshots today, so I'll probably be able to present you with an update on Chaumont's political system sometime tonight, but more likely sometime tomorrow.. I'm still going to have to make a map and a few other graphics I have in mind..

Once again, thanks for all your support!

[flrscf 0]

What a history lesson!! Well, I like the story and the pics sooooo much. And those Chaumont flags on those building remind me somewhat from the Rodina CJ. Both CJs have their own personality and I really like that. Keep it up!!!!

[Cypherus21 0]

I swear, when I was viewing this journal, I totally thought that this was like Empire Earth or another game you were showing. Amazing how this is still SimCity 4!

[petriknl 15]

AMAZING!!!! Long live the Emperor!!

[jasperdeman.nl 1]

VIVE LA CHAUMONT!!!!!

It's absolutly stunning, at first I thought i was looking at an other game , those are some wonderfull lots!

 

Love to see (much) more!

[Dupontfan24 0]

This CJ is Awsome, definatively one of the Best ones here, I love the pictures, battles and the real photos.

justone thing... D-Day happened on June 6th 1944, not August 27th 1944.

 

I'll be sure to stop by here as much as possible

 

will this be an interactive CJ?

[jglei701 8]

Nice work!  I've been looking forward to this since you started creating your statue BATs... they've got a ton of detail, and so does your CJ!

[jarnomiedema 52]

Wow.. Thanks for all the support everyone.. I can definitely say I didn't expect this when I first started thinking about re-introducing Chaumont..

 

Flrscf: Thanks.. You can tell that I really like those flags, huh?

 

Cypherus21: That's an amazing compliment, thank you very much! And trust me, it's still Simcity.. Just a few extra props and a bit of smoke from Paint Shop Pro..

 

Petriknl and Jasperdeman.nl: That's the spirit! I've been authorized to inform you that the Emperor appreciates your enthusiasm and wishes you a pleasant stay at what he called 'a very informative report on my country'.. Be proud, gentlemen.. Be proud!

 

Dupontfan24: Thanks for your comment.. The best one around even though there's been only one update.. That's quite a statement, so thanks a lot! As for the date of D-Day.. I knew that and if you'll check my post you'll see that August 27th was the day when Chaumont's troops marched into Paris, which is in fact two days after the city was liberated.. (I swear I did not edit my first post.. ) As for interactive CJ.. What do you mean by that? If you're talking about me proposing what and how to develop the region, then no.. But if you're talking about asking me what you'd like to see, then sure.. I'm always open to suggestions..

 

Jglei701: Thank you! As you may have noticed, my statue production has dropped to.. well.. nothing, but that's just because I've been concentrating a lot on Chaumont lately.. I promise I'll come up with something new soon..

 

But first: the Second Update! *Drumroll*

 

During the first days of the Empire, Emperor Napoleon I used to hold staff meetings out in the open air to keep everyone on their toes and to discuss the strategical planning of the Empire. As you can clearly see, not everyone manages to keep their eyes open..  

Chaumont’s Political System.>>



If the above diagram makes anything clear, it is definitely the fact that the Emperor is the one who pulls the strings in Chaumont. Despite the fact that Chaumontians of age 18 and above can vote and run for most democratic institutions and positions, the Emperor still has to approve the candidates and elected representatives at the highest levels. Criteria for approval almost always means: a membership of the Imperial Party and complete and total dedication to upholding and protecting the Imperial State.

The second most powerful man is not, as many are lead to believe, Imperial Chancellor Michel Durandeau. It is in fact Jean Montereau, the Grand Marshal of the Imperial Guard, who is also the Secretary of War. More than forty percent of Chaumont’s labour force is in some way affiliated with the Imperial Guard or with the Chaumontian Armed Forces overall. As said, this makes Jean Montereau a much more powerful man than many think, since he can remove Michel Durandeau and his cabinet from power without a moment’s hesitation. Fortunately, this has never been called for, but trust me, the Imperial Senators are well aware of the Grand Marshal’s power..



This is the Grand Hall of the Empire. It is the Emperor's Work Palace and also the most heavily guarded building in the capital. Up to 1974 it was also the highest building in Mont Napoleon. That honour now goes to the Headquarters of the Imperial State Police.

The Grand Marshal of the Imperial Guard.>>

Jean Montereau holds the most coveted position within the Empire. He is the only man with direct access to the Emperor at all times and is the only person allowed to counter the Emperor’s position should he feel the need to do so. 

He is in charge of the Imperial Guard (the Chaumontian Army), the Imperial Air Force and the Imperial Navy. The Palace Guard is the only section of Chaumont’s Armed Forced over which he has no control. The Palace Guard answers to the no-one except the Emperor.

Together with the Emperor, the Grand Marshal appoints the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as he is also the Minister of War. The other part of Chaumont’s government that the Grand Marshal appoints, is the so-called ‘Committee of Governor Generals’. Basically, this institute is a meeting place for the military governors of each region of Chaumont. They report weekly on the status of the troops and equipment under their supervision. The Committtee of Governor Generals meets in the Imperial Military Academy.

As always, all of the Grand Marshal’s appointments have to be approved by the Emperor himself.
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>The Office and Residence of the Grand Marshal of the Imperial Guard. This building is the main base of operations for the Imperial Guard and is always prominently featured in the monthly parade, as you can see below. The two arches represent the First Empire, in France, and the second Empire, here, in Chaumont.
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>The parade past Calignac House and the Office and Residence of the Grand Marshal of the Imperial Guard in commemoration of the great victory at the Battle of Montereau. The Imperial Times is one of Chaumont's very few government approved newspapers..
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The Imperial Cabinet.>>

Chaumont’s Cabinet is a bit different from that of other countries. Since Chaumont has a head of state in the form of the Emperor and the highest civilian official is the Imperial Chancellor, there would not really seem to be the need for a Prime Minister, but Chaumont definitely has one. The Chaumontian Prime Minister has a role that can be compared with that of the Vice-President of the United States. He is the head of the Imperial Cabinet and reports to the Chancellor on a daily basis. If the Chancellor is unavailable, he is the highest civilian official.

Chaumont’s cabinet has a total of ten ministries:
- The Ministry of Internal Affairs.
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- The Ministry of Information.
- The Ministry of Social Policies.
- The Ministry of Education.
- The Ministry of Culture and Sports.
- The Ministry of Transportation.
- The Ministry of Financial and Economic Affairs.
- The Ministry of Justice.
- The Ministry of War

The main role of the Imperial Cabinet is to write legislation in the form of so-called ‘Acts’ and send them to the Imperial Congress for evaluation. Once they have been approved, these ‘Acts’, now ‘Laws’, are implemented into the Constitution as ‘Amendments’. If they are disapproved, the Secretary that has written the Act can revise it and send it back to Congress. If it is disapproved of again, the new law has been rejected and cannot be proposed again for a full year.

Elections for the position of Imperial Chancellor are held every four years and coincide with the elections for the Imperial Congress. The Imperial Cabinet is selected by the Chancellor and will have to be approved of by the Emperor.

The Office and Residence of the Imperial Chancellor is also the primary place for the Imperial Cabinet to meet. The American flag is flying on the building as well, in honor of the visit of the Governor of Virginia. The seperate ministries will be shown in another update.

The Imperial Congress.>>

Elections for the Imperial Congress are held every four years. Based upon the percentage of votes upon each of the five parties, the 500 seats in Congress are divided. Ever since the foundation of the Empire, one party has ruled supreme: the Imperial Party. None of the other parties has ever come close to reaching the amount of seats they possess. 

Representatives in the Imperial Congress are referred to as ‘Senators’ and not as ‘Congressmen’.

The role of the Imperial Congress within Chaumont’s democratic façade is to check and evaluate the work of the Imperial Cabinet. They may invite and question any member of the Cabinet at any time. He or she must turn up within a week and answer any and all questions the Senators may have. The only person who cannot be forced to explain his actions is the Emperor, who has total democratic immunity. His actions are always flawless and cannot be questioned, no matter how odd they may seem to the common Senators..

The Imperial Congress appoints the so-called ‘Imperial Armed Forces Council’, which is a committee of three senators and three generals, whose job it is to evaluate the combat readiness of Chaumont’s Army, Navy and Air Force. The Imperial Armed Forces Council is also subject to Congressional questioning.
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>The center of Chaumont's Democratic façade, the Imperial Congress Hall. It was built during Mont Napoleon's >>reconstruction after the Union bombardment and was a major improvement compared to the old Congress Hall.
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The division of seats in the Imperial Congress. For detailed descriptions of the parties, see the section 'Chaumont's Political Parties' below. 
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An explanation of the numbers:
>>1: The seats of the Secretaries during a session for Congress and the entire Cabinet.
>>2: The seat of the Congressional Chairman.
>>3: The seat of the Imperial Chancellor or the Emperor, depending on who is present. If the Emperor is present, the Chancellor moves to seat nr. 2 and the Congressional Chairman takes his position by the entrance.
>>4. The seat of the Prime Minister.
>>5. The seats of the Under Secretaries.
>>6: The interruption microphones. These are turned off whenever the Emperor adresses Congress.
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The Municipal and Regional levels of Government.>>
The lower levels of  government function quite similar to the higher regions. Chaumontians of age 18 upwards can vote and run for Mayor and the City Council. The percentage of votes for any particular party is divided directly into seats in the City Council. The amount of seats varies with the size of the city.

The City Councils appoint the Regional Councils. This works as follows: the City Councils of one particular region vote for the candidates they feel will best represent them on a regional level. Regional politics mostly revolves around highway, rail and waterway maintenance, national parks and monument preservation. Chaumontian citizens have no say in this process other than the votes they cast during the City Council elections.
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Mont Napoleon's City Hall is one of many structures that were constructed after the Union bombardment. >>The buildings next to the >>City Hall is the >>Regional Council / Hall of Records building. >> It contains all available information on every living Chaumontian. >>T>>he Regional>> Council for the >>region that Mont Napoleon is in also gathers in this building.
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Chaumont’s Political Parties.>>

As mentioned before, Chaumont has a total of five political parties, ranging from right wing to left wing, to extreme left wing. Extreme right discriminatory parties are constitutionally banned from any political involvement.

- The Imperial Party.



The Imperial Party election poster. The Eagle is the party's main symbol.
56 percent of the votes in the last election - 280 Congressional seats.
Agenda: To uphold the Empire, defend it?s interests and maintain a tight grip on the population and any dissidents through a powerful military and police apparatus. 
Description: This party received 56 percent of the votes in the 2001 election and is expected to rise to even greater heights in the upcoming election. All important government positions are in the hands of Imperialists.



The headquarters of the Imperial Party. The building dominates the south-western part of Mont Napoleon and is one of the most feared structures in the country. Both due to it's imposing appearance and the Guillotine Plazas that border it.

To the left of it, you can clearly see a mock execution taking place. These mock executions are mainly held as a tourist attaction, since Chaumont has officially banned the death sentence. The only exception is made for terrorists.

- The Social Democratic Party of Chaumont.
 


The election poster of the Social Democratic Party, featuring the universal symbol of Social Democracy: the Rose.
 
20 percent of the votes in the last election ? 100 Congressional seats.
Agenda: To reform the government to allow a more transparent democracy and a less suffocating bureaucracy, to dissolve the large income gaps and to turn the focus from the military to social reforms.
Description: 20 percent of the voting population votes for this party in the last election and has seen its number of members rise steadily in the last few years. Most Social-Democrats among civil servants can be found in the Ministries of Social Policies, Education and Culture and Sports.

- The Liberal Party of Chaumont.
 


The election poster of the Liberal Party is the most peaceful poster around, sporting a dove, as opposed to an Eagle. 
Most Imperialists simply regard this as weakness.
 
14 percent of the votes in the last election ? 70 Congressional seats.
Agenda: To reform the economy in order to loosen the grip of the government on certain areas of business, to liberalize the market, allow more competition between businesses and eventually to evolve Chaumont?s economy into a full-fledged free-market economy. 
Description: 14 percent of Chaumont?s voters voted for this party four years ago, but the party is gradually losing support due to incompetent leadership and because many people feel the policies of this party will cost them their jobs. Most Liberal civil servants can be found in the Ministries of Transportation and Financial and Economic Affairs.

- The Chaumontian Greenist Party.
 


Some of us may actually like this slogan. Hunters and lumberjacks definitely don't.
 
7 percent of the votes in the last election ? 35 Congressional seats.
Agenda: To reform society in such a way that polluting industries are outlawed or restricted to certain areas if necessary, to let clean energy dominate the energy market, to make animal-friendly farms mandatory and to ban all forms of hunting.
Description: 7 percent of the voting population of Chaumont cast their votes on the Chaumontian Greenist Party in the 2001 election. This result was not surprising, as most of their supporters are from Chaumont?s rural areas, which dominate the landscape. Not all farmers agree with their ideals, as they would severely damage their income levels, but the support for this party among farmers has been on the increase for the last ten years. Hunters absolutely despise this party and have frequently paintballed and pie-faced several Greenist politicians.

- The Great Communist Party of Chaumont.
 


Talk about in your face advertising.. Yep, those Communists definitely know how to get their message across.
Too bad these posters usually don't last longer than ten minutes on the walls of Chaumontian buildings..

3 percent of the votes in the last election ? 15 Congressional seats.
Agenda: To reform the society, economy and government of the Empire in such a way to form an exact replica of the former Soviet Union and modern-day Rodina. 
Description: Chaumont had to allow the formation of a Communist Party after pressure from the Soviet Union during World War Two. The former leaders of said country (Lenin, Stalin), the leader of Rodina (Sepsis) and the Communist political scientists (Marx, Engels) are revered and loved. 



Since each party is allowed to have one statue of their most admired political figure near their base of operations, the Emperor was forced to accept a statue of Sepsis, the Rodinian head of state, near the centre of Chaumont?s power. The Communist headquarters? proximity to the headquarters of the Imperial Party has not done the statue much good. Its nose has been broken off and on several occasions it has been smeared with oil and manure. The Communists have not dared to respond, as that would most likely cost them their political existence. They just clean up the mess and staunchly continue their quest for equality.. Most Communists are considered dissidents.

Maps of the Empire

There.. Update nr. 2 all finished.. I hope you've all enjoyed this second installment of 'The Empire of Chaumont'!

The location of the Empire of Chaumont on the East Coast of North America.
As you can see, the Empire is lodged between the states of Virginia and North Carolina.
 


As mentioned in the First Update, this is the first official map of the Empire, made the Imperial Corps of Engineers. This is one of many documents that feature Napoleon's handwriting, but it's special because Chaumont's current cities were all founded on or near the spot where Napoleon wrote their names down.
 


A more modern map of Chaumont. This is not how Chaumont currently looks, but instead a rendition of how it used to look, before the construction of the fortresses, canals and highways.
 


Created with the latest in computer imaging technology, this is a three dimensional rendering of how Chaumont used to look before the great Imperial construction projects of the 19th and 20th century changed the look of the Empire forever.

And lastly.. A Teaser..


As a teaser for a possible future update, here's the map of Mont Napoleon as it looks today!

[pipishere 3]

Hey, Wow...what an update that is. This is definatly one of the best Cj's on Simtropolis! Hope you don't mind but i've added a link to your CJ on my signature

Well done

[gurrgkud 2]

WOW AMAZING!!! Very good. Your CJ has quite a similar history to mine...  i like that Very good. Hope to see more

[jasperdeman.nl 1]

Simply: WOW!!!!

I just read it all and I must say, this is far more interesting then any of my history books. It is so profound and it almost makes want to check the internet for a map of the US to look for Chaumont some on the East coast.

 

I'm so looking forward to the next update, I can hardly wait.

 

 LONG LIVE THE EMPEROR