The Dominion of Cohen-Thomas

[Cohen-Thomas]

Official Name: The Dominion of Cohen-Thomas

Capital City: Portsmouth

Government type: Monarchy

Legislature: The Dominion Assembly (60)

Federalist or Unitary: Unitary

Provinces/Territories: 3 (The Kingdom of Cohen, the Independent City of Portsmouth and the Zodiac Islands)

Head of State: Empress Danielle of the House of Cohen

Head of Government: John Thomas, first citizen

Official Language: None, but English is predominate

Population: 10 million people

Separation of Powers: The Dominion is currently transitioning to a more Republican form of Government.

[Cohen-Thomas]

The story of Henry Cohen (1370 - 1451)

 

In the late 14th Century, a woman gave birth to a son the Jewish section of London, The woman was unwed and had worked in the Palace of Westminster. The boy was named Henry Cohen. His father was rumored to be the recently widowed Duke of Lancaster.

 

Henry grew to be exceptionally tall. He also bore a striking resemblance to the old Duke of Lancaster, so much so that he was forced to leave the British Isles in 1400, soon after his half-brother was crowned Henry IV, King of England. Contemporary politics demanded that Henry Cohen's existence be covered up by the House of Lancaster.

 

Henry Cohen arrived in Portsmouth, the major city in what was to become the Cohen Archipelago, where a group of Jewish settlers found a safe haven from the Inquisition that spread across Europe. Cohen established the first Bank in the Archipelago and frequently chaired meetings of business leaders in Portsmouth.

 

Henry Cohen died in 1451. His son, Thomas preceded him in death, as did his wife. Leah.

 

In 1470, decades after Henry was forced to leave England, his grandson received a letter from his cousin, Henry VI of England. Fearful that the House of Lancaster would die out, the Crown acknowledged Henry Cohen as the son of John, Duke of Lancaster. Henry Joseph Cohen asked that a city be built in the center of the main Island to serve as Capital of Cohen. It would be named Lancaster.

 

Henry Cohen's grandson was crowned King Henry I, first King of Cohen in 1472.

[Cohen-Thomas]

The House of Cohen

 

Henry (1472 - 1489)

Reuben (1489 - 1520)

 

During the latter years of King Henry?s reign, the Inquisition wrecked havoc upon the Continent. Diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Cohen and the Continent were strained based on the unfounded suspicion that King Henry considered himself King of the Jews.

 

While it was true that King Henry was a practicing Jew, a steady migration of Spanish and Portuguese settlers caused Catholicism to overtake Judaism as the dominant religion. The Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon sent an emissary to Lancaster to investigate.

 

After meeting the emissary, Prince Reuben made plans to avoid a full scale War against the Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. Prince Reuben became Cohen?s Ambassador to the Court of the Catholic Monarchs. While in Spain, Reuben converted to Catholicism. The Prince also promised to make Roman Catholicism the State Religion of Cohen once he assumed the Throne.

 

Because of these moves, King Henry decreed that Prince Reuben never again set foot in Cohen for the duration of his reign. Prince Reuben?s exile didn?t last long. King Henry was killed in 1489 by Catholic sympathizers in Portsmouth. Prince Reuben returned to govern the Kingdom of Cohen. Although King Reuben the Wise married Princess Esmarelda of Aragon, had his children raised Catholic and remained a devout Catholic, there is no record of his establishing a State Religion during his 30-year reign.

Edited October 29, 2006 by Cohen-Thomas (see edit history)

[Cohen-Thomas]

The Reign of King Reuben, aside from the first few years, was largely uneventful.

 

King Reuben died in 1520. He was succeeded by his oldest son, David. During King David's reign, he established the Royal Judicial Code and the Court System.

 

Judges appointed by the King would interpret the King's laws.

 

Any discrepencies in the Law would be initially resolved by the Royal Judge.

 

In a case where the Judge addresses discrepencies, the Judges' decision could be appealed to the King, who could amend the Judicial Code at his discretion.

 

The Kingdom was initially divided into four Court Districts: Lancaster, North Portsmouth, West Portsmouth and The Circuit Court.

 

King David died in 1555, and was succeeded by his son, David II. David II was uninterested in legal matters, so he appointed a Supreme Royal Court to resolve ambiguities in his absence. David II strengthened the Royal Navy and established the Kingdom's presence on every islands in the Archipelago. David II died during a tour of the outermost islands, and was buried at sea.

 

David II's succession was in doubt. He had a daughter and a son. The son, Crown Prince David had a history of erratic behavior and The Kingdom of Cohen had never had a female ruler. In the end the Crown Prince was Crowned David III and reigned with his older sister Julia acting as regent.

 

David III was killed in a jousting tournament in the Continent. Princess Julia had since found David I's closest male relative, who would be next in line. The boy was Crowned Bryce I. Princess Julia served as regent for the first two decades of his reign.

 

King Bryce appointed a number of advisors to his Privy Council. Members of the Privy Council would serve as his ministers and Royal Justices. King Bryce asked that genealogies originating with the original members of the first Privy Council be kept in case future problems in the succession occurred. All of the original Privy Council were descendants of David I, King Bryce's grandfather.

 

King Bryce died in 1650. Bryce's Isle and the City of Brycopolis were named in his honor.

 

The House of Cohen

 

Henry (1472 - 1489)

Reuben (1489 - 1520)

David (1520 - 1555)

David II (1555 - 1567)

David III (1567 - 1568)

Bryce (1568 - 1650)

[Rekamgil]

OOC: Excellent... Keep it up!