The State of Thuringia-Franconia (SoTF) was the final incarnation of the former New United States, which had become the State of Thuringia when the Confederated Principalities of Europe became the United States of Europe.
Grantville firmly established itself in Thurinigia in short order after the Ring of Fire. In August 1632, in the aftermath of the Battle of Grantville, Gustavus Adolphus and Mike Stearns reached an agreement wherein Grantville would administer Franconia. This continued until early 1634, when the people of Franconia voted to join the State of Thuringia. By April of 1634, "-Franconia" had been added to the province's name.
By August of 1634, the political ramifications of that vote, and of the Ram Rebellion, led to a decision to hold a vote for a permanent capital. This was seen as necessary because Grantville's status as the capital was something that had "just happened", and because Grantville's growth potential was limited by its transplanted geography. The issue was on the state's ballot in the February, 1635 elections, and Bamberg was chosen as the capital of the SoTF. However, Grantville remained an important, if unofficial, administrative center because it had electricity and telephones.
Like Magdeburg, this state elected its own governor, although the title of the post - president - remained that of its predecessor, the New United States.[1] Other usages from the NUS also persisted: the state legislature continued to be called Congress, and the state's military forces were still called the National Guard. The SoTF also kept the up-time practice of legally declaring eighteen to be the age of majority, which occasionally caused friction with down-timers who were not accustomed to thinking of eighteen-year-olds as being of age.
The SoTF was governed by the alliance between the Fourth of July Party and the Franconian Ram Movement. As of 1635, the President of the SoTF was Ed Piazza, and the Vice President was Helene Gundelfinger.
References
- ↑ 1635: The Eastern Front, Ch. 11