Duchy of Karelia

The Duchy of Karelia
The Duchy of Karelia is an unrecognized state in the Fenno-Karelian border region between the Rothiyan and Swedish empires. Established shortly after the Grand Duchy of Kyiv's annexation of Novgorod's northern territories in Murmansk and Karelia following the First Rutho-Novgorodian war, the Duchy's legitimacy and sovereignty has been under constant international question. While not recognized by most governments, the Duchy does hold territorial control and a monopoly on violence over Ladoga Karelia and White as well as North Karelia. Many Karelian peoples living in Sweden & Rothiya claim to be part of the sovereign Karelian duchy.

Over the years, control over the Duchy has shifted drastically and been heavily disputed. Although a centralized government with a legislative electoral council which hosts many local (illegal) elections over who should be the "Duke of Karelia" does exist, according to local sources in the region. The existence of the Duchy of Karelia is disputed, while the Swedish government does recognize there to be a separatist movement in Rothiyan Karelia, it claims that Swedish Karelia has no such movement. The Rothiyan government, on the other hand, insists that no rebellions nor any separatist states exist on either side of the border.