Havenite planet.png
Republic of Haven
Form of Government Republic
Official language Standard English
Home Planet Haven
Capital Nouveau Paris
Head of State President
Senior Military Commander Chief of Naval Operations
Executive Branch Cabinet
Legislative Branch Congress
(Senate and House of Representatives)
Military Republic of Haven Army
Republic of Haven Marine Corps
Republic of Haven Navy
Founded 1915 PD
(reestablishment after overthrow of the People's Republic of Haven)
Currency Havenite credit

The Republic of Haven, known as the People's Republic of Haven while governed by the Legislaturalists and the Committee of Public Safety (1700-1915 PD), was a multi-system star nation surrounded by many one-system independent nations.

The demonym "Havenite" was used to describe any person, object or concept associated with the Republic. During the period when Haven was known as the People's Republic of Haven (and on occasion thereafter), the informal and somewhat pejorative term "Peep" was also used.

Star Geography[edit | edit source]

The capital of the Republic was Nouveau Paris on the planet Haven in the Haven System. The Basilisk System, home of one of the Manticore Wormhole Junction termini, was to the 'west' of Haven, along with the Silesian Confederacy and the Anderman Empire. The Star Kingdom of Manticore was to the 'southwest', and the Republic of Erewhon with its Erewhon Wormhole Junction to the 'south'. By the time of the First Havenite-Manticoran War the Republic of Haven included some 300 star systems.[1] By the time of the Second Havenite-Manticoran War, Haven had more than 75 inhabited worlds.

Member Systems[edit | edit source]

See Member Systems of the Republic of Haven
By the time of the First Havonite-Manticoran War

History[edit | edit source]

Before the DuQuesne Plan[edit | edit source]

Despite being located more than one hundred and fifty light years further from Earth, Haven was settled over a century before Manticore thanks to the development of the Warshawski sail. Haven was exceptionally suited to human life, a fact which, coupled with the financial support of a joint venture of eleven Solarian League-based corporate sponsors that funded the original colony mission, ensured an very fast growth rate for the new colony.

During its first centuries of existence, the Republic of Haven was one of the most prosperous human worlds in the galaxy, and was viewed as a sort of "interstellar Athens." Considering the poverty of its less favored citizens an aberration in light of Haven's prosperity, the Havenite government launched welfare measures which, after a few centuries, became a caricature of a welfare state.

The People's Republic[edit | edit source]

The Republic began experimenting with welfare state policies in an attempt to address economic inequality in its society, culminating in the adoption of the Economic Bill of Rights around 1680 PD. Due in part to corruption issues, this instead caused Haven to go into an economic death spiral as welfare costs and deficit spending ballooned, economic productivity and socioeconomic mobility declined,and the middle class essential to Haven's democratic tradition dwindled. (HHA1.4: UHH, HOS)

In the 18th Century PD, the Republic was renamed the "People's Republic of Haven" following the Constitutional Convention of 1750. The new head of state became the Hereditary President. A new breed of machine politicians, called Dolist Managers, emerged as kingmakers, being able to deliver the votes of millions of so-called "Dolists" to the candidates (called Legislaturists) of their choosing.

Some years later, the deteriorating financial and economic condition of the Republic led to the DuQuesne Plan which expected to conquer neighboring star systems to shore up Haven's economy. The original Havenite democracy disappeared, and power came to be concentrated within the Legislaturalist families, who established a number of secret police organizations to maintain control over the renamed People's Republic of Haven. The original Havenite Constitution was replaced by a new document which enshrined Legislaturalist rule. This constitution was the first step of the so-called "DuQuesne Plan", named after the Havenite politician who proposed it. (HH1)

In 1804 PD, the treasury was effectively empty. (HH4)

Conquest period and prelude to war with Manticore[edit | edit source]

Starting 1846 PD, the PRH began a campaign of expansion in order to find new sources of income to compensate for the increasingly underperforming economy, including the welfare state. The Pegasus System was one of its first conquests. The PRH made no declaration of war, so the Pegasus System Navy had no warning. The Gaston System was one of the next conquests about ten years later, and while no declaration of war was made in that case either, the Gaston Space Navy had seen what had happened to Pegasus and was better prepared. (HH8)

In 1883 PD, the PRH conquered the Trevor's Star System, containing the planet, San Martin, and the Trevor's Star Terminus of the Manticore Wormhole Junction.

In 1900 PD, the PRH launched Operation Odysseus, which was a plan to conquer the Basilisk System. It failed due to the active intervention by HMS Fearless and her Captain, Honor Harrington.

In 1901 PD, all Havenite vessels were subjected to search by a Star Kingdom of Manticore Royal Proclamation because of the incident at Medusa. (HH1) Honor Harrington was tried and convicted in absentia by an Havenite court of murder, but also decorated and promoted by the Royal Manticoran Navy.

In 1903 PD, the PRH sought an alliance with Masada to help in the coming war with Manticore. The two star nations launched Operation Jericho, a failed attempt to conquer Manticore's local ally Grayson. (HH2)

In 1904 PD, nearly two-thirds of Haven's population were Dolists. The economy was in shambles with rampant inflation and the treasury has been empty since 1804 PD. The PRH would recognize the Zanzibar Liberation Front in order to destabilize the government of the Caliphate of Zanzibar. In response, Zanzibar broke off diplomatic ties. (HH4)

First Havenite-Manticoran War (1905-1915)[edit | edit source]

Main article: First Havenite-Manticoran War

The PRH had long sought to conquer the Star Kingdom of Manticore for its immense wealth. In 1905 PD, the People's Navy ran a series of provocations against the Manticoran Alliance, followed by a general offensive. However, it was thrown back with severe losses at the battles of Hancock, Yeltsin's Star and Seaford Nine. Shortly thereafter, the Committee of Public Safety overthrew the Legislaturalist government, purging the former ruling class and the Navy's officer corps. The various Havenite security agencies were absorbed into Office of State Security, which vigorously removed threats to the new police state. (HH3)

The initial period of instability led to the Manticoran Alliance making great gains into Havenite territory, but the People's Navy rallied and began fighting back, even undertaking a number of successful counteroffensives. The rise of a new corps of skilled officers previously kept down under the Legislaturalists and the clandestine supply of modern technology from the Solarian League allowed the PN to regain strength.

However, Manticore and its allies developed new weapons technology that was used to devastating success in Operation Buttercup. Further, the PRH was destabilized again by the failed coup of Secretary of War Esther McQueen. Just as the Royal Manticoran Navy was about to bring the war to the close, Prime Minister Cromarty was assassinated in Haven's Operation Hassan. The new government of Baron High Ridge agreed to a ceasefire against the wishes of Queen Elizabeth III. (HH9)

After the war, Saint-Just attempted to absorb the PRH's military into State Security, but was overthrown and killed in a coup orchestrated by his own Secretary of War, Thomas Theisman. (HH9)

The Restored Republic Period (1915-1919)[edit | edit source]

In the coup's aftermath, Theisman convened a Constitutional Convention and a new government was formed under President Eloise Pritchart, a former People's Commissioner. The old constitution of the Republic of Haven was restored, giving Haven a renewed national self-confidence. Some State Security forces went into resistance against the restored Republic, such as the People's Navy in Exile. The new Republic of Haven Navy spent several years removing the ex-SS warlords from its territory, while Secretary of War Theisman orchestrated a massive, clandestine effort to improve its weapons technology and regain parity with the Manticoran Alliance. (HH10)

Manticore's High Ridge government deliberately avoided securing a formal peace treaty with the Republic, in order to justify continued wartime tax rates. Meanwhile, the Mesan Alignment wished to see Haven and Manticore return to war, as both had proven to be implacable opponents of its genetic slavery activities. Encouraged by a Mesan operative, Jean-Claude Nesbitt, Havenite Secretary of State Arnold Giancola falsified diplomatic correspondence for his own political advantage. This led to increasing anger from the Pritchart administration towards Manticore and in turn a deterioration of relations. In 1919 PD, convinced by Giancola's duplicity that Manticore was deliberately negotiating in bad faith as a prelude to resuming hostilities, the Havenite president ordered the Republic of Haven Navy to strike first against the Manticoran Alliance in Operation Thunderbolt. (HH10)

Second Havenite-Manticoran War (1919-1922)[edit | edit source]

Main article: Second Havenite-Manticoran War

Operation Thunderbolt was a staggering success for the Republic of Haven, reclaiming all systems occupied by the Manticoran Alliance in the first war, with the lone exception of the Trevor's Star System, and forcing Manticore on to the defensive. However, since Manticore and Haven both believed that the other had falsified diplomatic correspondence, there was no prospect of a negotiated peace. (HH10)

Manticore retaliated with a series of deep raids into Havenite territory. A Havenite victory at the Battle of Solon and news that Manticore had been involved in a confrontation with the Solarian League in the Talbott Cluster again encouraged President Pritchart to seek talks with Manticore, but an unsuccessful assassination attempt by the Mesan Alignment on Queen Berry of Torch, the proposed site of the peace talks, again convinced Manticore that a negotiated peace was impossible. Equipped with a new missile system, Manticoran forces attacked the Lovat System and inflicted a devastating defeat on Havenite forces, demonstrating that their new weapons allowed them to destroy Havenite ships with impunity. (HH11)

In an effort to force a peace before the Royal Manticoran Navy could bring its new weapons into general service, the Republic of Haven Navy attacked the Manticore System in overwhelming force. The Battle of Manticore was the largest naval engagement in galactic history, though the Haven force was defeated by Manticoran reinforcements from Trevor's Star. The battle effectively destroyed both sides' offensive capabilities, bringing the war to a de facto end. (HH11)

Alliance with Manticore[edit | edit source]

In mid 1922 PD, Anton Zilwicki and Victor Cachat returned to Nouveau Paris with the information that the Haven-Manticore conflicts had been sparked by the Mesan Alignment, who were also pushing the Solarian League into war with Manticore. Determined to bring about permanent peace and unwilling to allow herself to be manipulated any further, President Pritchart took a few key members of her Cabinet, sailed straight to Manticore, gave this information to Queen Elizabeth III, and offered a peace treaty. Moreover, Pritchart proposed that Haven join with Manticore in the coming struggle against Mesa and the League, thus ending decades of warfare and forming the Grand Alliance. (HH12, HH13)

The treaty, which included the formation of the Grand Alliance, was confirmed in the Havenite Congress by an overwhelming margin in July 1922 PD, and was also confirmed by the Manticoran Parliament. (HH13)

Government[edit | edit source]

Executive branch[edit | edit source]

Head of the State

In all its incarnations, the Republic's head of state was also the head of government.

See: Cabinet (Republic of Haven)

Legislative branch[edit | edit source]

The original Constitution of the Republic of Haven created a bicameral Congress composed of a Senate (HH10) and a House of Legislators (UHH); the concentration of power in the latter house of Congress led to what would become known as the Legislaturist regime.

After the reformation of the Constitution which transformed the original Republic into the People's Republic, as per the DuQuesne Plan, the Senate was dissolved and the collective body of the Dolist Managers, the People's Quorum, was integrated into the government of the People's Republic.

The restoration of the original Constitution by the post-Committee Pritchart Administration led to the reestablishment of Congress, which was again composed of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. (HH10)

Judiciary branch[edit | edit source]

During the People's Republic, the highest court in the Havenite judiciary system was the Supreme Tribunal of the People's Justice, whose members were known as People's Justices. Following the restoration of the original Constitution, a Supreme Court was established as the highest court of law of the Republic of Haven [2], with powers of judicial review over every legislation passed by Congress. (HH12)

Political parties[edit | edit source]

After the overthrow of the Committee of Public Safety and the restoration of the original Constitution, the existence of free political parties was once again authorized and several arose during the years of the Pritchart Administration. In order to ensure wide support for the Constitution, President Pritchart's cabinet included several members who belonged to different political parties. (HH12)

By 1922 PD, some of the largest parties in Havenite politics were:

Society and Culture[edit | edit source]

Economy[edit | edit source]

The economy of Haven was very fragile, and to help stabilize the economy, the government kept a constant state of warfare and conquests. The legal currency of Haven (throughout all its changes of government) was the Havenite credit. (HHA4.4: LGTP)

Two centuries of deficit spending had wrecked Haven's economy to the point that the Legislaturists and the Dolist Managers were unable to fix the problem at the beginning of the 20th Century PD. (HH1)

Culture[edit | edit source]

In attempts to control the population, the government outlawed material describing the history of Haven in the pre-People's Republic era and other material that was deemed illegal. The Mental Hygiene Police was responsible for enforcing these laws.

Dolists were the part of Havenite original lower class; they did not work and were supported with a Basic Living Stipend to live on. The BLS would change whenever the Government needed more money, especially in times of peace. (HH1) There were no Dolists supported with the BLS in the freshly conquered systems: those systems had to be exploited to support the poor Havenite economy. (HHA4.4: LGTP)

The Legislaturists were the ruling class of Haven under the DuQuesne plan, and were, in effect, a hereditary nobility. The DuQuesne plan originally intended for a non-hereditary system, in which replacements were selected via a cadet process. Being a Legislaturist opened many doors, such as high ranking positions in the government and military. (HH3)

Military[edit | edit source]

Sign HavenArmedForces.jpg

Republic of Haven Navy[edit | edit source]

See Republic of Haven Navy, Republic of Haven Army, Republic of Haven Marine Corps

People's Republic of Haven Navy[edit | edit source]

See People' Navy, People's Army, People's Marines

External links[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. https://www.baen.com/honorverse_analytics
  2. A post by David Weber mentions the existance of a Supreme Court in the restored Republic: [1]