Noir

Noir, officially the Sovereign Republic of Noir (: République Souveraine de Noir), and at times the Black Republic (: République noire), is a large country located in. One of the largest countries in the world, Noir spans a region covering land on the in the east, to the  in the far west, and the  to the south up to the  in the north. The country spans a total of 8,407,717 square kilometers (3,246,238 sq mi), and has more than 151.4 million inhabitants as of 2017, making it the sixth-largest country by land and the ninth most populous country in the world. It is bordered by TBD to the west, TBD to the north, and TBD to the east, and along with and, has one of the longest land borders in the world. Noir is divided into TBD departments, with the administrative center of the country located in the city of Pierre-Noire, its largest city and economic and industrial center.

Originally established as in 1534, the colony was founded by  seeking to profit from the fur trade of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Divided into five smaller colonies that made up New France, the colony was the largest of the French overseas territories, and a major source of income for the of the period. As the colony's importance as a center of mineral extraction and agricultural production grew, slavery was quickly established in the colony as a source of vital manpower that would facilitate the growth of the cotton and wheat markets in the region. Notably, both goods became major industries in New France during the mid-seventeenth century, as well as the fur trade that prompted the French government to further invest in the colony, allowing local governance free of royal discretion.

As the need for slave labor expanded, the  was introduced in 1685, with the aim of regulating slavery in the colony and giving the white population of the colony greater control over their slaves. However, the relative backwater appearance of the colony compared to others such as and, made it difficult to attract white immigrants to the colony. Its vast size also served as a handicap for the French settlers, making it difficult outside of the region to communicate with colonists. Thus, the colony's dependence on black slaves to sustain itself became a handicap in itself. It would be the freed black population of the colony who would develop it into one of France's most prosperous colonies. This would eventually culminate in the Noirasque Revolution in 1800 by the slave population, nearly a decade following the beginning of the that would ultimately kill French imperial ambitions in North America.

The new country was able to repel the French forces from returning to the region, thanks in part to the inability of France to pacify the Haitian rebels, who absorbed most of the French army forces in Saint-Domingue, leaving the Noirasque rebels free to establish their rule over the majority of the land by the end of the war in newly independent Haiti. The country was recognized in 1817 by France, but only after another failed attempt to re-establish French authority in the country in 1815. Recognition from the and  would not be forthcoming until 1843 and 1865 respectively, given the constant danger of the freed black slaves promoting slave rebellions in their lands. The recognition of independence would allow for the growth of the economy sparking a golden age in Noir, with the industrialization of the country and growth of the urban population in a predominately agrarian country.

Over the formative years of the new state, the need for a strong central government to better protect the country from foreign incursions led to the rise of a totalitarian state which came to define the Noirasque republic, in which the culture of militant neutrality gave birth to the formation of a heavily-armed and highly authoritarian society. Utilizing its vast mineral resources and talented manpower, Noir grew to become one of the most powerful countries in the world by the twentieth century, a central of finance and industry, and one of the scientific hubs in the world. However, it was routinely criticized for its Vrai Noir, or "true black" political stance, comparable with the policies that define the early history of  during the same period. Many European countries refused to recognize Noir until it ceased its racist social and economic policies; and though most of the globe recognizes the country today, Noir has never let go of the Vrai Noir ideology.

Following the, Noir has remained one of the great powers of the world, with the world's , and one of the few nuclear-armed countries in the world, with more than two hundred nuclear weapons in its stockpile. The effects of the had a considerable effect on the economy in Noir, for which the inhabitants have blamed on the  and TBD. Noir has been an active supporter in the, invading several countries that were havens for terrorist groups such as the and  in the. The country has been sanctioned a number of times for its actions overseas, with a number of highly-publicized massacres by the Noirasque military, and punitive measures enacted against the political rivals of the country over the years. Regardless, the "Les Noirs d'abord" or "blacks first" view of the people of Noir will no doubt continue to shadow the policies of the country as a whole for many decades to come.

French rule
As the colony grew in size, it became apparent that the white population could not fill all of the needs of the colony on their own, with only a quarter of a million white Frenchmen surrounded by a population of nearly four million black slaves. Attempts to attract more white labor to New France included land grants, payment for migration to New France, and even free slaves for new immigrants to the colony. However, most Frenchmen were barely able to maintain their own households let alone those of slave families, and the land given to the migrants was of poor quality and in hostile Indian territory in the west. It became obvious as early as 1700, that the colony of New France was an attractive for white settlers from France, and the royal government was under no circumstances looking to open the colony up to settlement from rival states such as the and, both of whom were actively eyeing the colony for themselves.

Because of the manpower needs of the colony throughout the 1600 and 1700s, slaves were eventually divided into specific groups that would be governed in accordance to their new rights and responsibilities in New France. The  was continuously updated to cater to the new regulations adopted by the colonial government of New France, with the slaves progressively given more rights such as the ability for slaves serving in militias to bear arms, and slave owners prohibited from not only breaking up families with prepubescent children, but adolescent offspring as well. One edition of the Code Noir introduced the right of slaves to marry freely of their own initiative and gather freely in public and in private, whereas in the past, slaves could only be married on the initiative of their owners with their permission, and slaves from different masters could not be allowed to gather for any period of time under any circumstances.

Eventually, it was possible for slaves to purchase their freedom from their masters, a possibility that had originally been closed off to them in the Code Noir. Almost immediately, a new class of freedmen emerged in New France, sprouting up in the cities of New Orleans, Pierre-Noire, Montreal, and Quebec City. The growth of this population of black freedmen, the affranchi, would be the beginning of what many historians considered the end of New France. Affranchi could attain an education on par with their white neighbors, and many were permitted to enter into positions of authority as the needs of the state required it. Entire institutions such as the Royal Association of Black Men (: Association royale des hommes noirs) and the College of Pierre-Noire (: Collège de Pierre-Noire), were established throughout the colony, promoting the arts and sciences among the freedmen population.

The affranchi would through their work as laborers, merchants, and administrators, help to develop New France from a backwater colony into one of the most productive parts of the French colonial empire in the Americas. Accounting for nearly 35% of the total population by 1750, the affranchi controlled a considerable portion of the colony's wealth, and were given free reign by the French authorities to manage certain aspects of the colony's governance as a necessary allowance on the part of France. Individuals such as Marcel Tremblay, Jean-Joël Cormier, and Gauthier Courtet, were among the first black administrators permitted by France to have a day-to-day hand in the governance of New France. Though many in the white community were enraged by this act, the need of the colony to operate at its most optimal performance and remain a profitable investment for the French government, helped to lessen the more vocal members of the white settler population.

Filling the majority of roles needed to keep New France successful, the freed black population grew to become the new middle class for the colony. Roads, schools, churches, markets, and settlements were built by and for the affranchi, and the Code Noir was eventually transformed into a legal code that governed New France as a colony rather than a code for slavery. Though slavery was still an important facet for New France, it was largely complemented by the freedmen population that filled the roles for skilled labor. By 1725, New France was as sustainable as, and was as profitable as Saint-Dominique thanks to its wider range of goods and services. The lumber industry helped to fuel the growing shipbuilding industry out of Biloxi, and the trade of goods in New Orleans, now home to well over 50,000 inhabitants, was further expanded as finished goods and agricultural products were regularly shipped out of the port city. New France had grown from a vast unsettled wilderness to become, by the mid-eighteenth century, France's largest and most profitable colony.

French and Indian War
The is widely credited with helping advance the politically goals of the affranchi, firmly establishing the power of the freedmen population in New France. By the mid-eighteenth century, affranchi had attained a vast array of civil liberties and political power that had been viewed as a necessity by the French government in Paris. France was in no position to govern the territory as it originally wished; the white population was too small, yet the productivity and profitability of New France thanks to the efforts of the free black population was such that simply reorganizing the government would have caused more harm than good. The the political activities of the freed black population were largely opposed by the political establishment of slave owners in the New France, who viewed the activities of the affranchi as anathema to their own needs. However, as many affranchi purchased slaves from the slave owner population and liberated them as part of an abolitionist movement in New France, the power of the slave owners began to wane significantly.

As a direct consequence of the colony's vast wealth and potential, the British sought to displace the French position in North America, and began seizing a French merchant vessels in the region. Many of the vessels were crewed by freed blacks from New France, which sparked an uproar in the affranchi, quickly leading to a sharp upturn in the anti-British sentiment in the colony, and the growth of several militias raised on behalf of the French government. Regions of New France such as Upper Louisiana and Quebec were targeted by the British and their native allies, with most of the harshest fighting taking place in Ohio Country and the region of Quebec. The black militias of New France were instrumental in helping combat the British army in the region and their American counterparts, who stood to gain much in the wake of a French defeat. The affranchi paid for salaries, uniforms and equipment utilized by the New France militias, which were ushered north along newly built roads paid for by the affranchi.

The French, handicapped by the lack of military personnel in the early stages of the war, had to call upon the services of the Indian allies to combat the British and American forces in North America. Consistently overwhelmed by British troops, the French often found themselves on a defensive footing throughout much of the earlier parts of the war. The proved to be a pivotal turning point in the war that saw the affranchi rise to prominence. After successfully sieging the British garrison into surrender, the Indian forces violated the truce, killing many of the surrendering British forces as they left the fort. With this massacre of nearly two hundred men, women, and children, the French found themselves pressed to deal with the atrocity committed by the native forces. Ultimately, it was regarded as the most prudent decision to turn to the freed black population as a substitute for the Indian natives.

The affranchi quickly rallied to the call to arms, and were instrumental to the many victories enjoyed by the French following the rest of the conflict. The once overwhelmed forces of the French were greatly bolstered by the newly formed militias of affranchi, and helped turn the tide of many battles, such as the, where the affranchi militias greatly increased the capability of the French garrison in Quebec City to counter the British forces under General , and opened up the ability for the French to counterattack and liberated the lands of Acadia under British occupation. The, carried out almost entirely by the affranchi militias, was the bloodiest in the war with nearly 3,000 casualties, and was a decisive victory for France that crippled the British war effort in North America. It would be the victory in the war that gave the affranchi the long sought after political power they wanted that home, and legitimized them in the eyes of the French government as loyal subjects to the crown.