The Province of Dûnein is the largest Kemrese province by area and also its poorest. On account of its curious administrative history, it is also known as the Kingdom of Dumnonia. Its long history stretches back into Roman times when the island of Britain was overrun by Caesar and Claudius and ultimately made a distant province of the Empire. Thereafter, it became an independent kingdom, then the center of a short-lived empire and at last a province of the newly reunited remnants of the old Roman province of Britain.
After the withdrawal of the Roman Legions, the Romano-Britons were made to fend for themselves. As the Saxons began invading the island, many of the more urban southerners (from Londinium and so forth) fled into the West where several kingdoms had sprung up since the Romans left, or else south into Armorica across the British Sea. With the exception of Dumnonia, these kingdoms united under a king called Emreis I di Llian, thought by some to be entirely legendary, and formed the first nucleus of what would become the Kingdom of Cambria. This new land stretched from the Severn River in the south and well up into the Strathclyde in the north. Meanwhile, the Dumnonians were becoming the center of a far flung empire (the Empire of the Cornubians) which stretched from Galicia in Iberia to Armorica in Gaul and up into southern Britain.
At this time, Dumnonia remained independant of this first union of the Comro, but the two countries were certainly united in their efforts to stem the Saxon invasions and later Viking incursions. Very little is known of how the union in 838 between Dumnonia and Cambria came about. Most likely, a treaty was made wherein the High King of Dumnonia accepted the suzereinty of the Prince of Cambria (they were still styled "Prince" because there was still a Roman emperor at Constantinople; and though they acted as independant heads of state, they thought of themselves as holding the authority of the Emperor) on the condition that the traditional laws and rights of the land be retained and respected. This action reunited the two remaining portions of the Roman Empire in the West into one new country.
Culturally, Dûnein is rather distinct from the northern parts of Kemr. The atmosphere is more rural and agricultural, though at one time the land was highly industrialised; and Provincials feel a considerable difference between themselves and other Kemrese. The greatest factor in this difference is unquestionably the language. All the rest of the country speaks a form of
Brithenig - even the greater majority of Provincials; and though all Brithenig dialects are mutually intelligible (with effort at times); Kerno, the
official language of Dûnein, is quite different and can't be understood by Brithenig speakers. Most Provincials, even those who share the Brithenig language with the rest of the country, consider themselves to be Dumnonians or Kernowmen first and Kemrese only second. There are not a few who account themselves Roman citizens first and formost.
The Provincial Government is quite unlike the governing bodies of the other provinces. This is largely due to the special circumstances under which the Province became a part of Kemr. Like the other provinces, Dûnein has a Rheithur (Provincial Governor) and a Provincial Council; but unlike the others, the Rheithur for Dûnein is at the same time the High King of Dumnonia. The Council is made up of the twelve kings of the lesser kingdoms within Dumnonia, the Bishop of Esca and a number of Commoners elected from around the Province. The High King and his Council make up the provincial Executive.
Being a king in modern Dûnein isn't an easy job, largely because the job doesn't pay. Modern aristocrats are expected to have and hold useful jobs. The current king of the Kernow region (the westernmost of the four underkingdoms), an amiable semi-retiree, owns and runs a pub in Trurow, not far from the university. When not tending to his pub, he can usually be found out hobnobbing with the locals or hanging around the railway station playing chess with the old men. Several times a year he goes up to Boduen (the regional capital) to harangue the Town Council. The previous king (d. 2002) of the Dunnow region (the middlemost of the underkingdoms) - who was also High King of Dumnonia - was an ex officer of the Royal navy and owns rugby and football teams. He plays the ponies too often for his own good, by all accounts. The current High King is also ex of the Royal Navy, and is engaged in trade between Dumnonia and Brittany to the south.
The lower aristocracy was traditionally divided into three levels: "y Rheges Camlor", "y Dhuques" and "y Chontes". The Reges Camlor are the traditional kings of tribes or clans ("cabient" in Brithenig). Their titles and powers are symbolic anymore; usually little more than presiding over fairs or getting the front pew in church. Many are mayors of small towns or wardens over more remote areas. A few have retained traditional clanholdings constituting a castle and traditional lands around. Frequently, these are open to the public and contain museums, libraries or concert halls. The Duques were anciently military leaders responsible for mustering the armies in times of crisis. Each was responsible for a Centreb, or weapontake; and had the duties of maintaining their troops. Anymore they are responsible for leading processions of the Knights in coronation parades and preside over fairs. Not a few, though, do serve in the Royal Armed Forces or work in the constabulary. Lastly, the Contes, or counts, were minor aristocracy who used to hold some small position of power. The title and duties were abolished by the Senate in 1653 and merged with those of the Duques. This hasn't stopped minor functionaries of all sorts from calling themselves Contes, however!
In conjunction with the Rheithur and Provincial Council, Dunein is governed in its internal affairs by the Senat y Stannoer, or Tinmen's Parliament. Originally a consortium of tin mining interests, it has evolved into a governing body with considerable power over which national laws apply to the Province. They have traditionally taken little action against the High Senate at Castreleon, though, and this has for
centuries been a cause of trouble and riots. The Senate constitutes the legislative portion of provincial governance. In recent years, they have become more active; but they remain fairly conservative in modifying national Law for the Province and only rarely overturn a new Law entirely.
On matters of religion, most of the people of Dûnein are Catholics of the Cambriese Rite, and the Patriarch (of this Rite) has his Throne in the cathedral church at Glastein in the Province. There are a number of Roman Catholics living in the Province as well, mostly of Spanish descent; as well as Moslems, Protestant Christians and Others, most notably Armorican Pagans. The Cambriese Rite has been described as "Western Orthodoxy", largely due to the traditional Easter dating (still found in a few isolated locales, though the Cambriese accepted the Roman calculation in 768) and the ties maintained with Constantinople. Glastein has maintained a strong link with the Eastern Church and has maintained a number of native practices, notably the ear to ear tonsure practiced since ancient prechristian times, even though it makes its allegience with Rome. It should also be noted that the Kernow call any priest, whether Christian or Pagan, by the title "il druids". "Il prevdeors" is a later borrowing from Brithenig. Recent data give the following breakdown: of all people who claim to belong to religions other than "Rugby", "Football", "Jedi" or "None"; 65% are Cambriese Rite Catholics; 8% are Crevithyck (Armorican Pagans); 7% are Roman Catholic; 7% are Jewish; 7% are Moslem; 6% are Other (Native American, African and Asian; Greek Orthodox; Buddhist, etc).
One curious vestige of Roman Paganism in Dûnein is the continued worship or devotion to Epona, the Goddess of horses and livestock. Since the earliest times, her priests have dedicated horseraces and livestock markets to her honour. Since the Christianisation of Britain in the 200s, the Pagan religions declined dramatically, leaving the devotees of Epona as the only official non-Christian group in the country apart from those adhering to Armorican Paganism. By the 11th century, all the adherents to Epona had become entirely Christianised, including the priesthood, though they still maintained a thinly veiled pagan practice. The duties of the high druid were passed on to the Bishops of Esca in 1216. Since the 16th century, the duties have devolved to the druids of the Parish of St. Martin of Tours in the Fields (at Esca). While it can't really be said to be a viable religion anymore; there is certainly a considerable amount of pagentry and pagan ceremony surrounding even the most rural of horse races. Of particular interest for travellers is the Scouring of the Horse; festivals which are performed at the ancient horse effigies around the Province and are accompanied by morning prayers, games and all sorts of festivities through the day.
One curious difference between the Province and the rest of the country is that the vast majority of parishes in Dûnein adhere to the use Latin for services - even though the rest of the Catholic world has largely abandonned the old tongue. Though use of the vernacular (Brithenig) language in church was adopted in modern times, only one or two Parishes in the whole of the Province adopted the practice. Even though all anti-Kerno language laws were abolished by the High Senate in 1914, even the use of Kerno is not widely accepted in churches.
The country itself is largely rural, and in many respects third-world. Most people live on farms still; though a significant minority live in industrial or mining towns. Since the so called "deindustrialisation" of the Province (1866) and the closure of many mines by the early 20th century, these towns are largely empty or have reverted to more agricultural use. The most common industries found in the Province are wool production, textiles and mining, especially tin and coal. The railways, which employ large numbers of Kernowmen across the country, connect all the major portions of the Province with the rest of Kemr; though paved roads are uncommon. Electricity and telephone service have been common in urban areas since the 1960s; but rarely reach out far into the countryside. Running water and sewage have lagged farthest behind, as there are still many poorer sections of even large cities that rely on common wells for water.
Over the last decade, an increasingly vocal segment of the population have been pushing for modernisation of the local economy and industry. While they are at variance with the generally conservative nature of provincials, some progress is being made in improving the industrial situation. It is estimated that within the next quarter century, the largest industries (behind the military, railroads and agriculture) will be tourism and technology. Already, several companies have taken previously empty mills in the East have converted them to production of computer components. An up and comming industry in the province is the film industry. Several Spanish and French film companies have set up shop in Dûnein, citing it as an ideal location for films set in rural or medieval locales. The recent Josephine Award winning "Conte du Chevalier" was filmed almost entirely in the Province.
Dûnein has a lively culture with strong traditions of dance, music and story, especially those concerning the legends of Britain's ancient heros. Here's a story written in the old literary standard Kerno language (with English translation, of course!) from Britain's golden age - the years of King Arthur, the beloved emperor of Kemrese traditional story and King Mark, the national hero of Dûnein. Another story, concerning the great Contest between King Arthur of Cambria and King Dalwede of Gaul, is here. See also here for some other texts in Kerno.