After the civil war in Serberia, they decided to attack the weakened country, but they failed – as a result, they had to pay reparations, etc., and a serious economic crisis ensued, with even greater poverty for the common people than before. Sensing that things were going badly, Erik von Florian (the then-Chancellor of the Alliance) suddenly changed his stance, began blaming the aristocracy for all the problems, etc., and suddenly started using the Church of Arteria as a shield, advocating for the return of Arterian values. Half a century later, they have an organized but very strict society there, with mandatory military service, a dress code, a curfew, and so on.
This is just in case someone thinks about making fun, lighthearted aristocrats like Rogdan or Isabella from Elheim.
Added 32 seconds later
And the second one, is it optional?