Thyatian Imperial Government
by James RuhlandThe Emperor
Thyatis is ruled by an Emperor
(Avtokrator or Basilius). The throne is'
technically elective (through the Senate), but in practice often
hereditary (the Senate approves the most logical candidate, which
is usually the previous Emperor's oldest child1.
Co-Emperors are also sometimes elected, serving generally
ceremonial roles, to free up the primary Emperor from court
functions. On some occasions the ceremonial Emperor has been the
dynastic one, while a more dynamic (generally military) co-Emperor
has been elected to carry out affairs of state and policy.
The Emperor generally serves for
life, though a few have been deposed (yet lived) through coups
organised and supported by the Senatorial aristocracy and/or the
military faction. Emperors often insure that their children are
crowned co-Emperor while they live, as a way of maintaining a
dynastic succession.
Thus, though in principle
the throne is elective, not hereditary, Thyatis is generally ruled
by dynastic houses of various lengths. Even the current Emperor,
Thincol Torion, attached himself to the reigning dynasty through
marriage to promote a sense of legitimacy, since the people have
become accustomed to dynastic (hereditary) rulers and expect
it.
The Emperor has the power to
appoint the various ministers of the "executive" branch of
government, and all report to him (directly or indirectly). He also
makes senior provincial and judicial appointments, subject to
confirmation by the Senate.
He is the supreme commander of the
Thyatian military, and can organise and direct its forces on his
discretion. He can veto any measure passed by the Senate, and
through his ministers he can create 'regulations' which have the
force of law (unless the Senate outlaws them specifically through
legislation).
The Emperor in addition has certain
ecclesiastical powers, including the ability to propose candidates
for the office of "Patriarch" of Thyatis,
to be confirmed by the senior Clerical officials of Thyatis. The
Emperor is clearly paramount in Thyatian government.
Nota Bene: in situations where multiple "Emperors" (co-Emperors) exist, only the senior (or ruling, rather than reigning) Emperor is refereed to as "the Avtokrator", to distinguish him from the ceremonial Emperors.
Imperial Senate
Thyatis the City elects 28 Senators
(2 from each ward of the City); every other city within the Empire
elects 2 Senators, and each district2 elects 1 Senator.
Typically, there are 200-300 Senators within the Empire at any
given time. The officers of the Senate are selected by the Senate,
generally consisting of distinguished men (and, on rare occasions,
women). Presiding over the Senate is the Princeps
Senatus.
The Senate is the legislative body
of the Empire, passing all laws. They also determine the tax
structure of the Empire, and supervise the activities of the
Emperor and his ministers.
Only Senators may introduce bills
for debate. Debate on any bill is limited to one week. Simple
majorities are required to pass legislation, subject to Imperial
Veto.
Though the Emperor may not
introduce legislation himself, any Emperor who cannot rely on at
least one Senator to do so on his behalf will not remain Emperor
for long. The Senate cannot override an Imperial Veto (though they
can pass legislation multiple times, interfere with Imperial
appointments by delaying confirmations, etc, and otherwise put the
screws to the Emperor in ways both formal and informal to get their
way). Approval of the Senate is required for declarations of war,
and the Senate bestows all titles3.
The Senate also has several
judicial functions, and an important privilege bestowed upon those
of high rank or title is the right of trial in the Senate, rather
than the general courts. There are several ways of handling this,
including trials where three Senators are appointed to judge a
case, up to (for impeachment of high government officials) trial
before the Senate as a whole.
The primary role of the Senate in
practice however is as a supervisory "check" on the otherwise
unlimited power of the Emperor. Any Emperor worthy of the name will
be able to enforce his will. However, the Senate can obstruct
things for intemperate Emperors, and has been a force behind
efforts to replace disastrous ones, lending the deposition of a
scoundrel legitimacy and conferring (through Senatorial election)
legitimacy upon a replacement. None the less, such coups are often
bloody, if brief, affairs.
Many Thyatian cites and communities
have their own regional version of the Imperial Senate, an assembly
(or Curia) that is responsible for local matters. The influence of
these bodies on local policy is often fairly strong by comparison
with the Imperial Senate, since the latter exists in the shadow of
the Emperor's own power.
Senators are not paid out of the
Imperial Treasury. Officially, they are unpaid, "serving the state
out of civic duty." In practice, this means that Senators must be
independently wealthy, or have some other source of income (IE a
office in the Imperial Government). The Senators by and large like
this, because it keeps out "rabble-rousing riff raff", those who
cannot afford the office due to lack of wealth. Some enlightened
cities and districts elect to provide financial support to their
Senators (pay, if you will), to get around this. The 28 Senators of
Thyatis the City receive stipends from the Guilds (and others), and
housing if they need it. Thus, these Senators are somewhat less
plutocratic than others.
Senators are elected for terms of
"not more than six years;" The Emperor can call an election at his
discretion, to take place six months after he decrees it, but no
more than six years may pass between elections. Cities and
Districts can also replace their Senators through recall and other
means at their discretion (extraordinary procedures, usually
invoked only in extreme circumstances), and by-elections if their
Senator dies or resigns (for whatever reason) during his term.
The Imperial Senate maintains the
character of the civic Senate of Thyatis the City as well. Thyatis
the City has no "Curia" of its own, but its 28 Imperial Senators
(which have informal city governance roles), the Guild Leaders,
Ward Archons, etc., as well as the presence of the Imperial
Government, insure that the political life of the City is
dynamic.
The Curial assemblies of other cities are organised by local tradition. Some are no more than 12 or so prominent men, forming a town council, and others are large bodies equalling or rivalling the Imperial Senate in size (300 members). These Curial Assemblies are generally responsible for the organisation of local civic government, petitioning the Imperial Government to solve various problems that they don't have the resources to solve themselves, and the like. Their power, and the power of the officials they elect/appoint, vary with local circumstances and history. In many areas these are not "republican" bodies at all, but consist of local aristocrats and the like. Hattias for example is notoriously undemocratic.
Ministries
So far the above is not terribly
different from canon, but here is where they begin to show notable
differences.
The Ministries are officed in the
Praetorion building, the principal
governmental building in Thyatis the City, or within the
Great Palace itself. The executive "branch" of
the Thyatian Imperial Government is often refereed to as "the Great
Palace" (or "the Sacred Palace") in the same way people refer to
"the White House" when talking about the American executive branch.
People often refer to "the Praetorion" when speaking of the
government of the City itself, as most of its functionaries have
offices there. The actual civil service of the Thyatian government
consists of little over 600 persons, rather small by modern
standards. Each of its bureaux is headed by an official who reports
directly to the Emperor.
The 12 Thyatian Ministries plus the
office of the Sacellarius are organised as follows:
Sacellarius: Functions as a kind of "chief of staff",
supervising the day to day activities of the other ministries. He
has a staff of 12 inspectors, one for each of the below
ministries.
Minister of
Petitions: Another "gatekeeper" official, who sorts
petitions to the Emperor, as well as lobbying for or against
legislation in the Senate (a kind of "chief arm- twister"). He has
a staff of 6 clerks.
Quaestor:
Supervises the Imperial judiciary, as well as the Imperial
policing/internal security forces. Often headed by a member of the
Senate, this person is also responsible for the drafting of
legislation to be submitted (by whatever means) to the Senate for
debate. The Quaestor has a staff of 12.
Eparch: The
Eparch regulates trade and commerce throughout the Empire, but is
especially concerned with regulating it in Thyatis the City. He
supervises one of the largest of the ministries, having a staff of
98 men, with offices in the Praetorion rather than
the Great Palace. He is also responsible for
governance and law enforcement in Thyatis the City itself, and is
thus the closest thing to a mayor that it has (along with the
leaders of the Demes, which see). His staff also includes
the heads of the twenty or so commercial guilds of Thyatis the
City.
Protoasecretis: Keeps records/archives of all the
other departments, supervises the Imperial University, and is
usually a man of great learning. Often given responsibility over
magical matters as well, functioning as a kind of "Minister of the
Arcane." "The Chancery" has a staff of 25 in addition to the
Protoasecretis, many of them sages and other learned men, and more
than a few Clerics and Mages of repute can be found in this
ministry.
Imperial
Factor: The Ministry of the Factor supervises the
Imperial factories, arms production, and the like. These include
production and distribution of goods for the vast Imperial
Household within the Great Palace, production and sale of silk, and
provisioning of the army and navy. The Imperial Factor has a staff
of 15 men.
Great
Curator: This officer functions as a kind of "super
seneschal," administering the Imperial estates and palaces. He has
a staff of 44 men (this does not of course include "household
staff" such as chefs, etc, which are distinct from government as
such and paid out of the emperor's own income, rather than the
state budget).
Orphanotrophion: The Orphanotrophus is the official in
charge of the Imperial orphanages and other charitable
institutions. He is usually a renowned Cleric, and has a
administrative staff of 8. The Orphanotrophion has also been given
land grants sufficient to support its charitable works,
supplementing direct government largess.
Chancellor of the
Sacellium: This is, in effect, the "Ministry of the
Treasury", supervising the Imperial Mint, and performing the tasks
of a "national bank" (similar to the Federal Reserve). The
Sacellarii, a small but potent guard force, ruthlessly hunts down
and exterminates thieves with extreme prejudice, backed by magical
might. The treasury has an official staff of 58 under the
Chancellor himself.
Chancellor of the
Vestarium: This bureau deals with objects other than
cash, and supervises the Imperial Arsenal. "Objects other than
cash" include magic items, alchemical factories, research
endeavours, and the like. This ministry also has access to potent
magic, and the very location of its most important projects is a
tightly held secret. In addition to the Chancellor, 25 men are on
the Imperial payroll in this bureau.
General
Logothete: This official supervises the collection of
taxes, and has a staff of inspectors to insure that receipts are
not embezzled or otherwise lost due to corruption. Magical means
are used to insure that the tax collectors (generally tax farmers
who receive a fixed percentage of the receipts). Obviously, it is
important that this office is staffed by a man of unquestioned
character. Records are constantly updated, and this bureau is also
in charge of census matters, and maintaining an accurate survey of
the status of the Empire as a whole. A staff of 71 is supported out
of the Imperial Treasury for this ministry.
Military
Logothete: in effect the "Minister of War", this
officer has the important task of supervising the distribution of
pay to the Thyatian military, as well as its logistical
provisioning. Officials of this ministry are also tasked with
inspection of the Imperial Armed forces, insuring their quality. It
works in tandem with the Imperial High Command to develop sound
military organisation, research and development of new ships,
engines of war, supports the study of battle spells, and supervises
military academies and training centres. 98 men, including the
Logothete, staff this bureau.
Logothete of
Information: This ministry performs a variety of
functions; it is in charge of the Imperial communications network
(including couriers, the Heliograph, and a rumoured magical
communication network), it supervises Thyatian consular embassies
in other lands, and is in charge of "internal security." This
Minister is also responsible for the Imperial "secret service", the
Magistranoi, who perform espionage and counterespionage tasks for
the Imperial government. The Magistranoi are a small but elite
group, including many Foresters, Rakes, and Thieves (but not
exclusively) who, in effect, "adventure" on behalf of the Imperium.
The bureaucratic staff of this ministry is 130 persons, making it
the largest of the 13 Ministries. For an inexplicable reason, this
Ministry is often refereed to as "the Drome4".
Note that the above Ministries may
not cover all functions. Individuals given titles by the Senate
(usually at the request of the Emperor) are often deputised to form
"ad hoc" groups to handle certain matters of import to the state
(read = adventurers and their buddies). Also, in the Imperial Armed
Forces, the commanders of the Imperial Guard regiments (the
Tagmata) form a kind of "High Command"/General Staff dealing with
military matters.
In general, the ministries perform
largely supervisory functions: the military, provincial
administrators, and "private" institutions do much of the actual
administrative work. The staffs of the central bureaux consist
mostly of people who keep track of what should be done for the
government, agents and messengers who send out directives, and
inspectors to insure that the orders have been carried out
properly. This creates a system that provides all necessary
government at low cost to the state5
In addition, many of the above
Ministries may have functions not specified in their descriptions.
In fact, the descriptions are left almost deliberately vague in
many instances, leaving room for detail to be filled in.
There are also "subministerial"
organisations, quasi- governmental or "intermediary institutions"
that are "off budget". These include institutions such as the
Imperial University, monasteries and other important organisations
which have been given land grants or other means of "off budget"
support by the Imperium. They are run autonomously, but in
cooperation with the government (if that makes sense). The
Thyatian Imperium is kind of a "corporatist state6" in
this respect. Sometimes, it is hard to tell where the government
ends, and where private institutions begin.
1c.f. "One Clear Choice"
from the Rebellion Sourcebook, GDW, for Traveller, on why
this practice prevails.
2District populations average 20,000 people.
3These titles are largely ceremonial, but prestigious,
and they do carry with them certain privileges. However, there is
no "nobility" as such, in the sense of hereditary feudal
rulers.
4Actually, it is explicable: this is the Logothete
du Dromond, or "Ministry of the Runners". Most folks know of
"Dromonds" as warships, not couriers, so I changed it. However,
"the Drome" is a nice colloquialism; just assume its origin is lost
in the mists of time. . .
5For more detail, see Treadgold, State Finances
and The Byzantine Revival. See also Magdalino, The Empire
of Manuel I Komnenos. There are a number of other sources if
you're truly hard core. Of course, The Cambridge Medieval
History, Vol. 4 is a good general source, and John Julius
Norwich's Byzantium trilogy (which I'd recommend over the
one volume condensation) is written with the general reader in
mind.
6In the Political Science sense of the term. Modern
corporatism has nasty connotations, but most pre-modern European
nations were to some large degree corporatist, without being
fascist or Stalinistic. However, in some campaigns the Thyatian
Empire is depicted as a fascist dictatorship, so this appellation
would be appropriate. In general, I have tried to keep everything
as "neutral" as possible, portraying the above neither positively
nor negatively, though I'm sure you creative folks can see where
some nice nasty interpretations can be made.
Anyhow, that's it for the central
government. Provincial organisation to follow, unless folks would
prefer something else first.