Difference between revisions of "Government of the Amarr Empire"

Latest revision as of 03:33, 1 March 2016

The Amarr Empire is a theocratic monarchy which can best be described as a single state made up of five vassal kingdoms, governed by princes known as the Amarr heirs who submit to the central authority of the Amarr Emperor. The traditional three branches of government exist in a convoluted form in the Empire, as there is much mingling and crossing of powers between the different bodies.

Amarr Emperor

At the top of the Imperial government sits the Amarr Emperor. In theory, the emperor's rule is unchallenged and absolute. In practice, however, he typically only has influence when personally present. Instead, he issues commands which are then carried out by a number of subordinate officials, governmental bodies, and vassals.^[1] While an emperor can make decisions that run counter to the wishes of his subordinates^[2], he does not do so without assuming some measure of risk. An emperor must instead carefully balance the wishes of numerous rival factions against one another, keeping them all happy enough that a majority do not act to undermine his rule. The history of the Empire is spotted with ineffective emperors who, through failure to keep subordinates appeased, became relegated to little more than figureheads.

History

The first Amarr Emperor was Amash-Akura^[3], who founded the Amarr Empire in 16470 AD.^[4] Amash-Akura laid down many of the laws and regulations of the Empire and established the basic form of government that continues to modern times. Amash-Akura himself was an emperor as traditionally envisioned, holding tremendous sway and issuing laws and proclamations on his own volition. He formed the Council of Apostles to assist him in ruling and, as a highly religious man, merged the church with the government.

After Amash-Akura passed away, the role of emperor became less vital. Without the personal charisma and influence of Amash-Akura, the emperor became the first among equals on the Council of Apostles rather than its undisputed leader. The emperor was nominally the head of state of the Empire, but did not act on his own whims. Instead, he governed with the Council, acting more as an officiator and tiebreaker than a director. The emperor remained a figurehead for the people and all laws and decrees were issued in his name, but he rarely was able to act without the express backing of the Council as a whole.

This method of governance continued for thousands of years. It was first disrupted during the reign of Zaragram II, known among the Amarr as the Mad Emperor. Zaragram II issued numerous small decrees and effected changes in law to slowly give him more and more power. By the end of his reign, he had declared himself the worldly avatar of the divine and had become the unquestioned sole leader of the Empire. However, he was assassinated and the Council of Apostles began undoing his numerous changes.^[5][6]

Despite the efforts of the Apostles, enough small changes remained undetected to allow future emperors some leeway in writing and determining Imperial policy and law. This finally came to a head in 21875 AD, when Emperor Heideran V came to power and initiated the Moral Reforms.^[4] The Reforms were aimed at consolidating the power of the Council of Apostles in the hands of the emperor, raising him from a first among equals to a true head of state. Though the Council objected, Heideran V had secured the loyalty of five of the most powerful families in the Empire. Together, they defeated the Apostles and thoroughly changed the nature of the emperor.

Following the Moral Reforms, the emperor became the primary ruler of the Empire, with each of the five families who had supported him as his direct vassals and potential heirs. These families, which came to be known as the Amarr heirs, would compete with one another following the death of an emperor in an effort to name their chosen head as the new emperor. This tradition continues to the modern day.

Role

The emperor has numerous roles within the government of the Amarr Empire. He is both sovereign of the Amarr state as well as the leader of the Amarr religion and draws authority from both secular and divine authority. The emperor has often been termed a “god-emperor”^[7] because of his connection with God, but, aside from Zaragram II, no emperor has claimed to be an actual deity or hold any special divinity. Instead, the emperor is thought of as the mouthpiece of God in the mortal world, carrying out God's rule.

Executive

Primary among the emperor's duties is that as enforcer of the Scriptures. The Scriptures, which constitute the holy laws of the Empire, are many and it is the emperor's duty to see they are enforced. Despite being the most important of an emperor's roles, it is also the role in which the emperor is most limited, as he must rely on subordinates for actual action.

In this role, the emperor issues commands to the Amarr heirs, the Imperial Chancellor, the Imperial Navy, the Ministry of Internal Order, and the other groups of the Privy Council.^[2] These groups are then expected to carry out his orders within their domains, at the risk of severe punishment should they refuse or fail.

In practice, the emperor must carefully balance the desires of his many subordinates in issuing commands. When a solitary or small number of subordinates might object, the emperor can be secure in the knowledge they will act or draw the ire of his supporters. A widely unpopular declaration, however, can be met with a unified refusal, thus undermining the emperor's authority and increasing the likelihood of future dissent. Often an emperor will play two rival groups against one another, keeping the two focused on each other and thus easily pliable for the emperor himself.

While in ancient times the emperor would involve himself in many minor matters, since the conquest of Athra, the emperor rarely involves himself directly in issues that do not affect the entire Empire. Such intercessions are considered breaches of tradition.^[8] In those rare times when the well-being of the entire Empire is threatened, the emperor's rule is seldom challenged.^[9]

Legislative

The emperor also has tremendous sway over the creation and issuance of new laws within the Empire. Such decrees can be widespread and sweeping, such as Heideran's Decree which limited the ability of Holders to field space fleets^[2] and Jamyl's Emancipation which freed 9th-generation and higher Minmatar slaves^[10], or extremely limited in scope such as the Ardishapur Decree which targeted only males born to the Ardishapur Family^[11]. As the emperor also speaks with the voice of God, he is allowed to contradict the Scriptures, either by ignoring pieces that contradict his wishes, emphasizing passages that reinforce his position, or modifying sections to strengthen his commands.

However, these alterations are not permanent, as the Theology Council maintains exclusive rights to modify Scripture directly. The emperor often works alongside them in affecting Scriptural law. The Theology Council usually attempts to sway the emperor to hewing closely to already-established Scripture, though it also acts as an expert on finding sections of Scripture that may support or cause trouble for the emperor's decrees.

Additionally, the emperor has the right to grant titles, land, and appointments to all within the Empire. In addition to naming the non-hereditary heads of the Privy Council seats such as the Court Chamberlain^[12] and Imperial Chancellor^[13], the emperor can freely give territory to members of the nobility and royalty to rule^[14].

Finally, the emperor has the right to collect taxes on the entire empire. Most regularly, this comes as a tithe from the heir families, who pay the Empire a percentage of the taxes they collect from their underlings, though the emperor can also mandate an empire-wide tax on all echelons of society in times of need. The emperor gives final approval on where the Empire's coffers are spent, which can assist him in gaining sway over the many factions beneath him.

Much as with his executive duties, the emperor must tread carefully in creating or eliminating laws. Should his goals be too radical, he can find a majority of his subordinates refusing to acknowledge the laws. When making appointments, balance must be maintained to avoid showing too much favoritism, lest less favored groups form a persistent opposition. Thus the emperor must often politic between the various groups, finding enough support that potential opponents will have no choice but to act or be ostracized.

Judicial

In theory, the emperor is the highest judicial authority in the Empire. He is able to overturn any ruling set forth by other courts or the heirs. In times past, the emperor held an open court where he listened to the disputes of high-ranking individuals and laid forth judgment. As the empire grew, however, this practice became increasingly difficult to maintain and by the time of the Moral Reforms had died out completely.

Instead, the modern emperor levies judgments only in the most extreme cases. Typically, this involves actions which directly involve the emperor himself^[15] or concern the entirety of the Empire.^[16][9]

Succession

The title of emperor has never been strictly hereditary in the Empire. Amash-Akura's successor was not related by blood to the emperor, though some emperors have been succeeded by blood relations.^[17] Prior to the Moral Reforms, the emperor was selected from a serving member of the Council of Apostles by vote. Various candidates were nominated and each Apostle carried one vote. Early in the Empire's history, there were times when politicking slowed the selection process, creating gaps of years where no emperor reigned. In response, the Council decided they should be locked in seclusion until an emperor was selected. An emperor at this time required a two-thirds vote to be elected.

Following the Moral Reforms, the Council of Apostles was demolished and the Imperial Throne instead became limited to the five heir families. Rather than being selected through vote, the five chosen heirs instead compete in a number of Succession Trials to determine their worth. The trials are determined by the Succession Committee^[18], a group comprised of top religious officials, who then call on the heirs to complete them.^[19] Over time, many different trials have been performed. Most recently, during the trials to select the successor to Heideran VII, they consisted of a designated champion and three wingmen competing in frigate duels against the other champions. This method proved somewhat unpopular with the heirs, as it took much of the process out of the hands of the heirs themselves.

Amarr Heirs

The Amarr heirs are the heads of the five royal families, four of whom assisted the emperor during the Moral Reforms, who hold permanent seats on the Privy Council. The original five were the Ardishapur, Kador, Khanid, Kor-Azor, and Sarum families, though the Khanid Family was removed following the Khanid Rebellion and replaced with the Tash-Murkon Family.^[19] The heirs are often compared to kings or princes of their individual realms and function in much the same way the emperor does, albeit on a more limited scale.

The heirs are responsible for enforcing the Empire's laws, creating their own laws and collecting taxes, regulating trade, and acting as judiciary within their domains. In many respects, they are less fettered than the emperor, as their domains are so subdivided that organized opposition can rarely mobilize. However, in the event of widespread abuses by the heir, repercussions have been known to happen.^[20]

History

The Amarr heirs arose from five powerful Holder families – Ardishapur, Kador, Khanid, Kor-Azor, and Sarum – who supported Emperor Heideran V during the Moral Reforms. Following the Reforms, Heideran V created the Privy Council, a leadership group intended to replace many of the functions of the Council of Apostles. For their support, the emperor granted the five families permanent spots on the Council.^[19] In order to ensure the throne and Empire would remain stable following his death, the emperor had the Theology Council devise the Succession Trials so that one of the heirs would ascend to the throne peacefully. The Council also designed the ritual of Shathol'Syn, with the assistance of the Ardishapur heir, in an effort to keep the losing heirs from attempting to undermine the new emperor.

Following the Khanid Rebellion, Emperor Heideran VII selected the wealthy Tash-Murkon Family to replace the Khanid Family on the Privy Council.^[21][19] The Tash-Murkon already held extensive territory and assumed control of many systems abandoned by the Khanid.

In addition to their places on the Privy Council, the five heir families also split the majority of the Empire amongst themselves. A few core territories remain the exclusive province of the emperor (such as Amarr itself), and some of the less-developed border zones sit nebulously outside their direct control, but the vast majority of the Empire considers itself part of one of the five families' kingdoms. Three families – Kador, Kor-Azor, and Tash-Murkon – lend their names to entire regions, while the Ardishapur Family controls parts of “lower” Domain and the Ammatar Mandate^[14] and the Sarum Family controls much of “upper” Domain.

More recently, the Khanid Family has reconciled with the Empire and been presented with a new seat on the Privy Council.^[22] How this will affect potential succession is murky, though with the youth and health of Empress Jamyl I, it seems unlikely to be tested any time soon.

Executive

Each heir is responsible for keeping the peace and enforcing the Empire's laws within his domains.^[23] The heirs have the right to arrest and charge individuals with crimes both against the Empire and the heirs themselves.^[24] To this end, each heir is allowed to maintain their own family fleet.^{[25][9][26][27][28]} The fleets are intended to be used specifically in patrolling against criminal elements and keeping the peace, but at times they have been used to take offensive action outside of their jurisdictions.^[9]

How the heirs deal with individual transgressions is up to the heirs themselves. Some can take rather extreme measures to ensure their laws are followed.^[29]

Because the heirs have thousands of Holders as direct subordinates, rather than the limited number the emperor must deal with, the heirs have to worry far less about offending or upsetting them. It takes massive, systemic corruption and abuses on the part of the heir to invoke a coordinated retaliation by their underlings.^[30][20]

Legislative

In addition to enforcing the Empire's laws, heirs are able to issue their own decrees and laws which apply only to their domains. These laws can be broad or limited; for the greater good or utterly capricious.^[31][20] These laws are non-binding to the Empire as a whole, instead being limited in scope merely to the heir's domains. However, the heirs are usually expected to respect the authority of their fellows, such that a criminal who escapes to another heir's systems will be captured and extradited. Nonetheless, there have been incidences where the heirs have sheltered criminals from their rivals for various reasons.

The heirs also collect taxes from their Holders, usually directly. As there may be many different levels of Holders within their domains, this can sometimes lead to a double taxation on lesser Holders. Depending on the predilections of the heir, they may provide lesser tax rates to Holders who must pay a tithe to a superior Holder, or they might simply force the Holder to pay both taxes. The heirs rarely bother taxing commoners directly, instead relying on the Holders to establish and collect the taxes.

Trade regulations in the Empire are mostly left up to the heirs to decide for their own domains. The Tash-Murkon region is known as a place of free trade with relatively few tariffs and burdens^[32], while the Kador region tends to have much more restrictive policies^[33]. Individual heirs can establish their own trade missions with other sovereign entities^[34], as well as other regions of the Empire.

Judicial

Unlike the emperor, the heirs continue to hold public courts.^[20][35] These courts are usually held in the royal palace on the family's capital planet, but there is nothing restricting the heir from opening court in any location.

These courts are typically held to resolve civil disputes between Holders in the heir's domain^[20], though in rare cases high-profile criminals may be tried in front of the heir, particularly when the heir is the one who levies charges.^[36] Often, the heir makes decisions on his own feelings, though he may receive advice from a legal expert on applicable laws in the Scriptures. The heir's judgment on a matter is final and is rarely contested.

Appeals to the Theology Council or Speakers of Truth may be made, but such requests are rare. Making an appeal of an heir's decision is seen as a direct challenge to the authority of the heir. Particularly for a Holder who lives within the heir's domains, this can be an untenable position to take, as even if the appeal ends in his favor, he must live with the knowledge that he directly challenged and embarrassed his liege. Additionally, appeals are rarely heard by the Theology Council even when they are made, as the Council rarely wishes to undermine an heir in the first place.

On rare occasions, an heir may request the presence of one or more justices from the Theology Council to assist with a judgment.^[36] This serves several purposes. First, it lends any decision additional weight, ensuring that no one less than an emperor of Speaker of Truth may overrule it. Secondly, it allows the heir to pass most of the decision making process off to the justices, allowing him to shoulder less criticism for an unpopular decision.

Holders

The Holder class makes up a diverse, byzantine hierarchy that sits below the heirs. In some senses, the Holders can be thought of as simply heirs on a small scale. They possess many of the same general powers as the heirs do, though they are far more restricted and must adhere to the whims of the heirs themselves. However, the majority of Holders are much more hands-on in their approach to governance than the heirs and are personally responsible for more mundane aspects of rule.

In general, Holders can be grouped into three basic strata, though these are rough approximations and may vary greatly from region to region and even system to system. At the top, just below the heirs themselves, are Holders that maintain authority over constellations or other ad hoc groupings of solar systems. These Holders are present across the Empire, except in core systems with higher populations. In some cases, they maintain adjacent systems, though others may have, through rewards, marriage, or other political maneuvering gained authority over disparate land-granting titles.

Roughly equivalent to these Holders are those who oversee individual systems. While seen as direct vassals of the heirs, they are occasionally unofficially obligated to submit to the authority of Holders who control several systems. However, many of these Holders can shrewdly utilize their own power to put themselves on nearly-equal footing with their more-entitled brethren. Additionally, in the more populated core worlds of the Empire, a Holder who oversees a single system may be richer, more powerful, more influential, and have greater prestige than a Holder who oversees several systems in low-security space. The constant politicking and maneuvering between the two makes up much of the court intrigue within the Empire.

Below these two groups are the planetary Holders. Despite their name, these Holders are not necessarily responsible for a single planet in its entirety. Some Holders do own entire planets, others own several, some may only count a moon or other celestial as theirs, while many simply share a planet with several other Holders. These entitlements are all roughly equivalent in social prestige; a Holder may claim three planets as part of his domain, but if they are all resource-poor barrens in a dead end of Aridia, he would not be the envy of a Holder who oversaw a continent on a heavily populated temperate world in Domain.

A rare arrangement of Holders occurs in some areas, where a single planetary governor is atop a group of continental Holders, who may also sit above a group of even lesser Holders who control a small parcels of land.^[29] This tends to occur mainly in older systems which were settled before technology allowed a single group to effectively exploit a planet's resources.

The final, lowest tier of Holders are those who own a small part of land or space-based installations. They have little influence over the Imperial government as a whole and are rarely able to exert great will over their own domains. When lucky enough to hold dominance over a city or important space station, they can manage to collect taxes and institute laws and regulations, but those who simply own a large plantation or asteroid belt must instead act more similarly to wealthy businessmen than government officials.

History

Holders rose out of a class of warlords that predated the foundation of the Empire. These warlords constantly fought each other for dominance but rarely managed to establish lasting dynasties. Amash-Akura, the first emperor, belonged to this class. Once he managed to conquer Amarr Island, he placed many of the warlords who had willingly bent their knees into positions of leadership and established a firm noble class that became known as Holders.

Over the centuries, these Holders gradually grew in power. With the launch of the Reclaiming, the Holders were given the authority to take and own slaves. Many became prominent members of the Council of Apostles and during the conquest of Athra were given huge swaths of land to rule over. While they remained subservient to the emperor, as the borders of the Empire expanded, they were given more and more leeway to govern as they saw fit.

The expansion into space only increased this, as lags in communication and travel meant it was impractical for the Empire to attempt to govern directly. Holders instead became almost akin to the leaders of vassal states, ruling by their own whims and only nominally paying attention to the laws of the Empire itself. In an effort to combat this, the Empire began appointing Holders as overseers of other Holders, creating the complex hierarchy that continues to the present day.

Executive

Much like the heirs, the Holders are expected to keep the peace and enforce laws within their domains. However, they are far more restricted in their abilities than the heirs. Following Khanid's rebellion, Emperor Heideran VII issued an edict known as Heideran's Decree which limited the ability of Holders to field space-based defense fleets.^[2] Holders were allowed to maintain planetary and personal ground defenses, as well as orbital defense installations, but they were forced to rely on the Imperial Navy to police the space lanes. At times, Holders are able to defy the edict, particularly when allowed by permissive heirs in the absence of strong central authority, but such situations were rare.^[37]

Depending on the scope of their domains, Holders may be responsible for a vastly different array of peace-keeping. A system overseer may primarily concern himself with stopping smuggling, breaking up criminal cartels, and other similar overarching crimes, while a Holder who is in charge of a continent must concern himself far more with street-level crime such as murders and religious heresy.

The upper levels of the Holder class must deal with subservient Holders and engage in politics to keep them all relatively happy. There is much more room for upheaval among the Holders than with the heirs, so a Holder who does a poor job may find his vassals plotting to bring him to ruin and subsequently take his titles and lands for themselves. On the lower levels, the Holders deal mostly with commoners and can thus act with more impunity. Commoners have few recourses against the Holders and must typically obey their decrees without question or thought of disobedience. It is only in the most severe cases of abuse that a Holder may be punished for wronging commoners.^[29]

Legislative

Holders typically have great freedoms in enacting laws within their domains, though they are often quite restricted in scope. The laws must not go against any Imperial or heir-mandated law, nor can it violate Scripture, but they are otherwise free to impose whatever conditions they wish on their vassals and the commoners. However, such laws do not apply outside the recognized domains of the Holders and the rules between two neighboring domains may be vastly different.

Indeed, a Holder in one domain may refuse to recognize things such as licenses or certifications issued by another Holder. Typically, in order to prevent chaos, neighboring Holders negotiate some form of agreement to keep things peaceful. However, there have been cases where an aggrieved Holder has used the threat of refusing to acknowledge permits issued by his neighbor from being valid within his domains as a method of receiving restitution.

Holders are the primary tax collectors of the Empire. They impose taxes directly on commoners and collect them according to their own schedule. There are few Empire-wide regulations on how local taxes are to be collected and in what amounts. Additionally, Holders may also impose tariffs and restrictions on goods imported from other areas both inside and outside of the Empire.

Judicial

Holders also often hold public court, though they rarely hear the grievances of other Holders. Even in cases where a system overseer has a group of subservient Holders, such intra-Holder disputes are usually handled by the heirs themselves. Instead, Holders typically hear petitions from businessmen, merchants, and aggrieved commoners.

Some Holders also hear criminal complaints as a matter of course; others simply push these cases off to the Theology Council or Civic Court. When they do try criminals, they act as the judge, jury, and executioner, deciding on guilt and issuing a sentence at their own whims. In certain cases, this can lead to great wrangling between law enforcement and a suspect, depending on the likelihood of a Holder to issue a favorable judgment compared to one of the Imperial court systems.

Holders are under no compulsion to acknowledge the judgment of other Holders. As a matter of course, they do. However, harboring a well-connected fugitive from another Holder has become a popular method of political one-upmanship between feuding Holders.

The decisions of Holders may be appealed, either to the heirs or one of the Imperial courts. heirs rarely deign to hear disputes that do not involve Holders, however, barring exceptional circumstances. The Theology Council and Civic Court are more likely to listen, but such appeals are not made lightly. The appellant must weigh the potential consequences of openly disrespecting a Holder's authority against the potential rewards of having a decision overturned in their favor. However, the Imperial courts often have wording in their judgments specifically preventing a Holder from holding the appeal against the appellant. Whether this is enforced or not depends strongly on the influence of the Holder and the appellant.

Imperial Courts

The Empire possesses two separate Empire-wide courts. They are typically referred to as Imperial Courts and consist of the Theology Council and the Civic Court. The Theology Council is by far the more powerful and prestigious of the two, as it deals with religious crimes, which hold a much wider scope in the Empire than is often realized. The Civic Court deals solely with secular matters, limiting both its influence and power.^[38]

In truth, the Civic Court tends to deal with commoners, misdemeanor crimes, and violations of local ordinances. There are also times when it may adjudicate other disputes when outside the scope of the Scriptures. However, due to the size and breadth of the Scriptures, these cases are highly eclectic and unusual.

The Theology Council deals with any crime that is proscribed by the Scriptures. This covers a wide range of potential crimes, everything from murder and heresy to shoplifting and adultery. The Theology Council also acts as an appeals court for both the Civic Court and the courts of Holders and the heirs.

As the Theology Council is generally considered to be the more conservative and harsher of the two Imperial courts, there can be much wrangling between prosecutors and counselors attempting to establish which court holds jurisdiction over a case.

Civic Court

History

Technically the elder of the two Imperial courts, the Civic Court arose out of the trial courts of the conquered Udorian states. When the Empire first conquered the Udorians during the Reclaiming, it did not possess a standard court for adjudicating legal disputes. Instead, it relied solely on the courts of the Holders to provide justice. However, the influx in population that accompanied the enslavement of the Udorians and the joining of the Khanid quickly overwhelmed the capabilities of Holders.

The Udorian states had long utilized an adversarial court system to hear criminal and civil cases. As the infrastructure was already in place, the Empire merely co-opted the system and adapted it to their own purposes. As the Holders were loathe to surrender their right to issue judgments, the Empire limited the jurisdiction of the Civic Court. Holders retained the right to hear any case they wished, no matter what it entailed. Should they not wish to hear a case, however, it was passed on to the Civic Court. Holders retained the right to overturn any Civic Court verdict, should it be appealed to them.

As time passed, certain types of cases were referred to the Civic Court more and more often. These cases were typically those in which the Scriptures were not clear-cut, along with cases considered too minor and inconsequential for a Holder to hear. In somewhat of a twist, it eventually became established in the Scriptures that the Civic Court would hear these types of cases.

By the time of the Moral Reforms, the Civic Court had gained even more power. The population of the Empire increased exponentially in comparison to the size of the Holder class, leaving the Holders even less capable of hearing all the cases brought before them. The Civic Court began to hear cases as large as murders and heresies.

As part of his initiation of the Moral Reforms, Emperor Heideran V created the Theology Council to examine the Scriptures under the guise of having them determine the legal powers of the emperor. In actuality, the Theology Council found pieces of the Scriptures that empowered the emperor, ignored those that limited his power, and created additional elements to give him more authority.^[6] However, the public powers of the Council, to decide on the legality of a situation, clashed with the rising strength of the Civic Court.

In an effort to limit potential backlash against him, the emperor decreed that the Civic Court had no authority over matters of the faith and Scriptures. As the Court had never been officially empowered to hear such claims, they had no recourse but to abide by the ruling.

With their jurisdiction degraded, the Civic Court rapidly began to lose favor and influence. Within a few decades the number of cases it saw sharply declined, with the Theology Council taking over much of its duties. Today, the Civic Court normally sees minor cases or those between commoners. It has recently regained some prestige thanks to the fact it sees a large number of cases involving contracts with foreigners.

Jurisdiction

The Civic Court has a limited jurisdiction within the Empire, dealing primarily without a religious component. As much of Imperial law is codified within the Scriptures, this means the vast majority of cases can easily be argued to be religious in nature. At times, there can be much wrangling over whether a case should be seen in front of the Civic Court or the Theology Council. The Civic Court also occasionally sees cases which would normally fall under the Theology Council's umbrella when the Council passes the case down to them; this typically occurs for cases involving minor bodily harm or loss of property between commoners.

The Civic Court sees both criminal and civil cases. Criminal cases are generally limited to what would be termed misdemeanors in other empires, though not all misdemeanors are seen by the Civic Court. The Civic Court mainly hears non-violent crimes that do not lead to loss or damage of property, such as owning an unlicensed weapon, violating a traffic ordinance, failure to acquire necessary permits, trespassing, and the like.

Civil cases are much more common in the Civic Court, as the Scriptures do not cover many interactions between commoners and foreigners. The majority of Scriptural doctrine on rights and rules cover the Holder class and other nobility, so when a noble is involved, the matter generally goes before the Theology Council. This leaves most other cases to the Civic Court. As many of the more powerful and wealthy merchants in the Empire are commoners, most high profile cases seen by the Civic Court involve them.

Procedures

Cases which come before the Civic Court follow a case law procedure, where previous decisions by the Court are applied to the present matter to determine guilt, fault, and penalty. Proceedings are adversarial in nature, with secular lawyers referred to as barristers presenting the cases to a judge for decisions. The judge has absolute authority within the court and makes the final decision on all matters of the case. The Empire does not employ jury trials at any level.

In a case, each side presents their evidence and arguments to the judge, with the prosecution going first. Witnesses are brought before the court and are required to testify in both civil and criminal cases. Defendants in criminal trials are also required to testify; there is no legal protection against self-incrimination in the Empire. Witnesses are questioned by the barrister who called them, then cross-examined by the opposing barrister.

After evidence is presented and witnesses questioned, each side makes a final argument to the judge. The judge will then make a ruling and present a written explanation of his decision. The judge determines both guilt or fault and lays down a penalty. Judges are highly trained professionals, typically selected from barristers who have served for at least twenty years or more and have demonstrated exceptional knowledge of case law.

Theology Council

History

The Theology Council was first formed by Emperor Heideran V during the Moral Reforms.^[6] The first Council was composed of priests, scholars, and pious Holders who were loyal to the emperor and supported his claim to greater power. The public task of the Council was to clarify the legal powers of the emperor as laid out by the Scriptures. In actuality, they were rewriting the Scriptures to give the emperor additional powers, as well as finding pieces of the Scriptures that already supported their actions.

After the Moral Reforms, the Theology Council was kept around to act as adjudicator of Scriptural matters. As this seemed to conflict with the powers of the Civic Court, the emperor stripped the Civic Court of all Scriptural jurisdiction and handed them to the Theology Council. In order to perform these new duties, the Council needed to greatly expand. The vast majority of the Council's new justices and advocates were taken from the clergy, originally merely as a supplement to their regular duties.

Over time, the roles of the Theology Council became more specialized. The judges, which came to be known as justices, were specially trained priests with a broad knowledge of Scriptures. The lawyers, known as advocates, were laymen who were nonetheless trained in the intricacies of parts of the Scripture that related to the types of cases they would participate in.

Today, the Theology Council sees any major cases which are not decided on by the Holders, as well as any case between Holders which are passed on by the heirs.

Jurisdiction

The Theology Council has a very broad jurisdiction within the Empire. It deals with any crime which is considered religious in nature. This includes anything which involves loss or damage to property (as theft is explicitly forbidden by the Scriptures), bodily harm (violence is also proscribed except in certain cases), defying the edicts of the emperor, heirs, or Holders, egregious mistreatment of slaves, and a number of other crimes. In civil cases, it deals with any case involving a Holder, as the rights of Holders are well-laid in the Scriptures themselves.

Curiously, the Theology Council also hears any appeals against cases decided by the Civic Court. The rights and powers of the Civic Court have been codified in the Scriptures since the Moral Reforms, and appeals of its judgments are considered suits against the Civic Court itself, giving the Theology Council the right to hear them.

Procedures

The Theology Council takes a combined inquisitorial and adversarial approach to trials. The trial is overseen by one or more justices, depending on the nature of the case. More serious crimes and suits are seen before additional justices. The court itself gathers all evidence in cases, including testimony from witnesses. A court-appointed inquisitor questions all witnesses. They are given free rein to ask any question they wish, though advocates for both sides may suggest questions to the inquisitor. The inquisitor is under no obligation to listen to the suggestions, however. Accused are required to answer to the inquisitor and are not afforded any protection against self-incrimination.

Once all the facts of a case have been presented to the presiding justice(s), an advocate for each side is allowed to present their interpretation of what Scripture says about the facts. The advocates typically quote pieces of Scripture to either justify or condemn the actions of the accused/defendant. Such presentations can take as long or longer than the presentation of facts, as the advocates treat the matter as a debate, responding to the points brought up by the other side in turn. The justices may also directly question the advocates or present their opinions on points brought up and allow the advocates an opportunity to explain or defend their positions. In cases where the facts paint clear fault or guilt to the defendant, the advocate for defense often simply attempts to argue for a light punishment.

After both advocates have finished, the justices retire to contemplate the facts and arguments. Once they have made a decision, they return and announce their decision, as well as any sentence or penalty.

Legislative Role

In addition to its role as the supreme judiciary body of the Empire, the Theology Council also functions as the only body able to officially alter the Scriptures, either through the addition of new passages or the removal of obsolete ones. It mainly uses these powers mostly for clarifications of existing Scripture and the addition of new scientific discoveries, prophecies, lectures, historical records, patents, and other items of note to the appropriate book.

However, these powers also essentially give it broad-ranging powers of law-making, though in practice it rarely makes any laws on its own accord. This power is vital because it restricts the ability of an individual to upset the status quo of the empire too severely, regardless of their standing, while also allowing those of high position to wield extensive influence. In effect, it serves to allow emperors (and to a lesser extent the heirs and Holders) to make edicts and decrees that hold personal interest to them without forcing subsequent emperors to abide by them by dint of the Scriptures.

At times, however, the Theology Council may decide that one of these edicts should exist in perpetuity. In such a case, the Council will add the edict to the Scriptures, thus codifying it in Imperial law for all time. Or, at least, until a later emperor with sympathetic high justices works to undo it.

Imperial Ministries

The Amarr government has several organizations that run the day-to-day operations of the Empire. These institutions are commonly known as the Imperial Ministries, though not all are called a ministry in their proper names. These organizations cover a broad array of functions, from trade and taxation to organizing the military. The Court Chamberlain is the official head over the Civil Service and the Trade Registry, while the Imperial Chancellor has oversight over the other ministries.

Amarr Civil Service

The Amarr Civil Service, also colloquially known as the Ministry of Civil Service, is the single largest employer within the Empire and is the main body of the Imperial bureaucracy.^[39] It handles many of the more mundane tasks for the Empire such as petitions to government offices, providing permits and licenses, managing the Imperial Archives, mediating between the various governmental bodies, ensuring the maintenance and upkeep of public utilities, and overseeing the infrastructure of planetary governments.

The Amarr Civil Service is made up of a number of departments, each of which specialize in a different area of governance. The Central Department, which is the largest, acts as the organizational body which regulates communications between the other departments. Other large departments include the Legal Department (which determines case jurisdiction and handles petitions to the emperor and Theology Council), the Public Works Department (which maintains utilities such as communications and computer networks), the Census Department (which collects data for the Book of Records), and the Planetary Governmental Department (which works with Holders and other planetary officials to run local governments).

Because of the sheer scope of the organization, the Amarr Civil Service is at times considered the most powerful secular body in the Empire. The head of the Civil Service can wield significant political influence, often comparable to the heirs themselves. The Civil Service employs a large number of commoners; few Holders or other nobility enter its ranks. This makes it one of the few ways a commoner can attain influence in the Empire.

Amarr Trade Registry

The Amarr Trade Registry, also colloquially known as the Ministry of Trade and Commerce, is the central financial overseer of the Imperial economy. The registry's main function is recording all financial transactions within Amarr space, all the way from entire businesses bought by the heirs to the smallest beverage purchased by commoners.^[40] The Registry recognizes that recording every single transaction is impossible, as some are done with physical currency, but as the vast majority are done electronically, a computer is capable of recording them. It works closely with the Secure Commerce Commission on this and other matters.

In additional to documenting purchases, the Registry also records bank transactions, creation and transfer of stocks and bonds, founding of businesses, and any other undertaking that involves the trade of money or goods or can fall under the broad umbrella of commerce. In this way, the Registry is intimately involved in the slave trade, which gives it tremendous sway in Imperial politics.

The Trade Registry is responsible for monitoring all trade, both domestic and foreign. It is the primary branch of government responsible for customs within the Empire. It works closely with the Ministry of Internal Order to combat smuggling, while it must often compete with the Ministry of War for proper funding of its police vessels. The Registry sets and collects all Imperial tariffs, while monitoring any tariffs set by the heirs and Holders and ensuring they comply with any Imperial mandates (such as ensuring that goods from the Caldari State are not taxed at a greater rate than similar products from the Gallente Federation).

As its final, but perhaps most important duty, the Amarr Trade Registry contains the Imperial Taxation Collection office. All Imperial taxes are collected by the Registry, while it also makes sure other taxes in the Empire adhere to Imperial law. At times, it will contract out tax collectors for the heirs or Holders to assist with proper collection and accounting, but most Holders wish to use their own staff for this purpose.

Ministry of Assessment

The Ministry of Assessment was formerly one of the most powerful governmental bodies in the Empire, but its importance has waned significantly over the past several decades. At one time, the Ministry of Assessment was the primary body responsible for charting unexplored systems, assaying the mineral wealth of asteroid belts, moons, and planets, and ensuring that those resources were exploited to the maximum degree.^[41]

While it still performs all these tasks to some degree, the cessation of exploration and expansion has relegated the Ministry to a mostly custodial nature. It continues to keep records on all surveyed celestial objects and the companies responsible for mining them, but it rarely comes across a new body to investigate. Because of this, Holders and other Amarr businessmen are no longer so vicious in currying the favor of the Ministry in an attempt to gain lucrative mining rights and contracts.

The Ministry still has the power to terminate a mining contract, but it does so fairly infrequently in order to avoid disruptive turnover. When it does announce that rights to a particularly lucrative body has become available, however, some of its old glory becomes evident for a short period as various companies enter into a frenzy to win the contract.

The Ministry itself remains fairly neutral and detached from Imperial politics. This has hindered the Ministry at times, but more often it has allowed it to operate without undue restraint. It is one of the more efficient parts of the Imperial bureaucracy because of that.

Ministry of Internal Order

The Ministry of Internal Order is the primary intelligence and police force of the Empire.^[42] Its duties include ensuring the safety and stability of the Empire, keeping track of all foreign elements within the Empire's borders, keeping tabs on and eliminating criminal and pirate activity, and preventing heresy. Unlike in other empires, where intelligence officials and “secret” police are kept in relative secrecy, the Ministry of Internal Order works mostly in the open. When necessary, its agents can go undercover, but Ministry officers tend to be readily identifiable and welcomed by the populace, despite the sometimes underhanded nature of their work.

The Ministry has an extensive network of informants across the Empire that assist it with its task of controlling and monitoring the population. In addition, regular citizens are encouraged to report suspicious activity directly to the Ministry. This keeps the Ministry relatively well-informed and it needs to rely on activities such as wire-taps and covert surveillance far less than groups such as the Black Eagles.

The Ministry works closely with the Amarr Trade Registry to combat smuggling and illegal immigration. While the customs fleet is under the full purview of the Trade Registry, Internal Order officials are almost always present at any cargo inspections or immigration checkpoints. The two ministries have a close working relationship because of this cooperation and often side with each other on political matters.

One of the most notorious branches of the Ministry of Internal Order is its Inquisition, called the Ministry's Ordinators. The Inquisition works hand-in-hand with the Theology Council to undercover heresy within the Empire. It most frequently targets Sani Sabik cults and other heretics, but it also handles tasks such as the suppression of forbidden documents, the destruction of blasphemous relics, and the repudiation of apostasy.^[43]

While the Ministry publicly only concerns itself with the internal affairs of the Empire, it is known to have an extensive spy network in place in all of the other factions of New Eden. The efficacy of these spies are debatable, with many considering the Empire's foreign intelligence network among the weakest in the cluster.

Ministry of War

The Ministry of War oversees all the various branches of the Amarr armed forces, such as the Imperial Navy, the Imperial Army, and the 24th Imperial Crusade. It additionally works closely with the house fleets of the five heir families, who are more properly security forces than military, though its power over them is limited without a decree from the emperor. Because of its great importance, the Ministry of War is one of the most politically powerful bodies in the Empire.^[44]

Traditionally, the Ministry of War has been staffed by civilians, with military officers in key leadership positions. Prior to the ascent of Empress Jamyl I, the Ministry itself was far more of a political and organizational body aimed at ensuring the armed forces were well funded and maintained. It did little to define actual strategy or deployment.

However, under Jamyl's rule, the Ministry of War has become far more of a military command. Many of the bureaucrats were ousted from the Ministry and replaced with high-ranking military officials. Today, the Ministry of War can be seen more along the lines of a central command, directing the actions of every branch of the military, keeping them organized and orderly, and making sure they all work toward the same goals.

Even with these changes, the Ministry continues to concern itself with constructing and maintaining the Amarr Navy and 24th Imperial Crusade's fleets, as well as equipping the other branches of the armed forces. The majority of its funding goes toward these ends, especially as the Empyrean War grows in scope.

The Ministry of War often chafes against the family fleets of the five heirs. Because the fleets do not coordinate with the Ministry, many politically unfavorable situations can arise. It also technically has no control over the Ammatar Fleet, though prior to the Ardishapur takeover it treated the Ammatar Fleet as a lesser branch of the Amarr Navy. Currently, the Ministry wields only minor influence over the direction of the Ammatar Fleet. It also coordinates closely with the Royal Khanid Navy and the Caldari Navy, typically on joint training exercises and patrols.

Imperial Offices

The final, and often most ill-understood, parts of the Empire's government are the two positions known as the Imperial Offices: the Court Chamberlain and the Imperial Chancellor. These two posts are appointed directly by the emperor, answer only to him, and have broad, wide-ranging powers. The two are often conflated with each other and throughout history both offices have held powers that overlap and regularly conflict. Currently, the Court Chamberlain is the weaker of the two offices.

Court Chamberlain

The Court Chamberlain is a role traditionally held by the emperor's top advisor and confidant, earning it the reputation as the “emperor's right-hand”.^[45] Many functions are held by the Court Chamberlain, the most important of which is generally its role as Imperial Regent. The chamberlain speaks with the full authority of the emperor and, in the absence of the emperor, is considered to be of equal importance. A chamberlain's decrees and mandates can only be overruled by the emperor himself or the Speakers of Truth in extraordinary cases. The chamberlain has oversight over two sections of the Imperial Ministries: the Civil Service and the Trade Registry.

The Court Chamberlain thus functions, in many cases, as a surrogate for the emperor, essentially allowing the emperor (or his authority) to be in two places at one time. Many of the Empire's treaties and other political negotiations have been conducted utterly by the chamberlain with no involvement from the emperor himself. Similarly, other matters of state can be conducted by the chamberlain and his signature is as good as the emperor's.

In addition to acting as a secondary emperor, the Court Chamberlain also traditionally acts as the final filter for appeals before they are passed on to the emperor. Matters such as requests for pardons, Imperial judgments, and recommendations Cross of the Sacred Throne Order cross the desk of the Court Chamberlain before being passed to the emperor for final approval. Often times, the chamberlain makes the decision on such matters and the emperor will simply sign off on them.

Finally, the chamberlain is the de facto leader of the Empire in the absence of an emperor. Famously, Dochuta Karsoth acted as emperor for several years following the death of Doriam II, frequently rebuffing attempts to move the Succession Trials forward. During this time he essentially usurped the throne, becoming the emperor in everything but name. It is partly because of this that the post was so weakened following the coronation of Jamyl I.

The current chamberlain is seen as little more than a figurehead filling the post while being completely subservient to Jamyl I. While he still fulfills his duties, he has rarely had a chance to act on Jamyl's behalf, instead mostly acting in his function as an intermediary between the Empress and her subjects.

Imperial Chancellor

The Imperial Chancellor, currently Aritcio Kor-Azor, administrates the vast bureaucracy of the Empire by being the overseer of a majority of the Imperial Ministries (two others being under the aegis of the Court Chamberlain). The ministries in question report directly to the chancellor, who in turn reports to the Privy Council and emperor. The chancellor is technically answerable only to the emperor himself, but history has seen chancellors who act nearly autonomously from the emperor and others who are heavily swayed by the Privy Council.

The chancellor is the one who sets the budgets for the various ministries, appoints their leaders, signs off on upper-level promotions, and assigns their yearly goals. Through this, he typically has great influence over the entirety of the Empire, as each part of the Imperial bureaucracy strives to claim his favor.

In addition to his administrative duties, the chancellor is also the penultimate law enforcement official in the Empire, subservient only to the emperor himself. The emperor often sends the chancellor to lead suppression fleets during times of internal chaos, such as when the Refusards rejected Jamyl I's emancipation decree.^[46] He claims this right as the dual overseer of the Ministries of Internal Order and War.

Privy Council

The Privy Council is often referred to as the ruling body of the Amarr Empire, but this is not technically true. Instead, the Privy Council can be considered a meeting of the rulers of the Empire, but one which does not actually act with any inherent authority. Instead, all authority is derived from the positions the members of the Council already hold.

The Privy Council is made up of the emperor, the five heirs, the Khanid Family representative, the Imperial Chancellor, the Court Chamberlain, the High Deacon of the Theology Council, the heads of the five Ministries, and the Grand Admiral of the Imperial Navy. When the emperor, Chamberlain, and heirs meet, the Council is considered to be holding a closed session. When everyone is present, it is considered a full session. Closed sessions are typically regarded more as informal meetings and discussions, while full sessions are the ones which deal with governance of the Empire.

Ultimately, the Council is in place to uphold the will of the emperor, but in practice it serves as a political arena where various sides jostle for position and rights. The Council is almost always split into various factions vying for their own way, which the emperor must carefully juggle in order to avoid angering any faction too much. It has often been joked that if the Council does not end with every side feeling it has lost, the emperor has done a poor job.

See Also

• Amarr Empire
• History of the Amarr Empire
• Chronicle: All These Wayward Children
• Chronicle: Amarr Succession
• Chronicle: Ametat and Avetar
• Chronicle: City of God
• Chronicle: Cult of Tetrimon
• Chronicle: The Khanid Kingdom
• Chronicle: Kiss of the Soul
• Chronicle: Lady Phanca's Pet Furrier
• Chronicle: Pax Ammaria
• Chronicle: Speakers of Truth
• Chronicle: Two Deaths

References