New Vonan Kingdom Government

How does the government of the New Vonan Kingdom work? What aspects of the government are call backs to the lost Vonan Republic so many ages ago? Are there any democratic aspects to it? All these questions will be answered today with a dive into how the government of the New Vonan Kingdom is put together! This serves a bit of a companion piece to a previous article, Politics in the New Vonan Kingdom. If you enjoy this article, and haven't read that one, give it a look!

History

The New Vonan Kingdom is described in the Vonan Reunification Charter as a "Reforged Noble Republic presided over by a just Monarchy." This calls back to the Vonan Republic, the last government that held the Mokuri Gap before their collapse in the Eighth Age, the Age of Dark Skies, over a thousand years prior. While the Republic collapsed in scandal and ineffective leadership, the memory of the Republic is a strong unifying cultural note among Vonans, even after generations of the gap being divided by warring states and kingdoms. As King Encartier Alonsse Vi Passak brought the lands together, he realized that calling back to the Republic in some way could be an effective tool.

However, the Vonan Republic failed because it lacked a strong central authority to regulate and break up disputes, make snap decisions in times of crisis, and unite the states of the Republic under a single leader. Each state only felt loyalty to their representative, and would often even feel hostile towards other states. And so, Encartier placed himself at the top, and formed the rest of the government beneath him.

Organizing the Kingdom

While the warring states period of the Mokuri Gap saw countless regimes and kingdoms carve up the territory, during the Vonan Reunification War there were 18 separate entities that controlled the land. at the outset of the war, 6 of these pledged support of King Encartier. After the war, the King divided up the land into 25 provinces, each lead by their own provincial Lord or Lady. These provinces were loosely based on the existing borders these different city-states and kingdoms had before reunification, while breaking up some of the larger territories into logical regions of control. Each Lord or Lady controls day to day operations and governance of their province. They may make and enforce any laws they see fit, so long as they do not conflict with Royal Decrees, Kingdom Law, or a ruling from their Archon, or the Royal Congress.

These 25 Provinces are grouped into 5 Domains, lead by an Archon. Archons have a high degree of authority. They are Lords and Ladies themselves, controlling their own province, but they also manage their Domain. Archons help coordinate interprovincial trade and projects, and regulate disputes. In consolidating inter-provincial authority to a select 5 leaders, and, of course, himself above them, King Encartier made it easier to maintain control of his lands without having to bother with day-to-day governance.

But, he knew that he couldn’t rely on these Lords, Ladies, and Archons to maintain stability and promote greater prosperity for his Kingdom. He needed a reforged republic to bring these nobles, and other powerful figures together to solve problems, air out grievances, and set his nobles to a single purpose.

The Two Houses of the Republic

While the Vonan Republic was unicameral, King Encartier decided that his government would have a bicameral legislature. While the King can essentially make any law he wants, with only a few restrictions and checks, he delegates most operations and lawmaking to the legislature. In order for a law to be passed to the King to be ratified into law, it must pass a majority of votes in the Royal Congress. If the King decides to reject a law, that decision can be overruled by a unanimous vote from both Houses. The likelihood of this happening, of course, is incredibly low. However, he recognized the need for the Houses to have some alternative to defy him, or they would seek to conspire against him in an unofficial capacity.

First of these Houses is the Royal Congress. This is populated by the 25 Lords and Ladies of the 25 provinces of the Kingdom. This includes the 5 Archons, who actually command a double vote, in recognition of their higher level authority. The Council of Lords is the primary forum for the various Lords and Ladies to resolve disputes, especially those that cross Domains. While an Archon retains authority to regulate this in his or her own Domain, the Council allows their subordinate Lords and Ladies to push back, if necessary.

Second is the Assembly of Trust, also referred to as the Coterie. This is compromised of the King’s most senior advisors, administrators, and military commanders. All Generals, Admirals, and Directors of the various administrative bureaucracies have a vote at the Assembly, as well as any individuals the King appoints as a member of his Court Advisors. This is the most controversial House of the Republic as its members are those who are directly dependent on the King for their position, aside for the Generals and Admirals, who have very strict guidelines for promotion.

The King can call these bodies to assemble at any time, though aside from this, they generally meet every other month for a period of ten days. It is not unheard of for many of the votes held to have been debated, considered, and decided upon already before the official formal vote.

The 25 Provinces of the Kingdom of Vona

Here is a brief list of the 25 provinces of the Kingdom. We will go into more detail on each and the Domains they are apart of at a later date.

Note that Lonstanner Vale's ruling Lordship status, and thusly Archonship is currently unsettled. the Lonstanner family, which has ruled the valley for hundreds of years, has no living descendants in the Kingdom of Vona. Princess Leanna has unofficially taken over the province, and leads as Archon for the Northern Peaks. This is deeply unpopular with the other Lords and Archons, and has lead to a massive debate over formally writing succession and inheritance into law.

Thank You!

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