The Great Pact

[The Burned Man]

here´s a very crude work so far:
The Great Pact

Contents
Introduction·

1. The Grey King
o Powers and Rights

2. The Great Assembly
o A. The Councillors
o B. The Princes

Introduction

The Great Pact is the political entity which dominates the entire Kessel and whose influence reaches both the Highlands and the Shattered Isles. It has existed since 231.

Origin and Evolution

The Great Pact came to be due to the designs of the Grey King. Seeing the destruction of the War Of The Black Heath he came to realise that continuing infighting between the mortal nations would in the end lead to their doom. Using his temporal and spiritual authority he goaded and convinced the Princes of the Kessel to present themselves before him at Egran in 231. Thus it was decided how the affairs of mortals would be dealtThe Great Pact is composed of around XX distinct entities, the principalities, which differ in size, population and power. Some are ruled by kings, other by princes, others by elected rulers, other by appointed ones. Regardless of title all rulers of the Principalities are known as Princes and must attend the Great Assembly at Egran.

The nature of the Great Pact: a parliamentary monarchy

The Great Pact is a parliamentary monarchy, and at the same time a state composed of many states. At its head stands the Grey King, the spiritual and temporal ruler of the Kessel.The exercise of his power are limited, however, by a body representing the principalities, the Great Assembly. Although the various princes and lords of the Great Pact are all his vassals and subjects, they possess a number of privileges that brings them close to de facto sovereignty; in particular, the Grey King can not intervene in their particular affairs as long as they rule according to the law. The Great Pact is a limited monarchy, in the sense that any exercise of the Grey Kings powers that is not purely executive requires the assent of the Principalities. Assent is determined by majority voting, except in specific matters where consensus is required.

Sources of law

The fundamental documents on the constitution of the Great Pact are the following:

· the constitution of Egran 231 recognising the rights of Princes.

1. The Grey King

Powers and Rights

The powers of the Grey king are exercised in a broad range of areas, but restricted everywhere:

executive:
he enforces the laws and rulings of the empire, although most of this is delegated to the (Reichskreise);
he appoints (imperial) officers;

legislative:
he can propose, approve and promulgate laws; in particular, he has the right to withhold approval; but he can not levy taxes without approval judiciary:
he is the ultimate judge in the Kessel, although he can only exercise this power through legally appointed courts, and has no right to intervene in the (Reichskammergericht), but has in certain cases the final word in the (Reichshofrat);
he has the right of pardon, as well as the right to confer exemptions and privileges (i.e., exceptions to the application of imperial laws);

international: he alone represents the Kessel abroad, although his ability to make war, peace and alliances is very limited;

feudal: he is overlord of all imperial fiefs.

2. The Great Assembly

The Great Assembly is the legislative body of the Great Pact.

Many individuals and communities are not represented in it, yet its decisions are binding on all subjects of the Great Pact.

It is divided into two colleges or sections:
1. the High Council.
2. the Council of Princes

A. The Councillors

The High Council is set as follows:
· XX spiritual councillors: appointed by the Grey King· XX temporal councillors: appointed by the Great Assembly

The powers and rights of the councillors are:
· to hold one of the High Offices;
· to have royal rank and precedence;
· to propose legislation and to be consulted on all important affairs by the Grey King;
· to give their assent without the rest of the Great Assembly in certain cases (tolls, minting privileges);
· to meet on their own initiative;
· to enjoy in their territories regal powers, and in particular judicial sovereignty (their subjects could not be tried in imperial courts, no appeals could be made to the imperial high courts except in cases of denial of justice).

B. The Princes

The second college of the Great Assembly is composed of the princes who represent the Principalities of the Great Pact. The Princes hold individual votes.

To be a Prince, it is necessary:
· to own or represent a principality under immediate overlordship of the Great King,
· to enjoy sovereignty,
· to be recognized as such by the Grey King, the High Council and the Council of Princes; and
· to share in the financial and military burdens of the Great Pact.

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thats all for now (I intend to keep this document alive so it´ll change depending on how the history and politics of the world are altered)

[Leopold]

so the great assembly votes for the high councilers position? How many of each? I would say 3 of temporal, 3 appointed by the grey king and 1 an outsider for impartiality. must be an odd number for voting purposes.