Best Feudal/Fantasy Government?

[Zardnaar]

According to the Byzantium's, they are the old Roman Empire (and truthfully, they basically were. The Roman Empire was split into 4 parts eventually, with 2-4 emperors over it. By the time Rome fell it was seen more as the ghetto part of the Empire to the point that even the Capital had been changed from Rome to Constantinople).

In that light, if Rome was founded in 753 BC, and Constantinople fell in 1204 (yes, it didn't officially fall until 1453, but the "Roman" part of it fell in 1204 to the 4th Crusade) that means it lasted almost 2000 years as the Roman Empire/State.

Though Europe called it Byzantine, the Byzantines called themselves Romans.

They survived losing Constantinople.

The classical empire essentially died 6th century iirc. Well final death some forms of the Roman administration survived into the 7th.

Or in modern terms say USA created another capital in say LA. Washington is lost over the next 1000 years most if what's left is lost and then the lose LA but the capital is moved San Francisco.

50 years latter they recapture LA move capital back. Then 200 years later they lose LA and a few remnants last a decade or so.
There's a political continuation from Augustus through to Constantine XI.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Involuntary meritocracy.

The population a a whole are screened for those with the most capability to govern as well as least desire to govern. The most capable/least desirous is drafted, their entire material existence liquidated and invested in the state along will all that of their family and extended family, and they are forced to serve until a better candidate is found, at which point they and their family are cashed out.

 

[Zardnaar]

Involuntary meritocracy.

The population a a whole are screened for those with the most capability to govern as well as least desire to govern. The most capable/least desirous is drafted, their entire material existence liquidated and invested in the state along will all that of their family and extended family, and they are forced to serve until a better candidate is found, at which point they and their family are cashed out.

You've read the Tamuli then .

 

[Richards]

The best system to ensure a smooth transfer of power, I think, is one where the current ruler appoints a successor early on. The successor then becomes co-ruler, sharing the duties with the senior ruler but in a junior capacity until the senior ruler is out of the picture.

That's pretty much the way it works in Robert Silverberg's Majipoor Chronicles. From the Wikipedia entry on "Majipoor":

The planet is ruled by an unusual tetrarchy of Powers: an adoptive Coronal rules in a highly visible and symbolic manner from his palace atop Castle Mount; the previous Coronal retires to become the Pontifex, the head of the bureaucracy in an underground Labyrinth; the Coronal's mother becomes the Lady of the Isle of Sleep, promoting the morals of Majipoor by sending dreams to its inhabitants; while a hereditary King of Dreams on the distant continent of Suvrael punishes wrongdoers by visiting them with nightmares.

Johnathan

 

[Yora]

The Romans did that for a while, and I don't remember any senior emperors getting killed by their junior emperors.

 

[Dioltach]

The French Capetian dynasty did it, and quite successfully.