Government

Description
The government of the Greater Zartanian Empire, and the Kingdom of Eastern Zartania within and before the Empire, is officially classified as a hereditary absolutist monarchy. As the name implies, the Empire is ruled by a monarch, in this case a King or Queen. The current ruling monarch is His Royal Majesty, King Bruno II vun Q'Leist. The government is composed of 3 parts. Starting with the lowest part of the government is the Royal Stek Assembly, followed by the Imperial Council of Ministers, and the monarch at the top. There are also seven ministries which are considered periferies of the government: the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Commerce & Treasury, the Ministry of Public Information & Customs, the Ministry of Foreign Relations, the Ministry of Science, the Sixth Ministry, and the Royal Court of Judges.

Structure
The Royal Stek Assembly is the junior-most branch of the government, and is a meeting body composed of one representative from each of the Kingdom's thirty-two steks ("provinces"), colonies, and territories. The monarch appoints the Constable of the Assembly, who acts as the Assembly's chief and parliamentarian. The power of the Assembly is rather limited: the Assembly may suggest legislation to the monarch and the Royal Council, but cannot inact anything itself. The Assembly is also used to approve prospective judges of the Royal Courts, and to determine the people's opinions on matters of national importance. A suggestion or referendum passed by the Assembly cannot be ignored by the Imperial Council, and must at least be considered, though it does not have to be approved.

The Imperial Council of Ministers, called the Royal Council of Ministers prior to the union with Western Zartania, is the highest governmental body in the Empire. It is made up of the head of each government ministry, the Constable of the Assembly, the senior-most judge of the Royal Court of Judges, the head of each branch of the military, the Commander-in-Chief of the military, the Western Zartanian chancellor, and the monarch, who presides over the Council. The Imperial Council is in charge of determining the future course of both the Empire and the Kingdom, as well as formulating all laws, reviewing suggestions from the Assembly, managing the Empire's finances, and conducting all warfare and diplomacy. The Imperial Council, however, does not inact any laws. All laws must be inacted by the monarch only.

The Ministry of the Interior is in charge of the smooth interrelations between the steks and the royal government, as well as making sure that all steks conform to government regulations. The Ministry is also in charge of the Royal Police. It was deemed more efficient to have one central police force to patrol the Kingdom than allowing each stek to create its own. The jurisdiction of the Royal Police does reach into Western Zartania, but only on matters that involve Imperial or Eastern Zartanian interests.

The Ministry of Commerce & Treasury is in charge of regulating the economy and commerce of the Empire. The Commerce & Treasury Ministry determines tarrifs and taxes for approval by the Imperial Council. In addition to these duties, the Ministry also oversees the printing and minting of the Empire's money: the Crown, the jah-dir, and the Orb'al.

The Ministry of Public Information & Customs is the part of the government which deals in the dissemination of government information to the people, the dissemination of information to foreign nations, the maintainance of Customs stations along the border, and the issuance of visas and passports to Zartanian citizens. Among the Ministry's most important functions, however, is the promotion of tourism and the commerce generated from foreign tourists visiting Eastern Zartania.

The Ministry of Foreign Relations is one of the most vital ministries, and lies under the direct control of the Imperial Council. The Foreign Relations Ministry is responsible for the establishment of Zartanian embassies and consulates in foreign nations, overseeing the establishment of foreign embassies and consulates in the Empire, and carrying out diplomatic relations with foreign nations throughout the world.

The Ministry of Science was established by Royal Decree on August 12, 1362. Originally called the Ministry of Space Exploration, it was decided in September to rename the ministry to have a more overall science approach. The Ministry of Science is charged with spearheading all scientific research and development within the Empire, maintaining the Royal Science Archives, and coordinating with international agencies or foreign scientific bodies to create a better understanding of the world. Housed within this Ministry is the Department of Space Exploration, which is conducting an on-going investigation into the universe in which we live. Although the Empire does not yet have the ability to launch living beings into orbit, the DSE is working toward that goal in cooperation with other nations of Vexillium.

The Sixth Ministry, sometimes known also as M6, is currently completely CLASSIFIED.

The Royal Court of Judges is the Kingdom's justice ministry, enforcing all royal edicts and laws. Each stek, colony, and territory has two courts. The Lower Stek Court is a district court which hears all cases and passes sentence. The Upper Stek Court is the court which hears the approved appeals from the Lower Court, and deals with cases of crimes against the stek. All appeals stop at the Upper Court. The highest court in the Kingdom is the Royal Court of Judges itself, which hears only cases of crimes against the Kingdom or the Empire, such as treason, espionage, or war crimes. The decision of the Royal Court is final and cannot be overturned or appealed. The judges of the Royal Courts are appointed by the monarch and approved by a majority vote of the Stek Assembly. All judges must have served in the Assembly at least eight years before they can be appointed.

Royal Family
The current royal family of the Kingdom of Eastern Zartania and the Greater Zartanian Empire is the vun Q'Leist family, which has ruled for over 300 years. The vun Q'Leist dynasty began in the year 1056 with the ascension of Fredrik vun Q'Leist to the throne following the deposing of the Imperial Council. King Fredrik I was succeeded in 1066 by his son, Bruno. This was the beginning of the great vun Q'Leist line which continues to this very day with the current monarch, King Bruno II. In 1350, His Royal Majesty, King Bruno II, married Countess Sophia du Cron of the Stek of Black Water. Two years later the Kingdom celebrated a glorious occassion with the birth of the heir apparent, High Royal Highness, Crown Prince Raedvulf, Lord of the Realm. The year after the birth of HRH, the most recent royal child was born: Her Royal Highness, El'Lyra Kelembra, the Princess Royale. Listed below is the line of royal succession from King Fredrik I to the present.

Key:
* means year born
‡ means year died
§ means year reign began
=????= means year married

1. Fredrik I (*1016/§1056/‡1066) =1034= Anne Runsdahl (*1019/‡1072)
Fredrik I gained the throne in 1056 following his deposing of the Imperial Council. General Fredrik vun Q'Leist was proclaimed King.

2. Bruno I (*1036/§1066/‡1110) =1069= Sonja dir Raschil (*1048/‡1107)
Bruno I ascended to the throne in 1066 following the death of his father, Fredrik I. His first son (illegitamate), Bruno II, was killed in 1066 by barbarian raiders. Called "Bruno the Great."

3. Erhardt (*1073/§1110/‡1118) =1095= Johana Dirahll (*1080/‡1148)
Erhardt, Bruno I's only son, was deposed in a palace coup in 1118 and executed for his brutal repression of citizens' rights.

4. Irrina (*1077/§1118/‡1148) =1102= Erike vin Noktor (*1075/‡1126)
Irrina, Bruno I's eldest daughter, succeeded her brother Erhardt following the coup. Named Queen Irrina, her husband was killed in 1126 while leading the Royal Army in battle against Subarian rebels.

5. Kelembra I (*1111/§1148/‡1174) =1146= Rudolfus Man'Hime (*1107/‡1170)
Kelembra I succeeded her mother, Irrina, in 1148, as Irrina's only child. She married General Man'Hime in 1146. During her reign, Kelembra I instituted succession by matriarchy.

6. Tanyina I (*1156/§1174/‡1224) =1183= Zoltar L'Menth (*1160/‡1200)
Tanyina I succeeded her mother, Kelembra I, following the Law of Matriarchy. Her husband, Admiral L'Menth, was killed in action in 1200 leading a squadron against the northern pirates.

7. Kelembra II (*1186/§1224/‡1250) =1212= Wulfram vunDar (*1190/‡1255)
During Kelembra II's relatively short 26 year reign following her mother, the Kingdom experienced a great revival in science and technology. Queen Kelembra II is known as "Kelembra the Wise."

8. Wulfram (*1190/§1250/‡1255)
Wulfram succeeded his wife, Queen Kelembra II, upon her death in 1250, acting as regent for their only child, Fredrik.

9. Fredrik II (*1216/§1255/‡1291) =1240= Liljan Gouldine (*1222/‡1283)
Fredrik II was unable to succeed his mother, Kelembra II, immediately due to his absence from the country for his education. During his reign, Fredrik II repealed the Law of Matriarchy.

10. Tanyina II (*1245/§1291/‡1322) =1271= Darin Roberts (*1245/‡1316)
Tanyina II, the only child of Fredrik II, had a peaceful reign that was marked only by great economic growth in the face two natural disasters.

11. Johannin (*1273/§1322/‡1336) =1298= Deliya du Katz (*1278/‡1338)
Johannin succeeded his mother in 1322, and established the period of the protectorateship under the Republic of Terramarc in order to preserve his power.

12. Fredrik III (*1300/§1336/‡1360) =1321= Lauren vun Runtstedh (*1304)
Fredrik III succeeded his father in 1336. During his reign the Kingdom's military and economy grew covertly during the protectorateship, while everything was publicly downsized. He is survived by his wife, Lauren.

13. Bruno II (*1330/§1360) =1350= Sophia du Cron (*1332)
Bruno II is the current reigning monarch of the Kingdom, after succeeding his father, King Fredrik III. During his reign, the Kingdom reunited with the Republic of Western Zartania to form the Greater Zartanian Empire.