Prime Minister of Themiclesia

Prime Minister
尚書令
Incumbent Lja Le (徐貽) since 2016
Type	head of government
Member of	Council of Correspondence
Reports to	The Emperor
Residence	Council Residences
Seat	Court Hall (Themiclesia)
Nominator	Ministry of Administration Council of Protonotaries
Appointer	The Emperor
Term length	unlimited
Constituting instrument	Standing Order of Administrators (吏令) Customary usage
Formation	c. 550
Deputy	Right Minister, Left Minister

The Prime Minister of Themiclesia, more formally President of Correspondence (尚書令, ′djang′-st′a-mlingh), is the head of the Council of Correspondence and thus the Themiclesian government. The incumbent is Lja Le, who assumed office in 2018 after the retirement of St′ang Krugh.

History

Pre-Themiclesian development

The institution of the Council of Correspondence can be traced to Menghe in the Warring States, when a trend to centralize administration necessitated a secretariat to handle state papers on behalf of the monarch; however, policies were most often made by a chancellor, leaving the monarch a limited role in government. Chancellors were often talented individuals who could, over their careers, serve in multiple courts; as a result, monarchs usually wished to retain a final check on the chancellor's actions, though active policy-making would still be done by the latter. It is understood that the monarch's secretariat, titled "managers of correspondence", handled communications between the chancellor, which led what could be called a government, and the monarch. In this period, the managers of correspondence were effectively secretaries to a passive monarch. This arrangement of power was to continue after Menghe was unified by the eponymous Meng dynasty in 192 BCE, which was the principal influence on perambulating Themiclesian political structures during the Hexarchy.

However, monarchs soon desired to take a more active role in policy-making than the contemporary arrangement permitted. The Chancery was reduced from government to an administrative body that interpreted the policies that the Meng emperor and his privy courtiers made, and the managers of correspondence, who controlled communication between the monarch and chancery, grew to dominate the emperor's policy will. The most senior secretary was called the President of Correspondence, though he had no formal powers over the other secretaries, so that he could not constrict the channels of communication. The power of the secretaries was reflected in many social institutions. Though not high-ranking, virtually all other ministers were expected to yield and bow to a secretary when he passed, including the chancellor. The shift from chancellory to secretarial government is thought to have occurred in Menghe, gradually, between 150 BCE and 50 BCE. The same shift was slower to occur in Themiclesia, as monarchs there were more willing to yield power to talented administrators, though the nominal unification of the country under the Tsjinh in 265 is thought to precipitated a similar shift.

Dynastic development

In Themiclesia, the power of the Council of Correspondence follows a similar arc as in Menghe. The king of Tsjinh was the chief administrator of a centralized state, and administrative departments periodically reported on their affairs and required the approval of the monarch for certain actions, as laid out by statute. Their "correspondence" were opened and read by the Council of Correspondence, which would draft the king's response to them. This naturally implies the authority to create policy. While the king had the ultimate say in which draft he approved, he saw fit to give much latitude to the Council, which also had the power to summon administrators to the palace for questioning, sometimes on behalf of the monarch. The Council assigned one or several of its members as secretaries of state managing correspondence from different policy areas, giving rise to the modern institution of government ministries. Each secretary of state had individual access to the sovereign, but the President of Correspondence supervised the entire operation of the Council. In the later part of the Tsjinh dynasty, it became customary for the secretaries of state to be unanimous on "major affairs" before the monarch. Scholars take the Council under Slje-da Lan (司徒延, in office 345 – 369) to have assumed its modern function as a chief executive, inherited by every later dynasty as the political norm. This arrangement survived challenges by several alternatives, as shown below.

List of holders

Since 1800

Party	Prime minister	Shinasthana	Appointed	Dismissed	Seat
C	Lord of Gar-lang	河陽侯	Oct. 2, 1800	Jan. 14, 1814	Council of Lords
Ind.	Lord Kjalh-djeng	建成君	Feb. 5, 1814	Nov. 27, 1817	Council of Lords
C	Lord of Mjenh-lang	文陽侯	Dec. 1, 1817	May 22, 1819	Council of Lords
Imp.	Lord Sghjang	庠君	May 22, 1819	Jul. 29, 1821	Council of Lords
C	Lord of Mjenh-lang	文陽侯	Jul. 31, 1821	Oct. 12, 1825	Council of Lords
C	Lord Hrus-mrjang	孝明君	Nov. 10, 1825	Apr. 2, 1826	Council of Lords
C	Lord of Tubh	薱侯	Apr. 21, 1826	Sep. 30, 1833	Council of Lords
Ind.	Lord of Ran	闌侯	Oct. 5, 1833	Feb. 22, 1838	Council of Lords
C	Lord Hrus-mjen	孝文君	Mar. 10, 1838	Dec. 5, 1838	Council of Lords
Ind.	Lord of Stsrungh	淙侯	Dec. 5, 1838	Nov. 1, 1839	Council of Lords
Ind.	Lord of Ran	闌侯	Nov. 1, 1839	Apr. 27, 1845	Council of Lords
L	Lord of Rjai-lang	漓陽侯	Apr. 29, 1845	Jun. 10, 1859	House of Lords
C	Lord of Gwal	桓侯	Jun. 14, 1859	Feb. 4, 1861	House of Lords
L	Lord of Sng'rja	楚侯	Feb. 11, 1861	Nov. 30, 1866	House of Lords
C	Lord of Nja'-'rjum	女陰侯	Nov. 30, 1866	Mar. 5, 1869	House of Lords
L	Lord of Sng'rja	楚侯	Mar. 7, 1869	Dec. 1, 1873	House of Lords
L	Lord Tjang-mjen	昌文君	Dec. 1, 1873	Mar. 22, 1878	Kien-k'ang West
C	Lord of M'i	迷侯	May 15, 1878	Jul. 21, 1880	House of Lords
L	Lord L'ong-mjen	通文君	Jul. 22, 1880	Nov. 25, 1886	Sng'rja
C	Lord of M'i	迷侯	Nov. 25, 1886	Jan. 22, 1889	House of Lords
L	Lord L'ong-mjen	通文君	Jan. 27, 1889	Feb. 4, 1891	Sng'rja
C	Lord of Snul-lang	綏陽侯	Feb. 4, 1891	Oct. 5, 1894	House of Lords
C	Lord of Krungh	洚侯	Oct. 6, 1894	May 10, 1909	House of Lords
C	Lord Rjem-'an	臨安君	May 12, 1909	Mar. 10, 1910	Me'
L	Lord of Mik	邲侯	Mar. 22, 1910	Jan. 15, 1912	House of Lords
L	Goh Mjanh-krje	冓萬基	Jan. 15, 1912	Nov. 22, 1915	Gwreng
L	Lord of Mrji-r'jek	眉澈侯	Nov. 22, 1915	Apr. 30, 1916	House of Lords
L	Goh Mjanh-krje	冓萬基	Apr. 30, 1916	Dec. 6, 1918	Gwreng
L	Rjuk Mjo	陸敄	Dec. 6, 1918	Jun. 29, 1919	Sgjon-gwra
C	Lord of Sloi	隨侯	Jul. 13, 1919	Oct. 7, 1921	House of Lords

See also

• Themiclesia