Imperial Court of Mesogeia

The Imperial Court of Mesogeia (Farsian: Darbār e Azam) refers to the institution comprising the domestic, military, and religious entourage of the Emperor of Mesogeia, which supports both the reigning sovereign and the members of the Imperial Family.

Organisation

The basic administrative structure of the Imperial court has existed in its present form largely unchanged for close to a thousand years. The Imperial court has historically been divided into the Outer ("Birûni") and Inner ("Andarûni) Courts, each with their own particluar services.

Appointees to the imperial court are divided into two groups: the amīn al-Padishah ("confident of the Emperor") for office-holders within the inner court, specifically speaking the imperial enclosure (ḵalwat); with the more prestigious honorific of eʿtemād al-šâhanšâhi ("the trust of the empire") being granted to the Great offices of the Imperial Court.

The overall head of the entire imperial establishment is the Megas Darigansalar, as Grand Master of the Imperial court.

The Outer Court (Birûn)

The outer court consists of the amala-ye rekāb, "agents of the stirrup" which is composed of the imperial guards, stewards, riding attendants, aids-de camps, and all other officials with duties that brought them outside of the the Inner Court. In modern times these officials and functionaries have been organized into two seperate departments: the Military Household, the Ecclesiastical Household the Outdoor & Camp services Department, and the Office of Public Diversions, and the Bureau of Protocol.

The Military Household

The military household operates as the military arm of the Imperial court, under the general direction of PLACEHOLDER, as the senior head overseeing the ten guards regiments responsible for protecting the sovereign and for providing security for members of the imperial family and guarding the imperial palaces.

The subordinates include:

• Hazarbed-Aqasi (commander of the Imperial Athanatoi Guard)
• Chilliarch (commander of th Basilikon Agema Guard)
• Qorchi-Bashi (commander of the Imperial Qezelbāš Cavalry Guard)
• Qullar-Aqasi) (commander of the Imperial Ghulam Guard)
• Tupchi-Bashi (commander of the Artillery Guard)
• Tufangchi-Aqasi (commander of the Imperial Musketeers)
• Chilliarch (commander of the Argyraspides Guard
• Chilliarch (commander of the Chalkaspides Guard
• Chilliarch (commander of the Chryaspides Guard)
• Chilliarch (commander of the Leukaspides Guard

Ecclesiastical Household

The Ecclesiastical Household functions as the religious arm of the Imperial Court, having oversight over various cathedrals, chapels, and monasteries with imperial patronage and all religious ceremonies in the imperial court, such as mass, imperial marriages, baptisms, and funerals. The office is responsible for the distributions of alms and donations to various charities and religious organizations.

The office is headed by the Synkellos in his role as Imperial Chaplain, with directors overseeing the Apostolic Church establishment, the Olympianism establishment, and the Aletheic church establishment in Mesogeia.

Its staff includes hundreds of Priests, nuns preachers, and chaplains. The various cathedrals, temples, churches, chapels and monasteries under the patronage of the Imperial Court include: the Pantheon Cathedral, Cathedra of Hagia Triada, Cathedral of Hagia Aima, Palace Chapel of the Theotokos, Hormisdas Church and Monastery, the Panagia Hodegetria Monastery, Pammakaristos Church, Zoödochos Pege Monastery, the Myrelaion Monastery, and the Stoudion Monastery.

Outdoor & Camp Services Department

The Outdoor & Camp Services Department is responsible for all outer court activities related to the imperial court. This department is composed of the Imperial Stables & Transport Department, the Department of Camp Services, the Imperial Hunting Bureau, and the Maintenance & Construction Department.

Imperial Stables & Transport Department

The Imperial Stables & Transport Department is responsible for the ceremonial and everyday transport of the imperial family of Mesogeia. The department is charged with overseeing the sovereign's travels within the country, ensuring the safe arrival of the monarch, the imperial family, and their housholds; in addition to this the department is charged with managing the stables, carriage houses, the breeding farms, and the Imperial Riding Schools attached to the Imperial Court.

The office of the Imperial Stables is open to the public for much of the year, having in its possession 60 horse-drawn carriages, coaches, and landaulets; together with 20 motorized vehicles. Being one of the most expensive departments of the Imperial Court is said to possess 30 horses, from a high of 30,000 in the early 17th century.

The carriages housed in the Imperial Stables include the Imperial State Coach, the Diamond State Coach, The Despot's State Coach, 1904 State Landau, and the Imperial Hearse.

Department of Camp Services

The Department of Camp Services is headed by the Megas Stratopedarches ("Grand Master of the Camp") who oversees camp services, in adition to the Farrāš-ḵāna and the Nasaq-ḵāna, through his subordinates. All three offices are an extraordinary testament to the fearsome punitive power of the Mesogeian monarch.

The Farrāš-ḵāna is a department with mostly ceremonial functions in connection with the imperial footmen or tent pitchers as they were historically known in Mesogeia, and headed by the Farrāš-Bāšī ("Chief of the Carpet Spreaders"). Historically their duties were far more fearsome being responsible for delivering imperial messages and carrying out imperial punitive commands ranging from arrests, beatings, extortions, and more serious acts.

The Nasaq-ḵāna, is a department with largely ceremonial functions in the present-day it was once responsible for carrying out the most severe and dreaded punitive measures on behalf of the sovereign. Its head is the Nasaqčī-Bāšī ("Chief Discipliner"), who oversees the nasaqčīs; executioners or agents of torment). While historically this department was responsible for the most extreme punishments of the state, including torture, blinding, mutilation, and state executions.

Currently the Nasaqčī-Bāšī ("Chief Discipliner") is responsible for countersigning all death warrants on behalf of the sovereign.

The Imperial Hunting Bureau

The Imperial Hunting Bureau is headed by the Protokynegos (Grand Huntsman), who is assisted by Protoierakarios (Chief Falconer) both of which must be drawn from the the upper aristocracy. The Hunting office is responsible for organising imperial hunts, the sale of hunting rights, and the management of the imperial hunting reserves at the Blachernai Palaces, Makellon Palace, Bryas Palace, Philopation Palace and Pege Palace.

Maintenance & Construction Department

The Maintenance & Construction Department is responsible for the exterior maintenance and upkeep of the imperial palaces, attached gardens and parks, and qanāts. Its sub-sections include the Imperial Gardens and Parks Agency, the Imperial Managerie and Zoological Park Administration, and the Bureau of Imperial Building Management.

Functioning as a subsection of the Maintenance and Construction Department, the Imperial Gardens and Parks Agency is responsible for the management and oversight over the Imperial parks and gardens within the capital, which includes the Imperial Palace Gardens in the Alexandropolis Palace, the Acropolis Park, the Nymphaeum Park, the Blachernai Gardens, Kynegion Park, Mangana Park, the Chalke Gardens; as well as the Pege Park, a public amusement park located on the outskirts of Alexandropolis.

The cut flowers and bulbs from the Imperal gardens serves as source of income to the Imperial Court.

The Imperial Managerie and Zoological Park Administration is responsible for overseeing the Imperial Blachernai Managerie, Alexandropolis Zoo, and the Parisia Zoo; its staff includes zookeepers and veterinarians.

The Bureau of Imperial Buildings Management deals with the actual managment of the individual imperial palaces, such as Imperial Palace of Alexandropolis, Chrysopolis Palace, Parisia Acropolis, Fasargadae Palace, Khouzia Palace, Magnaura Palace, Tower of Sykai, Blachernai Castle, Chrysokeras Palace, Hieria Palace, Hebdomon Palace, Philopation Palace, Bryas Palace, Makellon Palace, Mangana Palace, and Porphyrogenitus Palace; as well as the Imperial Court Theatre, the Imperial Opera House, and the Imperial Theatre Storage Depot.

The Office of Public Diversions

The Office of Public Diversions, with its presiding officer the PLACEHOLDER, is responsonsible for the organisation of state ceremonies, such as Baptisms, marriages, state funerals, royal entries, coronations, imperial festivals, ambasadorial receptions, state balls, and the state opening of parliament. The office is headed by the Grand PLACEHOLDER who is assisted in his duties by low ranking courtiers called the silentiarii, who originally charged with the maintenace of silence and order within the Imperial Palaces.

The Bureau of Protocol

The Bureau of Protocol is overseen by the Master of Ceremonies who is responsible for overseeing both public and private audiences.

The Inner Court (Andarûn)

The Inner Court is composed of the imperial enclosure/chamber (ḵalwat-e ḵāṣṣa) department, the gynaikeion ("andarūn-e ḵāṣṣa"), the Court Services ("ḵedmat-e ḵāṣṣa)") department, the Bureau of the Imperial Treasures, the Imperial Accounting & Finance Department, the inner Chancellery, and the Imperial Crown Lands.

The imperial chamber ("ḵalwat-e ḵāṣṣa")

The imperial chamber or enclosure (ḵalwat-e ḵāṣṣa), ii headed by PLACEHOLDER, who oversees all the court functionaries bearing the distinction of attendants in waiting (ʿamala-ye ḥożūr), which implies nominal personal attendance on the imperial person.

This section is divided into the imperial chambers (semi-private reception rooms of the imperial palace, the Tamieion Basilikon ("the imperial apartments of the monarch", and the koiton ("Imperial state bedchamber"); with the final chamber being the most sacred of the imperial chambers.

The offices attached to the imperial chamber include the attendants in waiting (divided into lords and gentleman of the chamber), the valets of the imperial chamber, and the imperial pages.

The imperial chamber is responsible for employing doorkeepers, ushers, and announcers throughout the official state apartments, the publicly open sections of the palace.

Their staff includes their deputy Megas Archon (Head of the Emperor's Routine), Prokathemenos of the koiton (Attending lords of the bedchamber), Prokathemenos of the Blachernai, Prokathemenos of the Great Palace, and the Koitōnitai Chamberlain serving within the private chambers of the Emperor), Archontopouloi (Noble pages), and the paidopouloi (common pages).

The Gynaikeion ("andarūn-e ḵāṣṣa")

The Office of the Gynaikeion refers to the seperate establishement within the imperial court which defines the hierarchy of the women of the court. The official head of the Gynaikeion based on her seniority is her Imperial Highness, Dowager Consort Theophano who serves as acting Padishah Begum, first lady of the Imperial Court, the highest ranking women at court, second to the Empress regnant only.

Imperial Consort Theopano being the step mother of the reiging Empress Elena II ranks directly below the Empress regnant being the only surviving consort to the late Emperor Constantine XXII. The Grand Mistress of the Gynaikeion is the Zoste Patricia who oversees all female courtiers being responsible for the daily routine of the women of the court, all financial accounts related to the Gynaikeion and the organization of the staff.

The Zoste Patricia is assisted by the Kouropalatissa, and the Protovestiaria. The Kouropalatissa responsibilites include the travels of the court ladies, and the furnishing of their apartments. The Protovestiaria is responsible the clothing and jewelry of the court ladies, and the supervision of the dressing ceremony.

Another position, that of Patrikia Pedagogia is a position of much importance because it denotes the official Governess of the imperial children, a role denoting the woman responsible for the rearing and raising of the imperial children.

Mid-ranking female courtiers called Koubikoularia serve as ladies in waiting in the Gynaikeion, they are divided into the Koubikoularia tōn Gynaikōn (Ladies of the Chamber) and Koubikoularia tōn oikeiakon (Women of the Court). The majority of female courtiers are part of the lowest ranking class of female staff, the Vestiaria who are responsible for a host of functions, primarily acting as maids of honour.

It should be noted that historically women selected to be in the Gynaikeion as possible concubines typically start out as a Cariye or an Odalik, Courtesans and Chamber attendants, women whose primary fuction is to wait on the empress and imperial princesses.

Office of the Ektomiai

The Office of the Ektomiai is unique to the Imperial Court of Mesogeia for the simple fact that it refers to the third seperate hierarchy at court reserved exclusively for eunuchs. The department administers and oversees the activities of the thousands of eunuchs employed throughout the imperial palaces of Mesogeia. The Office of the Ektomiai is headed by the PLACEHOLDER, who acts as Chief Eunuch, overseeing the activities of the corps of eunuchs at court.

From a high of 70,000 to 100,000 eunuchs in the medieval ages, the Imperial Court now employs only about 2,500 registered eunuchs spread across the five main imperial residences at Alexandropolis, Parisa, Chrysopolis, Farsagadae, and Chouza. The court titles reserved for eunuchs are nearly identical to the court titles reserved for men with minor differences, with the highest rank being, Protoi Philoi (Friend of the first rank); while the lowest rank is that Nipsistiarios.

The Bureau of Imperial Treasures and Patronages

The Bureau of Imperial Treasures and Patronages is a unique department of the Imperial Court which refers to the tangible treasures attached to the imperial establishment both material, artistic, and of monetary value; in addition to the imperial patronages

This bureau is composed of the Imperial Historic Treasures Collection and the Imperial Patronages Agency. The Imperial Historic Treasures Collection is responsible for overseeing the management of the Imperial Collections and treasures, which is spread out among various palaces, museums and art galleries throughout the nation.

The primary components of the Imperial Historic Treasures Collection consist of the Imperial Court Library, which functions as the National Library of Mesogeia; the Imperial Art Gallery, housing a large collection of the Imperial Family's extensive art collections on display which includes photographs, paintings, mosaics, icons and etc; the Imperial Museum, the national museum of the empire housing Mesogeian specific art in addition to historically significant works; and Imperial Atelier.

The Imperial Historic Treasures Collection is overseen by an eight-member board consisting of:

• Custodian of the imperial furniture, refers specifically to furniture on display at various museums and public rooms in the palace. The head of the Imperial Furniture Depository.
• Curator of the Atrium: responsible for the displays in the atriums of every imperial palace. Director of the Imperial Museum.
• Custodian of the Paintings: responsible for all paintings in the imperial collection. Co-chair of the Imperial Art Gallery
• Curator of the Picture galleries: oversight over imperial photography department; co-chair of the Imperial Art Gallery
• Custodian of the Ancestral Masks: responsible for matters pertaining to funerary art and the ritual death masks. Its head has oversight over the imperial crypt underneath the Cathedral of Hagia Aima
• Custodian of the Statues: responsible for all imperial statuary, sculptures, busts and statues in the possession of the imperial court.
• Custodian of the Valuables: responsible for the ceremonial plate, that is the gold, silver, and porcelain dinning services used for state functions
• Curator of the imperial jewels: responsible for the crown jewels, that is jewels passed on to the next generation, and officially at the disposal of the Emperor or the Empress consort.

The Imperial Patronages Agency is the governing body tasked with the management and general oversight of the eight Imperial Academies and various imperial societies; organisations founded by imperial decree or with official patronage by a member of the imperial family with the intent to promote Mesogeian cultural heritage.

The Academies consists of:

• Imperial Mesogeian Academy
• Imperial Academy of Fine Arts
• Imperial Academy of the Humanties
• Imperial Academy of Music
• Imperial Academy of Sciences
• Imperial Academy of Agriculture
• Imperial Academy of War Sciences
• Imperial Academy of Naval Sciences

The Imperial Accounting & Finance Department

The Imperial Accounting & Finance Department is responsible for all the financial matters partaining to the imperial court and its connected departments.

The Imperial Accounting & Finance Department with approximately 250 full-time staff members serves as the financial arm of the Imperial court with its director being responsible for various sub-departments, such as the Imperial Privy Purse, Imperial Chest, and the the Imperial Wardrobe.

The department is responsible for managing the court's finances and the assets tied to the Imperial court and at the disposal of the Emperor by virtue of his position; issuing payments to the court's employees; and has financial oversight along over all state functions and receptions.

Historically the Imperial Privy Purse, the Imperial Chest, and the Imperial Wardrobe functioned as a distinct sub-section country's imperial treasuries:

• The Imperial Privy Purse: Responsible for the Sovereign's personal assets;
• The Imperial Chest: responsible for the public assets of the Imperial court, that is assets derived from the court or the Imperial Crownlands.
• The Imperial Wardrobe: which despite the name was initially responsible for the imperial mints, the imperial arsenals, and the provisioning of the military. Presently it oversees the Imperial Trust of the Imperial Family.

There was a time that the Imperial Wardrobe functioned as the state treasury until the state's finances were split off into other fiscal departments, leaving the Imperial Wardrobe, the Imperial Privy Purse, and the Imperial Chest with financial matters retaining to the Imperial court and the Imperial family.

The Inner Chancellery

The Inner Chancellery is responsible for administering the private chancellery of the emperor of Mesogeia; and is composed of the Imperial Translation Department; Imperial Secretariat, Imperial Stationery & Calligraphy Department, and the Bureau of the Imperial Archive.

The Court Services Department ("ḵedmat-e ḵāṣṣa")

The court services department is responsible for extensive activities which deals with the innermost workings of the imperial household and court on a domestic and maintenance level. The department itself is composed of five departments: the Palace Supervisory Department; the Domestic Services Department; the Imperial Pharmacy & Medical Department; the Amusements & Diversions Department; and the Telegraph Department.

The Domestic Services Department is headed by the Megas Papias who has has five subordinate Paipiai responsible for the Chalke Gate, Blachernai Palace, Daphne Palace, Boukoleon Palace and Magnaura Palaces respectively.

Below the Paipiai are various subordinates responsible for provisioning the kitchens, cleaning, lighting, and the general maintenance of the Imperial Palaces, it includes:

• Deuteros, the deputy of the Paipiai who is responsible for the safekeeping, transport, and upkeep of the Imperial furniture.
• Diaitarioi, chamberlains working monthly shifts responsible for the various rooms, halls, and chapels of the Imperial Palace.
• Hebdomadarioi, serving weekly rotations they were subordinate to the Diatarioi
• Loustai, Servants responsible for preparing Imperial baths and the Imperial laundry
• Kandelaptai, originally charged with lighting candles in the palace, now dealing with lighting of the palaces through electricity. The section is also responsible for the thousands of candles used at state functions.
• Kaldarioi, charged with heating the Imperial palaces,
• Horologoi, responsible for managing the hundreds of clocks and timepieces within the imperial palaces.
• Zarabai, responsible for cleaning the Imperial Silverware and Tableware adorning the imperial table.

The Amusements & Diversions Department is responsible for the management of the court entertainments and leisurely pursuits. The department is overseen by PLACEHOLDER.

A sub-section of the department is the bureau of imperial theatres, which is responsible for the organizing of ballets, operas, and theatrical performances at the six imperial theatres, two imperial opera houses and various opera, ballet, drama companies, and theatrical schools with imperial patronage.

Office of the Imperial Crown Lands

The Office of the Imperial Crown Lands is unique in that while being a part of the Imperial Court in theory certain sections of this department are classified as personal assets of the emperor and the Imperial Family. The office is overseen by the Steward of the Imperial Crown Lands, with the department being further subdivided into two main sections, Aulic Property, that is property and assets that the Emperor and Imperial family are entitled to use due to their position; and private assets, that being private assets seperate from their public role.

The Office of the Imperial Crown Lands is responsible for the assets derived from various institutions attached to the Imperial Court and to the crown such as the Aulic Property Office, Imperial Pharmacy, Imperial Gardens, Imperial Hunting Office, rented properties in the cities, and agricultural estates in the country. Assets derived from the Aulic Property Office are paid to the state each year in return for the annual civil list.

The estates belonging to the Aulic Property Office include, Imperial Palace of Alexandropolis, Palace of Chrysopolis, Acropolis of Troiana, Farsargadae Palace, Chouza Palace, Palace of Magnaura, Tower of Sykai, Blachernai Castle, Chrysokeras Palace, Hieria Palace, Hebdomon Palace, Philopation Palace, Bryas Palace Makellon Palace, Mangana Palace, and Porphyrogenitus Palace.

Seperate from the Aulic Property and the state properties attached to the crown are the assets derived from the Emperor's personal fortune and the Imperial Family Trust, an asset management foundation established to strictly control and administer the Imperial Family's private assets. The personal assets of the Imperial Family include:

• Grand Principality of Dardanellia, 157,000 acres of agricultural, commercial and residential land, valued at $682 million.
• Despotate of Morea, 117,000 acres of land throughout the empire, used for agriculture, residential, and commercial properties. Valued at $1.5 billion
• Emperor's personal estate Bosphoros Palace contains some 15,000 acres of farmland, and commmercial property.
• Emperor's private estate, Villa Prinkips with 3,500 acres of agricultural, commercial, and residential property.
• Troadinos Castle, ancestral seat of the Imperial family, with about 5,622 acres of farmland
• Investment portfolio valued at $2 billion
• Personal collection of artwork, paintings, sculptures, furniture, and jewellry.

It should be noted that certain estates held by members of the imperial family fall somewhere between the private and state properties, these are called tied estates, because they are permanently tied to the specific title and cannot be sold and revert to the Imperial Crown Lands when the holder dies without a male heir; they are however administered privately by the holder as imperial appanages separate from the Imperial Crown Lands, when in use.

These tied estates include:

• Duke of Chalcedon Estate, including, Chalcedon Palace, Lauseion House, Kyklobion House, Elaion Akra Palace, and well over 150,000 acres of agricutural, commercial and residential real estate. It should be noted that the Duke of Chalcedon married the fabulously wealthy Penelope Opsikion-Troadinos, heiress to the Prince of Opsikion, the last male of the House of Opsikion, a branch of the imperial house whose wealth has long since rivaled if not dwarfed that of the immediate Imperial family.
• Duke of Lacedaemon Estate, including Meloudion Palace, Aretai House, and additional properties
• Duke of Ellis Estate, including the St. Euphemia Palace, and additional properties.

Department of the Grand Chamberlain

The Department of the Grand Praepositos is headed by the Grand Praepositos, with its functions including oversight over the Koiton (the private domain of the Emperor), cultural institutions attached to the Imperial Court, and physical access to the Emperor through the granting of audiences.

The Sub-departments of the Department of the Grand Praepositos include the Office of the Grand Praepositus, the Koiton (Imperial Chamber), Oikeiakon Vestiarion (Private Wardrobe), the Historic Art Collections, and the Imperial Academies.

The department of the Grand Praepositos manages various cultural institutions such as the Oikeiakon Vestiarion, Imperial Court Library, Imperial Armoury, Imperial College of Heraldry, and the College of Chivalry. In his role as cultural minister the Grand Praepositos oversees the Crown Jewels, Imperial art collection, and the various Imperial Academies.

Office of the Grand Praepositos

The Office of the Grand Praepositos serves as the administrative office of the Department of the Grand Praepositos; with its responsiblities including matters concerning heraldry, ancestry, geneology, and the proper use of arms. Under its authority includes the sub-departments of Imperial College of Heraldry, and the College of Honour, which are headed by the Grand Seneschal and Grand Constable respectively