Renaming document
The Renaming Document (更名令, k-rang-mjêng-ringh) was a Themiclesian law issued in 1386 that changed the names of a number of government offices in response to Yi-dynasty Menghean demands to recant the imperial title.
Background
In the late 13th century, Menghe recovered from a period internal turmoil and entered an expansionary phase, which brought it into conflict with Themiclesia's maritime empire in Meridia. While the Yi navy, fielding gunpowder weapons, unexpectedly conquered Portcullia in the battle of 1325, Themiclesia refurbished her forces and established a new base in what is now Naseristan. A second battle in 1352 ensued in waters there resulted in yet another defeat for Themiclesia, for which many of the polities previously disposed to Themiclesia re-aligned with the Yi court. The Themiclesian fleet was rebuilt again to protect access to Maracaiboan gold, but Yi ordered Cho Myeong-won to attack Themiclesia itself in 1385, riding over the vast Dzhungestan desert and laying siege to Kien-k'ang. Her standing armies occupied in Columbia and unable to communicate with the outside world, Themiclesia was forced to surrender and negotiate terms of peace. One of the Menghean demands was for Themiclesia's ruler to abolish the title gwang-tegh, usually translated as "emperor" in Tyrannian. The court assented to these terms and issued instructions for a number of names to be changed.
Issuance
The edict that contained the Renaming Document was issued on March 5, 1386 and was the final edict using the title of emperor until the title was resumed in 1634. This edict was issued to every government department, military unit, prefecture, and county so that the entire country would perceive the change, and it may have been a measure to assure the Yi court of Themiclesia's compliance, in case spies remained in the country.
Contents
| Before | After | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shinasthana | Transliteration | Translation | Shinasthana | Transliteration | Translation |
| 皇帝 | gwang-tegh | emperor | 晉王 | tsjinh-ghwjang | King of Tsjinh |
| 皇后 | gwang-goh | empress | 王后 | ghwjang-goh | queen |
| 皇太后 | gwang-ladh-goh | empress-dowager | 嫡太后 | tek-ladh-goh | agnate queen-dowager |
| 皇帝室 | gwang-tegh-stjit | imperial house | 公室 | kong-stjit | princely house |
| 皇帝宮 | gwang-tegh-kjung | imperial palace | 公宮 | kong-kjung | princely palace |
| 皇帝殿 | gwang-tegh-ntenh | imperial hall | 中殿 | trjung-ntenh | middle hall |
| 皇帝所 | gwang-tegh-skrja′ | emperor's location | 王在所 | ghwjang-dze′-skrja′ | king's present location |
| 陛下 | predh-gra′ | your majesty | 殿下 | ntenh-gra′ | your highness |
| 制 | tjaih | imperial edict | 令 | ringh | order |
| 京兆 | k-rjang-lrjaw′ | capital region | 內史 | nubh-srje′ | Inner Region |
| 京兆尹 | k-rjang-lrjaw′-ljun′ | capital magistrate | 內史 | nubh-srje′ | Inner Administrator |
Observations
One quirk of the edict in the first statement is the declaration that "the emperor reverts to the title of 'King of Tsjinh'," which implies that such a title had always existed. Most of the changes were, indeed, reversions of the changes ordered by Emperor Ngjon of the Mrangh in 545, when the most dominant monarch in Themiclesia started using the title "emperor".