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 | patriarchal house |
| 皇帝宮 | gwang-tegh-kjung | imperial palace | 公宮 | kong-kjung | patriarchal 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 | 公令 | kong-ringh | patriarchal 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". Others reflect a reversion to an even earlier set of titles dating to the Hexarchy, such as tek-ladh-goh (帝太后).
Reversion
The Yi empire disintegrated in 1518 due to the Menghean Black Plague, which had already ravaged Themiclesia in the 13th century. The king ordered his court to discuss reclaiming the lost title, but the result, led by the President of Tribunes, was in the negative. Leading jurists argued that changing the sovereign's title was prejudicial to stability and juridical references, since the last title chagne resulted in years spent in editing all the laws to remove references to an emperor.[1]
In 1634, King Hor (桓王) of the current dynasty declared that he would use the title emperor again, which met opposition from his courtiers. They said that emperor was simply a title, without which his country functioned perfectly well and made many advances. Hor responded that if recanting the title could save an invasion, then he should proclaim it first and then remove it as one of the terms of peace; if he did not use this title, he would have to give up something more substantial. Some of the courtiers were convinced by this line of thinking, but others argued that taking the title was a source of unwanted conflict in the first place, and those that he could waive simply by removing the title would not have occurred if he did not use the title anyway.
In order to reduce the trouble of editing all the laws to reflect changes in titles, only the titles "emperor" and "empress" were resurrected.
In translation
The Sylvanate style of the Themiclesian monarch varied from time to time, as it was used solely in foreign correspondence. There is no observed trend in the styles used during the period when Themiclesia officially stopped using the title "emperor" domestically, and the word imperator was very infrequently used. In 1398, a diplomatic note to Sylva used the title Rex et princeps dominorum Thimiensibus, "king and first amongst Themiclesian lords".
See also
Notes
- ↑ 王令曰：曩哀王四年，義犯我使去皇帝號。今義彊大，上帝疾之民，終之邦。命既改，當復稱皇帝。其議。御史駁之，曰頻頻改號無益于事，今不煩改號，便。竟不行。The king commanded, "In the fourth year of King ′Ei, Yi invaded us and forced [us] to remove the title "emperor". Because Yi is powerful and great, God has afflicted its people and ended its state. The mandate has changed, and we should reclaim the title "empror". Let the court discuss [this matter]." The Tribunes refuted this, saying that frequent changes to titles are of no benefit to affairs of state, [and] we will not go through the trouble to change titles, being more convenient. The matter ultimately did not proceed.