Themiclesian Republic

Tsjinh Republic 晉邦
Status	defunct
Capital and largest city	Kien-k'ang
Ethnic groups	Meng Themiclesians, Columbian aboriginals, Dzhungars, and others
Religion	State cult of Themiclesia
Demonym(s)	Themiclesian
Government	Imperial elective oligarchy
• Elder	Patriarch of K.rjong (final holder)
Legislature	Council of Barons Council of Peers Council of Bloodlines
Vassal state
• Deposition of Drjen monarch	Jul. 2, 1414
• Restoration of monarchy	Mar. 10, 1510
Population
• 1450 estimate	12 million
Currency	auric catty

The Themiclesian Republic was an elective oligarchy that governed Themiclesia-proper and its empire, from the deposition of the final Drjen monarch in 1414 to the establishment of the Ra dynasty in 1510.

History

Establishment

The Drjen state, which relied upon the influx of gold from Meridian trade as its principal revenue, succumbed to fiscal hardship as Themiclesian military power over the Meridian Ocean suddely collapsed in 1325, in the Battle of Portcullia with the Yi Menghean navy. The state emptied its coffers to rebuild its fleet and challenged the Yi fleet in vain in 1352. The Bubonic plague ravaged coastal Themiclesia in 1351, killing as many as three million people. Despite this, the state once again reburbished its fleet to resurrect its Meridian empire, without much success. Finally, in 1385, Yi forces crossed the Dzhungestan desert and laid siege to Kien-k'ang, at which point the nobility, impoverished by taxation, did not raise troops to defend the city. The emperor ′Ei was forced to degrade himself before Cho Myŏng-wŏn, the Menghean general, and pay tribute to the Yi court.

After the peace treaty was ratified, ′Ei blamed his courtiers for the poor performance of his forces and the destruction of the maritime empire; in return, most nobles left his bureaucracy, depriving it of critical legitimacy. The schism over the responsibility of the defeat widened and led the disgraced monarch to appoint cats as his ministers, expressing contempt for his courtiers. By 1410, ′Ei was ageing and childless, and a rumour persisted at court that he had willed his realm to the Menghean ruler. As a result, ′Ei was deposed by his courtiers in 1414 to prevent the Yi emperor from having the opportunity to interfere, even though the rumour may have been an invention. The leading nobles and barons were unable to agree who should replace ′Ei and instead agreed that, for the foreseeable future, the "position of the emperor" will not be held by a single bloodline. This began what contemporaries called the "perpetual regency" or the Republic as described in the 1800s.

Government

Despite its name, the Themiclesian Republic is conventionally described as an elective oligarchy, rather than a limited democracy. Those of this view generally cite the three following observations. First, the right to participate in deliberative and electoral proceedings was conferred mainly by inheritance, and there were no clear rules that permitted outsiders to join the process. Second, while the chief executive, the Elder, was an elected position, the electors were not legally equal to each other, and a minority of powerful nobles could officially overrule a more numerous group of less powerful or organized nobles. Third, as a result of both, oversight from the councils, where every franchisee had at least some say, on the executive was comparatively weak, and most decisions were in reality made by a stable group of the most powerful and well-connected aristocrats.

Legislative

Having agreed to abdicate, ′Ei recommended to the Patriarch of Tseng (曾百) to summon all the "gentle order" to meet in the capital city. While the monarch was probably attempting to arouse support or sympathy, Tseng and his allies thought that a public abdication would make calls for restoration or future pretensions less likely. By assumption, the great nobility, the barons, and the lesser gentry were summoned. Because it was impractical for the last to attend in person, they were invited to appoint representatives through prefectural elections, which is the same process by which the emepror procured new members of his administration. This grand assembly met on June 20, 1415 and became the model for all subsequent assemblies.