Boulekratos
Boulekratos | |
|---|---|
| 110–146 | |
 | |
| Capital | Parilla |
| Government | Officially Oligarchic Republic, effectively hereditary dictatorship |
| History | |
• Overthrow of the Zelusian Dynasty | 110 |
• Restoration of Thrasyllus | 146 |
The Boulekratos (literally Council Rule) was the term given to the 36 year-long rule of Deniyos Archonter and his son Labdakos of the Symmerian Empire, which involved with the overthrow of the Zelusian Dynasty and the transformation of the Empire from a hereditary monarchy to a commonwealth ostensibly ruled by a high council of dignitaries and representatives from across the realm of the Empire. The Boulekratos began in 110 and was dissolved in 146.
The origin of the Boulekratos lay in the reign of Nikoteles, who's rule was marked by extravagant spending and gluttony, which resulted in excessively high taxation levels and tribute demands placed on the provinces of the Empire. Despite pleas from the Archons of multiple provinces, Nikoteles' refusal to curb or alter the behavior of his rule sparked the Archon Rebellion, during which Deniyos, Hyrieos of Ruvelka, and Evelthon of Boreas launched an open rebellion against against Nikoteles by invading Syara. Nikoteles defeated and slew both Hyrieos and Evelthon, but was subsequently defeated by Deniyos near Sopron, after which he fled to Parilla. Nikoteles then agreed to the offer of peace talks by Deniyos, only to be killed by him along with the rest of his family. What members of the Zelusian dynasty remained fled to Boreas, taking refuge with friendly Bosrei tribes.
From Parilla, Deniyos proclaimed the dissolution of the monarchy and the establishment of a "rule by council", which would consist of high council of representatives from the various tribes and people from across the empire. Deniyos drafted a constitution and invited representatives from Mansuriyyah, Galania, Scitaria, Ruvelka, and Shirvaniya to convene. The council would rule on matters of governance while electing a tribunal to oversee judicial matters, as well as appointing Archons to govern the various provinces on their behalf. The council also had the power to declare war, establish tax rates, and grant titles of nobility and citizenship.
While Deniyos on paper had officially transformed the empire from a hereditary monarchy to a oligarchical republic, in reality very little of his reforms produced noteworthy changes. Deniyos wielded absolute power throughout his reign, effectively serving as a dictator despite officially declaring himself a simple "overseer" of the Realm. While a council did regularly convene, its' members rarely understood what powers they possessed and in practice only served to rubber-stamp Deniyos' decrees. Deniyos spent much of his reign traveling the empire and instituting various reforms to the political and economic make up of the realm. These were guided by seemingly pragmatic rather than philosophical intentions; in some regions he established democratic administrations while in others he reinforced monarchies and powers of local nobles. Most of these reforms did not survive past his death, and in many cases much of his policies were holdovers or repetitions from the Zelusians. Inscriptions and writings from the Acrean Empire and Hannashka Empire suggest neither nation recognized that an actual change of government had occurred.
Although projecting an outward image of peaceful prosperity, Deniyos engaged in numerous purges of Symmerian nobles whom he suspected of disloyalty. Confiscation of the estates of the deceased were provided a source of revenue that were used to fund public works projects as well as fill the coffers of loyal companions. The purges became so common during the reign of Deniyos that Parilla was nicknamed the "city of blood". Upon his death in 142, he was succeeded by his son Labdakos. Labdakos lacked the effectiveness of his father, and within a few years the Empire's ruling upper classes began to grow rebellious and irate, even more so after Labdakos attempted to purge the Royal Court of unfavorable nobles. In 146 Thrasyllus, grand-nephew to Nikoteles who had been raised in Boreas, returned to Symmeria with an army and support of many nobles and overthrew Labdakos after a brief conflict. Thrasyllus overturned most of the reforms of the Boulekratos, dissolved the council, and restored the Zelusian Dynasty to the throne.