House of Baronies
House of Baronies Housse uft Baronys | |
|---|---|
 Logo | |
 Flag | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | 2 |
| History | |
| Founded | 1105 C.E, 919 years ago |
| Preceded by | King's Council |
| Leadership | |
PM Saiah Dunwille since 1 July 2022 | |
| Structure | |
 | |
Political groups | HH Government (56) |
Political groups | HH Opposition (20) |
Length of term | 6 years; renewable once |
| Elections | |
Last election | 15 June 2022 |
Next election | 15 June 2028 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Horessen Palace, Constitution Square, Lomercoyne NK-LC, Chatten and Leucen | |
| Website | |
| www.parliament.gov.chl | |
| Constitution | |
| Constitution of Chatten and Leucen | |
The House of Baronies (Leucish: Housse uft Baronys) is the upper house of the Chalcish Parliament, the bicameral legislature of Chatten and Leucen. The House is composed of 76 representatives, 3 out of each federal state, except for Lomercoyne which has an additional representative. One of the oldest institutions in the world, it was established in the 12th century in the wake of the War of the Barons against Calwyth. It is the first chamber of the Parliament before the inauguration of the Assembly of Commons in 1815.
Emerging as the institution where Barons, landowners of medieval Leucen, can congregate to discuss matters of great importance, it represents the Parliament in decision-making through the passage of bills called acts. Before the creation of the Assembly of Commons, the Chalcish Parliament is unicameral; the House representing the entirety of the Parliament. After the War of the Barons and the baron victory at the Battle of Sewburg in 1105, King Calwyth relinquished his control, but not his authority, from the King's Council as part of the Ten Points. The Barons reorganized it into a legislative chamber, initially consisting of 50 members which consists of the opposing forces who fought in the war. With the members being part of the nobility, they executes enough power to challenge the power of the monarchy to pass laws. It was once headed by the Head of the Parliament, representing the Baronial Speaker and the Leader of Parliament at the same time (though the latter was later replaced by the Head of the Parliament). Due to its reach and power, successive monarchs have tried to curb its influence and reach, but to no avail.
Members of the House of Baronies are elected by the people using the x voting system. Divided into twenty-five sections, each section represents the interests of a federal state. All states, except for Lomercoyne, gets a fixed number of three votes, with each representative permanently tied to a single vote as per the 1945 Constitution. Before the Enabling Act of 1830 and the liberalization under Nethania III & I, the House of Baronies is composed of members that are appointed for life with hereditary privileges. The Humble Superior, representing the Church of Great Chalcain, was abolished following their involvement in the 1935 July Revolution. The Prime Minister derives its legitimacy from both the Assembly and the House.
As the upper house of the Chalcish Parliament, it has legislative powers and responsibilities similar to that of the Assembly of Commons. It can promulgate new bills, scrutinize legislation, holds the government into account, dissolve the current government by passing a vote of no confidence, declaring war, and reporting public policy to the monarch. It is represented by the Baronial Speaker and together with the Assembly Speaker and the Head of the Parliament, annually consults the Monarch every 1 December. It congregates at the Arch of Kings in the left side of the Horessen Palace in Lomercoyne.
History
Early history
The history of the House of Baronies originated in the 1st century, where Marcyn the Generous initiated the Rwycorrian reforms in Rwycorr, establishing a small noble council known as the Sert. This government structure would soon prove to be popular amongst the nobility and the peasantry, with the Kingdom of Leucen and Cydacyll adopting a similar government structure. The King's Council, the Leucish counterpart of the Sert, became an important executive and legislative organ for the monarchy. The King's council became an important institution during the Tridetarchy, a period of political instability and strife amongst the island's thirteen kingdoms. The King's council guided the monarchy to the best course of action possible, and with the creation of the position of the Master of the Coin in 99 CE, advises the King in the matters of currency and finance. It was briefly disbanded following the Moravian Conquests between 435 and 456 before being reinstated in the early 9th century. The House of Yrrfor, the house of the ancient Leucish kings, were known to possess a hand of steel and often uses the powers of the council to enact an almost absolutist rule. This unwarranted display of power led to the dissatisfaction of the Barons which indirectly led to the War of the Barons in the 12th century.
Between the 9th and early 12th century, the King's council starts to act more of a legislative assembly rather than a deliberative one. Near the conclusion of the religious crisis under the reign of High KIng Sycor IX, the King's council held so much power that when Nymeth reveals his plan to overthrow his father in a coup after the execution of his younger brother, Fwynth, the council overrides the King's orders and welcomes him as the first monarch of the House of Horessen. The King's council also acted as the authority in case of the complete absence of the monarchy, as with the case of the regicide against Hirweth and his family during the Red Dagger Conspiracy. The council has also demonstrated the power to define the royal succession line in times of succession crises, such as the ascension of Ardewyth as the first monarch of House of Flemmes in 1014.
With the consent of the King, the council acts similar to that of the modern executive and legislative branch as an institution that writes and implements the law. For example, when Sycos VII consented with the unification of the High Kings of Leucen and the Kingdom of the Corks, Jotavs, and the Hundes, the King's council reorganizes as the Leucish part of the Northern and Southern Electorates.
