The Winter Contingency

[Cepheid 4304]

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THE WINTER CONTINGENCY
1852
Palazzo Aggradé
Penned by William Alstion
Approved for General Publication

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THE THIRD COUNCIL OF STATE

 

WHEREAS With Our ordained authority as Prince command the Second Council of State to be dissolved;
    
With the formation of the Third Council of State, We do invest:

 

VASILEIA EKATERINI BASRID as Her Excellency, to bear the Signet of St. Wilfriche, bear the Great Seal of the Realm, and govern Savoy as Our Lady Chancellor;
WILLIAM CORWIN ALSTION as His Excellency, to bear the Signet of St. Lucien and govern the territory of San Luciano as its Vizier;
ULRICH LOTHAR ALSTREIM as His Excellency, to bear the Signet of St. Edmond and organise the defence of Our shores, fields, towns, and cities as Field Marshal and Grand Knight of the Order of the Argent Sun;
ELIJAH KEEN as His Excellency, to bear the Signet of St. Peter and be Our trusty Lord Commander, Our guide to the sword and sheild;
PHILIPPE SAINTE- BLANDINE as His Excellency, to bear the Signet of St. Richard and be Our trusty Scrivener, Our eyes and ears and pen;
GOWTHAR DOUGLAS as His Excellency, to bear the Signet of St. Tobias and be Our trusty lord Mariner, to watch and manage the Savoyard Seas;
MALCOM DOUGLAS as His Excellency, to bear the Signet of St. Tobias and be Our trusty lord Mariner, to watch and manage the Savoyard Seas;
CATHERINE PRINCESS SUTICA as Her Excellency, to bear the Signet of St. Catherine and carry Her integrity as Our Lady Envoy;
FIODOR CARDINAL ALLOBROGUM as His Eminence, the leal representative of His Holiness on Our Council of State.

THE EDICT OF PARLIAMENT

 

WHEREAS Our Patricians Assembly has been left to Us in a state of abeyance and decay:
I.    With Our Princely authority do we declare it dissolved;
II.    That We hereby establish the first Parliament of Savoy, to be initially composed of all Lords formerly granted a seat in the Patricians Assembly as well as the Mayor of San Luciano, two other appointed burgess, and the Cardinal Allobrogum;
III.    That We invest the Parliament the authority to actively govern and create the laws of the realm;
IV.    That Parliament will absorb the magistracy rights of the now defunct Lord Justiciar, and consequently Members of Parliament will sit as jury to criminal and civil cases where required.
V.    That the Vizier will preside over all sessions of Parliament with his own vote, and retains the right of appointment to and dismissal from the Parliament.

THE CHARTER OF SAN LUCIANO

 

WHEREAS The Charter of the City of San Luciano was unfortunately neglected for many years, for the good governance of the city We see a need to rearrange certain aspects of its content.

 

And whereas also numerous functions of city government laid out in the former Charter of San Luciano seem to be in abeyance, the positions of Lord Provost and City Clerk are dissolved, their powers and responsibilities diverted to an appointed Mayor of the city, the first being Ioannis Basrid, who shall report to the Vizier of the Prince.

 

And whereas many of our burgess and privileged classes did unilaterally, and illegally, release themselves from their oaths to the Crown, We recognise that our city’s populace has now been fundamentally altered, and so We declare that any and all privileges once afforded solely to the Patricians of the city will now be extended to the Freemen of San Luciano.

 

It is declared and enacted in various documents of state that no man shall be forejudged by life or limb, and so We reaffirm that all people of this realm shall be judged only by their peers and shall not be put to death or molested in any way contrary to the law.

 

And also in the fourth year of the reign of Prince Olivier I it was declared and enacted through the Gradic Charter that the people of San Luciano had the right to collect taxes, We further declare that hereafter taxes or rates of any kind may not be levied without the consent of Parliament, that no man may be called to collect rates not authorised by this body, and that no man be compelled to pay them.

 

We hereby reissue the Gradic Rights, c. 1557:

 

Hitherto the populace of this town shall be referred to as any legal landholder within municipal authority.
Hitherto does the populace of this town have the right to waive feudal privilege and govern itself.
Hence the town has the right to choose a leader from amongst its own.
Hence the town has the right to produce and publish laws and rights regarding itself.
Hitherto does the populace of this town have an exemption from serfdom.
Hitherto does the populace of this town have the right to freedom of travel.
Hitherto does the populace of this town have the right to collect tax, tolls, and impose fees.
Hitherto does the populace of this town have the right to freedom of trade.
Hitherto does the populace of this town have the right to a trial by judge.
Hitherto does the populace of this town have the right to petition its lord.

 

WHEREBY These reforms are made with a mind to benefit the people of the city, We declare that San Luciano will be afforded the right to title itself a Free City, and as such will be referred hereafter as the Free City of San Luciano.

 

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IN NOMINE DEI,
His Serene Highness Olivier II, Prince of Savoy, Duke of Corazon, Count of San Luciano, etcetera.

[HeyitsNano 1582]

Elijah Keen nods in approval of the Prince's contingency before signing the lorraine and making silent prayers to the Lord God.

[fetty bridgers 4492]

Gowther Douglas admired the missive as one of the barkeeps nailed it tot he wooden beam protruding from the floor in the middle of the tavern. Leaning over he would nudge Malcolm with a smile, "Ma' and Pa' would be proud." 

[sergisala 3451]

Sir Charles Galbraith, Doctor in Laws, rejoices upon hearing of the constitution of the First Parliament of Savoy "A true example of a system that ensures that the people govern themselves through representatives, even though I would personally prefer that all of its members were democratically elected by popular vote."