Reforma Carta

Background

The Reforma Carta, or Reform Charter, is a piece of legislation legalised in the early Fifth Era after the failed Kythiran Invasion of Imperius. Internal tensions had existed within the Kythiran Empire prior to this, all the way back to the founding days of the Empire during the Third Era, with much of it being focused around the absolute power wielded by House Viromaro. This resulted in periods of great instability, such as the Three Bad Emperors, massive fluctuations in taxes, indiscriminate imprisonment of High-Lords or their families in order to force their way, self-enrichment and pushing for the Holy Cee to become the sole accepted religious institution in the Empire.

With the failed Kythiran Invasion of Imperius, the Kythiran Navy and especially the Imperial Legion was in a severely weakened state, whilst the Crown was in desperate need for more money from the provinces in order to fund the rebuilding of her armed forces and pay for the reparations to the new republic, a sum close to 1 billion Florynts.

In order to finance this, Emperor Louis Viromaro and his son, Crown Prince Charles Viromaro, the latter acting as Regent, ordered the Imperial Senate to issue a massive tax increase, known as the "Great Rebuilding Act" going as high as taxing 75% of the income of the lower classes, 80% of the middle classes and 95% of the nobility. When this was fully rejected by a vote in the Imperial Senate, the Crown Prince used an Imperial Decree, signed by the Emperor, to dissolve the Imperial Senate and pass the legislation anyway.

Upon learning of this, the High-Lords of all the provinces convened at Radenór Castle in secret. Here, they formed the Reforma Carta, pretty much as it still stands today, except Article IX-11, which was added after meeting with the Emperor.

Alcanzar voted for all parts of the Reforma Carta except Article X, for Prince Charles, like was father, was pro-slavery, whilst Princess Theodosia had only spoken negatively of it. The other High-Lords voted for Article X, and it passed with a vote of 5-1.

The Reforma Carta was eventually presented to the Emperor during an Imperial audience in the White-Gold Tower. The trade was simple. The Emperor would sign the treaty and step down in favour of his daughter. In return, the High-Lords would pay for rebuilding the Imperial Legion and the Kythiran Navy, and pay reparations to the Raggisar Republic, saving the Viromaro Dynasty and the Kythiran Empire.

Reforma Carta of the Kythiran Empire

Preamble

We, the Sovereign of the Kythiran Empire, in council with our esteemed High-Lords of the provinces of Alcanzar, Ardoragh, and the Riverlands, establish this Reforma Carta to ensure justice, peace, and prosperity throughout our realm. Recognising the evolving dynamics of governance, we hereby decree the following provisions:

Article I - Establishment of Kingdoms

1. All six former provinces of the Empire shall henceforth be known as Kingdoms of Kythira.
2. The Emperor and Empress of the Kythiran Empire shall hold the title of "High-King" or "High-Queen" of all respective Kingdoms.
3. The leaders of these newly formed Kingdoms shall retain their titles as High-Lords and shall additionally be granted the honorary title of "King" or "Queen" of their respective Kingdoms.

Article II - Rights and Liberties of the Kingdoms

1. Each Kingdom shall have the right to maintain its own council, laws, and courts, subject to the overarching laws of the Kythiran Empire.
2. No tax or levy shall be imposed upon any Kingdom without the consent of its council.

Article III - Judicial Reforms

1. All subjects of the Empire shall have the right to a fair and speedy trial by a jury of their peers.
2. No subject shall be arrested, exiled, or deprived of property without lawful judgement.
3. The highest court in the land shall be the Supreme Imperial Court of Helmira.

Article IV - Protection of Church Rights

1. The Church within each Kingdom shall retain its rights and privileges and shall remain free from imperial interference in religious matters.

Article V - Trade and Commerce

1. Free trade shall be allowed between the Kingdoms, subject to fair tariffs agreed upon by their respective councils.

Article VI - Duties and Responsibilities of Kings

1. All Kings of the Empire shall swear an oath of fealty to the Kythiran Empire, upholding the unity and integrity of the realm. If the Emperor deems his Prince to be disloyal, a majority vote in the Imperial Council will replace the Prince and High Lord with another. A Viceroy will in that case take over the governmental duties until a suitable replacement has been found.
2. They shall provide military support to the Empire in times of need and collaborate on matters of defence and foreign policy.
3. Each King will have a direct representative of the Emperor, chosen and send by the Emperor, amidst their most important Council. This individual, who shall bear the noble title of Viceroy, will have a veto right in votes within this Council, to be used at their discretion, though it should only be used to benefit the Empire as a whole, or to prevent policies that might destabilise the Empire or the Kingdom. The King is responsible to provide the Viceroy with housing befitting their status, be it a mansion, castle or palace. Providing them with a residence beneath their status will be seen as an insult to the Crown and a violation of Art. VI: 1. The Crown decides if a residence is suited, not the King.

Article VII - Succession and Governance

1. The succession of Princedom within each Kingdom shall be determined by their respective laws and customs as long as their respective High-Lord continues to swear and uphold their oaths of fealty to their Emperor and the Empire.
2. The Empire shall not interfere in the internal succession matters of the Kingdoms unless it is in violation of Art. VII: 1

Article VIII - Resolution of Disputes

1. Disputes between the Kingdoms or with the Empire shall be resolved through a council comprising representatives from each Kingdom and the Imperial Court. This council, formerly known as the Provincial Council will become the Imperial Council, which will always be housed in the Imperial City of Helmira. Issues that cannot be resolved through the Imperial Council will be processed through the Forum of Minecraftia.

Article IX- Financial Reform

1. All Kingdoms of the Empire are legally obligated to pay a tax directly to the Crown.
2. The percentage of this tax (The tax being X percentage of that region's GDP) is to be paid in full.
3. The Imperial Council determines once every five years what percentage the tax will be set at.
4. The tax will never be lower 15%.
5. The Crown calculates how much each region is supposed to pay, based on the pre-agreed percentage of taxes, and informs the regions of the amount they are due.
6. It is the responsibility of the regions to ensure the amount they are due reaches the Imperial Treasury in Helmira. Any shortfalls, irregardless of the cause, be it piracy, war or any other, must be compensated fully by the region without question.
7. The import and export of all goods, be it material or human, to and from the Empire will be taxed by a percentage agreed upon by the Imperial Council once every five years.
8. Import and Export of goods through Helmira will always be taxed at 50% of what Art. IX: 7 established.
9. Trade within the Empire shall be taxfree unless decided otherwise by the respective Kingdoms as per Art. V.
10. Smuggling will be considered a capital offence irregardless of the perpetrator.
11. Since taxes after the establishment of this legislation won't be paid directly to the imperial House Viromaro in the form of tribute anymore, the following provisions have been added:
    1. The Crown will pay for the royal family's staff, including security, palace staff, the crews of the royal yachts, armourers, the crown equerry etc.
    2. The Crown will pay for the maintenance of all current and future palaces owned or used by House Viromaro.
    3. The House Viromaro will be exempt from all forms of taxes and all laws pertaining to them.
    4. House Viromaro will receive a yearly allowance of 1,000,000 Florynts, to be paid in full at the start of every year.

Article X- Imperial Reform

1. Due to the disastrous invasion of the former Imperius Reich, ordered by Emperor Louis Viromaro, the Kythiran Empire suffered grievously in both resources, manpower, and Florynts. Because of this hasty invasion and the unwillingness of the Emperor to listen to his councils' warnings about the war, this council has lost faith in the Emperor's judgement, and finds the Emperor must abdicate his throne in favour of his first-born child, Princess Theodosia Viromaro.

Conclusion

This Reforma Carta, enacted in the spirit of justice, liberty, and mutual respect, shall serve as the foundation for the harmonious coexistence of the Kingdoms within the Kythiran Empire. May it bring enduring peace and prosperity to our lands.