Roman Republic (The Great Calamity)

Originally founded as the Kingdom of Rome, the Roman Republic is one of the most powerful countries in the world, wielding a strong influence in Southern Europe and competing fiercely against the Sultanate of Morocco, Kingdom of Egypt, and the Kingdom of Greece for hegemony over the Mediterranean.

Kingdom of Rome
For two generations the city of Rome was plunged into warfare and strife as various strongmen and popular leaders seized control of militias and remnants of the Italian military and waged war on each other. Around the year 2075, the warlord Giovanni Ricci defeated all opposition in Rome and declared himself King of the Romans. He soon began a campaign of consolidation in the countryside surrounding Rome, carving out a portion of Italy for himself to rule.

Successive members of the Ricci dynasty campaigned in central Italy to expand the borders of the Kingdom but were met with significant resistance from neighbouring kingdoms and republics resulting in a slow rate of expansion.

Over time, discontent with the monarchy grew as rival aristocrats attempted to manoeuvre their way to becoming King, and the poor continued to be ignored. This led to the Roman Civil War during which the monarchy was overthrown and the combined forces of mutinous troops and mercenaries loyal to the aristocrats proclaimed the establishment of the Roman Republic.

Early Republic
Following the proclamation of the Republic in the year 2190, the traditional authority of the monarchy was supplanted by the authority of the Senate. All executive authority formerly held by the now-abolished monarchy was distributed to various separate offices to be held by elected and appointed public officials.

Thanks to a strong emphasis on martial supremacy, carried forward from the expansionist struggles of the former Kingdom, the Roman Republic saw a remarkably fast rate of expansion under the decentralised military leadership of patriotic generals. The Republic soon conquered all of Southern and Northern Italy, and by the end of the 23rd century also held the colonies of Sicily, Corsica, and Sardinia.

However, due to increasing personal loyalty to their generals among the troops, concentration of power in the hands of the aristocracy, and widespread poverty due to an influx of slave labour, the Republic was plunged into a period of instability and civil unrest. This led to the Senate proclaiming Flavio Medici as Dictator of Rome, with the power to reform the Roman Constitution.

Republic Today
Among other things, the Flavian Reforms transformed the colonial Republic into a federated Italian state with provincial representation in Rome, abolished the aristocracy, abolished slavery, dissolved the Consulship and centralised the bureaucracy. Unfortunately, Flavio Medici was assassinated by unhappy aristocrats. Nevertheless, his reforms held and the perpetrators of his murder were brought to justice. A new period of Roman expansion began.

This period of expansion continues to this day with colonial holdings in Southern France and portions of Eastern Europe. Following the rise to power of the Kingdom of Greece, the sudden eastward expansion of the Moroccan Sultanate, and the stubborn persistence of Egypt, Rome now finds itself in a four way struggle for hegemony over the valuable Mediterranean trade routes.

Early Republic
The citizens of the Early Republic had a very clear understanding that they were conquerors in the rest of Italy, and conferred a great significance to the distinction between the territories of Rome and the colonies of Rome. The government could be roughly divided into municipal government, territorial government, and colonial government.
 * Roman Government:
 * Consuls: The Consulship was the highest office of government in the Roman Republic. To be eligible one had to be a citizen of Rome, be at least 35 years of age, and be of Italian descent. There were two Consuls elected by the people of Rome for a concurrent term of 2 years. They served as both chief executives and commanders-in-chief and had ultimate command over the military. However, their function as commander-in-chief only existed outside the city of Rome. It became constitutional convention for one Consul to be in the city as chief executive, while the other went out on military campaign. It was generally agreed that this would alternate every 3 months.
 * Praetors: The Praetors were the chief executive of the territories of the Roman heartland and governed the 7 heartland municipalities and their territories.
 * Praetor Urbano: 4 Praetors Urbano were appointed by the Consuls to govern the 4 districts of Rome for the duration of their term.
 * Praetor Campagna: 1 Praetor Campagna was appointed by the Senate to each of the 4 territories that comprised the territories of Rome at the founding of the Republic. These were organised around Latina, Terni, L'Aquila and Viterbo. They each served a term of 6 years.
 * Censors: Any former Praetor or Consul was eligible to run for Censor. Censors were elected officials responsible for keeping track of the demographics of the Republic, particularly the citizenry, and draw up election boundaries and similar related responsibilities. There were 15 of these at any given time, though their elections were staggered and not simultaneous.
 * Senate: The Senate was comprised of both hereditary seats (for the aristocracy), elected seats (anyone elected to a public office automatically got a seat for the duration of their term), and appointed seats (appointed by the Senate or a Consul). Legislation could originate in this chamber or in the Assembly, but both had to approve a piece of legislation for it to be made law.
 * Leader of the Senate: This officeholder was elected by and from the Senate for a term of 1 year during which he/she would preside over the Senate and had the power to decide the agenda of the Senate, though a two thirds vote of the Senate could remove the Leader from office at any time. The Leader of the Senate also had the power to veto any decision made by the Praetors Campagna.
 * Assembly of the People: The Assembly comprised of representatives of the Roman commoners. The number of representatives could be no less than the number of Senators at any given time, though the exact number would be decided by the Censors at the time of election. Legislation could originate in this chamber or in the Senate, but both had to approve a piece of legislation for it to be made law.
 * Leader of the Assembly: The Leader of the Assembly was elected by and from the Assembly and presided over the Assembly for a 1 year term, and had the power to decide the agenda of the Assembly, though a two thirds vote of the Assembly could remove the Leader from office at any time. The Leader of the Assembly also had the power to veto any decision made by the Praetors Urbano.
 * Tesoriere: The Tesoriere was the chief financier of the Roman government and was an elected position that served a term of 2 years. To be eligible one had to be at least 40 years of age and have served as a civil servant, either as an officeholder or in the office of an officeholder. The Senate and Assembly would meet once a year and jointly issue a budget for the government of the year, and it was the responsibility of the Tesoreire to procure these funds.
 * Public Justices: Public Justices were popularly elected magistrates that presided over court cases within their own district. Inter-district cases were presided over by Justices appointed by the Consuls. These were highly respectable positions as the power to pass judgement was considered the highest mark of authority.
 * Colonial Government:
 * Governors: The Governors of the colonies (which consisted of 3 eastern colonies, and 2 southern colonies at the time) were appointed by the Senate and served for a term of 3 years. They were the chief executive in the colony that they governed.
 * Colonial Assemblies: Colonial Assemblies were the legislative organ of the colonies and were always partitioned evenly into elected assembly members and appointed assembly members, with the latter appointed by the Senate in Rome.

Republic Today
After a century and a half of conquest, the reunification of Italy (including the annexation of Corsica, Sicily, and Sardinia) under Roman leadership was completed. However, an increasingly large and bureaucratic state, the concentration of power in the hands of an increasingly aristocratic Senate, the weakening of the Public Assembly, rising poverty among the commoners of Rome, and increasing alienation of the colonies due to a lack of representation in Rome, led to widespread civil unrest and threats of rebellion in the colonies. As a result, the Consul Flavio Medici was appointed Dictator by the Senate and granted the authority to reform the Republic to prevent its collapse.

These were the Flavian Reforms which led to the government of the Republic today. Along with major reforms to the structure of government (federalising the country, and reforming the federal government), Medici also abolished the distinction between aristocracy and commoner, and separated active military command from political leadership, both of which lead to his assassination by the former aristocracy. Nonetheless, his reforms, receiving widespread public support, remained in place, and he is considered a public hero to this day.


 * Council of State: The Council of State serves as the collective government of the Republic and is composed of 5 councillors, elected by the Public Assembly from the Public Assembly. They serve as collective head of state and government, with the power to collectively issue executive edicts. In addition to their executive authority, the Council also has the power to introduce bills to the Public Assembly for approval or disapproval.
 * Executive Departments: Many former public offices were subjugated under the command and leadership of the Council of State, and organised into permanent statuary Departments that each consisted of various relevant sub-agencies. Each department is led by a head appointed by the Council of State, with their titles varying depending on the titles that each office held before the Reforms. Examples include the Chief Treasurer (Department of the Treasury), Chief Praetor (Department of the Interior), and 5 War Chiefs (Department of War).
 * Senate: The legal power of the Senate was greatly reduced to the point of serving a mere advisory role to the Council of State. Every 5 years, 9 Senators are appointed to the Senate, 3 by the Council of State, 3 by the Public Assembly, and 3 by the National Assembly. From time to time additional senators are appointed to the Senate by the National Assembly to ensure the total number of senators does not fall below 120. Only former Assembly Members (either Assembly) are eligible. Seats are no longer hereditary though all Senators are appointed for life. While the legal power of the Senate has been greatly reduced, in practice the Council of State usually puts their proposed legislation before the Senate for debate and approval before being sent to the Public Assembly for approval.
 * National Assembly: Among his most major reforms, Medici federalised the country such that all existing territories and colonies became provinces that shared in sovereignty with the federal government. Each province elects its own Praetor (head of government) and unicameral legislature. The National Assembly was created as a means for the provincial governments to have a say in the federal government. Each provincial legislature selects 2 delegates to be part of the National Assembly for a term-length according to the province's own discretion. Any delegate may propose a bill to be debated by and voted upon by the National Assembly, after which it is sent to the Public Assembly for approval and assent to law.
 * Public Assembly: The Public Assembly is made up of over two hundred representatives elected by the people of the Republic for 5-year terms, according to the election boundaries drawn up by the Censors. Although the Public Assembly has the final say in all legislation (all legislation must be approved by the Public Assembly before being made law), only the members of the Council of State may propose bills, no private member may propose legislation. This was in part to appease the conservative bloc that opposed the Reforms, and in part due to fears of further populism. That being said, the Public Assembly has the sole right to elect the Council of State (which has power over administration, war, and the power to propose legislation), elect the Censors, declare war and peace, and appoint the 5 War Chiefs.
 * Censors: A role as important as the Censorship was not subjugated under the Council of State, but instead remains as an independent commission of 5 Chief Censors in charge of the Roman Census Commission. Appointed by the Public Assembly for a term of 5 years, the 5 Chief Censors are responsible for running the semi-decennial National Census which takes place in the September of the last year of their term. The results of the Census are, among other things, used to draw the election boundaries for the Public Assembly.
 * Chief Justices: The 9 Chief Justices are appointed by the Public Assembly to serve as the highest judicial officials in the Republic.
 * Governors: A position added to the constitution following the conquest of Marseille, Slovenia, Northern Croatia and other non-Italian territories, the Governors are appointed by the Public Assembly to serve as chief executive of the Roman colonies for 5-year terms.