THE PRAGMATIC SANCTION OF 2024
THE PRAGMATIC SANCTION OF 2024
THROUGHOUT
ENDLESS AGES OF AGES,
AMEN.
JAMES
THE FIRST, Pious, Blessed, and Forever August, Emperor of Great Hanover, King
of Argonne, King of Varennes, Archduke of Hanover, Prince of Inselwald, Father
of the Fatherland, to Our Lords the Electors Spiritual and Temporal, and to all
others present and to come, for an everlasting remembrance,
GREETING:
THE STATE of the Hanoverian polity was transformed, both in essence and degree,
when the Kingdom of Great Hanover was elevated to her present imperial status
by the prescriptions of Our Edict of Twentieth November, Two Thousand and
Twenty-two. Since that time, it has been Our abiding programme to propose to
the Hanoverian public certain new arrangements concerning the monarchy, the
aristocracy, and the government, which have accompanied the elevation of Great
Hanover from the status of a kingdom to the greater status of an empire.
IT IS
Our perception that the concepts which We have thus far presented and
enunciated are, by now, well-comprehended by the general population, and it is
Our sense, furthermore, that the formal constitution in law of those concepts
at this present time should serve both to renovate and concretely establish the
fundamental aspects of the Hanoverian state, rendering them the more clearly
and firmly, according to the imperial pattern.
WHEREFORE
HAVING duly submitted the contents of this, Our present diploma, to the Electors
of the Empire for their collegial approbation, We are confident that all the
decrees, measures, and provisions herein are right, proper, and correct, wholly
suited to the achievement of the objectives for which they have been devised.
SALUTING
YOU, therefore, We do, of Our own certain knowledge, and from the plentitude of
Our Imperial authority, with the consent of the Electors of the Empire in this
present session of the Diet assembled, appoint, declare, ordain, and sanction
the following lawfully binding articles:
ARTICLE 1: THE INHERENT NOBILITY OF THE HANOVERIAN PEOPLE
1.1 It
is decreed, in the first place, that it is an undeniable verity that no person
whatsoever, having attained Hanoverian citizenship, may be called or classified
a commoner for as long as he or she shall maintain his or her citizenship of
the Hanoverian Empire.
1.2 Citizenship
of the Hanoverian Empire is a singular honour, the attainment of which ought
never be simplified through any automatic or effortless approach which may
cheapen the dignity of it. To Hanoverian citizenship is attached the state and
quality of nobility. A citizen of Great Hanover, once lawfully initiated, is
deemed to be of noble character and blood, irrespective of lineage. It is the
attainment of citizenship which makes a Hanoverian noble, and by the
maintenance of citizenship does a Hanoverian likewise maintain his or her
nobility.
1.3 Having
attained the honour of citizenship and therefore of noble status, the name of a
lawfully initiated citizen shall at once be prefixed by the style and title of
“Lord” or “Lady” until such time as he or she has been granted, by letters
patent of The Emperor, a proper rank, style, and title of the Hanoverian aristocracy.
ARTICLE
2: THE COMPOSITION OF THE EMPIRE
2.1 The
Empire of Great Hanover is composed of the various states of the Empire, which
include the four constituent realms of the Empire, ruled and governed by The
Emperor in right of each, and the several electoral domains of the Empire,
present and to come, along with any and all other such states, whether inmediate
or mediate, as may, by letters patent of The Emperor, or by an Act of the Diet,
be constituted or annexed from time to time, according to law.
2.2 The
constituent realms of the Empire, as defined by the Edict of Bergen of 20
November 2022, include the Archduchy of Hanover, the Kingdom of Argonne, the
Kingdom of Varennes, and the Principality of Inselwald.
2.3 The
five original fiefdoms of Hanover, which have heretofore been understood to be
mediate and politically situate within the Archduchy of Hanover (formerly known
as the Kingdom of Hanover), are herewith deemed to be independent of the
Archduchy of Hanover, henceforth to enjoy imperial immediacy. The aforesaid
fiefdoms include the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick, the Grand Principality
and Electorate of Emden, the Duchy and Electorate of Gottingen, the Kingdom and
Electorate of Guelph, and the Grand Duchy and Electorate of Harburg.
2.4 The
spiritual electorates of Bergen and Prinzenwald, which have heretofore been
understood to be mediate and politically situate within the Archduchy of
Hanover and the Principality of Inselwald, respectively, are hereby and
herewith granted independence of the Archduchy of Hanover and the Principality
of Inselwald, respectively, henceforth to enjoy imperial immediacy.
2.5 The
County Palatine and Electorate of Aspenwald is understood to have enjoyed
imperial immediacy from the moment of its constitution and shall continue to be
immediate in character.
2.6 The
Hanoverian Empire possesses neither colonies nor dependencies; independent or
semi-independent states from without the Hanoverian Empire absorbed into the
Empire shall be given the status of states of the Empire, whether mediate or
immediate.
2.7 The
arms, colours, anthems, and other symbols of the Empire of Great Hanover, of
her constituent realms, and of the monarchy and Imperial House are retained,
remaining as they were prior to the publication of this instrument.
ARTICLE
3. THE INALIENABILITY OF THE ARCHDUCHY OF HANOVER
3.1 The
Archduchy of Hanover, which is the heart and core of Great Hanover, is
inalienable from the Empire, incapable of being dissolved or separated from the
Empire.
3.2 The
Emperor of Great Hanover and the Archduke of Hanover are and shall remain
forever one and the same, such that no person may be one without also being the
other.
3.3
Members of the Imperial House are first and foremost subjects of The Emperor in
Right of the Archduchy of Hanover, which is to say of the Archduke of Hanover;
from the Archduchy of Hanover do they derive their archducal ranks and
dignities.
ARTICLE
4. THE RIGHTS OF IMMEDIATE STATES OF THE EMPIRE AND THEIR PRINCES
4.1
States of the Empire enjoying imperial immediacy are governed autonomously by
their respective princes, in accordance with the laws of the Empire.
4.2 No
state of the Empire shall pass any law or proclaim any ordinance which violates
the laws of the Empire of Great Hanover; a law or ordinance passed or
proclaimed by the authority of a state of the Empire which contradicts any of
the laws of the Hanoverian Empire shall be deemed null and void.
4.3
There shall be erected no layer of executive authority between the prince of an
immediate state of the Empire and The Emperor, himself.
4.4 The
prince of an immediate state of the Empire may, by means of instruments
published under his hand and seal from time to time, publish such laws and
ordinances as he and his state shall require, may proclaim such holidays as
shall seem to him fitting, may establish any and all such offices or
institutions as he may deem needful, and may appoint and dismiss any and all
such officers which may aid him in the governing of his state.
4.5 The
prince of an immediate state, in accordance with the laws of his state and with
the laws of the Empire, is empowered to establish and print currency for his
state, to mint coin, and to create postage.
4.6 The
prince of an immediate state may, for and within his state, by means of
instruments published under his hand and seal from time to time, found, erect,
establish, define, and name such districts, divisions, cities, or other local
centers of community as shall seem to him proper and fitting, and may authorize
and proclaim colours and arms for his state and its local communities and
institutions as he shall require.
4.7.
The prince of an immediate state may, by instruments published under his hand
and seal from time to time, establish such councils, legislatures, courts, and
tribunals within his state as he shall think fit to establish, possessing
within himself the authority to dispense justice, personally, in the absence of
any functioning courts or tribunals within his jurisdiction.
4.8.
The prince of an immediate state is empowered to establish and create, from
time to time, such honours and decorations relevant to his own jurisdiction as
he shall think fit, and to bestow the same upon his subjects, friends, or
allies, whether within the Empire or without it.
4.9 The
prince of an immediate state is empowered to engage in diplomacy on behalf of
his state with foreign powers deemed by His Imperial Majesty’s government to be
friendly to (or at least not hostile to) the Hanoverian Empire, to appoint and
to receive diplomatic legations or representatives accredited by and to his
court, and to be a signatory to such diplomatic compacts and agreements as
shall seem to him appropriate, according to the laws of his state and in accordance
with the laws of the Empire of Great Hanover.
4.10
The prince of an immediate state may provide for the defence and security of
his state as he shall think fit, according to law, and may commission such
officers and appoint such staff as he shall require for that purpose.
4.11
Every temporal electoral state, present and to come, does and shall enjoy
imperial immediacy.
4.12 No
immediate state of the Empire may be dissolved once formally erected, save by
an Act of the Imperial Diet.
ARTICLE
5. THE AUGUST EMPEROR
5.1 The
sovereign power in and over the Empire of Great Hanover is perpetually vested
in the always august person of The Emperor, who is the inheritor of the
authority and lineage of the historical kings of Hanover and of Great Hanover,
the supreme custodian and governor of all aspects of the Hanoverian patrimony,
the temporal ruler of his subjects within the Empire, and the living symbol of
imperial unity.
5.2 The
August Emperor, who, in his person, is sacred and forever venerable as the
embodiment of the Empire and her state, is inviolable and immune from
prosecution. The source of all law, The Emperor cannot be subjected to it,
neither is he responsible to any assembly, tribunal, or other terrestrial power
whatever.
5.3 The
Emperor’s august majesty is unassailable by any person, whatever; he who
insults, contumes, slanders, libels, or otherwise gravely offends the imperial
dignity commits the crime of lese-majeste, subjecting himself, thereby, to the
severest penalties of the law, up to and including expulsion from the community
of the Empire.
5.4 The
Emperor reigns as such over the Hanoverian Empire and in right of the
constituent realms of the Empire, the sovereign of each and of all, bearing the
regnal styles and titles of each and of all.
5.5 The
Emperor is the source of nobility and is alone competent to bestow upon his
subjects noble ranks and titles, whether of the Empire or of its constituent
realms, by letters patent issued under his hand and seal.
5.6 The
Emperor is the head of the imperial house and shall order, direct, and govern
the same as he shall think fit, bringing within it such persons as he shall
think fit, by letters patent under the Great Seal.
5.7 The
Emperor is the fountain of imperial honour. Honours of the Empire and of the
constituent realms thereof are bestowed by The Emperor or by his
representatives in his name.
5.8 To
The Emperor is entrusted the guardianship, defence, and security of the Empire;
His Imperial Majesty stands, furthermore, as the guarantor and custodian of the
cultural heritage, traditions, and customs of Great Hanover and her constituent
realms.
5.9 The
Emperor, presiding over the diplomacy of the Empire, may enter into treaties
and compacts with foreign powers, receiving ambassadors and other diplomatic
representatives accredited to his court, and likewise giving credence to
embassies and representatives dispatched by his court.
5.10
The Emperor presides with the fullness of executive authority over the imperial
government, appointing and dismissing at pleasure, in consultation with the archchancellor
of the Empire, the ministers, prefects, and other officers of his government, and
directing in his Council the policies of the government and the affairs of the
state.
5.11
The Emperor, enjoying all the attributes of sovereignty in and over the Empire,
is empowered to issue such decrees, proclamations, patents, diplomas, briefs, edicts,
and other instruments as he shall, from time to time, think fit to issue, on
the advice of his government, and with the consent of his Council in the higher
chamber of the Imperial Diet.
5.12
The Emperor is invested with the agency of mercy, having the right to pardon any
who have been found guilty of transgressing the law, to mitigate their
punishments and sentences according to law, and to grant such amnesties as he,
on the advice of his Council, shall think fit, in accordance with the law.
5.13
The Emperor is elected to his sublime office in the expectation that he shall
reign his whole life long. Should The Emperor desire, however, to vacate the
imperial throne during the course of his lifetime, he shall appeal to the
Imperial Diet to consent to his request to abdicate, by means of an Act of the
Diet to that effect.
5.14
Upon abdicating the imperial throne, The Emperor shall be at once deprived of
the imperial sovereignty, his sovereignty over the constituent realms, and of
all his imperial, royal, archducal, and princely power, authority, and
privileges, but shall be accorded the honorary rank and title of “Grand
Emperor”, shall be addressed as “His Majesty”, and shall furthermore enjoy the
status, rights, and privileges of an imperial elector, all for so long as he
shall remain a citizen of the Empire, until the conclusion of his natural life.
5.15 In
the event that The Emperor shall abdicate during the lifetime of a predecessor
who already holds the rank and title of “Grand Emperor”, The Emperor shall,
upon abdicating, be accorded the rank, title, and status of an archduke and
prince of the Empire, along with the additional style, title, and dignity of
“Grand Elector”, shall be addressed as “His Imperial and Royal Highness”, and
shall enjoy the status, rights, and privileges of an imperial elector, all for
so long as he shall remain a citizen of the Empire, until the conclusion of his
natural life, or until such time as The Grand Emperor shall decease or forfeit
his citizenship, at which moment the style and title “His Majesty The Grand
Emperor” shall then become his.
5.16 A
former emperor shall, for so long as he shall remain a citizen of the Empire,
enjoy a seat, a voice, and a vote within the higher chamber of the Imperial
Diet, or otherwise the chamber in which other electors of the Empire have their
seats.
5.17 A
living former emperor may only be deprived of his citizenship of the Empire
through his explicit public renunciation of the same, or by a decree of The
Emperor if the former has been convicted by the higher house of the Imperial
Diet of the crimes of treason or lese-majeste.
5.18 Although
the forfeiture or deprivation of Hanoverian citizenship by a former emperor
must be regarded as both a scandal and a great disgrace, following some
suitable programme of public rehabilitation as determined by the reigning
Emperor in Council, an estranged former emperor may apply for citizenship,
anew, according to the provisions of the law or accepted custom.
5.19 In
the event that an estranged former emperor shall apply to be repatriated as a
citizen of the Empire and that his request shall be approved, he shall be
granted a rank and title of the ordinary nobility up to and including the rank
of duke, but shall be ineligible to be admitted into the ranks of the high
nobility, the Electoral College, or the Imperial Family until the successful completion
of a three year period of reintegration, the nature of which shall be
determined by The Emperor in consultation with his Council.
ARTICLE
6: THE DEMISE OF THE CROWN AND THE ELECTION OF THE EMPEROR
6.1
Beyond the reign of Our Sovereign Lord The August Emperor James I, all
subsequent emperors of Great Hanover shall be elected by the College of Electors
assembled in closed Conclave.
6.2
During an interregnum between the decease or abdication of one emperor and the
election of the next, the archchancellor of the Empire or, in his absence, the
next most senior officer of the Empire, shall fulfil the essential day-to-day
administrative functions of the imperial crown as necessary.
6.3
Eligibility for election to the imperial throne is met by a person aged 21 or
older who is possessed of sufficient intellect, ability, and availability to
govern, and whose fitness to reign may be publicly attested to and vouched for
in Conclave by at least two of the assembled electors.
6.4 Eligibility
for election to the imperial throne is not impeded by a candidate’s lack of
Hanoverian citizenship.
6.5 The
assembled College of Electors, mindful of the visible and dignified nature of
the monarchy, is empowered to restrict access to the imperial throne to persons
who are expressly willing to become the public face of the Empire and who are,
additionally, capable of fully underwriting the expenses of their own reigns,
possessing sufficient means to acquire, own, and maintain such regalia, attire,
media tools, and other appurtenances as may be requisite for the convincing public
projection of the imperial estate and dignity.
6.6
Within 72 hours of a verified formal public announcement by the government of
the vacation of the imperial throne by the decease or abdication of The Emperor,
the archchancellor of the Empire, who shall serve as dean of the Conclave,
shall summon the electors spiritual, temporal, and extraordinary to assemble in
Conclave upon some convenient appointed date.
6.7 The
proceedings of the Conclave shall occur in secret within some closed forum or
other, all participants promising at the start, according to some suitable
formula imposed by the dean, to maintain the secrecy of the Conclave, avowing
not to leak or share any information about the proceedings, under pain of
expulsion from the conclave by the dean.
6.8 Once
assembled in Conclave, the electors shall proceed at once to elect an emperor.
6.9 The
election of an emperor shall happen simply, by means of discussion and
consensus among the assembled electors. A vote may, for clarity’s sake, be
called by the dean if deemed by the assembled electors to be useful, the will
of a simple majority of electors, in such a case, prevailing.
6.10 A
tie vote shall warrant subsequent votes as necessary, until, at last, by means
of achieving a simple majority, one candidate or another shall have prevailed.
6.11
Although the Conclave shall perdure until the election of an emperor, the dean
may grant a recess (or multiple recesses) as he shall think fit, in the event
that the Conclave should persist for an undue length of time, or otherwise in
the event that a major holiday or holiday season should occur in the midst of
the proceedings of the Conclave.
6.12 In
the event that the archchancellor of the Empire shall decease, resign, or
otherwise make himself unavailable to serve as dean during the time of the Conclave,
the electors shall select another from among their number to serve as dean, by
simple consensus.
6.13
Once a candidate for the imperial dignity has been lawfully elected emperor by
the electors in Conclave, that candidate shall at once be informed of his
election by the dean of the Conclave, who will then ask The Emperor-elect if he
accepts his election.
6.14 If
the candidate elected should decline to accept his election, the electors shall
begin their process anew, continuing until another candidate is chosen.
6.15
Upon accepting his election to the imperial office, although not yet invested
of the fullness of imperial dignity, The Emperor-elect shall, in that moment,
become the supreme ruler and administrator of the Hanoverian Empire and of each
and all the constituent realms of the Empire, bearing the title “Elected
Emperor of the Hanoverians” until such time as he shall formally and publicly
inaugurate his reign by making his solemn promises.
6.16
The Elected Emperor of the Hanoverians shall be asked by the dean to inform the
Conclave of the regnal name by which he shall thenceforth be lawfully known,
the former selecting a suitable regnal name in that moment and declaring it to
the dean and the electors assembled in Conclave.
6.17
Upon learning the regnal name of The Elected Emperor, the dean of the Conclave,
and following him the electors spiritual and temporal (but not the electors extraordinary)
shall, each and all (but in no particular order), offer their obedience to The
Elected Emperor, in the following words:
“I do
solemnly promise and affirm that I will be faithful and bear true obedience to
His (Her) Imperial Majesty N.N., Elected Emperor (Empress) of the Hanoverians,
his (her) heirs and successors, according to law.”
6.18
When the electors spiritual and temporal have completed offering their
obedience to The Elected Emperor, the office of dean of the Conclave shall
instantly and automatically dissolve until it is revived anew at the next Conclave.
Upon the automatic dissolution of the office of dean, The Elected Emperor
shall, himself, preside over the Conclave, which shall continue to sit until it
is formally dissolved by a formal proclamation of The Elected Emperor.
6.19
Upon the formal dissolution of the Conclave by imperial proclamation, the
election of The Emperor shall be formally and publicly announced and proclaimed
by the archchancellor of the Empire, or in the absence of the archchancellor,
by some other officer of the Empire directed so to do by The Elected Emperor.
6.20
The Elected Emperor shall, upon some convenient date following his acceptance
of election, make and subscribe to the solemn promises contained in the first schedule
of this present instrument, which subscription shall be registered in the Grand
Archives.
6.21
Beyond his public subscription to the solemn promises contained in Schedule 1
of this instrument, no further inaugural event or ceremony is required of The
Elected Emperor by law, nor may any additional inaugural event or ceremony be
prohibited him, The Elected Emperor being free to ceremonially inaugurate his
reign in any dignified manner he shall think fit.
6.22
Upon subscribing to the solemn promises contained in Schedule 1 of this
instrument, within the context of any ceremonial inaugural event whatsoever (or
none at all), The Elected Emperor of the Hanoverians shall be invested of the
fullness of imperial sovereignty and august dignity and shall, by the archchancellor
of the Empire (or, in his absence, by the next most senior public officer
available), be at once proclaimed “N.N., Pious, Blessed, and Forever August
Emperor of Great Hanover, King of Argonne, King of Varennes, Archduke of
Hanover, Prince of Inselwald, Father of the Fatherland,” which styles and
titles he shall bear from that moment forward, until the conclusion of his
reign.
ARTICLE
7: THE KING OF THE HANOVERIANS
7.1 The
electors spiritual, temporal, and extraordinary may, collegially, at any point
during the reign of a duly proclaimed Emperor August, formally petition The
Emperor to summon a Conclave for the purpose of electing, during his reign, his
successor.
7.2 The
August Emperor may grant or decline such a request at his own personal
discretion. Should The Emperor decline the request of the College of Electors,
the electors shall not again approach The Emperor with such a request until the
next calendar year.
7.3
Should The August Emperor grant the request of the College of Electors to
summon a Conclave, the relevant procedures outlined in Article 6 [supra] shall
be observed and carried out, The Emperor, himself, at his option, participating
as an elector.
7.4
Upon the successful election by the Conclave of a successor to The Emperor, the
dean of the Conclave shall ask the elect to select a regnal name, and when the elect
has declared it, shall proclaim him by that name under the style and title
“King of the Hanoverians,” first in the midst of the Conclave, and thereafter
to the population of the Empire in the public forum.
7.5 The
style and title “King of the Hanoverians” is defined by this instrument as
honorary in nature, there being no power or authority implicit or inherent
within it.
7.6 The
King of the Hanoverians shall, nevertheless, bear the majestic styles and
attributes of a king, shall be styled “His Majesty,” and shall enjoy precedence
ahead of the archdukes, prince-electors, and all other persons within the
empire, saving The Emperor, himself, and his Consort.
7.7
Within seven days of his election as successor to The August Emperor, the King
of the Hanoverians shall publicly subscribe to the solemn promises contained in
the second schedule of this instrument.
7.8
Upon the decease or abdication of The August Emperor, the King of the
Hanoverians shall at once assume the title “Elected Emperor of the Hanoverians,”
retaining the same until such time as he shall publicly make and subscribe to
the solemn promises contained in the first Schedule of this instrument, after
which he shall become and be proclaimed “N.N. Pious, Blessed, and Forever August
Emperor of Great Hanover, King of Argonne, King of Varennes, Archduke of
Hanover, Prince of Inselwald, Father of the Fatherland,” which styles and
titles he shall bear until the conclusion of his reign.
ARTICLE
8: THE ELECTORS OF THE EMPIRE
8.1
Elite amongst the elite, the electors spiritual and temporal, invested of princely
rank and status, stand at the apex of the nobiliary structure of the Empire.
The peers, counsellors, and electors of The August Emperor, the prince-electors
of the Empire are endowed with a serene and illustrious dignity second only to
that of the imperial dignity.
8.2 As
the princes of their respective electoral states, the electors spiritual and temporal
enjoy immediate jurisdiction over them and are answerable to The Emperor,
alone, whether in the Diet, in Council, or personally.
8.3 The
electors spiritual, who are licensed by the Crown to minister to citizens of
various faith traditions, are understood to enjoy no clerical, sacral, or
ecclesiastical rank, character, or status, save any they may have obtained
externally and independently of their electoral offices, from the structures of
the religions, belief structures, congregations, or denominations to which they
may happen, personally, to belong.
8.4 In
their capacities as electors and citizens, the electors spiritual are
responsible to The Emperor and are subject to imperial law, never daring to
permit themselves to be guided in the execution of their electoral offices by
the authority figures of the churches, religions, belief structures,
congregations, or denominations to which they may personally belong.
8.5 The
prejudices, discriminations, restrictions, and prohibitions embraced by the
personal religion, belief structure, congregation, or religious denomination to
which a spiritual elector may happen to belong shall have no bearing whatever
upon any judgments made concerning his ability to have and to hold his
electoral seat or concerning his suitability for appointment thereto.
8.6
Upon the vacation of the seat of a spiritual elector, whether through death,
abdication, renunciation, or removal, the seat will remain vacant until a successor
is installed by The Emperor according to law, by way of letters patent under
the Great Seal duly registered in the Grand Archives.
8.7 A
temporal elector enjoys the privilege and prerogative of naming and appointing his
own successor and may do so at any time during his tenure by some formal
instrument publicly issued under his own hand, provided he has first consulted The
Emperor, informing His Imperial Majesty of his selection.
8.8
Once duly appointed by a temporal elector, his designated successor shall enjoy
the right of immediate succession to his predecessor’s electoral seat upon the elector’s
decease, abdication, or deposition.
8.9 In
the event that a temporal elector shall, by any means, vacate his seat prior to
naming and appointing his heir and successor, the privilege and responsibility
for filling the vacant seat shall fall to The Emperor in his Council.
8.10 In
addition to the electors spiritual and temporal, other electors from without
the Hanoverian Empire, known as electors extraordinary, may be appointed by The
Emperor from time to time, with the consent of the Imperial Diet.
8.11 An
elector, whether spiritual or temporal, upon being convicted of either or both
of the high crimes of treason or lese-majeste, may be deposed from his
electoral seat by instrument of The Emperor under the Great Seal, registered to
the Grand Archives.
8.12 An
elector, whether spiritual or temporal, who is adjudged by The Emperor in
Council to have abandoned his roles and responsibilities, may be deposed from
his electoral seat by instrument of The Emperor under the Great Seal,
registered to the Grand Archives.
8.13 An
extraordinary elector may be deposed by The Emperor in Council for any grave or
prudent reason whatsoever.
ARTICLE
9: THE IMPERIAL DIET AND THE LEGISLATIVE POWER
9.1
There shall be assembled from time to time, for the purposes of lawmaking, a
Diet.
9.2 The
Diet, which is ordinarily be composed of The August Emperor; members of the Imperial
House; the electors spiritual, temporal, and extraordinary; immediate princes
of the Empire; mediate princes of the Empire and members of the ordinary aristocracy
(for as often as the last shall corporately assemble), shall dissolve upon the
demise or abdication of The Emperor, but shall be assembled, anew, by a decree
of his successor registered in the Grand Archives, which shall be issued within
twelve days of his imperial election or otherwise his accession to the imperial
throne.
9.3. In
his decree convoking the session of the Diet, The Emperor shall set the date
for a formal public opening of the session, over which The Emperor, himself,
may preside in the higher chamber with an address from the throne, or may
otherwise direct the archchancellor of the Empire, or in the latter’s absence
some other imperial officer, to open the session in The Emperor’s name.
9.4.
Save the recitation of prayers and the election of a presiding officer of the lower
chamber, no business may be conducted by the Diet prior to the solemn opening
of session by The Emperor or his delegate.
9.5
Once assembled, the Diet of the Empire shall not be dissolved by The Emperor,
nor any sitting of it prorogued by him, except as the Diet shall advise His
Imperial Majesty, by means of a formal request sanctioned by the higher chamber
and conveyed by the same to The Emperor.
9.6
When the Diet shall sit, it shall be divided, whenever necessary, into a higher
chamber and a lower chamber, the higher chamber to be styled the “Conciliar
Chamber” and composed of the Imperial Family; the electors spiritual, temporal,
and extraordinary; and all princes of immediate status, and the lower chamber
to be styled the “Mediate Chamber” and composed of all mediate princes and
members of the ordinary aristocracy.
9.7 In
addition to serving as the higher chamber of the Diet, the Conciliar Chamber
shall serve as the Council of His Imperial Majesty The Emperor.
9.8 Legislative
bills originating within the Mediate Chamber must first be sanctioned by the Conciliar
Chamber before their presentation to The Emperor for his assent. The Conciliar Chamber
may amend any bill originating from within the Mediate Chamber before presenting
it to The Emperor for his assent, or it may reject, outright, any bill
originating from within the Mediate Chamber.
9.9 For
as often as the Mediate Chamber shall sit, bills or measures originating with
the Crown or government shall be sent first to the Mediate Chamber for the deliberation
of the same prior to passage or rejection by the higher house.
9.10
For as often as the Mediate Chamber shall sit, bills or measures originating
from within the Conciliar Chamber and passed by the same shall first be
presented to the Mediate Chamber for the evaluation and commentary of the same
prior to being put to The Emperor for the imperial assent.
9.11 No
bill or measure originating with the Crown or the government, or from within
the Conciliar Chamber, may be lawfully rejected by the Mediate Chamber, which
may nevertheless, in a non-binding way, offer written advice, or propose
amendments as it shall think fit upon returning a bill to its place of origin.
9.12 At
times when the Mediate Chamber is not assembled, bills or measures originating
with the Crown or with His Imperial Majesty’s government shall be proposed to
the Conciliar Chamber, directly, whereas those originating from within the Conciliar
Chamber shall, upon passage, be presented to The Emperor, directly, for his
assent.
9.13
The Mediate Chamber shall be seen and be understood to be sitting only for as
often as it shall have elected for itself a president, who has subsequently acquainted
The Emperor and the Conciliar Chamber of his election, utilizing for that
purpose the formula provided in the third schedule of this instrument.
9.14
The Mediate Chamber, when seated, shall devise rules of order by which to
govern and regulate itself as it shall deem suitable.
9.15
Over the Conciliar Chamber shall sit no presiding officer or moderator, the Imperial
Presence, whether actual, implicit, or vicariously represented, sufficing.
9.16 A
bill or other measure originating from within the Mediate Chamber and duly passed
along to the Conciliar Chamber is deemed to have passed if and when, following
all discussions and deliberations, it has managed to achieve 48 hours’ silence within
the higher chamber, and has consequently been presented to The Emperor for his
assent.
9.17 A
bill or other measure originating from within the Conciliar Chamber is deemed
to have passed, when, having taken into account the advice and recommendations
of the Mediate Chamber (if seated), the members of the higher house have
sanctioned the bill or measure by their silence for a period of 48 hours, and
have subsequently presented it to The Emperor for his assent.
9.18 A
bill or other measure originating with the Crown or with His Imperial Majesty’s
government is understood to enjoy the Imperial Assent from the start, and is deemed
to have passed, following all due deliberation, upon achieving 48 hours’
silence in the higher chamber.
9.20
Bills or other legislative measures which have been passed by the Diet and
assented to by The Emperor shall be publicly registered in the Rolls of the
Diet as good and perfect Acts of the Diet.
9.21
Instruments put to His Imperial Majesty’s Council in the higher chamber shall
be registered in the Grand Archives, following any and all deliberations by His
Majesty’s councilors, upon achieving 48 hours’ silence.
9.22
His Imperial Majesty is empowered to withhold his assent to any bill or measure
passed by the Diet, or to reserve any bill or measure for further consideration.
9.23 A
bill or other legislative measure passed by the Diet but denied the Imperial Assent
shall be returned to the higher chamber of the Diet by The Emperor, who shall
advise the chamber of his reasons for withholding his assent or for reserving
the bill or measure.
9.24 A
bill or measure for which the imperial assent has been withheld, outright, may
be reintroduced by any member of the Imperial Diet at any time, and, if passed
for a second time according to the procedures outlined above, shall be registered
in the Rolls of the Diet as a good an perfect Act of the Diet without further
need of imperial sanction, the earlier withholding of the Imperial Assent by
The Emperor notwithstanding.
9.25 A
bill or other measure reserved by The Emperor may be held by the Crown for a
period of ninety days, after which time it must be granted the Imperial Assent and
duly registered or returned to the Diet with notice that The Emperor has
withheld the Imperial Assent.
9.26 In
the event that the Imperial Assent is withheld from a bill or other measure following
its period of reserve by the Crown, the option to reintroduce the same as
explained in Article 9.24 [supra] shall obtain.
ARTICLE
10. THE COURTS OF LAW AND THE JUDICIAL POWER
10.1
Justice within the Empire is administered in the name of His Imperial Majesty
The Emperor.
10.2
The electors spiritual and temporal, under the presidency of the archchancellor
of the Empire, shall compose the High Court of the Empire, the final interpreter
of the law and of these present articles, beyond which there can be no appeal.
10.3
The High Court may devise for itself any such procedures it may think fit for
the adjudication of matters brought before it and may furthermore publish
advice to be heeded by lower courts within the Empire as regards their own
conduct.
10.4
His Imperial Majesty may, on the advice of his Council, erect, from time to
time, by letters patent under the Great Seal, such lower courts as he shall
deem necessary or useful, whether for the Empire or for any of the constituent realms,
and shall appoint such judges, justices, magistrates, or other officers to
preside over the same as he shall deem requisite.
10.5
His Imperial Majesty may, on the advice of his Council, create by letters
patent under the Great Seal any and all such legal offices as may seem to the
Crown appropriate or needful, appointing persons to execute those offices as he
shall think fit from time to time.
10.6 In
the absence of any lower imperial courts, any and all matters requiring
adjudication whatsoever shall originate in the High Court of the Empire, the
same becoming at once the court of first instance and of final appeal.
10.7 In
all matters of dispute involving one state against another; one immediate prince
against another; members of the Imperial Family (save The Emperor in his sovereign
immunity); high officers of the Empire; prefects, ministers, or officers of His
Imperial Majesty’s government; or diplomatic officers, the High Court shall be at
once the court of first instance and of final appeal.
10.8
Matters tried in any duly erected court of justice, or by an immediate prince
within his jurisdiction, may be appealed to the next higher court, and
ultimately to the High Court of the Empire with the permission of the same.
10.9
The High Court of the Empire may command the files of any matter adjudicated in
a lower court or jurisdiction to be sent to it for review and, if deemed appropriate,
for readjudication.
10.10
The High Court may, according to its own procedures, reject an appeal from any
lower court, allowing the ruling of the latter to stand.
10.11
Any lawfully erected court is empowered to summon to appear before it any
person falling within its jurisdiction.
10.12
His Imperial Majesty, on the advice of his Council, is empowered to impose upon
a citizen who refuses to submit to the lawful authority of a court any such
penalty or correction which may be deemed suitable, up to and including the
severe penalty of expulsion from the Empire.
ARTICLE
11: THE INDISSOLUBILITY OF THE EMPIRE
11.1
The Empire of Great Hanover is deemed to be permanent and indissoluble, no
authority whatsoever, including that of The Emperor in the Diet, being
competent to dissolve it. Any imperial declaration, proclamation, decree,
edict, or any Act of the Diet presuming to dissolve the Empire shall be, by
this article, rendered null and void.
11.2 It
is unlawful for any authority whatever, including that of the Emperor in the
Diet, to alienate from the Hanoverian Empire any extant constituent polity
thereof, or any polity which, in the future, may be annexed to the Hanoverian Imperial
Crown or otherwise subsumed by the Hanoverian Empire.
ARTICLE
12. MASCULINE AND FEMININE FORMS OF STYLES AND TITLES
12.1
All references in the masculine herein to The Emperor, the Elected Emperor, the
King of the Hanoverians, and otherwise to kings, electors, princes, archdukes,
&c, and the spoken styles thereof (“His Imperial Majesty”, “His Majesty”,
“His Imperial and Royal Highness”, &c) are understood to be rendered in the
feminine in the event of a female occupant of the imperial throne or of any other
office, rank, or dignity named herein.
12.2
The acknowledged gender of the occupant of the imperial throne or of any other
office, rank, or dignity shall, in every case, determine the correct forms of
the titles and spoken styles to be employed by, or in reference to, the incumbent.
12.3
There is no office, seat, or dignity whatever, whether of the Empire of Great
Hanover or any of its constituencies, which is barred to any person at all on
account of gender, nor shall any citizen of the Empire in good standing be
lawfully denied any office, seat, or dignity on account of any other arbitrary criteria
not relevant to a citizen’s actual qualifications.
ARTICLE
13. MATTERS NOT ADDRESSED HEREIN
As
pertains matters not explicitly addressed by these present letters, the state
and government shall rely upon prior law and custom, tradition, the common
sense and understanding of things, the interpretation of the courts, or
subsequent legislation, all in the sensible understanding that this instrument
exists for the benefit of the Empire and not vice-versa.
ARTICLE 14. AMENDING THIS INSTRUMENT
This
instrument or any article thereof may be amended by an act of the Imperial
Diet.
SCHEDULES
1. THE
SOLEMN PROMISES OF THE EMPEROR (EMPRESS)
“Having
freely accepted election to the imperial estate, I do solemnly declare and
affirm that I will justly and faithfully rule and govern the peoples and
domains of the Empire of Great Hanover, the Archduchy of Hanover, the Kingdom
of Argonne, the Kingdom of Varennes, and the Principality of Inselwald, that I
will observe, uphold, and defend the laws and customs of the Empire and of her
constituent realms, and that I will devotedly cherish, maintain, and preserve
the culture, heritage, and traditions of Great Hanover.
I do
solemnly and sincerely promise, in witness and word of an emperor (empress),
that I will maintain inviolably the integrity of the Hanoverian imperial Crown,
that I will not suffer anything belonging or pertaining to it to be in anywise
alienated therefrom, and that I will fervently safeguard all the domains,
lordships, and lawful prerogatives thereof.
I
announce and declare, in the sight and hearing of my peoples, that I will
enjoin justice and mercy in all my judgments, ruling benevolently,
conscientiously, and dutifully, to the benefit of my people.
Having consecrated
my reign with these sacred pledges, I resolve to maintain that which is
consecrated.”
2. THE
SOLEMN PROMISES OF THE KING (QUEEN) OF THE HANOVERIANS
”Having
freely accepted election, I pledge my loyalty and fealty to His (Her) Imperial
Majesty The Emperor (Empress) of Great Hanover, becoming his (her) liege man
(lady) of life and limb, devoted to his (her) cause, and faithful in his (her)
service.
I
solemnly promise that I will observe, uphold, and defend the laws and customs
of the Empire of Great Hanover and all its constituencies, and that I will
exercise well and to the best of my ability the duties and responsibilities of
the royal estate which I do this day assume.”
3. THE FORM
OF NOTIFICATION TO THE EMPEROR AND THE CONCILIAR CHAMBER BY THE PRESIDENT OF
THE MEDIATE CHAMBER UPON HIS ELECTION
“May it
please Your Imperial Majesty and the Illustrious Members of Your Majesty’s
Council:
The Members
of the Mediate Chamber have assembled and have elected me to serve as their president,
though I am but little able to fulfill the important duties thus assigned to
me. If, in the performance of those duties, I should at any time fall into
error, I pray that the fault may be imputed to me, and not to the chamber,
whose servant I am, and who, through me, the better to enable them to discharge
their duty to the Empire, humbly claim all their undoubted rights and
privileges, especially that they may have freedom of speech in all their deliberations,
access to Your Majesty’s person and to your Illustrious Council at all
seasonable times, and that their proceedings may receive from Your Imperial
Majesty and from your Illustrious Council the most favourable construction.”
TO THE articles
and schedules herein We do grant Our most solemn sanction, enjoining all Our
loving subjects to give their notice and to govern themselves accordingly:
FOR
SUCH IS OUR WILL.
OTHER
MEASURES to the matters herein appertaining We may subsequently address in such
patents, diplomas, briefs, and instruments as shall seem to Us meet and
requisite to publish from time to time, according to law:
AS FOR
the time being, We desire that the provisions herein should become effective
immediately, all things to the contrary notwithstanding:
AND
THAT no prescriptions to the contrary whatsoever should impede the swift and
complete execution of these presents, We herewith abrogate all such
prescriptions:
AND WE
ordain that these presents be inviolably observed according to their form and
tenor, in all time coming; that they enjoy their full and entire effect; that
they shall never be submitted to the judgment or revision of any other
magistrate whatsoever, with whatever power he or she may be clothed; declaring
null and of no effect any encroachment upon the present regulations, either
knowingly or from ignorance:
AND WE
command that the same credit be paid to copies of these presents, whether
printed or electronic, as to the original, provided they bear the sign of Our
Imperial Archchancellor or some other authorized public notary, and that no one
be permitted to infringe, or by an audacious temerity to oppose, any part of
this instrument; and that, should anyone take it upon himself to attempt it,
let him know that he will thereby incur Our wrath and censure, along with any
and all such penalties as We may deem meet and apposite to apply:
AND TO
make these presents durable and permanent forever, We do herewith affix Our
imperial sign manual under Our Great Seal:
FOR
SUCH IS OUR PLEASURE.
WITNESS
OURSELF at Our Court of St George’s Palace in Our Imperial City of Bergen this **
Day of June in the Year of Grace, Two Thousand and Twenty-four, the Ninth of
Our Reign.
SIC
SCRIBATVR SIC FIAT
BY THE
EMPEROR HIMSELF SIGNED WITH HIS OWN HAND
[THE
GREAT SEAL]
GUELPH
Archicancellarius
Imperialis
WITH
THE CONSENT OF THE DIET
