Holy Archadian Empire

The Empire (Sacrum Basileium Archadianum) controls the area of the Kingdom of Nicolovia, Archadia, Faendal, Vlachia and Garantinopolis. The Empire is also the home of the Heliarch.

Goverment
The Empire is ruled by a hereditary emperor. The current ruler is His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Octavius Makesinus Garantius XLII, informally known as Emperor Ottavio. The Emperor resides in Archadia and is the secular power of the Empire. Apart of him, the Empire is also the home of the head of the Omnican Church, the Heliarch Justinus Aurelianus, who resides in Archadia as well.

The Empire, apart of its standard feudal division, is divided into 14 counsiliary counties (Comium Magnum Consiliarum), whose rulers, known as Comites Magni, are the highest ranking nobles of the Empire. Apart of the counties, the Empire also has 4 free cities (Urbs Sua), which have the right of self-governance outside of any feudal system. These 4 cities are Archadia, Freiburg, Nicolovia and Garantinopolis.

The Emperor rules with the help of Consilium Basileii, an advisory body consisting of the 14 Comites Magni, as well as 2 representatives of each free city (who are called Patricii Magni). The Consilium has the right to give its opinion on any matter involving the whole Empire, including autonomous actions of vassals that have the potential of threatening the whole Empire (such as a vassal declaring war on his own). The Consilium also has the right to revoke title of any of its member should he/she fail to serve the Empire properly. The revokation can be also done by the Emperor without any need of approval should the member fail to attend the Consilium meetings for 2 years. The members have the right to appoint a deputy.

History
Nicolovia began as a loose confederation of various barbaric tribes invading the Archadian Empire from the north-east. In the year 537 AIC (or 1832 WE) the tribes were united in an elective kingdom. However, the dukes of Nicolovia, the house of Nagy, were gaining more and more power through the centuries until the elective monarchy was abolished in 747 AIC (or 2042 WE). The Nagys rule undisputed since then, even if the emergence of heresies brought the kingdom into a new time of chaos.

When Archadia was reconquered by the Garanid Empire in 286 AIC (or 1581 WE) and the Archadian Empire proclaimed once more, the importance of the once Caput Mundi decreased even more. Even if Archadia became once more the Imperial capital in 508 AIC (or 1803 WE) after the sack of Garantinopolis by barbarians, the Empire is only an ancient idea and the Emperor rules nothing more than Archadia and the lands around it. The Emperor is then deposed thirty five years later and Archadia becomes a republic once more.

With the introduction of the Sotiran heresy by the fanatical priest Ioseph Sotiras to Archadia in 784 AIC (or 2081 WE), the general population, quite poor and jealous of the aristocracy, rebelled and a new regime, called Tor Ardwen after the mythical home of prophet Aurelios, was installed. The popular theocratic republic instigated a rule of terror however and after Ioseph Sotiras died in 807 AIC (or 2102 WE), the Tor Ardwen regime was a target of several unsuccessful rebellions. All ended when the Heliarch Antonius Pius, then resident of the kingdom of Verduro, created an alliance of the kingdom of Nicolovia and the Order of St. Castor of Karden and conquered Archadia in 842 AIC (or 2137 WE), ending the rule of Tor Ardwen for good. The Heliarch then proclaimed a new Holy Archadian Empire and crowned king István III Nagy its Emperor, with the Order of Saint Castor being an autonomous vassal of the Empire.

In the following years, István III Nagy tried to usurp more and more powers from the Nicolovian nobility, attempting to assert absolute rule over Nicoloviana. This naturally led to a strong opposition from the nobles and, evenually, to a full-scale civil war, which began in 857 AIC (or 2152 WE). The war brougt with it total devastation of Nicolovia, as well as most of the Nicolovian nobility. Even though the Emperor emerged triumphant in the end, mere week after the final battle at Vissegrad in 860 AIC (or 2155 WE), he was assassinated in Archadia, most likely as a result from a plot of several members of the Curia dissatisfied with the Imperial rule. Just a month before that, the Heliarch passed away as well, leaving the Empire momentarily leaderless.

The college of cardinals manage to elect a new Heliarch, Justinus Aurelianus, soon. He then crowned Ottavio Makesini as the new Emperor, on the basis of István III Nagy having no heir and Ottavio being the direct heir of the old Garantius dynasty. The new Emperor then married his daughter and only child to Baldassare Velisario, the young duke of Garantinopolis, finally uniting the south and the north into the once again powerful Basileium Archadianum. He also accepted the long ignored pleads of the principality of Vlachia to join the Empire. After the Heliarch proclaimed most of Faendal converted to the true faith, the territory of the Order was heavily reduced and the rest of the land feudalised. The Emperor then introduced the reforms of the Empire, creating the Comii Magni and the Urbis Sui, as well as the Consilium Basileii.

Relations
The Empire officially views itself as the successor of Basileium Archadianum and thus claims most of the continent as its territory. However, necessity has forced the Empire to never enforce any such policy in diplomacy. The Empire also views itself as the natural protector of the Omnican Church and as such it maintains good relationships especially with the Kingdom of the Letts.