# Governance
> [TOC]

This is a high level description of how Governance / Governments are being designed into the next update (BK V2). Other systems like diplomacy, populations, etc... will be described in their own articles.

## Balance
In order to make kingdom political balance more in-depth, some additional concepts will be added. Each one will have a significant impact within their scope.

### Legitimacy (Kingdom scope)
Same concept as already existing in the mod - represents how legitimate, generally speaking, a ruler is perceived to be.

Key points:
- Is the basis for internal conflicts. Low legitimacy -> rebels.
- Requires a multitude of factors (active and passive): birth, competence, religion, culture, satisfying subjects.

### Authority (Kingdom scope)
Represents how centralized / authoritative is the ruling power. Rather than "how legitimate is the ruler's power", it means "how much power does the ruler wield". A ruler can be illegitimate yet powerful.

Like Legitimacy, what defines Authority will be perceived differently across civilizations. Tribal / clan / kinship civilizations will perceive as authoritative a ruler that can force their will unto their underlings. Other societies might favour more subtle forms of power such as their legitimacy and influence over other subjects.

Key points:
- Is the basis for exerting power over subjects, including seizing domain (titles / fiefs)
- Is the basis for collecting duties (tax / levies)
- Defines how much influence a ruler has over legislation in relation to subjects -> veto votings, pass laws

### Stability (Kingdom scope)
Similar to Stability on the scope of fiefs (already in the mod). Stability represents the long-term political integrity of the realm. Successions and warfare will negatively impact it, and devastatingly so if constant.

Key points:
- Is the basis for foreign diplomacy. Need an alliance? Marriage? Not with unstable realm.
- Will help determine political instances on legislation, warfare.. lords with best interest will seek stabilizing measures.
- Less stability will allow easier legislation change (influence cost, etc..)
- Will likely be a factor into a multitude of other things, just like fief stability.

### Loyalty (Personal scope)
Loyalty describes how willingly a subject follows their liege. Though Loyalty will be strongly associated to relationships, it goes beyond them. A subject may be loyal, even if they do not particularly like you, simply because they believe your rule is legitimate and just.

How loyalty will be produced will depend also largely on what is expected of subjects. This will be called The **Subject Obligations** module of the Codex, described more below.

Key points:
- Loyalty is the basis for internal political struggle, including radical groups.
- Loyalty will depend on what kind of duties subjects perform.
- Loyalty will determine how well subjects perform their duties to the liege.

Here's a mind map to quickly visualize them (Kingdom scope):

## Administrative Hierarchy
The Adm Hierarchy / Tree will be visually similar to the Demesne Hierarchy. Though it is connected to titles, it has a different purpose. This tree will show the de facto liege/subject relations in the whole realm, even outside of the realm's de jure titles.

One way we can visualize it:

Ruler (kingdom title)
    --> Margrave Family 1 (duchy title)
        --> Baron Family 1 (barony title)
        
    --> Baron Family 2 (barony title)
    --> Baron Family 3 (barony title)

As you can see, we have 3 direct subjects of the Ruler. In the Demesne Hierarchy, we would expect to see Baron 2 and 3 under counties, themselves under duchies.

But what if these titles are not held by anyone? This would not be an usual situation in the mod's hisotry, but it is an approach I want to take moving forward - **have uncreated titles (specially duchies) that can be created later by the owner's influence, representing their increased prestige**.

But the Hierarchy is not just visual. It can serve a variety of uses:
- See the flow of taxes/duties
- Set special conditions for that administrative jurisdiction.
**Example**: Border title? Possible to become a March title. A marcher lord holds more prestige and is expected to handle border security.
- Set subject directives:
- Religious conversion
- Cultural conversion
- Loyalty focus for recently conquered foreign domain
- Military/Trade focus, etc..

### Jurisdictions & Control
However, in order to apply such things, we must first divine the administration into **Jurisdictions**. A quick way to think about them is precisely through unlanded titles such as duchies and kingdoms. I'm not sure yet how Jurisdictions will be designed.


Another important aspect of them will be **Control**. Control represents how much effective influence the central administration (ruler) has over that jurisdiction. High control areas will represent generally politically stable regions, tax / duty paying subjects, as well as directives obeyed.

Control will be affected by a variety of factors: holding the jurisdiction capital, de jure onwership, local fief loyalties, Loyalty of administrators (lords) towards ruler, distance from capital, crown Authority, and so on..

Essentially, you can imagine that the stronger, more cohesive and organized a realm is, the more control it can exert. On the other hand, the more distant the jurisdictions are from central administration (physically, culturally, spiritually, politically..) the less Control there will be.

Key points:
- Adm Hierarchy represents the entire chain of responsibility, outside of de jure bounds.
- Jurisdictions shape the hierarchy.
- Jurisdictions have directions and Control levels.
- Control will help prevent reckless conquest.

## Codex (largely WIP)
The realm Codex will represent the core legislation. Changing the codex will be made difficult.

Codexes will operate on a **modular** approach. This is similar to existing title Succession / Inheritance etc... Several aspects will define the whole Codex, of which several implementations can fulfill each aspect.

Unlike the existing system, however, the Codex will be attached to **factions** rather than **titles**. I'm still pondering if titles (unlanded, at least) could have their own specific details (such as its own succession form), but it' likely not worth the trouble.

The Codex will be composed of the following modules:
- Successions
- Lawmaking
- Power Distribution
- Demesne Tenure
- Subject Obligations
- Theological Mandate

### Succession
The good old Succession forms. They will define who is legitimate to inherit rulership. There's not much to change here, other than make sure some successions can only be used with certain cultures.

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### Inheritance (moved to Clans)
The existing Inheritance will be moved / attached directly to Clans, rather than title / kingdom. This means that each individual Clan can **choose** their own inheritance method. This will likely be further changed with restrictions to inheritance (innovations / political restrictions).

Most inheritances **will be by default partitioning inheritances**, meaning their partition property between children. As a player this can sound annoying, but it is very much realistic, and instead I believe hoarding properties through generations is more boring than the partiotining is annoying - do we really need more facilitations for the player?

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### Lawmaking
Describes the nature of how legislation is applied and considered. Are votes held? Is tradition more important than making new law? Is the law religious? The nature of legislation will affect things such as:
- How policies are applied.
- What groups are favored. Religious law? Religious group has more influence.
- How legitimate is the rulership based on how it matches the existing legislation.

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### Power Distribution
Describes how power is officially distributed. Thinking Romans: is there a permanent dictator, or council, or consuls?

By nature of the game, it isn't really viable to have kingdoms ruled by multiple people (no central ruler), so we are somewhat limited here. A better way to view this module/aspect: `How much power is officially concentrated on the ruler?`

This module will be specially important for:
- Defining Authority, baseline but also sources.
- Affect Administration directives. Autocracy? Directives can be enforced more easily.
- Influence of ruler's Council: truly powerful, or ceremonial? Will have to be determined better when I redesign Councils.
- Voting leverage. The 'Senate' exists, but do the votes really matter, or are they just for show?

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### Demesne Tenure
Describes the nature of onwnership of demesne (landed and unlanded titles). Are titles tied to ancestral blood claims? Formally bound to dynastic inheritance? Or are they property of the ruler, granted and revoked to/from holders at will?

This will be a defining factor in how titles are created, granted, usurped, revoked, and so on. Essentially, this module/aspect can be described by the affirmatio `Who owns the property, and with what claim.`

This module will be specially important for:
- Defining who can create titles. An influential lord wants to increase his prestige (acquire a Duchy title). Can he create it himself, or request it? How difficult would it be?
- Defining how strong is the claim to the title. How much authority is required to revoke a title? A tribal chieftain, who sees his land as bound to his blood kin for centuries, will have a hard time seeing the authority in revoking it. A provincial governor, instead, not so much.
- Likewise, a provincial governor won't be too impressed by a title grant, because he knows it can be taken away. Opinions will fluctuate more or less, in both ways.
- Similarly, defining who can revoke/usurp titles, and how hard it is (eg, Influence costs, Authority thresholds).

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### Theological Mandate
It is impossible to disassociate faith from the governance. The realm will have an official faith, which is, by default, the ruler's faith / the culture's ancestral faith. This however should be **officially** changeable, allowing different faiths to be enforced.

This module will be specially important for:
- Defining how enforced the state religion is on a fief-level. Is force used? Enforced conversion might work at cost of rebellions / deaths.
- Defining how enforced the state religion is on a political level. Are lords of different faiths accepted? Are they criminals? Is heresy also treason?
- Defining influence of religious authorities.

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### Subject Obligations
Describes the military and financial obligations of subjects.Obligations will also be a deciding factor on how Loyalty is calculated. And that is only natural: the obligations define the nature of the liege/subject relationship, and thus how Loyalty is perceived.

This module will be specially important for:
- Defining what duties subjects are expected to fulfill. Serve in the army? Pay taxes? Provide an yearly tribute?
- Defining the source of loyalty. If I am to provide knight-service to my liege, I expect them to be legitimate, otherwise the claim to my duty is void. If I am to pay tribute, I expect them to have authority to demand it.

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### Example
For a quick example, I put together the following Subject Obligations implementations:

#### Knight Service
Example based on western feudalism. Military service is expected, legitimate rule is crucial.

SUMMON INFLUENCE: Medium ---- Influence required to summon subject to Army
ORGANIZATION: Legitimacy basis ---- Base modifier for Army organization loss
NO TRIBUTE ---- Tribute in cash or goods
LOYALTY: Legitimacy basis ---- Base modifier for loyalty under this arrangement

#### Alliegance Oaths
Example based on tribe / kinship societies. Personal bonds and the idea of strength provide more leverage. Rule of the strong.

SUMMON INFLUENCE: Low
ORGANIZATION: Authority basis
YEARLY TRIBUTE
LOYALTY: Personal relation basis

#### Provincial Stewardship
Exampled based on imperial administrations (roman, chinese). Professional royal army is highly cohesive.

Taxation is understood as royal revenue / property, of which a part is maintained by local administration.

Authority over subjects is crucial to keep administration trust on royal prerogatives.

SUMMON INFLUENCE: Stability basis
ORGANIZATION: High
REVENUE TAXATION, Authority basis
LOYALTY: Authority / Legitimacy basis