Covenant Kingdom of Southambia

## Covenant KingdomCovenant Reaume𐌘𐌏𐌄𐌃𐌞𐌔 𐌓𐌄𐌂𐌍𐌞𐌔Foedus Regnum

Flag of the Covenant Kingdom

The **Covenant Kingdom of Southambia**, commonly referred to as **Covenant Kingdom** or simply **Southambia**, was the primordial independent Southambian state established following the conclusion of the Southambian War for Unification.

## Government and politics

Main article: Government of the Covenant Kingdom
The government and politics of the Covenant Kingdom were a blend of theocratic and democratic principles. Whilst the theocratic side of government took precedence, the democratic aspect of the Covenant Kingdom wielded significant importance in the everyday governance of the Covenant Kingdom. Within the Foundational Laws of the Covenant Kingdom of Southambia, there were two equal executive officers: one religious and one democratic; two equal legislative assemblies: one religious and one democratic; and two judicial bodies which heard cases pertaining to everyday civil and criminal matters to religious matters.

### Executive Branch

#### Chief Priest

The *Chief Priest of the Covenant Kingdom of Southambia* was the chief religious officer in the Covenant Kingdom. The Chief Priest was elected every 12 years by members of the Conclave of High Priests and the National Cabinet. Only members of the Conclave of High Priests were able to be elected to the post of Chief Priest. During the time of the Covenant Kingdom, 4 Chief Priests were elected. As the Covenant Kingdom fell and was replaced by the Union of Southambia, the post of Chief Priest was replaced by *Senior High Priest of the Covenant*, and became exclusive to members of the Covenant's clergy. The High Priest would ultimately lose its dual authority over religion and the executive branch of the government of Southambia.

The following is a list of the Chief Priests of the Covenant Kingdom:

 2
 3
 4

#### Chancellor

The *Chancellor of the Covenant Kingdom of Southambia* was the chief executive officer in the Covenant Kingdom. The Chancellor was elected by and from members of the Assembly of the Covenant. Generally, the Chancellor was elected from the leader of the largest party, however on occasions, the Chancellorship was elected by a multiparty coalition in the Covenant Assembly. Though the Chancellor did wield some religious authority, as they were able to command the National Cabinet on who to vote for Chief Priest, much of the Chancellorship's power was executive.

The following is a list of the Chancellors of the Covenant Kingdom:

#### National Cabinet

The *National Cabinet* was the Chancellor's advisory body of 24 members-excluding the Chancellor-selected from the Assembly of the Covenant. The National Cabinet served at the discretion of the Chancellor. The National Cabinet was one of two bodies-the other being the Conclave of High Priests-who were able to elect the Chief Priest. This gave the National Cabinet a significant say over the religious affairs of the Covenant Kingdom.

### Legislative Branch

#### Conclave of High Priests

The *Conclave of High Priests* was the chief religious assembly in the Covenant Kingdom. The Conclave of High Priests consisted of 75 members, elected every twelve years. A third of the members were elected by the Assembly of the Covenant, while the rest of the members were elected by the Covenant Kingdom's clergy. The Conclave of High Priests was the regulating body of religious affairs, and occasionally published controversial interpretations of the Southambian covenant. Near the end of the Covenant Kingdom, the Conclave of High Priests was in constant conflict with the Assembly of the Covenant. Following the fall of the Covenant Kingdom, the Conclave of High Priests would be replaced by the *Authoritative Conclave of the High Priests*.

#### Assembly of the Covenant

The *Assembly of the Covenant* was the elected legislative assembly in the Covenant Kingdom. The Assembly of the Covenant was permitted to legislate on matters of all sorts with the exception of religious matters, which were strictly handled by the Conclave of High Priests. Membe

The Assembly of the Covenant consisted of 175 members, elected every four years.

### Judicial Branch

#### Holy Tribunal

The *Holy Tribunal of the Covenant Kingdom of Southambia* was the highest religious judicial authority in the Covenant Kingdom. The Holy Tribunal served as the religious supreme court, and handled all sorts of religious matters from discipline of senior members of the clergy to delivering opinions on discussions subject to religious interpretation. The Holy Tribunal consisted of senior members of the clergy appointed by the Chief Priest to serve twelve-year terms.

#### Sanctioning Tribunal

The *Sanctioning Tribunal of the Clergy of Southambia* was the judicial authority of the Covenant Kingdom with jurisdiction in both the civil and religious law. The Sanctioning Tribunal served as the civil supreme court, and handled civil, criminal, and constitutional cases; and it served as the religious commission that directly oversaw the membership of the clergy. The Sanctioning Tribunal was responsible for the discipline of unruly members of the clergy. The Sanctioning Tribunal consisted of senior members of the clergy appointed by the Chief Priest to serve twelve-year terms.

### Politics

For the entirety of its history, the Covenant Kingdom was dominated by two political factions: the covenantarian Keepers of the Covenant of the All, and the republican Coalition of Moderates and Republicans. These factions had existed prior to the establishment of the Covenant Kingdom during the Southambian Revolution, and as a result, wield significant influence and power over the Southambian government and public. In addition to the Keepers of the Covenant and the Coalition of Moderates and Republicans, there existed insignificant political factions such as the New Republican Frontier Group, though these political factions ultimately failed to gain any traction.

Religious politics in the Covenant Kingdom significantly differed from those of national politics. In the early years of the Covenant Kingdom, the Keepers of the Covenant of the All split into two main groups: the Keepers of the Covenant, which focused on both national and religious politics; and the *Society and Keepers of the Covenant*, which focused solely on religious politics. In addition to the Society and Keepers, there were three other large factions in the religious affairs of the Covenant Kingdom: the *Seminar for the Understanding of the Covenant*, the most liberal and progressive religious faction; the *Unified Temples of Southambia*, the strictest and most ultraorthodox of the religious factions; and the *Followers of the Path towards Peace*, the centre-most faction of the four. The Society and Keepers leaned on the more traditional side of religious interpretation.

## Notes

1. ↑ Occidentalis: *Foedus Regnum Southambiae*
2. ↑ Old Southambian: Covenant Reaume, Uxbledonese: 𐌘𐌏𐌄𐌃𐌞𐌔 𐌓𐌄𐌂𐌍𐌞𐌔, Occidentalis: *Foedus Regnum*
3. ↑ Occidentalis: *Custodes Foederis Omnium*
4. ↑ Occidentalis: *Foedus Moderatorum et Republicans*