Hainish Crown Diet

The Hainish Crown Diet is the elective and legislative body of the Kingdom of Hain. The Diet is a council of all of Hain's many royal houses, with any Burgrave, Graf, Herzog, or Elector-Prince family receiving one seat per landed holding. Formally recognized cities also get seats in the Diet, chosen by the Junkers (with help from the local Burghers). 
The Crown Diet can be fairly large when fully summoned, with hundreds of family representatives. This is called a Full Diet and it is only called during times of great need or conflict. 
The permanent diet, known as the Rump Council, is a small group of nine representatives who handle day-to-day affairs. The Rump Council is composed of Diet officers, elected from and by the Diet. Each officer holds a particular role:

• The Chancellor leads the Diet according to procotol and reads the findings of the Diet. They keep peace in the Diet and enforce council custom.
• The Master Herald is in charge of summons, communications, and organizing the space for the greater Diets
• The Secretary of Heroics recognizes and archives Hainish Honors, assigning each family their weighted vote
• The Diet Treasurer handles the funding and budgets for the Diet, as well as the servants who maintain the space
• The Secretary of Revenue handles tax collection, tax disputes, and ensures that money is available for the Diet Treasurer
• The Master of Ceremonies handles Diet ritual and ceremony, as well as the Diet's guards
• The Secretary of Trade is chosen from the city Junker representatives and handles the kingdom's trade policy. 
• The Diet Justiciar is in charge of resolving inter-noble disputes and handling matters of Diet Justice 
• The Master Jurist is the chief lawyer of the Diet and intermediary with the Autumn Court. 

If an officer on the Rump Council dies, is dismissed for a crime, or retires, the position may be temporarily filled at the discretion of the Hainish Elector Council until the next Royal Diet. The Rump Council is legally distinct from the Royal Court but is in practice a part of it. 
Not all summoned Diets are Full Diets. The Hainish Monarch, Hainish Elector Council, and Rump Council Chancellor all must agree on the scale of the Diet to be summoned and they may set the parameters for the summons how they see fit. Most of the time, they call Partial Diets, which take only a few representatives from each region along with the upper nobility. Partial Diets are considered acceptable for calling for new taxes. 
Significant legal reforms generally require a Full Diet; the Master Jurist plays an important role in interpreting legal precedent in this matter. 
How frequently a Partial Diet is called depends on the political power of the reigning monarch, the stability of their court, and the amount of tumult in a given year. Three Partial Diets in a year is not unheard of but is certainly on the upper end of things; some years go by with only the Rump Council. Diets can last from one week to two months; faster Diets are deemed more successful.

Founding Date

1603

Type

Governmental, Senate/Parliament

Parent Organization

The Kingdom of Hain

Location

Ozaren

Related Ethnicities

• Hainish Culture