League of Savura
The league of Savura is a commercial and military confederation of multiple semi-autonomous city-states, which seceded from Aldernord in the late 1320's AK.
Structure
Savura is sometimes described as being less a republic, more a bureaucracy with occasional elections. Prior to the Alderni conquest, the Savu were said to be a scholarly people who placed great stock in an ordered and organised society where the rule of law, not the will of the ruler, was the guiding hand of the nation; in this they were undoubtedly influenced by the dwarven immigrants of the Tevashi diaspora, many of whom found sanctuary among the Savu in the years following the collapse of the Empire of Kataris.
Autocratic Governance
Each of the eleven constituent city-states of Savura - Auditore, Baletto, Cameri, Campocavola, Cancellomare, Fianicci, Lapis, Mesoscorrana, Staggia, Triponzo, and Vinzaglio - is ultimately governed by an official referred to as its Autokrator. Under Anaximander's Dictatorship, the Autocrators have enjoyed neither complete autonomy nor absolute executive power over their cities. Whilst still extremely influential and powerful within their domains, they are ultimately subject to the Dictator's authority through the agencies of state, especially the High Chambers.The Senate
See also: Factions in the Savuran Senate During the negotiation of the Treaty of the Three Cities in 1328AK it was felt necessary to formalise the cooperation between the city-states. This resulted in the creation of the National Senate, initially composed of five representatives of each of the cities, elected by the citizens who dwelled there. The question of who should have the right to elect the senators was a controversial one; it was eventually agreed that all those who owned property within the cities themselves were to be granted the vote. By 1332 AK the senate had expanded to 25 members from the five constituent cities of the Savuran League. In 1334 AK it was agreed that each Autocrator should have the right to attend the Senate or send a representative in their stead, and in 1335 AK provisions were made for those owning land outside of the major cities to have their own representatives, termed "territorial senators", bringing the number of senators to a total of 35. Senators were elected for a five-year term, with one senator from each of the member cities standing for re-election every year. The territorial senators also sat for five year terms, though there was no fixed schedule for their re-election. There is no limit on the number of terms that a senator can hold their seat; of the fifteen original senators of the Savuran League, three remain in office to this day. The representatives of the Autocrators are appointed and dismissed at their leisure. The Senate continued to expand over the course of the Second War of Independence. Under the principle that each autocratic city should have equal representation, an additional 36 senators were added to represent the new member-states, and a further 8 to represent other annexed settlements such as Bregzana, Colisettio, and Ptelebrug, bringing the total membership of the Senate to 79. There has been some discontent among certain member-states around the composition of the Senate as it now stands; in particular, the fact that all twelve senators from Fianicci and Cancellomare are officers of the National Armies or the Navy is frequently criticised as giving the military significant leverage over the civilian government of the League. The presence of a full complement of six senators from Lapis is also an occasional matter of consternation, given that towns of comparable size such as Caliandra have at most a single senator. Prior to the Dictatorship, the Senate's opinion on a matter was considered binding if had the backing of a simple majority of half the senatorial votes; however, an Autocrator could choose not to ratify the ruling of the Senate within their sovereign territory if a two-thirds majority had not been reached. The Senate also held the right to remove an Autocrator from power and reopen elections or directly appoint a replacement. This latter power, which required a unanimous decision from all senators save for the Autocrator in question or their representative, has never been used; indeed the only two times that unanimity has been reached within the Senate were on the rejection of the Treaty of Reconciliation of 1335AK - which would have returned the cities of the Savuran League to Alderni rulership, albeit with a greater degree of autonomy - and the election of Dracomallion Anaximander di Sola di Triponzo to the position of Dictator of Savura in 1337 AK. Under Anaximander's Dictatorship, the Senate has continued to meet, albeit with its powers substantially curtailed. It still debates and votes on a variety of issues, but these decisions are considered advisory and non-binding unless the Dictator chooses to ratify them. The Dictator is obliged to inform the Senate of his rulings, and can be summoned to attend the Senate to answer their questions, but is not otherwise bound to their will; the Senate theoretically has the power to depose the Dictator if their will is unanimous, but few are under the illusion that this could ever realistically happen. On the conclusion of his initial five-year term as Dictator it was broadly agreed that a two-thirds majority would be require to either reaffirm or remove Anaximander from the Dictatorship; this resulted in months of deadlock and debate until Anaximander's supporters were eventually able to gather the support they needed to keep him in power. Accusations abound about large sums of money changing hands over the course of the debate, and at the time some alleged that the disappearance of one of the Campocavolan senators had been orchestred by one faction or another - though these allegations were later quietly rescinded when it emerged that the senator in question, Emile di Gargulo di Campocavola, had been using their office to embezzle a substantial fortune, and was last seen boarding a ship bound for Maradatha.The High Chambers
Whilst the maintenance of law and order are for the most part the responsibility of the Autocrator, several judicial chambers have jurisdiction over the league as a whole. These are divided into the Chambers Ordinary - consisting of the Chambers Fiscal, Chamber Judicial, Chamber Maritime and Chamber Martial - and the Chamber Extraordinary. The Chamber Fiscal has authority over taxation, and the finances of the autocracies and the state as a whole, as well as controlling the coinage. They also have supreme the authority to prosecute counterfeiters, coin-clippers, and others who would debase the currency. The Chamber Judicial has a wide remit involving the investigation and prosecution of criminality that crosses the borders between the territories administered by the city-states, as well as those crimes which are considered to be committed against the state as a whole, such as matters of treason and sedition; they also have oversight of the administration of law and order in general, and act as a court of appeal for those convicted under certain circumstances. The Chamber Maritime has overall responsibility for the regulation of seaborne trade, as well as matters of maritime salvage, taxation, and the maintenance of ports. They are involved in prosecutions for piracy, and for discipline within the Savuran Navy as a whole - in which role they occasionally come into conflict with the admiralty. They share with the Chamber Fiscal a jurisdiction over cases of smuggling. The Chamber Martial has overall responsibility for the regulation of the National Armies. It does not typically involve itself in matters of discipline, though does have theoretical jurisdiction in such matters; rather, it provides oversight of the Strategoi who command the armies, and arbitrates any disputes involving Free Companies The Chamber Extraordinary is the de facto secret service of the Savuran League; in theory they are answerable to the Senate in the same way as the Chambers Ordinary, though since Anaximander's rise to power they are generally thought to report solely to the dictator. They are believed to consist of several subchambers, plus the Chamber Divinatory. The Chamber Divinatory, technically under the auspices of the Chambers Extraordinary but in practice autonomous, was created in opposition to the Gilded Tower of Aldernord. Like the Gilded Tower, it concerns itself mostly with the provision of military intelligence, especially through magical means.Military
See also: Military Units of Savura
Prior to the revolution, the military forces of the northern part of Aldernord consisted of a mixture of conscripts and profesional soldiers, the latter becoming rather more common in the decades leading up to the First War of Savuran Independence. The initial forces of the Savuran revolutionaries were irregular citizen-militias, often poorly armed and with minimal training; however these were soon joined by more disciplined and better-equipped soldier from mercenary Free Companies who sided with the rebels, as well as by deserters from the Alderni military.
The Savuran military only began to emerge as a cohesive force after the Treaty of the Three Cities, which obligated each of the city-states to raise their own defensive militia and to contribute to a standing "National Army". In both cases, these forces began as hired mercenaries, generally consisting of the same Free Companies that had fought alongside the revolutionaries in the early part of the War of Independence.
As of 1344, there are five National Armies, plus the Grand Fleet which is itself divided into three fleet-detachments. Each army is divided into a number of divisions, each of approximately 1000 soldiers, which are then split into eight maniples of 120 soldiers, plus a command detachment that usually numbers around 40. The captain of a maniple is sometimes styled as a "kentarch", and the commander of a division as a "merarch", borrowing terms from the military of the Empire of Kataris; likewise, the generals commanding the five National Armies are typically referred to as "strategoi", and an admiral of one of the fleets is often termed a "ploimarch".
The strategic command of the Savuran military is organised via a council of the five Strategoi of the National Armies, the three Ploimarchs of the Navy (one of whom holds the rank of First-Admiral, or Protoploimarch), and the Archstrategos - though this latter position has been held by the Dictator since his appointment.
Founding Date
1328 AK
Type
Geopolitical, Republic
Capital
Alternative Names
Savuran League, Treaty of the Three Cities
Demonym
Savuran
Leader Title
Head of State
Government System
Dictatorship
Power Structure
Confederation
Economic System
Market economy
Legislative Body
National Senate
Judicial Body
Four Chambers Ordinary, and the Chamber Extraordinary
Subsidiary Organizations
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
Related Ethnicities
Comments