Hegemonian institutions

Aetherial Empire
The first emperors of the Empire were rulers with absolute power over their subjects. Magius, the founder of the empire was revered as a true God. Most of his descendents -when good rulers- were diefied and some of the later adopted emperors -when magnificent- as well.

The absolute power as wieleded by the emperors was slowly reduced by the increasing power of the high council, a council consisting of representatives of the nobility, religion and mages. Emperor Decidius Nepos, who reigned from 452 to 470, was the first to be elected by the high council. In historical terms this is generally mentioned as the change of the Dominate to the 1st Electivate. It must be mentioned in this respect that the changes where gradual and not easily noticed at the time.

1st and 2nd Electivate
During the 1st Electivate, rulers were no longer diefied and the high council gradually gained more power. In practice the Empire would be ruled by the Epistalma, a cabinet of which the emperor was the executive leader.

The 10th and 11th centuries brought democratic change to the governments of the islands of the trade sea (Mare Mercatorium), these former duchies and kingdoms gradually converted to republics. A clamour for change also reached Magium eventually, and protests broke out urging the Epistalma to give the plebeians a say in the running of their nation. During the reign of Martius Democratus (1058-1077) a senate was introduced which intially had some limited powers but could create and introduce legislation to help the commoners.

This system, which is referred to as the 2nd Electivate, remained rather stable in the centuries that followed. The Senate would gradually expand its legislative powers but the executive branch of the government would remain under control of the council and its foremost representative; the emperor.

Clamour for further democratization became more vocal towards the end of the 17th century. Under Aurelius Catus some changes were implimented and under Iulius Cordatus of the Bassus the government was profoundly creformed. The reformation (reformatio rei publici) was the change to a constitutional democracy.

Constitutional Democracy
The new system would result in a complete change of the system. The formerly powerful emperors were relegated to a representative function, a mostly honorary function. In return for stepping down of power the office was to be hereditary in the future. The senate would, from now on, select a suitable candidate of the Bassus Cotta family to be named emperor.

This system is currently still in place and the current emperor, Gregorius IX, was ratified as emperor in 2018.