Here's an article I was working on for JTAS Online but never finished. With the recent changes to the OTU wrought by Marc Miller I figure I might as well post it here on the IMTU forum. Perhaps some of you will find it useful.
Note that this was intended for GT, so tech levels are GTL rather than TTL.
Comments welcome. Just keep in mind that this is in MY Traveller Universe, not the OTU.
Hans
Note that this was intended for GT, so tech levels are GTL rather than TTL.
THE IMPERIAL DUCHY
a feature article
by
Hans Rancke-Madsen
The basic administrative unit of the Imperium is the duchy or, as it is usually known, the subsector. In theory each subsector of the Imperium is a duchy and each duchy is a subsector. Consequently the two terms have become synonymous and is often used interchangably. This is not, however, entirely correct. In practice about 10% of the Imperium's subsectors are not independent duchies. The most common reason for this is that the subsector in question is too weak, in population and resources, to make a credible duchy. An example of this is Lanth subsector, whose tax base is less than 2% of the Imperial average. Lanth is therefore split up between the surrounding duchies of Lunion, Regina, and Rhylanor.
The Imperium has a policy of not allowing duchies that are larger than a subsector. This serves as a useful curb of ambitious dukes, who know that the Imperium will not countenance them expanding their influence into neighboring subsectors. Obviously the existence of subsectors too weak to be duchies means that some duchies are oversized, like the aforementioned duchies of Lunion, Regina, and Rhylanor. However, the policy means that when such a weak subsector eventually becomes strong enough to make a credible duchy, it will be separated out from its former duke(s).
There are a few exceptions to this, usually when political concerns overide other considerations. Jewell, a county under the Duke of Regina which consists of all Imperial worlds in the Jewell subsector, has for centuries been strong enough to function as an duchy in itself (albeit a relatively weak one), but for all that time the dukes of Regina have been known as some of the Emperor's most faithful vassals. Separating out Jewell from their demesne would have sent quite the wrong message to the nobles of the Imperium, and so Jewell remains a mere county. The Duchy of Alderamin is an even better example of an oversized duchy. It consists of the whole Alderamin subsector plus the part of Esperanza subsector that is not included in the Vegan Autonomous District. This includes enough high-population worlds to make Esperanza an exceedingly viable duchy in itself, but until recently the dukes of Alderamin were Aslans and splitting off part of their duchy would have been an intolerable insult (With the recent death of Duke xxxxxxxxxx without a direct heir, political observers predict that the Emperor will take the opportunity to adjust the situation).
ORGANIZATION
All duchies are governed by an Imperial duke owing fealthy to the Emperor. Apart from that, however, there is considerable variation. Some dukes run their duchies as autocracies using the lesser nobles of the duchy as their deputies. Other dukes delegate authority to their counts and let them run their counties as they see fit, subject to varying degrees of ducal supervision. Some duchies have various advisory councils, often called either moots or senates. Size, composition, and function of these councils vary a lot. The senate of the Duchy of Alderamin, for instance, consist of all the duchy's Imperial peers and no one else. It convenes only when summoned by the duke and functions purely in an advisory capacity. The senate of the Duchy of Regina, on the other hand, consists of all the duchy's peers plus a number of delegates appointed or elected by the individual worlds in proportion to the size of their populations. It assembles at regular intervals and have limited legislative powers (subject to veto by the duke). In a few cases the Emperor even tolerates constitutional arrangements, where the duke cannot legislate without the approval of some form of parliament. There are certain limits to such setups, however. The Emperor often grants his vassals various powers which they CANNOT relinquish.
IMPERIAL ADMINISTRATION
Many of the Imperium's functions are managed at the duchy level. What people refer to as Imperial laws are actually often enacted by the duchy and may not apply in the neighboring duchy (although dukes tend to pay attention to what their fellow dukes do and often try to dovetail their legislation with that of their neighbors. And, of course, the Imperial High Laws and various Imperial edicts do impose a lot of similarity).
Where a larger scope is needed, the Emperor turns to his ministries and to the Imperial armed forces. Most of these organize on a subsector by subsector -- NOT duchy by duchy -- basis as well as sector by sector and, lately, domain by domain. In the antebellum period sectors were sometimes subdivided into quadrants -- areas two subsectors by two -- but this has mostly fallen into disuse. The result is a dual administration situation somewhat akin to that of the Federal and State administrations of that Old Terra region known as the U.S.A. Due to communication times, the duchies are, however, in a stronger position vis-a-vis the ministries than the U.S. states were vis-a-vis the federal government. Jurisdictional disputes between Imperial and duchy organizations with similar duties are not uncommon.
THE DUCHY FORCES
A duke is the commander-in-chief of his duchy's forces. Although the ducal armies and navies of the Imperium are just as much Imperial organisations as the regular Imperial Army, Navy, and Marine Force, they are separate organisations. Imperial military taxes are paid by individual worlds to their duke. The duke passes along a set percentage (usually between 40 and 60 percent, the exact percentage depending on local conditions and historical factors) to his sector duke and keeps the rest to pay for the forces of his duchy: a navy, an army, and whatever other military and para-military organizations local conditions call for. The duchy also run some non-military organisations, but they are funded separately.
In practice the duchy forces are separate only insofar as they have separate budgets. Regular and duchy forces routinely cooperate and coordinate their activities, and transfers and secondments back and forth between them are very common. In addition, all duchy forces are automatically part of the Imperial reserves and all duchy units are subject to being taken over by the Imperium in times of crisis. This process is called 'imperialization' and means that the Imperium takes full control of the unit and assumes full responsibility for salaries and upkeep. As a matter of curiosity, huscarles -- the household troops of Imperial nobles -- cannot be imperialized without their consent, but it would be a bold noble who refused to give it.
Just as subsector has become synonymous with duchy, 'subsector navy' is very often used instead of 'duchy navy'. Furthermore, since most ducal navies cover the same territory as a regular Imperial fleet, the terms 'subsector navy' and 'subsector fleet' are often used interchangably; again this is not entirely correct.
Duchy navies are often percieved as comic-opera outfits composed exclusively of obsolete ships and worn-out navy hand-me-downs crewed by inexpert weekend warriors. There is a small amount of truth in this, but not much. Duchy navy crewmembers are usually less experienced overall than their IN counterparts, (not the least because of the IN's habit of recruiting the cream from the duchy navies), but the difference in efficiency ratings is usually only five to ten percent. As for the ships, SOME colonial navies are indeed mostly composed of obsolescent IN castoffs. Until Strouden reached TL 12 a few years ago, the Duchy of Lunion Navy was happy to buy old IN ships, because the best that could be build locally was TL 11. Now Lunion is in the process of gradually replacing its TL 11 fleet and its old TL 12 ships from the IN with locally produced TL 12 ships. A few duchies are even willing to take old TL 11 IN ships because the best they can produce locally is TL 10. But navies with TL 12 shipyards in their own duchies consist primarily of locally built top-of-the-line ships, though political considerations may force them to employ some ships from powerful local worlds with lower tech levels.
THE SECTOR DUKE
One of a sector's dukes is the sector duke. In addition to his duties as duke of his own duchy, his mandate include all Imperial activities in the sector that are not included in the mandates of his fellow dukes. This usually means all imperial activities organized at the sector level, but obviously excludes the internal affairs of other duchies, as well as many Imperial activities organized at a lower level. The most important duty involved is oversight of all Imperial Navy activities in the sector.
Comments welcome. Just keep in mind that this is in MY Traveller Universe, not the OTU.
Hans
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