In most parts of reality, there's the theory of a thing and the actuality. Rule of Men isn't devoid of laws and Rule of Law isn't devoid of influence and corruption.

As to the RoA... if you're next in line, and you want to move up, have some 3rd party smoke the Emperor (but make sure there is no traceback) and the job is yours legitimately by succession, vs. assassination (which was merely a convenient way to speed succession).

That thought brings this question:

Does the Emperor have to always have a successor legally named in case he suddenly dies? Or can he be entirely cagey and then die before appointing a successor? Or are there laws that say 'first born male still living is successor' or some such?



On Fri, Aug 14, 2020 at 11:35 PM Phil Pugliese - philpugliese at yahoo.com (via tml list) <xxxxxx@simplelists.com> wrote:
Actually, I agree that it "doesn't follow".
That was my whole point.
"Rule of Man, etc" just doesn't work & I believe your post illustrates that.
(In any case if all that those nobles really rule is empty space then they don't really rule very much do they?)
As far as the Imperial Services go, they swear fealty to the emperor, not to some individual noble.
While some noble may claim to be representing the emperor, he is NOT actually the emperor.
Meaning that there is plenty of leeway to interpret any instructions/orders.
In any case, I've always preferred the/your idea of the appointive 'offices' held by nobles whose title could be hereditary or bestowed.
(And that, along with what you posted, fits the 'Age of Sail' situation very well, IMO.)
But that idea doesn't really, IMO, jibe with the idea of "Rule of Man. etc" cuz' there would have to be "Laws" determining the breadth & scope of the authority of such offices.
"Rule of Man etc." pretty much means the same as "No Rules, Anything Goes".
Unless, of course, your 'superior; whatever that means, after all you're supposed to be the "representative of the emperor", objects.
In which case you can just kill him off & claim his position by 'Right of Assassination'.
Unless he kills you off first, that is.

On Friday, August 14, 2020, 08:03:58 PM MST, Rupert Boleyn <xxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote:

On 15Aug2020 1420, Phil Pugliese - philpugliese at yahoo.com (via tml
list) wrote:
> Well, that's true IF you can buy into that rationale.
>
> And, it also does NOT alter the fact that this "Rule of Man, Not Law"
> is also yet another contradictory later addition to 'canon'.
>
> And, of course, 'canon' has, as far  as the OTU is concerned, pretty
> much declined into more of an affectation than anything else.
>
> The biggest problem I see with 'Rule of Man, etc' is that it
> essentially means that there are hordes of 'nobles' running around the ices
> 3I holding what amounts to a permanent 'Imperial Writ'. There would be
> constant, unending turmoil & conflict under those conditions.
> Which fits in nicely w/ the insanity of the 'Rebellion' era but I
> can't see how the 3I could possibly have lasted over 1000 years.
That doesn't follow - just because you had a certain amount of power and
authority because of your office doesn't mean you keep it when you leave
that office, and the same would apply in the 3I. Sure, you're a Count,
and at one time you were in charge of Imperial operations, etc., in a
certain system. Now that you've retired, the grateful Emperor (who's
never actually heard of you), via the sector duke (who met you once),
has granted you an inheritable rank of Baron to go with your lifetime
rank of Count, neither of which grant you any power outside of the
little fief you got with your Baronial title. They grant you the
expectation of certain degree of deference from the untitled, and might
open a few doors for you, but your network of contacts from when you
were actually working is probably more useful.

You seem to assume people would keep their power and authority, and that
all of it would be inherited by the heirs to their properties, but I
don't see why that would be the case. It wasn't historically, as a rule.

--
Rupert Boleyn <xxxxxx@gmail.com>


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