Re: Evolution of governments (was: Consistency in naming)

At 04:42 PM 11/14/03 -0500, you wrote:
>Isidora Zamora scripsit:
>
> > I'm not quite certain how they went from being ruled by indepenent warlords
> > to becoming a united representative democracy.  The origins of the National
> > Council probably have something to do with independent warlords meeting in
> > councils to decide on strategy, but how you get from there to Councilors
> > being elected by the general population, I really don't know.  And
> > Trehelish women vote and hold office, too.  Where that came from is
> > something that I can't figure.  The Conquest took about 150 years to
> > accomplish, and a lot of cultural shifts took place during and after that
> > era, but how I can't figure.  Ideas will be entertained, since I am at a
> > loss.
>
>Well, if it's anything like the analogous process in Europe, it went
>something like this.  First, the chief warlords and religious hierarchs
>met to decide on policy and strategy.
They would have to band together, because they were trying to conquer an
already inhabited land.  Fortunately (for them), they had superior
technology.  The Tovláugad didn't even work metal, and the Nidirino made
things in bronze.  The Trehelo had steel.  They also had horses and knew
how to fight from them.

>   Each one brought his henchmen
>with him.  (Up to you whether the participation of women is old and
>deep-rooted, or a recent development.)
I think that it's a recent development, but I can't figure out how that can
be made to work.  It takes something pretty big to change the basic status
of women in society.  Perhaps the Trehelo were/are matriarchal, which could
account for it, but the chief deity is male, and that is probably not
indicative of a matriarchal society.  I could change my views of Trehelo
culture to make them matriarchal, but I am wondering if there is any other
possible explation for the status of women in their society.

Tovláugad are patriarchal, and their women vote, but I understand how that
happened.  Trehelo will very happily attack non-combatants, so, during the
Trehelish Conquest, every  Tovláug woman learned to fight.  When the women
all had status as warriors, it was natural that they were allowed to elect
their war leader alongside the men.  But there is no such motivation for
Trehelo women being allowed to vote.

>   These councils started to be
>held in a consistent place
That would be Sovchilen, the current capital.  It was by far the largest
fortified town ever built and is fairly centrally located on the
plateau.  (Trehelan is made up of the plateau, and lands west and south of
it, but the original migration left settlements in the central portions of
the plateau, and the Conquest spread out from the area around Sovchilen.)

>  on a regular schedule, perhaps annually for
>a month or so.  The list of henchmen becomes fixed.
By what process does the list of henchmen become fixed?

>Somewhat later, another group starts to meet, consisting of large
>landowners, representatives of city guilds, and perhaps scholars from
>the universities.
As the Conquest became successful, more cities would have been founded in
the conquered regions.  Perhaps 150 years is too short a length of time for
the Conquest?

>   At first, this meeting has no official status, though
>it is held near the official council and at the same times.  Eventually,
>it becomes habitual for the first group to consult the second group to
>determine the views of the people on important matters.
And, perhaps, in this second group, there is a place for women.  I don't
know.

>   The second group
>grows with the increase in population, and eventually the tail starts to
>wag the dog.
And there would have been an increase in population as soon as more land
was free for Trehelo to settle on.

>  Now we have a typical parliament with lords and commons.
> From there on, it's a matter of increasing prosperity in the commons,
>increasing irrelevancy (and parasitism) in the lords.
I'm pretty sure that the Assembly is unicameral, so if there ever were two
houses, one of them will have to be gotten rid of.

>But it seems to me that 150 years is a little short for such a process.
How long would it take?

I could lengthen the timeline.  I'm not locked into those lengths of time
at this point.  I am also not at all certain that the Trehelish state had
its modern form when the Conquest was over, some 400 years ago.  The
evolution of the government into its current form could well have continued
past the end of the Conquest.

I appreciate your thoughts on this.

Isidora

Replies