The Imperial Constitution of The German Empire (German: Reichsverfassung des Deutsche Reich) is the basic law and highest administrative document of The German Empire, establishing basic institutions, order, and procedures. It provides the legal foundations for the alliance's legal system, government, members, and military.
Text of the Constitution
Article 1a: Proclamation of Existence
The German Empire, founded on the principles of monarchy, national unity and order, hereby sets forth these beliefs in the form of this Constitution. It is the duty of the people of the German Empire to maintain and protect the Constitution, although we recognize that it may be necessary to modify it from time to time and after due consideration, in order to maintain it as a living reflection of the life and needs of the Empire. The German Empire is a constitutional monarchy.
Article 1b: Amendments to the Constitution
Amendments of the Constitution shall be made by the German Regent and a simple majority of the Prussian House of Lords.
Article 2: Imperial Citizenship
Any sovereign state wishing to join the German Empire must fulfill certain requirements to determine eligibility for entry into the German Empire. These requirements may include, but are not limited to, a general reference and background check, enumeration of previous alliances, and an overall assessment of maturity, dedication and loyalty. Once the sovereign state becomes a citizen of the German Empire, such a citizen may not join or apply to join any other alliance, unless that citizen officially resigns from the German Empire.
Article 3: Resignation
A citizen of the German Empire may at any time resign from the German Empire by providing due notification in public or in private, and all outstanding debts to the German Empire are settled. Once the citizen in question completes these steps, the citizen must remove "The German Empire" from his nation's alliance affiliation.
Article 4a: The German Regent
The Regent is the Head of State of The German Empire, and is responsible for directing the Imperial German Government in accordance with the Laws and Customs of The German Empire. The Regent, being a member of the Empire with a nation residing on an official alliance affiliation of the Empire, serves for life, or until he abdicates the Imperial Crown or leaves the game. In all affairs involving The German Empire, the Regent holds the final authority.
Article 4b: Regency
If at any point the German Regent is unable to perform his duties, he may allow the Imperial Chancellor to assume his powers and duties, which shall be relinquished upon the Regent's return. During this period, the Chancellor has the full weight and authority of the Regent on all matters.
Article 4c: Order of Succession
The Order of Succession of the Empire is: Chancellor, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of State Affairs, then Minister of War. It is the prerogative of the current Regent to outline their own Order of Succession for their term. The Order of Succession may not be altered through Regency. Should the Regent resign without naming a successor, if the outgoing Regent outlined their own Order of Succession, that will be followed, otherwise, the order listed here will be followed.
Article 4d: Oath of Office
Before an Regent may take office and begin their duties, they must perform a live Oath of Office on the Empire's public IRC channel, with at least two foreign nation rulers present. Each Oath of Office may be different, but must cover: upholding the constitution, complying with the laws set forth in the Prussian House of Lords, and promoting justice throughout the empire. Under normal course, the Minister of War will administer the Oath of Office. In time of War, or in the first month after War ends, the Minister of State Affairs will administer the Oath of Office. The term Oath of Office is interchangeable with Coronation when referencing the Regent.
Article 5: The Imperial Chancellor
The Chancellor is the Second in Command of The German Empire, and is responsible for overseeing the Imperial German Government in accordance with the Laws and Customs of The German Empire, and the direction of the Regent. The Chancellor is appointed by and serves at the leisure of the Regent.
Article 6a: The Prussian House of Lords
The Prussian House of Lords is the standing governing body of The German Empire, which is comprised of the Regent, Chancellor, and inducted Ministers.
Article 6b: Minister of Foreign Affairs
The Minister of Foreign Affairs is a member of the Prussian House of Lords of The German Empire, and is responsible for overseeing, maintaining, and building positive relations across the various spheres and alliances. The Minister of Foreign Affairs is responsible for administering the distribution of ambassadors to foreign alliances, as well as ensuring that the information that they provide is accurate. The Minister of Foreign Affairs serves at the leisure of the Regent, and may not resign without the approval of the Regent.
Article 6c: Minister of State Affairs
The Minister of State Affairs is a member of the Prussian House of Lords of The German Empire, and is responsible for overseeing, maintaining, and building positive relations within The German Empire. The Minister of State Affairs is responsible for administering the Financial, Educational, and other Developmental genres for the betterment of the Empire and its citizens. The Minister of State Affairs serves at the leisure of the Regent, and may not resign without the approval of the Regent.
Article 6d: Minister of War
The Minister of War is a member of the Prussian House of Lords of The German Empire, and is responsible for overseeing, maintaining, and building a functional, powerful, and efficient military system within The German Empire. The Minister of War is responsible for administering all Militaristic exercises, Defensive drills, as well as ensuring that the entire citizenry is well prepared for military action. The Minister of War serves at the leisure of the Regent, and may not resign without the approval of the Regent.
Article 6e: Ministerial Formation
The Regent or Chancellor may form additional Ministries at their discretion. These additional Ministers will only be inducted into the Prussian House of Lords with a simply majority vote from the Prussian House of Lords. An article in the Citizen's Code will be required for continuity.
Article 7: Martial Law
Should the security of the German Empire warrant, the German Regent may declare martial law with the consent of a simple majority of the Prussian House of Lords. Under Martial Law, the German Regent may take actions, create laws or issue Imperial Decrees that are in contradiction to the Constitution. Martial Law exists until it is relinquished, or until a unanimous decision of the Prussian House of Lords votes to remove it.
Article 8a: Military Service
Every German citizen is subject to military duty, and in the discharge of this duty no substitute can be accepted. The total land force of the German Empire shall form one Army, which, in war and in peace, shall be under the ultimate command of the German Regent.
Article 8b: Maintenance of the Military
It shall be the duty and the right of the German Regent and the Minister of War to ensure that all Imperial Divisions are to be kept full and well equipped, and that unity be established and maintained in regard to organization and formation, equipment, and command in the training of the men, as well as in the qualification of the officers. For these purposes the German Regent shall be authorized to satisfy himself at any time of the condition of the several Imperial Divisions, and to provide remedies for existing defects. The German Regent shall have the right to designate garrisons within the German Empire, as also to call any portion of the Army into active service.
Article 8c: Warrantee of Loyalties
Any major actions on the part of the military will be taken with the consent of the German Regent. The Minister of War is owed no personal loyalty, save as head of the military chain of command. Neither he, nor his officers are allowed to coerce, threaten or demand anything of the general membership unless the German Empire itself is under threat.
Article 8d: Command Structure of the Armed Forces
All German troops are bound implicitly to obey the orders of the German Regent. The German Regent has the right to appoint officers; however it is the prerogative of the Minister of War to assign military positions as he deems fit based on his observation of the individual officers’ competence, activity and devotion to duty. At any time, members of the military are subject to replacement at the request of the German Regent.
If the Minister of War is absent, the Deputy Minister of War shall take over such duties as assigned, but if the Deputy Minister of War acts outside the terms of his post, the Chancellor shall intervene and approach the standing Minister of War for clarification, or make resolution.
Article 9a: Disciplinary Authority
Any member of the Prussian House of Lords may request a disciplinary hearing regarding an imperial citizen. The Chancellor will preside over the hearing, and will, with the final approval of the German Regent, enact the discipline that has been determined warranted. Should the Chancellor be the subject of the disciplinary hearing, the Regent will preside over the hearing directly.
Article 9b: Ghost Status
Ghost status is defined as a person wearing an alliance affiliation that belongs to the Empire who does not have an account registered on the official forums. In circumstances where forums are changed, a period of thirty days leniency will be extended before ghost status is awarded.
Article 9c: Zero Infrastructure
The German Empire reserves the right to use Zero Infrastructure as a judicial penalty, civil or military, and during time of war against enemy nations. The foregoing includes simple Zero Infrastructure, i.e,. a single occurrence of Zero Infrastructure, or as a judicial penalty only, Permanent Zero Infrastructure ("PZI"), which can recur as long as an individual has a specific nation. The German Empire hereby renounces the practice of Eternal Zero Infrastructure (“EZI”).
Article 10: Nuclear Policy
The German Empire denounces offensive nuclear strikes. Should the German Empire become engaged in a non-conventional war, the German Regent may grant by written approval the right to a nuclear strike against an aggressor and his affiliated alliance as a whole. Written consent must cite specific reasons for defensive response. The German Empire will consider all nuclear nations of the affiliated alliance as imminent threats.
Article 11a: Raids against the Empire
The German Empire neither has time nor consideration to inquire to a host alliance when an Imperial Citizen is raided. In this instance, the full force of the German Military will be dispatched to deal with the threat.
Article 11b: Raids conducted by Imperial Citizens
Individual wars are to be approved by the Minister of War, or in his absence, the Deputy Minister of War, the German Regent or the Imperial Chancellor. Written approval for any individual war is necessary; any member state of the German Empire engaging in acts of war absent written approval will be considered a rogue and will face punitive actions. In the case of individual war it is not necessary to cite a specific casus belli.
Article 12a: Alliance Wide Declarations of War
An enactment of martial law notwithstanding, a simple majority vote of the Prussian House of Lords accompanied by approval of the German Regent and the Imperial Chancellor are required to authorize acts of war against an alliance of any size. The Minister of War may submit a request for declaration of war by written proposal, such proposal citing a specific casus belli. The Declaration of War will be effective upon public announcement by the German Regent, which announcement must cite a specific casus belli.
Article 12b: Diplomatic Relations and Treaties
Any member of the Prussian House of Lords may authorize an embassy to be opened for the representation of the Empire. These Diplomats have the responsibility to represent the Empire accordingly, and in doing so, may begin communication with regards to treaties. Should negotiations reach a point where a treaty could be produced, the Prussian House of Lords must immediately be notified, at which time a member of the Prussian House of Lords must motion a vote to the specific level of treaty with the alliance in question. Upon a simple majority of the Prussian House of Lords, the conglomerate signature of “The Prussian House of Lords of The German Empire” will be used to sign the treaty.
Article 13: Chancellor’s Directives
Chancellor’s Directives may be issued by either the German Regent or the Imperial Chancellor. Should the Chancellor issue a Chancellor’s Directive, they hold the full weight and authority of the Imperial Chancellor. Should the Regent issue a Chancellor’s Directive, they hold the full weight and authority of the German Regent. Should the Chancellor issue a Chancellor’s Directive, which is then signed by the German Regent, the authority of that Chancellor’s Directive is raised to have the full weight and authority of the German Regent.
Article 14: Citizen's Code
Acknowledging that the Constitution cannot under common practice be amended to cover every circumstance that may arise, the Citizen's Code is created. This code is a legal document that operates as an addendum to the Constitution. The German Regent may at any time install or remove a law into the Citizen's Code without prior consent, so long as it does not violate the Constitution. The Citizen's Code supersedes Chancellor's Directives, and any Chancellor's Directive that violates a Citizen's Code is nullified.
Amendments to the Constitution
This Charter was passed into law during the time that Wilhelm von Berlin, the German Emperor, delegated Regency to Anson, Imperial Chancellor. At that time, the governing constitution provided that the Chancellor, with the authority delegated from the Emperor, would have the full authority of the Emperor. Furthermore, the governing constitution provided that a majority of the Prussian House of Lords, which was identified as being the Emperor, Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, and Imperial Ministers, was motioned to retire the former Constitution and adopt this one. The eligible voters were Anson as Chancellor, Ty Glitchblade as Minister of Finance, CelesteA as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vastago as Minister of State Affairs, and Erzherzog von Stmeha as Minister of War. Anson voted yes. Ty Glitchblade voted yes. CelesteA voted yes. At this point the motion had passed and the new constitution was now legal, so Anson decided to conclude voting even though Vastago and Erzherzog von Stmeha had not voted.
Constitutional Amendment 1
On September 14, 2011, the motion to amend Article 4a passed the Prussian House of Lords. The amendment clarifies that the Emperor is required to have a nation, and be a member of our alliance. The eligible voters were Anson as Chancellor, Ty Glitchblade as Minister of Finance, CelesteA as Minister of Foreign Affairs, President Orff as Minister of State Affairs, and Erzherzog von Stmeha as Minister of War. Anson voted yes. CelesteA voted yes. President Orff voted yes. Erzherzog von Stmeha voted yes. At this point the motion had passed and the amendment was now legal.
Constitutional Amendment 2
Additionally, on September 14, 2011, the motion to ratify Article 4c into the Constitution passed the Prussian House of Lords. The Article clarifies the default Order of Succession in the event of the departure the Emperor. The eligible voters were Anson as Chancellor, Ty Glitchblade as Minister of Finance, CelesteA as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vastago as Minister of Justice, President Orff as Minister of State Affairs, and Erzherzog von Stmeha as Minister of War. Anson voted yes. Ty Glitchblade voted yes. President Orff voted yes. Erzherzog von Stmeha voted yes. At this point the motion had passed and the amendment was now legal.
Constitutional Amendment 3
Proposed on September 15, 2011, the motion to ratify Article 4d into the Constitution passed the Prussian House of Lords on September 24, 2011. The Article requires that the Emperor, before officially taking office, must perform a live Oath of Office before foreign dignitaries on IRC. The eligible voters were Anson as Chancellor, which carried over into Anson as Emperor, President Orff as Minister of State Affairs, which carried over into President Orff as Chancellor, Ty Glitchblade as Minister of Finance, Czar Lazar as Minister of State Affairs, and Erzherzog von Stmeha as Minister of War. Anson voted yes. President Orff voted yes. Erzherzog von Stmeha voted yes. At this point the motion had passed and the amendment was now legal.
Constitutional Amendment 4
Proposed on September 23, 2011, the motion to ratify Article 12b into the Constitution passed the Prussian House of Lords on September 27, 2011. The Article clarifies the process for embassy openings, as well as the ratification of future treaties. The eligible voters were Anson as Emperor, President Orff as Chancellor, Ty Glitchblade as Minister of Finance, Czar Lazar as Minister of State Affairs, and Erzherzog von Stmeha as Minister of War. Anson voted yes. President Orff voted yes. Czar Lazar voted yes. Erzherzog von Stmeha voted yes. At this point the motion had passed and the amendment was now legal.
Constitutional Amendment 5
Proposed on October 10, 2011, the motion to ratify Article 14 into the Constitution passed the Prussian House of Lords on October 15, 2011. The Article allows for an addendum to the Constitution, named the Citizens Code, to be maintained by the Emperor. The eligible voters were Anson as Emperor, President Orff as Chancellor, The Reccesion as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Otto I as Minister of State Affairs, and Erzherzog von Stmeha as Minister of War. Anson voted yes. President Orff voted yes. Erzherzog von Stmeha voted yes. At this point the motion had passed and the amendment was now legal.
Constitutional Amendment 6
Proposed on November 14, 2011, the motion to amend Article 4a of the Constitution passed the Prussian House of Lords on November 15, 2011. The amendment simplified the phrasing of the role of the Emperor. The eligible voters were Anson as Emperor, President Orff as Chancellor, Iosua as Minister of Finance, The Reccesion as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Erzherzog von Stmeha as Minister of War. Anson voted yes. President Orff voted yes. The Reccesion voted yes. Erzherzog von Stmeha voted yes. At this point the motion had passed and the amendment was now legal.
Constitutional Amendment 7
Proposed on November 14, 2011, the motion to amend and condense Article 5 of the Constitution passed the Prussian House of Lords on November 15, 2011. The amendment simplified the phrasing of the role of the Chancellor, and combined the separate sections of the Article to create a more complete and accurate description of the role. The eligible voters were Anson as Emperor, President Orff as Chancellor, Iosua as Minister of Finance, The Reccesion as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Erzherzog von Stmeha as Minister of War. Anson voted yes. President Orff voted yes. The Reccesion voted yes. Erzherzog von Stmeha voted yes. At this point the motion had passed and the amendment was now legal.
Constitutional Amendment 8
Proposed on November 14, 2011, the motion to amend and revise the collective Articles 6a-c of the Constitution passed the Prussian House of Lords on November 15, 2011. The amendment redefined the roles of the Ministers, as well as redefined the classification for the Prussian House of Lords. The eligible voters were Anson as Emperor, President Orff as Chancellor, Iosua as Minister of Finance, The Reccesion as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Erzherzog von Stmeha as Minister of War. Anson voted yes. President Orff voted yes. The Reccesion voted yes. Erzherzog von Stmeha voted yes. At this point the motion had passed and the amendment was now legal.
Constitutional Amendment 9
Proposed on November 23, 2011, the motion to amend Article 4c of the Constitution passed the Prussian House of Lords on November 23, 2011. The amendment removed the Minister of Finance from the default Order of Succession for continuity, as the position had been removed from all other portions of the Constitution previously. The eligible voters were Anson as Emperor, President Orff as Chancellor, The Reccesion as Minister of Foreign Affairs, King Tower IV as Minister of State Affairs, and Erzherzog von Stmeha as Minister of War. Anson voted yes. President Orff voted yes. Erzherzog von Stmeha voted yes. At this point the motion had passed and the amendment was now legal.
Constitutional Amendment 10
Proposed on November 26, 2011, the motion to amend the entire Constitution and title of the Emperor to Regent passed the Prussian House of Lords on November 26, 2011. The amendment ends the era of the Emperor, and ushers in the era of the Regent, a more modern title. The eligible voters were Anson as Emperor, President Orff as Chancellor, The Reccesion as Minister of Foreign Affairs, King Tower IV as Minister of State Affairs, and Erzherzog von Stmeha as Minister of War. Anson voted yes. President Orff voted yes. King Tower voted yes. At this point the motion had passed and the amendment was now legal.
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