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Fundamental Law of Ventora

=Concords of Plenas=

The Concords of Plenas (: Concordia de Plenas) is the earliest document that forms part of the Fundamental Law of Ventora, the country's body of. The Concords, signed on August 17, 959, ratified the Charter of Tribute issued by the Emperor of Haksarad that formed the Kingdom of Ventora. The Concords were signed by all 26 of the southwest Alutran counts which resulted in their being elevated to the rank of duke in fealty to the king of Ventora.

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 * Through the benevolence of xx, Emperor of the Haksars, we form the Kingdom of Ventora with its seat at Plenas though independent of that jurisdiction
 * Comprised of the the herein-named domains which shall henceforth be duchies and thus their lords ranking as dukes with equal standing among each other, as well as any domains that may be added with consent of those already confederated
 * Extinguish the Coastal and Montañan Confederations with any and all rights and obligations conveyed to the Kingdom as one Ventoran Realm
 * Nominate Clemente I as King of Ventora to be first among equals with the dukes and to enter into tribute to xx, Emperor of the Haksars, on behalf of the Kingdom of Ventora as one for all its domains for the benefit of all lieges
 * Baronies within the duchies shall henceforth be counties with their lords now counts and municipalities shall be considered as baronies and their masters as barons

=Mandate of Sovereignty=

=Precepts Concerning the Nation=

=Concepts=

Components
Comprised of several documents, the Fundamental Law of Ventora is an. It has evolved over time and, although largely written, includes some unwritten established practices that have become accepted through tradition.

Concords of Plenas
Signed in 959, the Concords of Plenas is the oldest Ventoran document in the country's body of constitutional law. The Concords accomplished the following:
 * Ratified the Haksar Charter of Tribute, thereby giving it legal status in Ventora, and accepting the kingdom's tributary relationship to Haksarad
 * Defined the kingdom, with the name of Ventora, as comprising the domains of the signatories, each whom became dukes considered equal in their peerage
 * Abolished the Coastal and Montaňan Confederations, transferring their rights and obligations to the kingdom
 * Set Plenas as the kingdom's capital
 * Elevated Clemente I as the king to be considered as "first among equals" not unlike the grandees of the confederations

Mandate of Sovereignty
King Florencio I issued the Mandate of Sovereignty following the War of Ventoran Succession in 972. In it, he established the:
 * Monarchy's position as sovereign over the kingdom
 * Fealty of the dukes to the king
 * Manner of succession to the throne on the basis of
 * Separation of the Duchy of Plenas (today the Duchy of Arava) from the personal holdings of the monarch
 * Indivisibility of the realm

Precepts Concerning the Nation
In 1673, the Precepts Concerning the Nation defined the framework for the kingdom in relation to its duchies and formalized the role of the judiciary and parliament. Over time, it has been refined to safeguard the confederal nature of the duchies amongst themselves and with the national government, ensure the autonomous authority of the duchies, and provide for the roles of governance at the state level. The Precepts consist of three chapters.

Nature of the Realm
This chapter defined the position and authority of the monarch and what we now call the of government. It also provides for the duchies, including the sanctity of their boundaries, their relationships with each other, and their roles as confederal components of the. Each duchy had a charter issued to it by the king which recognizes its frontiers and jurisdiction. An amendment in 1978 required the regent to issue new charters to the duchies to uniformly establish an elected head of government in all duchies. Although dukes continue to inherit their role as head of state, their authorities are largely, though not entirely, ceremonial in similar fashion to the regent at the national level.

In particular, the Precepts reserve to the national government authorities in foreign relations, matters of trade and commerce, defense of the realm, and to ensure the common good. Initially, the king also had primacy in matters not specifically allocated to the duchies, but this was reversed by amendment in 1809 while preserving any existing laws and practices.

Duchies are largely self-governing otherwise. The chapter also establishes counties and municipalities, including cities and towns, as subordinate jurisdictions to duchies. Each duchy is free to set the prerogatives of counties and municipalities, however.

Nature of the Judiciary
Initially, the chapter on the judiciary reiterated the precepts of due process and proportional justice and establishes the. It ensured the duchies were free to administer justice within their borders so long as the courts treated citizens of other duchies the same as citizens of the duchy in which the court sat.

For the realm, separate courts were organized to hear matters of civil, criminal, and commercial law. Decisions of the lower courts could be appealed to a King's Court, to be seated as needed. Later amendments made the King's Court permanent as the Supreme Court of the Realm in 1815. Other amendments structured the court system into courts of inquiry for minor offenses and courts of justice for serious matters, later adding high courts of justice for appeals.

Nature of Parliament
Initially, this chapter expanded the Grand Council of the Realm from the 26 dukes to 52 nobles. The dukes serve as life members while the other 26 nobles are elected by the nobility. It also established the People's Assembly to represent all freemen at a ratio of one assemblyman for each 50,000 freemen. The first meeting sat 488 assemblymen. The chapter also defined the legislative process as permitting introduction of a bill in either house but requiring passage in both houses and assent of the monarch before the bill became law. The legislative process did not preclude the monarch from issuing edicts with the force of law, however.

A 1740 amendment gave the parliament the authority to overrule edicts by the monarch on a two-thirds majority in both houses. The amendment also granted members of parliament immunity from prosecution for non-capital crimes and non-treasonous speech as part of their official duties.

Amendments
The Charter of Tribute and Release from the Charter, as foreign or bilateral documents, are not subject to amendment. The Mandate of Sovereignty has never been amended although some aspects of it have been superseded. It has become a long-standing understanding the Mandate will not be altered even if a clause is rendered obsolete.

Several revisions have been made to the Canon of Obligations and the Precepts Concerning the Nation over time. Changes have been incorporated in a variety of ways since there is no established amendment process. Interestingly, the most significant modification to the Precepts was accomplished through the Protocols of State which stands as a separate document rather than actually revising the Precepts themselves. As a result, numerous articles in the Precepts have been superseded or invalidated despite appearing unchanged in the document. This results in a not infrequent need for judicial review of interpretation of effects on the Precepts by the Protocols.

There has not been an adjustment to the constitutional documents since the 1978 amendment to the Precepts regarding duchy charters. Accepted convention suggests modifications should be accomplished in a manner similar to changes in various organic laws. Most of these, which establish authorities for commissions and other government agencies, require two-thirds votes in both houses of parliament, as well as approval of the governor general and assent by the regent, for revision.