Imperial Prefecture

The Imperial Prefectures, or Kaïsarik Praefektura (in Præta ), of Shireroth were a system of territorial administration established in the aftermath of the Shiro-Benacian War which ended in 1741 AN, and the ensuing Mango Anarchy. These units are overseen by a Praefekt. Conceived under the rule of Kaiser Ayreon V, the Prefecture system marked a decisive shift toward centralisation and direct imperial oversight within the Imperial Republic of Shireroth, replacing the fragmented and often feudal local governance structures that had previously dominated the empire.

The Imperial Prefectures were designed as clear, hierarchical administrative units, replacing the patchwork of noble estates and semi-sovereign duchies that had characterised Shirerithian governance for centuries. It was more or less a cumulation of Kaiseress Salome's work. Each Prefecture was led by a Prefect, appointed directly by the Kaiser. These Prefects were intended to act as the Kaiser’s agents, ensuring - in theory - loyalty to the Throne and uniform enforcement of imperial law, taxation, and military recruitment. By vesting all executive power in appointed Prefects, Ayreon hoped to create a bureaucratic, rather than feudal, foundation for the state.

The reforms provoked divided reactions among the upper classes. While some elites welcomed the government’s drive to modernise and streamline Shireroth’s tangled web of overlapping jurisdictions (ironically, the Shirerithian government has many overlapping institutions and guilds itself which were not reformed or streamlined at all), others saw the changes as a direct assault on their privileges. The recently acquired Benacian territories were viewed by reformers as an ideal proving ground for the new Prefectural system, where imperial authority could be imposed with fewer entrenched interests to resist. In Batavia, however, the announcement sparked unrest, culminating in the Bordeaux Riots, during which Gasconians and native Batavians violently clashed over the decision to establish a separate Prefecture for Gascony, long regarded as symbolically tied to the Batavian Throne.

See also

• Subdivisions of Shireroth for a list of Prefectures and their Provinces.