Lein Administrative Units

The Lein Empire was divided into several levels of regional administration, the better to govern a territory its size. While the main divisions have relatively clear definitions, there are also several old titles and terms that are still confusingly used within the realms.

History

During old dynasties, political divisions were mostly dictated not by Imperial will but by feudal situations and subsequent decisions. Much of the Empire was divided up into 'States', highly autonomous and organised forces within the Empire itself; 'Fiefs', which were basically smaller but still mostly self-sufficient; and 'Villages', small fiefs whose leaders often were absent and who had to fend for themselves against incursions from other lords. The incredibly complex patchwork of states, fiefs and villages, which often changed by year as the lords of states instated new nobles or deposed certain fiefholders, made delineating any coherent political boundaries for administration very difficult.

When Lein Durun ascended the throne, he at first tried to follow the system while streamlining it to centralise power; while the feudal system was mostly abolished and appointed officials were sent to govern, the state and fief system remained in force. The historical ambiguity of borders, however, continued to plague the system; even if officials were not at loggerheads it was often hard to tell whose jurisdiction extended where.

Because of this, the second Emperor, Lein Kasan, decided to abolish the feudal system of divisions completely. After spending two years on planning, he then announced the new system of "Eleven Provinces", whereby the Empire was divided into 11 provinces, subdivided into counties and hamlets, with certain autonomous cities and ports, as well as certain family fiefs which were now well delineated.