Skolian Empire
| Attributes | |
|---|---|
| Founder | Lahaylia Selei |
| Leader(s) | Dyhianna Selei (Ruby Pharaoh) and Barcala Tikal (First Councilor) |
| Capital | Parthonia |
| Language | Skolian Flag |
The Skolian Empire, or Skolian Imperialate, is one of the major empires in the science fiction novel series called the Saga of the Skolian Empire by Catherine Asaro.
The stories of Catherine Asaro mostly revolve around the Skolian Empire. She also has written several novellas and novelettes on the world of the Skolian Empire.
Skolians are in a permanent near-war state with their enemy, the Eubians, who rule a much bigger star-spanning empire called the Eubian Concord. Eubians (often also referred to as Traders, due to their flourishing slave trade) have stronger military and dispose of greater resources. Skolians, though weaker, balance this out by usage of their faster-than-light interstellar communication network called psiberweb, which gives them an important advantage and is the only obstacle that prevents the Eubians from conquering Skolia.
Another player on the interstellar stage are the Allieds, the smallest of the three empires, centered on Earth. They act in a strictly neutral way to both Eubians and Skolians and support the solution of their neighbour's conflicts by political, rather than military means.
Today's Skolian Empire is an egalitarian society, but the original Ruby Empire has been a matriarchy and remnants of this still remain in Skolian culture. Although it is now not uncommon for men to hold an influential position, many important ranks in Skolian politics and military are still occupied by women. Lots of people, especially members of the noble houses, still consider men as the "weaker gender".
The Skolian Imperialate is ruled partly by the Assembly, an elected parliament; and by the Ruby Dynasty, a hereditary monarchy. According to traditional Skolian political theory the ruling body is absolute, therefore the Assembly is Sovereign. All powers of the Imperator and the Pharaoh are theoretically derived from the Assembly, including their right to vote within the Assembly. In actuality the Imperator, and the Pharaoh have power because they are necessary to the continued existence of the Imperialate, and in the case of the Pharaoh traditional loyalty to the Ruby Dynasty queen. This makes the Assembly's power far from absolute.
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