The Taurian Concordat

The Taurian Concordat is an interstellar nation located in the Periphery. Founded as a constitutional monarchy under the leadership of House Calderon, the Taurian Concordat is one of the oldest surviving realms since the collapse of the Terran Alliance. Taurian citizens enjoy extensive freedoms guaranteed by the Concordat Charter and take pride in defending those freedoms through compulsory service. The Taurian Concordat has had an antagonistic relationship with the Inner Sphere, particularly against House Davion, and is driven by a desire to expand its borders through colonization and protect its hard-won freedoms from outside aggression.

History

The Taurian Concordat traces its beginnings to Samantha Calderon, a woman whose family was murdered by the Terran Alliance and soon found herself under dire straits when that government's collapse left the Outer Reaches in chaos. After securing sufficient funding for a deep-space exploration effort, the Calderon Expedition left known space in 2250. Nearly two years later, they reached the Hyades Cluster, with Samantha the first to step foot on Taurus on 23 January, 2253. Over the next century the Taurians thrived in their isolation, expanding out to colonize the rest of the Hyades Cluster and outlying systems, while at the same time running into refugees fleeing war and oppression in the Inner Sphere. In 2335, Richard Calderon formally announced the creation of the Taurian Concordat, allowing those systems which joined to maintain their internal affairs while pledging to come to the common defense of all.
As the Concordat expanded, so did it come into more regular contact with the Inner Sphere. Due to a series of unfortunate events involving the Capellan Confederation and the Federated Suns, the Concordat became embroiled in conflict with the Federation, an event which would spark centuries of animosity towards House Davion. After the Great Houses banded together to form the Star League in 2570, they tried to convince the Taurian Concordat and other major powers of the Periphery to join as well, an offer which was politely but strongly declined. Eventually, the Star League gave them a final choice: join us or else. The Periphery refused, and for twenty-five years the Reunification War raged, causing immense destruction within the Concordat as both the Taurians and Star League fought with every tool at their disposal, including nuclear weapons. By the conflict's end, one in every five Taurians was dead and the Concordat was made a Territorial State of the Star League.
The Taurian Concordat chafed under the rule of the Star League: slight increases in living standards and fewer pirate attacks were not worth the cost of being exploited and oppressed by distant masters. When Stefan Amaris of the Rim Worlds Republic approached the other Periphery leaders about a conspiracy to win their freedom, they agreed. The New Vandenberg Uprising began in 2765 when Nicoletta Calderon allowed several Concordat worlds to secede from the Star League, an act which would lead directly to the Star League Civil War. Though Stefan Amaris went back on his word and tried to retain the Periphery in his new "Amaris Empire," in the end the dissolution of the Star League in 2780 finally won the Concordat its freedom.
Though the Taurian Concordat was not directly affected by the devastating Succession Wars, they nevertheless still felt its effects: severe disruptions in trade and communication, increasing numbers of refugees and pirates spilling into its borders, and a general loss in knowledge and technology. A constant vigil was maintained against any aggression by House Davion, though more often than not any attacks on the Concordat came from its Periphery neighbors, including the Magistracy of Canopus.

Politics

The political structure of the Taurian Concordat is in many ways ironically similar to that of the Federated Suns. While the national government is headed by a constitutional monarch, individual worlds are given the autonomy to govern themselves as they see fit so long as they maintain a working allegiance to the Concordat and the Protector. Most planets therefore are run as representative democracies, with many variations in how they operate.

Government

The Protector of the Realm, or simply the Protector, is the chief executive officer of the Concordat and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. A title bestowed upon the eldest member of House Calderon, the Protector is responsible for all matters foreign and domestic. To guard against tyranny, all statutes passed by the Protector are subject to periodic review by the Concordat Courts, which have the power to strike down any deemed unconstitutional, though during times of war the Protector can evoke temporary emergency powers which grant them supreme authority.
Advising the Protector is the Privy Council, which meets on a monthly basis to review matters of state and recommend courses of action for the Protector to take. At first the Council was composed of the original financiers of the Calderon expedition, but evolved to be composed of representatives from each of the major government departments as well as personal appointees by the Protector. In the event a suitable member of House Calderon is not available, the Privy Council also has the power (in consultation with the planetary governments) to choose a Protector themselves, as was the case with Grover Shraplen.
The government bureaucracy's primary goal is to ensure the individual liberty and general welfare of every Taurian citizen. Civil servants are known as "functionaries" and generally divided into two groups: Masters of Request who handle most government affairs, and Auditors who operate as inspectors general. The major government departments include:

• Ministry of Defense - Provides civilian oversight and administration of the armed forces.
• Exchequer - Sets monetary policy and oversees financial affairs between member worlds. Manages the government mint, Concordat Bank of Taurus, and Taurian Treasury Reserve on Taurus.
• Ministry of the Interior - Responsible for internal security. Manages the Concordat Constabulary, a gendarmerie which in times of war supplements the armed forces.
• Ministry of Education - Oversees the educational system from preschool to university level.
• Ministry of Trade and Colonization - Promotes commerce within the Concordat and the chartering of new colony worlds. This included the development of the New Colony Region and creation of the Colonial Marshals.
• The government is also responsible for bestowing titles of nobility. While often hereditary, such patents may first be granted only to individuals who have performed an important service to the people (not necessarily the government). Distinctly, Taurian nobles receive much smaller financial gains compared to the nobility of the Inner Sphere, an outgrowth of the idea that wealth disparities are harmful to a free society.

Judiciary

An extensive court system upholds Taurian law and ensures the rights of the Concordat's citizens. For every ten thousand citizens there are civil courts on every member planet, while a Planetary Court of Appeal for every three worlds serves an appellate function. A separate Court of Judicial Review, known as the Concordat Courts, periodically reviews all statues passed by the Protector or any government department. If any are determined to be a threat to individual liberty, such legislation can be struck down.
The Concordat Constabulary, in addition to its role of protecting against foreign intrusion, works alongside local police units to enforce the law on member worlds. While there are variations in what different municipalities and provinces determine is legal and illegal, all major crimes (i.e. murder) have uniform definitions.

Citizenship

The rights of the average Taurian citizen are guaranteed in the Concordat Charter, which include: freedom of speech, association, and religion; freedom from unwarranted searches, the right to remain silent, to a trial by a jury of their peers and to competent counsel; the right to move about freely and pursue economic activity; the right to free education, to free or low-cost healthcare, and to a living wage. In return, citizens are obligated to serve the state for a period of four years, often in the military but also in any of the civilian branches too.

Military

The Taurian Defense Force is a well-organized, well-trained and highly motivated military, especially by Periphery standards. The military-industrial capacity of the Taurian Concordat, combined with the Taurian pride shown in the TDF, ensured that the TDF has traditionally been the largest and best-equipped army in the Periphery.
The arrangement of the TDF is modeled after that of the Napoleonic armies, with a 31st century feel: BattleMechs, infantry, and armor assets are divided into operational Corps, with naval elements, primarily utilized for transportation and defense, attached directly to and under the command of the Corps commanders. The Concord Constabulary, a paramilitary force used for intelligence gathering and internal security, can be mobilized to supplement the TDF during times of war. Finally there are a variety of armed groups, from planetary militias to the private armies of various nobles and corporations, which might lack in uniform quality and equipment but will not waver in coming to the defense of the realm.

Time period: 2335 - present
Classification: Periphery State

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Controlled systems: 56+
Capital world: Taurus
Ruler title: Protector of the Realm
Current Lord Protector: Thomas Calderon

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Military: Taurian Defense Force (TDF)
Secret Service: Taurian Ministry of Intelligence