Enthronement of Octavian I
| Date | 14 January 2024 |
|---|---|
| Location | Sovereigns Residence, Bäckahällen |
The Enthronement of Imperial Sovereign Octavian I as Imperial Sovereign took place on 14 January 2024.
Background
The basis for the ceremony is outlined in the constitution which requires that the Sovereign undergoes a special ceremony sometime following their accession. This ceremony is however not described in any detail so the Master of Ceremonies at Court was tasked with drafting a basic plan for the ceremony in early November 2023 by the Marshal of the Realm. The first draft was submited for review in late November and declined by the Sovereign for being to simple, stating that while he did not want a coronation he did wish for his enthronement to be grand.
The second draft, submitted in the middle of December, was however approved. Due to the fact that Christmas celebrations were closing in it was decided to wait until January with the ceremony. The ceremony was announced on 2 January 2024 and invitations sent out shortly thereafter. Octavian I has stated that the ceremony took inspiration from similar ceremonies in other contemporary monarchies such as the Netherlands and Sweden.
Ceremony
The ceremony began with invited guests arriving to the Sovereigns Residence and finding their designated seats in the Great Hall, where the ceremony was to take place. Once all guests had assembled a fanfare sounded to announce the beginning of the ceremony. This was followed by soldiers of the for the occassion specially formed Throne Guard marching into the Hall and positioning themselves surrounding the Throne, that was placed on a raised platform. Then the Councilors of State, led by the People´s Minister proccessed into the Hall and took their seats togheter with the Princes of the Principalities closest to the Throne.
The Master of Ceremonies at Court then proclaimed that the Imperial Sovereign had arrived and everyone rose from their seats. Wearing the Imperial Robe and with the Imperial Medal around his neck, Octavian I then entered the hall and made his way to the throne. There he turned to face the guests and was brought a bible by the Speaker of the Riksting, Prince Ludvig. With his right hand on this bible and his left hand across his chest, Octavian then took his oath to the constitution:
I, Octavian, the First of My Name, do solemnly and sincerely swear by almighty God that I will preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the Imperial State of Econia, and uphold its other laws and customs. I shall defend the Imperial State against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and be faithful to the Lord and all citizens of this great nation. I swear to reign justly and always respect our democratic institutions and leaders. I promise to always put the Imperial State and its citizens first, and to as Commander-in-Chief at all times remain vigilant and committed. All this is swear and affirm. So help me God!
After this he sat down on the throne for the first time as the guests loudly proclamied: Long live the Imperial Sovereign!
Octavian I ordered all assembeled to sit down, which they did. Then each of the Princes of the nations Principalities and the Councilors of State (including the People's Minister) one at a time made their way to the throne and pledged their loyalty to the Sovereign. Once they were all done the members of the Riksting were asked to swear an oath, following which they without a word (according to plan) walked out of the ceremony. This to symbolize the Rikstings independence. The Sovereign was following this presented with the Cap of Maintinance (a baseball cap) by the Court Bishop of Econia, which he placed upon his own head after the bishop had read a short prayer.
To finish of the ceremony the Sovereign rose from his throne and processed out of the room as the national anthem played. He was followed (in order) by the Court Bishop, Councilors of State (People's Minister walking last), Government ministers and finally the attending peers. At the point of this Enthronement those were very few, mostly being the Princes of the Principalites.
Aftermath
Shortly after the ceremony the Riksting organized its own pledging of allegiance ceremony in its chamber, presided over by its Speaker. During this ceremony all members of the Riksting were invited to the Speakers desk to swear (or affirm) their allegiance to the Imperial Sovereign. This they did either on a religious scripture or a copy of the constitution. Most members of the Green Party and Socialist Party chose affirmations, and took theirs unwillingly under protest. Liberals were almost evenly split between affirmations and oaths, while all Conservatives chose oaths and all democrats except 2.
People’s Minister Henry Larsson of the Liberal Party called the ceremony a beautiful and momentous occasion representing the unity of the young nation. His coalition partners in the Conservatives and Democrats expressed similar views and issued congratulatory statements to the Sovereign. The Leader of the Opposition Lillian Wallberg of the Green Party stated her dissatisfaction with the lavishness of the event, but said she supported the message of unity and cooperation expressed by the government parties. Socialist leader Stig Wallberg dismissed the ceremony altogether and called it “utter nonsense” and “unnecessary shows of disregard for the common man”.
The ceremony had a total cost of 30 000 SEK, or roughly 300 dollars. Most of these funds were taken from the Department of Culture but the Imperial Household also contributed smaller amounts. The main costs covered transport, uniforms, decorations, and pieces of regalia.