Sovereign Decree on the Establishment and Regulation of the Civil and Military Dignity of Vožvode

HAVING REGARD TO the prerogative of the Crown to distinguish those whose steadfast loyalty, valour, or counsel have strengthened the Principality and advanced the welfare of the Káhareži People;

WHEREAS honours and dignities serve not as tokens of vanity, but as instruments of public virtue through which the State expresses gratitude and sets forth examples of devotion to the Sovereign and to Kaharagia;

WHEREAS it is meet that We establish, within Our civil and ceremonial hierarchy, a personal dignity of the State, not of nobiliary rank nor transmissible heritage, by which We may acknowledge the most exceptional fidelity and service;

WHEREAS historical example commends the creation of marshalates and analogous dignities of honour, bearing the ensigns of high trust without conferring peerage or hereditary prerogative;

AND WHEREAS the Kaharagian tongue provides the appellation Vožvode derived from the Kaharagian linguistic tradition, signifying one who bears leadership in the Sovereign’s confidence;

NOW, THEREFORE, WE, in Our Sovereign capacity and having duly considered the advice of Our counsel, do decree as follows:

Article I — Nature and Establishment

1. The dignity and title of Vožvode is hereby instituted as a personal dignity of the State within the system of Kaharagian honours.

2. The dignity is not of noble creation, does not confer peerage, and creates no hereditary or familial rights. It is held solely as a personal and life-long distinction at the Sovereign’s pleasure.

3. The dignity may be conferred upon persons whose loyalty, courage, or service to Kaharagia and the Sovereign have been of exceptional and enduring merit.

4. Holders of the dignity (“the Vožvode”) shall be enrolled among the Notables of the Realm, enjoying precedence and ceremonial distinction as prescribed herein, without implication of nobiliary or territorial status.

Article II — Precedence, Style, and Duration

1. In the Table of Precedence, the Vožvode shall rank immediately below the Sovereign and equivalent to the Sovereign’s Sibling, except where a higher constitutional office otherwise prevails.

2. A Vožvode who holds no higher style shall be entitled to the dignity “The Most Noble and Excellent”, and to be addressed as “Excellency.”

3. The dignity shall be for life only, revocable ad nutum by the Sovereign in cases of disloyalty, dishonour, or other cause of royal displeasure.

4. The dignity conveys no courtesy title, style, or precedence to spouse, issue, or descendants.

Article III — Insignia, Armorial Augmentations, and Uniform

1. For the duration of the dignity, the Vožvode may display as personal and non-heritable augmentations:

(a) An ermine-trimmed crimson cap surmounted by a gold tassel;

(b) Crossed Maces in saltire behind the shield;

(c) Supporters as may be granted by Letters of Augmentation.

2. These augmentations expire upon the holder’s death or deprivation and shall not descend to heirs or successors.

3. Each Vožvode shall receive a ceremonial Mace as the ensign of the Sovereign’s special trust; where such is impractical, a Marshal’s Baton may be borne.

4. The Vožvode shall wear the Uniform of a General Officer in the Royal Kaharagian army with a distinctive rank insignia bearing the device of a crossed Mace within a wreath ensigned by a crown, denoting senior ceremonial rank yet conferring no military command save by separate appointment.

Article IV — Privileges and Duties

1. The Vožvode shall enjoy the privilege of bearing a sword at Court and shall be saluted by all ranks in accordance with regulations of the Sovereign Chancellery.

2. The Vožvode shall attend upon the Sovereign when summoned, and shall render advice, representation, or ceremonial service as required.

3. The dignity is honorific and ceremonial in nature; it carries no automatic authority, emolument, or commission, save where separately decreed by law or appointment.

4. Holders shall at all times uphold the honour, dignity, and good order of the Principality, and by conduct and example affirm the virtues of fidelity, restraint, and noble service.

Article V — Appointment, Records, and Ceremonial

1. Each appointment shall be made by Sovereign Decree, and the person so appointed shall receive Litterae signed by the Sovereign and issued under the Great Seal, confirming the creation.

2. The Sovereign Chancellery shall maintain the Register of the Dignity of Vožvode, listing all living and former holders.

3. The Order of Investiture shall be prescribed by regulation and shall include the Oath of Fidelity, presentation of the Mace or Baton, and entry in the Register.

4. Further regulations governing uniform, armorial usage, ceremonial precedence, and forms of address shall be issued by Chancellery Directive and published in the Royal Kaharagian Gazette.

Article VI — Deprivation, Misuse, and Succession

1. A Vožvode found guilty of treachery, dishonour, or serious misconduct may be deprived of the dignity by Sovereign Decree, specifying the cause and effective date.

2. Upon deprivation or death, the insignia and privileges shall cease immediately, and any official ensigns of office shall be returned to the Chancellery.

3. Any unauthorised assumption, imitation, or public misuse of the dignity, its insignia, or style shall constitute an offence against the honour laws of Kaharagia and may be prosecuted accordingly.

Article VII — Entry into Force

1. This Decree shall enter into force immediately upon Our signature.

2. It shall be entered into the Royal Kaharagian Gazette and published accordingly.