Decade Council

In the face of the social chaos caused by the Restoration of the Wards, along with the economic impact of the Great Fire of 755 and subsequent disruption of Falkensburg's guilds, the aging Prince Mannfred II, recognising that his lack of energy and initiative would ultimately harm efforts at reconstruction, made what many now consider to be, in effect, his abdication speech.

It is obvious to all those with the will to see, that I cannot restore Falkensburg to its rightful glory without assistance. It is to this end that I have invited certain others to examine our civic government and recommend such changes as they deem necessary for our future prosperity, security and pride. Those of you who bear witness to this proclamation are to consider this Council to act in my name in all things, until such time as Falkensburg once more takes its place as the greatest city under the sun.

This speech, whether intentionally or not, handed the effectively absolute power of the Prince over to the new Council, for good or (as later became aparrent) ill.

First years - 757 to 759

The Council, originally consisting of delegates from Falkensburg's surviving guilds, the Magnanimous Sisterhood and the major religious orders represented in the city, began its effective rule well, financing the intial reconstruction efforts out of their own coffers. The generously-sized paving stones of Beschaeftigte Biene Square date from this era. The Council also pursued aggressive reforms of the Falkensburg Guard, removing several middle-ranked officers from positions that they had abused during the chaos of the preceding years.

Meanwhile, the Prince announced on Schattenmannfeuernacht of 758 that he was retiring to the country to recover from an illness.

Middle years - 759 to 764

As time wore on, corruption began, perhaps inevitably, to infest the Council. The assassination of Magnanimous Mater Ilsena in 760 undoubtedly hastened this process, as the remaining members of the Council became distrustful of each other. From this point on, they increasingly used the resources of the city for their own private ends, and reconstruction slowed accordingly. As the Prince's favour could not be readily determined, and he was, at least in theory, capable of overturning the dictates of the Council, it was deemed necessary at the Extraordinary Meeting of 760 to quietly place him under house arrest, "in order that the good work of the Council may continue appropriately."

Downfall - 765 to 767

The death of Dean Karl Grosspater of the Molkstrasse Guild in 765 hastened the descent of the Council members into paranoia and infighting, and by the end of that year the Council had ceased to meet, except as factions and splinter groups, and then only in secrecy and under heavy guard. Ultimately, only the return of the Prince to public life, frail and infirm as he was, proved enough to restore some semblance of proper government to Falkensburg.

Legacy

While the corruption, mismanagement and infighting of the Council is, of course, deplorable, it still must be said that they kept the apparatus of civic government functioning in a time of widespread upheaval. This is especially impressive, given that trade from the Copper Road and Elias Grosskanal was sporadic at best, thus depriving Falkensburg of much of the revenue it ordinarily relied upon.

The frustration of the citizenry with the inertia of Prince Mannfred's later years, and the instability of the Succession Crisis of 785, in fact, was sufficient for many to call for a restoration of the Council. We can, of course, only speculate on the effect that may have had on the city and its people.

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