The
Government of the Han Dynasty had its capital at
Chang'an, and later
Luoyang. The
emperor headed the government,
promulgating all written laws, serving as
commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and presiding as the chief executive official. He appointed all government officials who earned a salary of 600
bushels of grain or more with the help of advisors who reviewed each nominee. Near the beginning of the dynasty,
semi-autonomous regional kings rivaled the emperor's authority. This autonomy was greatly diminished when the imperial court enacted reforms following the threats to central control like the
Rebellion of the Seven States. The
empress dowager could either be the emperor's actual or symbolic mother, and was in practice more powerful than the emperor, as she could override his decisions. The emperor's executive powers could also be practiced by any official upon whom he bestowed the Staff of Authority. These powers included the right to execute criminals without the imperial court's permission. The highest officials in the central bureaucracy, who provided advisory, censorial, executive, and judicial roles in governing the empire, consisted of
cabinet members known as
the Excellencies, heads of large specialized ministries known as the
Nine Ministers, and various metropolitan officials of the capital region. Local government divisions, in descending order by size, were the
province,
commandery,
county, and
district. (
more...)
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