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From the Encyclopedia Royalis Iurraka (edition of 975)
On the Royal Customs Service
The Royal Customs Service is one of the Crown’s most indispensable instruments, tasked with the oversight of trade, the collection of the Royal Tax, and the maintenance of His Majesty’s economic authority throughout the realm. Its duties, set down by wise kings, are both noble and necessary, and its history testifies to the foresight of Iurrak’s sovereigns.
The Service owes its foundation to the foresight of King Gabriel I, who in the year 601 not only instituted the Customs Service but also concluded the Peace of Equals with Selinus, bringing an end to eighty years of war and thus securing both the realm’s borders and its prosperity. To him we owe the enduring principle that the King’s justice must extend to the realm’s markets as well as its fields. Gabriel’s genius lay in recognising that trade, left ungoverned, breeds disorder, but under royal supervision strengthens the whole kingdom.
The later wisdom of King Humphrey I must also be praised. In 718, when the treasury lay in peril, Humphrey decreed that the sale of commissions in the Royal Regiments be entrusted to the Customs Service. By this act he avoided the imposition of extraordinary taxes upon his loyal nobles, while at the same time replenishing the Crown’s coffers. Though some grumbled at first, it was a masterstroke of statesmanship, for the lords maintained their privileges while the regiments were strengthened. The realm, preserved from weakness, owes to King Humphrey I its continued stability.
The Royal Tax, unlike feudal dues or manorial levies, is laid chiefly upon dense and precious goods: metals, spices, dyes, and other wares whose transport yields great wealth in small measure. The Customs Service patrols borders, rivers, and roads with diligence, ensuring that His Majesty receives his rightful due. To evade such duty is not merely theft but treason against the Crown, for the Royal Tax is the very lifeblood of the kingdom.
Beyond their fiscal duties, the officers of Customs provide the Crown with knowledge of inestimable worth. By observing the flow of goods, they reveal the strengths and weaknesses of provinces, the fortunes of merchants, and the health of the realm itself. In war as in peace, this intelligence has allowed kings to act with foresight. It is no exaggeration to say that without the Customs Service, the realm would be blind to its own condition.
The officers of the Service are for the most part of common birth, yet drawn from the younger sons of wealthy merchants, men of education and sound judgment. This prudent practice ensures that they have both the learning and the practical familiarity with commerce to perform their duties well. It is true that their inspections sometimes cause friction with nobles, yet this is an unavoidable consequence of enforcing the King’s law impartially. Only in Erythrae do nobles hold regular office within the Service, and there only at the highest levels. The post of Lord High Customs Inspector is wisely reserved for lesser royal kinsmen, ensuring that the Service remains ever faithful to the Crown.
Lastly, the Customs Service holds the honour of administering the commissions in the royal regiments. This sacred duty binds the realm’s soldiery directly to the King’s authority, ensuring loyalty and discipline. Though some lords lament their exclusion from this process, it must be remembered that it is by this very means that the Crown ensures the unity of its armies, sparing the kingdom the rivalries that have so often plagued lesser realms.
The Royal Customs Service, founded by Gabriel I and perfected by Humphrey I, stands as a monument to royal wisdom. To question it is to question the Crown itself, and none but the most self-interested could deny the Service’s necessity. It is, in every sense, a pillar of order and the surest guarantee of the prosperity of Iurrak.
