Imperial Seal
From Gineipaedia, the Legend of Galactic Heroes wiki
The Imperial Seal (Japanese: 国璽) represented the authority of the Emperor of the Galactic Empire. Used for the signing of official documents, declarations and laws, the Seal was the physical embodiment of the state, and lent imperial authority to whomever owned it.
History
In late September 797 UC (488 IC / 3597 CE), following the end of the Imperial Civil War, Paul von Oberstein dispatched most of Reinhard von Lohengramm's forces under the overall commands of Oskar von Reuenthal and Wolfgang Mittermeyer to Odin. Landing directly in the Imperial City, their troops surged through the streets of the capital. Reuenthal forced the Prime Minister, Klaus von Lichtenlade, to commit suicide as punishment for his alleged culpability in the assassination of Imperial high admiral Siegfried Kircheis. Mittermeyer, meanwhile, stormed Neue Sanssouci and seized the Imperial Seal.
When Reinhard von Lohengramm returned to Odin several weeks later, Mittermeyer gave him the Imperial Seal, granting Reinhard full dominion over the sole physical accoutrement of the Goldenbaum Dynasty's right to rule the Empire. (LOGH: 'Farewell, Distant Memories')
Appendices
Background information
- The Imperial Seal of China was used by multiple dynasties, passed on from one dynasty to the next, and was struggled over during periods of disunity in Chinese history as it was a symbol of political legitimacy. However it is unclear whether the Imperial Seal used by the Goldenbaum rulers of the Galactic Empire served as the Imperial Seal of the New Galactic Empire under Goldenlöwe rule, as it bore the crowned two headed eagle that was the symbol of the Goldenbaum Dynasty.
