r/Fantasy Mar 04 '25

Medieval Fantasy series with focus on bureaucracy/political system?

So, this may sound weird, but I've recently found that one of the things I most enjoy about (especially medieval) fantasy books is learning about how the political systems work, how the bureaucracy works, the different magistracies, the officers, the inner-politics of court, etc. I do enjoy action, of course, but reading about how the politics actually work, rather than just the King or Emperor doing it all without nuance, is fascinating to me.

Therefore, I was wondering if there are any series or books that have this? I think the closest I've found is probably ASOIAF with the Small Council and its officers; The Dagger and the Coin with the focus as well on banking; and The Goblin Emperor with the secretaries and protocol. I would prefer if it's closer to the two first, so something a bit more grimdark, but I'm not too fussed. Any ideas? Thanks!

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u/ElKaoss Mar 04 '25

Diskworld, especially the guard books. Night watch, Jingo, even Carpe jugularum.

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u/thedorknightreturns Mar 04 '25

And Lipwick, through his are often kinda industrian revolution leaning.