The Ministry of Foreign and Colonial Affairs

The Ministry is divided into two major offices: the Imperial Diplomatic Corps, which manages relationships with other independent powers, and the Colonial Affairs Office, which administers the Empire's overseas territories. Members of the Diplomatic Corps are drawn from some of Albion's best and brightest—typically those who have graduated from the University of Carbury with notable distinction. It works closely with The Ministry of Correspondence, which provides diplomats with the information they need to perform their duties. In recent years, the Corps has also collaborated with associates at the Bank of Albion. In the aftermath of the Dragon War, the bank provided a large number of rebuilding loans to nations on the continent, and the Corps is often willing to use an ally's debts as leverage when necessary.

The Colonial Affairs Office also works closely with The Ministry of Correspondence and with The Army of Albion, whose colonial divisions maintain order in the overseas territories. However, the bulk of its duties revolve around negotiating and distributing territorial licenses to the various companies to which the Empire grants rights in the colonies. While the Army provides the manpower, the colonies are governed by the companies themselves - such as The von Hohenheim Company - which bid for the licenses to operate and develop these foreign lands. This system applies to all territories except Inisfal and Arvoringia, which the Crown maintains under tight control for Imperial security reasons. The other overseas territories, however, are administered by corporations that have paid for the privilege and intend to guarantee a solid return on their investment.

The Ministry of Foreign and Colonial Affairs was created in 1802, when several disparate branches of the government were consolidated by the Prime Minister. It was preceded by no fewer than seven agencies, each created over time and given limited - and often conflicting - scopes of authority. In the twenty-eight years since the reorganization, the Ministry has become far more efficient and has brought significant wealth into the Empire. Competition for colonial operation licenses has been fierce, and with a free hand given to the companies that win and to the Army, colonial disturbances have been rare and rapidly contained. While some have protested the granting of governmental authority over colonial territories to the highest bidder, none can deny that it has resulted in immense wealth flowing into the Empire's coffers.