History Main / LoyalToThePosition

*** He does this against the true king Odin in the sequel too. Odin instructs Heimdal to warn Odin of any attempts at Treason he uncovers as he can see everything. He's well aware of Thor's plans to disobey Odin and confronts the gang on the matter and they explain. Heimdal then goes to Odin to alert Odin of the plot of treason, specifically his own... which is enough to distract Odin while the heroes get away.

--->'''Sir Humphrey:''' Well, almost all government policy is wrong, but...frightfully well carried out.

* The song "The Vicar of Bray," about an English priest who switches denomination to match that of the current king during [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfStuart the]] [[UsefulNotes/EnglishCivilWar turmoil of]] [[UsefulNotes/OliverCromwell the seventeenth]] [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfHanover century]].

* A good RealLife example was the French statesman [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talleyrand Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord]]. He was a bishop under Louis XVI, held various posts in the governments of the French revolutionary period from 1789, was UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte's Foreign Minister, and was then brought back to be Foreign Minister after 1815 when Napoleon had been defeated and the Bourbon monarchs had returned. He is famously quoted as saying: "Regimes may fall and fail, but I do not." He achieved this by making sure he always backed the stronger side, even when this involved blatantly betraying his current employer. Napoleon once called him "shit in silk stockings," probably after they had a political split over the Peninsular War. He wasn't as bad as all that, and he was quite talented, which just as much as his flexible principles is why everybody kept hiring him as senior staff. He got a worsened rap in England through no fault of his own after ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel'' got popular--the series has a really nasty villain based on him. He was, however, responsible for his reputation for deviousness in the United States after making some rather tall demands (including one for a particularly hefty bribe for him personally) of some top American diplomats in what became known as the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XYZ_Affair XYZ Affair]].

* A good RealLife example was the French statesman [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talleyrand Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord]]. He was a bishop under Louis XVI, held various posts in the governments of the French revolutionary period from 1789, was UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte's Foreign Minister, and was then brought back to be Foreign Minister after 1815 when Napoleon had been defeated and the Bourbon monarchs had returned. He is famously quoted as saying: "Regimes may fall and fail, but I do not." He achieved this by making sure he always backed the stronger side, even when this involved blatantly betraying his current employer. Napoleon once called him "shit in silk stockings," probably after they had a political split over the Peninsular War. He wasn't as bad as all that, and he was quite talented, which just as much as his flexible principles is why everybody kept hiring him as senior staff. He got a worsened rap in England after ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel'' got popular--the series has a really nasty villain based on him.

The lower in the hierarchy of government you go, the more likely members of the old regime are to continue into the new regime. At the bottom, an ordinary postal worker or accountant will almost always hold onto the old job. At the top, the head of government pretty much must change by definition for it to be a regime change. The question lies in the middle and near-top of the hierarchy -- the directors, assistant secretaries, deputy ministers, colonels, and other fairly high ranking personnel. These usually change, but the Position Loyalist is distinguished by his ability to hold on to these positions in spite of such changes.

** In ''Literature/{{Pyramids}}'', High Priest Dios has always served whoever is currently the Pharaoh. [[TimeAbyss Always.]] Something of a subversion however; he's been doing it so long he knows what orders the Pharaoh is "supposed" to give, and follows those "orders" regardless of what the guy behind the golden mask has to say about it. He's loyal to his own ''idea'' of the Pharaoh.

** Petyr Baelish also sticks through the transitions, serving as Master of Coin (i.e. the royal treasurer) under multiple regimes, until he decides it's prudent to get the hell out of Dodge, but in his case it's more naked self-serving ambition than loyalty to anything.
** The Maesters are assigned to a castle, and are sworn to offer loyal service to their lords, even when the castle changes hands. When Theon seizes control of Winterfell, Maester Luwin insists that he'll continue to loyally serve the new regime, and does (if not especially enthusiastically). Grand Maester Pycelle counseled Aerys Targaryen, then Robert Baratheon, then Joffrey, then Tommen, even through the wildest excesses of [[spoiler:Cersei's regency]].

* Discussed and taken to the logical conclusion in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3''. [[TheAce The Boss]] lectures Snake on needing to be loyal to the President, no matter who the President is or who the enemy is. He assures her of his loyalty, which is great because it turns out [[FallenHero the Boss has turned traitor]] and he has to kill her. By the end of the game we learn that [[spoiler: the Boss was actually so loyal to her country, she was willing to give up her child, her husband, her heroic reputation, and her very life in order to serve her country.]]

* In the backstory of ''VideoGame/{{Bioshock}}'', this was Suchong's whole deal. Originally he worked with Frank Fontaine to engineer plasmids and experiment with ADAM. But once Andrew Ryan killed Fontaine and assimilated his business empire into his own, Suchong had no qualms whatsoever with jumping ship to Ryan's company to do exactly the same thing he did for Frank. In his backstory he was a Korean doctor who dealt opium on the side. When the Japanese forces killed every member of his village, he was left alive because he happily offered to extend his services to the new occupying force.

* A curious inversion happens in the original ''WesternAnimation/{{Thundercats}}''. Mumm-Ra is a servant of four evil entities called the Ancient Spirits of Evil, and gains his powers from them. However, as Snarf discovered, these four beings will grant the same powers to ''anyone'' who enters the burial chamber and requests it. (Possibly they have a weird sense of humor or are capable of outright betrayal, but then, they ''are'' evil.)

* A good RealLife example was the French statesman [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talleyrand Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord]]. He was a bishop under Louis XVI, held various posts in the governments of the French revolutionary period from 1789, was UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte's Foreign Minister and was then brought back to be Foreign Minister after 1815 when Napoleon had been defeated and the Bourbon monarchs had returned. He is famously quoted as saying: "Regimes may fall and fail, but I do not." He achieved this by making sure he always backed the stronger side, even when this involved blatantly betraying his current employer. Napoleon once called him "shit in silk stockings," probably after they had a political split over the Peninsular War. He wasn't as bad as all that, and he was quite talented, which just as much as his flexible principles is why everybody kept hiring him as senior staff. He got a worsened rap in England after ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel'' got popular--the series has a really nasty villain based on him.

* This is one of the reasons that the [[CadreOfForeignBodyguards Varangian Guard]] were so effective. Unlike the Praetorian Guards of the RomanEmpire, their loyalty lay to the throne of the Emperor, not the Emperor themselves, helped by the fact that they were foreign and thus had no political allegiances within the Empire. They would kill anyone who attempted to assassinate him, but if an assassin did manage to kill the Emperor they would immediately kneel before the assassin and declare ''them'' Emperor. They also assisted in at least one coup while the Emperor was away, cementing that their loyalty lay to the ''position'' of the Emperor, not the person who held office.

** To an extent. The new President generally replaces all of the Cabinet secretaries and a couple ranks below them, but the rest of the government bureaucracy stays in place. Before the civil service reforms of the late 19th century, it was common for government positions (especially those with a good opportunity for bribery, like tax collectors or customs inspectors) to be handed out to party loyalists, who would be abruptly replaced whenever the Presidency changed parties. Since this caused the federal government to partially shut down after each election, it was decided that such positions should be filled by career professionals selected for aptitude and competency, without loyalty to any particular president, though some people don't quite understand that.

* In ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'', there was Finster, Rita's alchemist who was in charge of creating monsters. Although he seemed to have more loyalty to Rita than to anyone else, he seemed willing to take orders from almost any of the villains, including Lord Zedd, Master Vile, and even Goldar; the only one he refused to obey was Rita's brother Rito when Rita put him in charge for a day, informing him that he served only Zedd and Rito. (Finster didn't even seem to be truly evil, really; he was more like a PunchClockVillain. The ''Soul of the Dragon'' comic eventually revealed he was purified by Zordon's wave at the end of "In Space" and became an ally of the Rangers afterward.)

** To an extent. The new President generally replaces all of the Cabinet secretaries and a couple ranks below them, but the rest of the government bureaucracy stays in place. Before the civil service reforms of the late 19th century, it was common for government positions (especially those with a good opportunity for bribery, like tax collectors or customs inspectors) to be handed out to party loyalists, who would be abruptly replaced whenever the Presidency changed parties. Since this caused the federal government to partially shut down after each election, it was decided that such positions should be filled by career professionals selected for aptitude and competency, without loyalty to any particular president, though [[UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump some people]] don't quite understand that.

* ''VideoGame/YesYourGrace'': According to one of the dialog options that shows up during a discussion about Eryk's heir, Adry is expected to be the advisor to whoever sits on the Davern throne. It doesn't keep him from wanting to see Eryk's family line continue.

[[folder:Literature]]
* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' series:
** In ''Literature/{{Pyramids}}'', High Priest Dios has always served whoever is currently the Pharaoh. [[TimeAbyss Always.]] Something of a subversion however; he's been doing it so long he knows what orders the Pharaoh is "supposed" to give, and follows those "orders" regardless of what the guy behind the golden mask has to say about it. He's loyal to his own ''idea'' of the Pharaoh.
** In ''Literature/{{Night Watch|Discworld}}'':
*** A number of people are mentioned as being turned out on the replacement of Lord Winder with Lord Snapcase (including the food taster), but the change affects the servants very little, as someone is always needed who knows where the brooms are kept.
*** Mr. Slant the zombie lawyer, who is in some cases an antagonist and more helpful in others (having been a lawyer for so long, he is closer to TrueNeutral than most others).
** In ''Literature/{{Jingo}}'', Commander Vimes (aided by a prompt from Vetinari) copes with a temporary regime change that elevates Lord Rust to Patrician, when he realises his oath of loyalty as a Watchman is ''not'' to any named ruler - but to the abstract concept of maintaining the peace. This gives him freedom of action and enables him to maintain and protect the Peace on a big scale - by arresting an entire battlefield for Breach Of The Peace and averting a war.
* In ''Literature/DragonBones'' Oreg is this, though not by choice. He is bound by magic to serve whoever holds the title of "Hurogmeten" at the time. The title is inherited, but for heirs, KlingonPromotion is a valid means of inheriting it earlier. The ring that signifies who "owns" Oreg at the time is subject only to its own magic, political decisions made by other people have nothing to do with it - and it cannot be taken off, which is why Ward gets it even though his uncle will rule in his place until he is of age.
* Valharik, the captain of the guard in Melnibone, upon Yyrkoon's taking of power in the first novel of ''Literature/TheElricSaga'', betrayed his mistress Cymoril, Elric's LoveInterest, and took her to her tower. He cut down one of his own men who tried to defend her against Yyrkoon, and on Yyrkoon's orders, he fed the poor guy to Cymoril's slaves. When Elric takes back the Ruby Throne from Yyrkoon, Valharik explains that he serves the Ruby Throne, no matter who sits upon it. Needless to say, Elric doesn't buy this, and in a truly ruthless move, he sentences Valharik to execution, with his flesh to be fed to Yyrkoon at the feast that Elric plans to hold.
* Dolores Umbridge from the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' books. First she very thoroughly implements the policies of a Minister of Magic who is in utter denial regarding the resurrection of Voldemort. When we meet her again a few books later, she works ''for'' Voldemort! A less clear-cut example than most on this page, however, since she's so sadistic that it's highly likely she's in it more for the abuse of power than the job in itself. Also Voldemort set up a puppet regime rather than outright announce his conquest, giving Umbridge some degree of plausible deniability. [[spoiler: Either way, once Voldemort's been killed and overthrown, the resistance aren't very understanding of the crimes she committed under the regime. WordOfGod says they threw the book at her but good.]]
* ''Literature/JudgeDee'': Judges are moved to a different position in a different province every few years, to avoid complacency and corruption settling in.
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* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', this is what Tarquin pretends to be, serving a succession of rulers. However, he's actually TheChessmaster ruling as EvilChancellor, and he allows the occasional revolution to remove the puppet ruler ''du jour'' in order to let the populace work out its frustration.

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* Charon, the ghoul bodyguard from ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'', serves whomever holds his contract. He's initially loyal to the ghoul Ahzrukhal, but if you do a certain job for Ahzrukhal, you can get the contract in return, along with Charon's service. At this point, Charon will ask to be excused for a moment and go kill Ahzrukhal.

* Enforced in ''Roleplay/FenQuest'': The oath of a Field Marshal entails loyalty not to the gold noble who appointed them, but to the gold ''title'', which implies not just succession but also the right and duties of the gold noble.

** In ''Discworld/{{Pyramids}}'', High Priest Dios has always served whoever is currently the Pharaoh. [[TimeAbyss Always.]] Something of a subversion however; he's been doing it so long he knows what orders the Pharaoh is "supposed" to give, and follows those "orders" regardless of what the guy behind the golden mask has to say about it. He's loyal to his own ''idea'' of the Pharaoh.
** In ''Discworld/NightWatch'':

*** In addition, Mr. Slant the zombie lawyer, who is in some cases an antagonist and more helpful in others (having been a lawyer for so long, he is closer to TrueNeutral than most others).
** In ''Discworld/{{Jingo}}'', Commander Vimes (aided by a prompt from Vetinari) copes with a temporary regime change that elevates Lord Rust to Patrician, when he realises his oath of loyalty as a Watchman is ''not'' to any named ruler - but to the abstract concept of maintaining the peace. This gives him freedom of action and enables him to maintain and protect the Peace on a big scale - by arresting an entire battlefield for Breach Of The Peace and averting a war.

* This is standard practice in any functioning democracy. Leaders, and even the political party in control, change regularly, and every government employee (including the entire bureaucracy and the military) are expected to serve the new administration loyally and professionally, even if it's a leader they don't happen to like. Were it not so, the entire government would have to be rebuilt after every election - which actually happens in the United States, thye only major country which ''doesn't'' have such a system.

* This is standard practice in any functioning democracy. Leaders, and even the political party in control, change regularly, and every government employee (including the entire bureaucracy and the military) are expected to serve the new administration loyally and professionally, even if it's a leader they don't happen to like. Were it not so, the entire government would have to be rebuilt after every election.

* In ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'', there was Finster, Rita's alchemist who was in charge of creating monsters. Although he seemed to have more loyalty to Rita than to anyone else, he seemed willing to take orders from almost any of the villains, including Lord Zedd, Master Vile, and even Goldar; the only one he refused to obey was Rita's brother Rito. (Finster didn't even seem to be truly evil, really; he was more like PunchClockVillain.)

** In ''Discworld/{{Pyramids}}'', High Priest Dios has always served whoever is currently the Pharaoh. [[TimeAbyss Always.]]