The Arch Chancellor of Regalia was a political office positioned at the head of the Regalian Empire’s government, thus being second only to the Emperor. The Arch Chancellor position was created after the Five Family Rebellion, granted in near perpetuity to House Kade. House Kade has maintained control of this office for decades since then. Still, the office eventually faded away during the political upheavals of the 4th century, replaced by a less powerful Chancellery and other similar offices. Several political actions and offices were inspired or influenced by the Arch Chancellors of Regalia, and many of their policies are still in effect and relevant to modern-day politicians.
Thedmir I (5-21 AC) & Marianne I (7-21 AC)
The close bond of friendship between Thedmir and Theomar was essential to the stability of the early Regalian Empire.
Thedmir Kade was the first Arch Chancellor of the Empire, who was appointed to the office following the Five Family Rebellion at an advanced age. His blood connection to Emperor Theomar I, supposedly, confirmed his appointment, though the two men were also friends despite their age difference.
Thedmir’s tenure was unique for how quickly it came to feature the first of several dual Arch Chancellorships as with his aging body gradually failing him, his newly married wife, Marianne Vermeer from House Vermeer, soon took a close role in aiding him.
Their tenure is also notable for setting the framework of the Regalian bureaucracy in place, and the Arch Chancellor’s normal role in politics. They did not compete with Imperial power and instead served to complement and extend it as needed or wanted.
After Marianne died, the now exceedingly aged Arch Chancellor Thedmir resigned from his post and allowed his teenage son, Caldomir, to ascend over him. The pairing is often upheld today as an excellent example of what good Arch Chancellors should strive for.
Caldomir I (21-49 AC) & Annaleora I (32-49 AC)
Caldomir I, the eldest son of Thedmir I and Marianne I, ascended to the Arch Chancellery at age fifteen. Despite his young age, he was well prepared for his role, a trait echoed in several other Arch Chancellors in later years.
Caldomir I is sometimes called the "Patriarch-Chancellor" because he established the male preference laws of inheritance for the Empire. His strictness didn't carry into his personal life as he appointed his second wife Annaleora I to rule at his side, which she did competently for over a decade and a half.
Caldomir also oversaw some of the first conflicts of expansion in the Regalian Empire’s history and was among the first to convert to Unionism alongside his wife. Much of House Kade soon followed, as did the other Five Families.
Caldomir I and Annaleora I stepped down from their roles to focus on their family, leaving the position open to their eldest son, Aldomir I. Modern historians broadly consider them an uncontroversial continuation of the policies and lineage set forth by Caldomir’s father.
Aldomir I (49-55 AC)
Aldomir I was the eldest son of Caldomir and Annaleora Kade and was initially a bright, earnest child. However, adulthood seemed to dull his edge, and by the time of his ascension, he was competent, but only just.
Aldomir became known as the “Lazy Arch Chancellor” for doing little of note during his tenure, content to let Theomar rule the realm without interfering in his affairs. It was a good thing that the Emperor was highly competent.
It was also fortunate that Aldomir had far more energetic brothers and sisters who pressured him to resign and the Emperor to remove him from his position. These siblings then competed for the position themselves. This also set a precedent for Arch Chancellors to keep on top of family politics and those of the broader Empire.
Aldomir I was deposed due to the pressure of his siblings, and was replaced by his sister, Eotranna I. Despite his inaction in office, he was generally considered inoffensive and lacked the drive required for the role.
Eotranna I (55-60 AC)
Eotranna I was the only daughter of Caldomir and Annaleora Kade, the younger sister to Aldomir Kade, and the first female Arch Chancellor. She was a sharp wit and was noted as engaging in theological debate with many early members of the Unionist Celacy. She became a student to the Narim monarch, and the two were close friends.
Eotranna proved a competent Arch Chancellor during her tenure, working to aid the Emperor in promoting Unionism across Regalian territory. Her tenure saw her working with religious figures to establish their privileges in the law.
Her greatest projects were her gates. They were great works of defense and security for several cities in Anglia and elsewhere to combat a rise in smuggling and banditry. She also focused on healthcare for the poor and founded many hospitals, as she had skills in healing Magic.
However, after a stroke she successfully survived, Eotranna I retired from the position of Arch Chancellor and went on to live a long, prosperous life. She was succeeded by her brother Tedromar I and is broadly considered an exemplary politician and bureaucrat. She is also considered a great motherly figure, given she had half a dozen children in her life, and cared for the defense and health of the Empire’s citizens during her tenure.
Tedromar I (60-65 AC)
Tedromar I was the second son of Caldomir and Annaleora Kade and an elder brother to Eotranna I. Unfortunately, he was disfigured by a fiery accident in his youth, earning him the nickname of “The Burned Arch Chancellor.”
Despite his physical deformities, Tedromar was well-meaning and bright, devoted to intellectual pursuits. While he lay bedridden, his dictated laws saw the opening of many scholastic enterprises across the Empire.
Tedromar was also good friends with the future Lilienmar I (then just the Crown Prince), speaking often on matters of philosophy and Unionist doctrine.
Tedromar’s condition eventually saw him pass away, and he is broadly considered a good Arch Chancellor for his turn toward scholarship. He was succeeded by his younger brother Dwalmar.
Dwalmar I (65-67 AC)
Dwalmar Kade was the third son of Caldomir and Annaleora Kade, the first of two younger brothers to Eotranna Kade. Known as the “Short Arch Chancellor” due to his height of 5’6, he was still an earnest man.
Where his siblings had focused on defense, theology, and scholarly pursuits, Dwalmar was a fan of the arts and helped to foster artistic inspiration in the name of the Unionist faith.
He was also a man who did not get along as best as he perhaps could with a now-aged Emperor Theomar. Their arguments remained private but were never to the degree of seeing Dwalmar removed from his position.
Dwalmar died suddenly in a plague outbreak on the Crown Isle, the first Arch Chancellor to die of illness, and his role was picked up by his youngest brother, Arnold. Dwalmar is judged as a man taken too soon, difficult to judge, but broadly liked in the art history community.
Arnold I (67 AC)
Arnold Kade was the youngest, and final son, of Caldomir and Annaleora Kade. He also, unfortunately, had the shortest reign of all the heirs to his famed parents.
With his parents both having died, and half his siblings also gone, many believe the drive and competition that had once defined the children left them in adulthood, especially in Arnold.
He is called the “Apathetic Arch Chancellor,” not because he did not care for the Empire, but because it is believed he came to see his taking of the role as hollow and himself unworthy. He grew not to care about his post.
After the death of Emperor Theomar I and the ascension of Lilienmar I, Arnold resigned his position voluntarily after just a few months and cleared the way for his nephew Betheoric to take the reins. History has judged Arnold a melancholic survivor, who spent the last years of his life with family and relatives as much as possible back in Anglia.
Betheoric I (67-79 AC)
Betheoric I was the son of Aldomir Kade and was appointed as Arch Chancellor following his uncle Arnold Kade’s resignation.
Unlike his late father, Betheoric was a highly capable administrator and a man driven to expand the Empire. Because of this, he worked closely with the Lilenmar Emperors who reigned during his time, reinforcing the military and diplomacy with other realms.
Betheoric I is perhaps best remembered as the Arch Chancellor who engaged in formal contact with Ithania and other western Ailor nations, following trade lines from now subsumed regions of Corontium.
Betheoric was also an honorable man, and as the First Skagger War grew in intensity, he went to fight at the front line. He was ultimately killed in battle (the first Arch Chancellor to fall in this way) and was replaced by his son of the same name. He is well remembered as a diverse, energetic Arch Chancellor who lasted more than a few years, finally providing a degree of policy continuity to his office.
Betheoric II (79-89 AC)
Betheoric II was the eldest son of Betheoric Kade and was more emblematic of the warrior role his father took on later in life. Trained in a broadsword, he was a fearsome opponent.
He took to several battlefields of the Empire and survived, ultimately leaving the front lines to focus on developing the military alongside Emperor Henri I.
While Henri I appointed Viridian leaders for various projects as well as founding the earliest version of the formal Regalian Army, Betheoric focused on founding the Regalian Navy to counteract both the ships of the Skaggers, but also marauders elsewhere in Aloria.
While he might have lived a great many more years, Betheoric II died after he sustained a wound in a hunt. He left the Arch Chancellorship to his eldest son, named after both his father and grandfather. Much like Betheoric I, Betheoric II is well remembered though most fondly by militarists.
Betheoric III (89-97 AC)
Betheoric III was the eldest son of Betheoric Kade II. Just like his father, Betheoric was a military-minded young man who had been raised closely by his father and had also trained in combat.
While he helped push more military victories in the name of the Empire, the growing political dominance of the Viridian Order affected the military as they were awarded positions as generals, admirals, and more without any training in those areas.
Betheoric was not particularly politically savvy in trying to shake this corruption loose and many believe he sealed his fate by nearly dueling a notable Viridian Knight close to Emperor Henri I.
Betheoric III was found assassinated alongside Emperor Carvallais I, victims of the Years of the Three Emperors. He was succeeded by his wife, Maenarra, and is remembered as a tragic figure, a warrior who expanded the Empire and who died defending one of its younger Emperors (though all indications of their killing showed both men were taken fully by surprise).
Maenarra I (97-104 AC)
Maenarra I was the wife of Betheoric Kade III and succeeded him as Arch Chancellor following his assassination. Maenarra was far more politically astute than her husband, and realizing that the Viridians were fully in charge, she focused her time on other matters.
Her desire to work quietly means that her reign is now considered overshadowed by the notable events to continue during her lifetime. For one, the Years of the Three Emperors concluded, followed by the foiled kidnapping of Crown Princess Amelia Ivrae by Daendroque criminals hired by unknown parties. The other was the crackdown against Mages by the newly formed Azure Order.
Maenarra’s family life was also quite notable, at least for the time. One of her sons ran away with a Viridian Knight, while the status of her other children and grandchildren (Ellenore possessed a fused leg, and the twins Tarnan and Sarvan, each with other deficiencies) allowed the Viridians to smear this part of the Kade family.
Out of disgust, or perhaps fear for her own life, Maenarra ultimately resigned from her position and passed it on to her eldest daughter, Ellenore. She lived for many more years and eventually reconciled with her youngest son, a man who never became Chancellor.
Ellenore I (104-110 AC)
Ellenore I was the eldest child of Betheoric and Maenarra Kade. A childhood accident meant her leg had to be fused but she was never disheartened by this and was a highly competent woman.
Initially content with a crutch, and then a cane, her reign saw some of the first industrialization in the Empire and she was gifted an engineering-based walking aid by an Ailor engineer.
Ellenore’s time was also spent better integrating the first Wirtem territories the Regalian Empire was absorbing. The conflict against the Skaggers significantly slowed during this time, yet despite all of Ellenore’s urgings, she could not get Imperial approval for the required push into enemy territory.
Ellenore was found assassinated like her father had been years prior, and her role was passed onto her young twin sons. She is considered a marked improvement over her mother, as her policies were publicly known and sought to improve the Empire.
The Twin Arch Chancellors were great men, and the best of brothers.
Tarnan I & Sarvan I (110-119AC)
Tarnan I and Sarvan I were the sons of Ellenore Kade and an unknown father. The children suffered terribly at their young age as Tarnan was born a leper and Sarvan suffered from a mental disability.
Despite these problems, the near-identical twins loved each other as true family, and their deep brotherly bond allowed them to function in concert, making up for the traits the other lacked. They were given the Arch Chancellorship at the age of seventeen.
They spent their tenure focused on internal matters of the Empire, smoothing out issues in transportation the now vast Empire was seeing and dealing with the growing problems caused by the Viridians though never directly confronting them.
It is a widespread rumor today that the Viridians finally acted against the twins upon realizing that their deficiencies were not the lead weight outsiders assumed they might be. This is false. No record or indication of assassination or nefarious scheme exists in the deaths of the twin Arch Chancellors; Sarvan died first, followed by Tarnan. They are well remembered as a truly unique pair but are often dwarfed in history by their cousin, Nicholas.
Nicholas I (119-205 AC)
Nicholas Kade had many names and titles in his long life.
Nicholas I, Vlaas Kade, the Imperial Architect, the Great Statesman, and the Glorious Arch Chancellor was the son of Betheoric III and Maenarra Kade’s second daughter, Beatrix. Nicholas was quietly a close companion to the young Henri III, back when he was merely Henri II’s bastard son being raised away from the Imperial Court.
While his first few years in the role were subdued, the rise of Henri III and the foiled Viridian Coup Attempt allowed Nicholas and the Emperor to rip the corruption of the Viridians out from the heart of the Empire.
Given free reign to act, and in close concert with the Emperor, Nicholas I oversaw the fundamental transformation of the Regalian Empire. The Second Skagger War began and ended during his tenure. He saw the signing of a peace treaty with the Velheim north, a dozen lands beyond Corontium joined to the Regalian Empire by colonization, diplomacy, or minor military intervention (most notably Ithania and Etosil), and the bureaucracy was fundamentally reshaped. He was aided in these tasks by many competent people, including the Suvial bureaucrat Sadhana.
His long, full, rich life of tireless service to the State also saw him outlive four Emperors. When he died at the exceptional age of 102 (he had been given the job at sixteen years old), the entire Empire mourned. His life was spectacular and he is considered the man who led a golden age for the Regalian Empire.
Arnold II (205 AC)
Arnold II was Nicholas Kade’s eldest son and he often worked closely alongside his father, in his younger years. As decades passed Nicholas didn’t step down, and Arnold himself grew older, so he retreated from politics and bureaucracy.
The “One Day Arch Chancellor” did indeed hold the title for a single day. By the time his father died, Arnold was himself on his deathbed and perished in an estimated twenty-five hours. He left the Arch Chancellery to his twin sons and history had judged him for this action alone, often forgetting his secondary role in many of Nicholas’ most important policies.
A historical quirk is that House Kade ceased naming their children Arnold after his life, believing the name to be an ill omen for the family, a tradition which has remained till this day.
Cedmir I & Alexander I (205-216 AC)
Cedmir I & Alexander I were the twin sons of Arnold II and could not have been more different from each other and their father. Alexander I was also known as the Giant given his immense size at over seven feet tall, while Cedmir was short, nervous, and a good administrator but easily swayed by his brother, who was also his protector politically and physically.
The personal life of Alexander I is also notable as it was rumored at the time, and now accepted in the modern day, that the Giant and the Crown Prince, soon the Emperor, Allestrain I, were lovers. Empress Eolaria Cadar and Alexander’s wife, Leona Kade, were also said to have been in a relationship, which too has been confirmed in the modern day.
Alexander I completely focused himself on Allestrain’s desire for warfare, and conquests led by the two men and their wives on the frontlines saw several regions and nations seized in the name of the Empire. Cedmir stayed behind in the capital and attempted to keep up with the logistics and bureaucracy of such constant conflict.
After Allestrain’s shocking death at the hands of the Nordskaggers, Alexander grew unstable, full of rage and grief. Convinced by Alexander to ignore the 'trivial' bureaucratic matters of massive debt, Emperor Handorien II signed the edict that began the Purple Bleeding. Alexander carried out brutal campaigns, first at home to stem the chaos caused by this edict, then abroad, where he died in another war against the Nordskaggers. Fearing for his life, Cedmir I quickly resigned his position for his son, Morgan, though soon came to regret it. History has looked with mixed opinions on this joint Arch Chancellor reign, with those in the military praising it and those not being more critical of a range of events.
Morgan I (216-256 AC)
It remains somewhat of a mystery how Morgan I acquired Narsil, but once in his possession, the Marken became a tool of terror.
Morgan I, the Dark Kade, the Deceiver, or the Sun Chancellor, was the eldest son of Cedmir I. It is not clear what caused him to mature into the highly manipulative, vain, and cruel man he became but some blame his uncle, Alexander, for playing a role in this development.
His early acts were swift, forcing Emperor Handorien II to abdicate and successfully ending the Purple Bleeding by also granting himself religious powers and removing them from the hands of Handorien’s successor, Justinian I. Many at the time believed that the Imperial lineage had grown corrupt - a rather ironic opinion given what came next.
For nearly four decades afterward, Morgan Kade ruled the Regalian Empire from behind the throne, repeatedly replacing the men who sat in it, who became known as The Seasonal Emperors for how quickly they came and went. While he ruled through intimidation--the fear cast by his terrifying, domesticated Marken, Narsil, not easily forgotten--he was also brilliant as a statesman and bureaucrat, a true successor to Nicholas I.
His time throwing parties, picking favorites, and utterly destroying rivals or those he thought had slighted him as the marvelous Sun Chancellor came to an abrupt end thanks to Emperor Vilgemar I. Morgan was summarily executed within just a year of the young Emperor’s rise to power, and Morgan’s political machine was dismantled with his name cast into the dirt. House Kade suffered greatly, and no successor to Morgan was named for several years. Despite his hedonism and violence, some modern scholars noted that Morgan did keep the realm together. He might have lived to shepherd forth a second golden age for the Empire if he was not such a tyrant and if Vilgemar had feared him as all others did.
The Years Without a Chancellery (256-263 AC)
For seven years, following Morgan Kade’s death, Vilgemar I did not appoint a new Arch Chancellor, instead he focused on scrubbing House Kade’s influence from the State and removing many of Morgan’s cronies in other areas.
The young Emperor then focused on celebrating freedom, parties, and emancipation for thousands of repressed laborers in bad labor conditions, neglecting the mechanisms of the empire out of a keen hatred for their authoritarian tones.
However, as the Regalian Empire began to mechanize like never before, aided by Dwarves, Eronidas and others, the economy started to waver. Without an Arch Chancellor, Imperial coffers were drained with nothing to replace them and, suddenly, hardship began to sweep the Empire.
Realizing too late that their judgment against both an entire family and mechanism of government had been too harsh, Emperor Vilgemar recalled Morgan’s eldest daughter, Aliandre, and granted her the role of Arch Chancellor.
Aliandre I (263-269 AC)
Aliandre I was the eldest child of her father, Morgan Kade. There were rumors of perhaps a dozen illegitimate siblings or more, but Morgan (to his 'credit') never acknowledged them, instead focusing his efforts on training Aliandre for the future role she might one day have.
While she was dismissed years prior, she returned with determination and the skills taught by her father. Her first move was immensely unpopular, as she declared a state of austerity to stem the financial bleeding, later called the Regalian Pessimism.
Over the coming years, Aliandre worked tirelessly despite the insults, sexism, and greed of many nobles who, while no longer Imperial favorites, still lounged and lorded over impoverished lands while they thrived. The Destruction of Old Ceardia also compounded matters by flooding several regions of Corontium with refugees from that great disaster.
She finally succeeded in flatlining the economy, preventing further decline, but she passed away in the same year as Emperor Vilgemar - her black hair was almost fully gray, and her body, mind, and soul were exhausted. She was succeeded by her younger brother, and history has judged her as an exemplary woman who worked herself to death in the name of the Empire and prevented even greater calamity through her actions.
Norn I (269-272 AC)
Norn I was the younger brother of Aliandre Kade and suffered socially while growing up. Ignored by his father, isolated and melancholic, the execution of Morgan right before his eyes as a young adult transformed him into a withdrawn and fearful man.
He had skills in numbers and some political acumen, but it is believed he feared overstepping Imperial authority in any way would result in his death. He was also a pessimist and believed there was nothing to be done to save the Empire in his time. He largely stayed out of the young Emperor Justinian II’s way which suited the earnest young man just fine, even though there was tension over Norn’s unhelpful opinions on the state of affairs.
Whether this would have developed into a larger problem or would have been solved in time is unknown as the emergence of the Drachenwald Crisis saw Norn summon up what little courage he had and ride to stop the rebels.
This attempt abysmally failed and Norn was summarily executed by the rebels. Forced to acquiesce to the rebel demands, the Regalian Senate was formed to handle most matters of policy, reducing both the Emperor and Arch Chancellor to rubber-stamp offices. History has not looked kindly on Norn I, but he is also considered a tragic figure whose one attempt to finally act decisively ended with his death.
Moriarty I (272-302 AC)
Moriarty I was the eldest son of Norn Kade and came into the role of Arch Chancellor without any power. He soon made common cause with Emperor Justinian II, and the two slowly worked to eliminate the Regalian Senate.
Moriarty eventually came to work through the Senate, founding a political party known as The Dragons. While opposed by many others, the opportunity both the Emperor and the Arch Chancellor had been looking for came in the desire of a nationalist faction to declare war on the Essa Empire.
The Chrysant War eventually engulfed Hadar while at home, the Emperor and Arch Chancellor pushed vote after vote, reducing the power of the Senate. At the end of the war, the two were able to successfully have the Senate disband. Their actions, however, and those of many nobles, came at a cost when revanchist Slizzar and Allar assassins killed Moriarty’s wife and numerous other nobles in reprisal for the lost war.
Justinian and Moriarty worked closely over the coming years to help the reinvigorated Regalian Empire, now free of the Pessimism, to improve and grow. When Justinian’s life neared the end, he signed the Imperial Succession Act (also called the Kade Settlement), naming Moriarty’s son Alexander Kade as his heir. Moriarty I then stepped down from the role of Arch Chancellor and while Alexander temporarily held it for a few months as Crown Prince, the position was ultimately put aside when the Kades left the role and became Emperors under Alexander I.
Trivia
Many modern Chancellors have been forced to work at a distance from the Kade rulers they serve, a contrast to several close partnerships between the Arch Chancellors and Ivrae Emperors of the past. Some believe this is why modern Regalian politics have been so volatile.
Moriarty Kade did not long survive his son’s crowning as Emperor. He died in the Tierraveran-centered rebellion led by a former head of House Anahera in 303 AC, cruelly executed alongside a handful of older elder statespeople who posed a political threat to the Anahera’s efforts at upheaving the status quo.
