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Virtuous Handorien the First’s reign could not have come at a worse time. After the great strides made by his father Allamaria and his great uncle chancellor Vladimir Kade, the eighth Emperor spent his decade of rule transitioning from the old guard into the new. Filled with intrigue amongst the Imperial Court and nobility, Handorien’s rule saw factions rise and fall in record time and the changing of Regalian Chancellors in rapid succession. Despite the constant shake ups at the highest positions of authority, the rule of Handorien led to one notable change that still remains to this day: the expansion of the Regalian Judiciary to cover the common man.
| Handorien I | |
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| Notable Person | |
| Full Name | Handorien Ivrae se Sange |
| Race | Ithanian Ailor |
| Date of Birth | April 21st, 147 AC |
| Date of Death | October 4th, 200 AC |
| Claim to Fame | Eighth Emperor of Regalia, expanded the Regalian Judiciary |
Origins and Early Life
Handorien was born on April 21st, 147 AC, to his father the Crown Prince Allamarich Ivrae de Sange and the Sovereign of Ithania Leïasse the Westerling. The union of a New Regalian Emperor-to-be and a Ithanian Sovereign went as well as one could expect, as the two only marginally showed interest in one another to please Emperor Henri III and Chancellor Vladimir Kade, who arranged the marriage shortly after his conquest of Ithania. Eventually the Sovereign gave birth to Handorien, and the question of where he would be raised became the topic of the Imperial Court. After two weeks of debate between the Emperor, the Crown Prince and the Sovereign, Chancellor Vladimir Kade eventually won out by siding with the two Ithanians, thus sealing the baby’s fate to be sent to Ithania to learn the ways of his mother.
Handorien was sent with his mother to the Ithainian capital where he was immediately brought up with the Princois Decelles. While several principles did not fully catch on to the future Regalian Emperor, the boy did take to heart the freedoms of expression and high class that his mother’s court brought to him, becoming a well-mannered prince in time. In 161 AC, Henri III passed away and Allamarich ascended to the throne as Allamaria I, with his first decree being to send for his son from the Ithanian Sovereignty. The now teenage Crown Prince was sent back to Regalia, where his New Regalian father would attempt to instill what few values he could into his now developed son, leading Handorien to become a Viridian Knight. While the Order itself was only a fragment of what it once was since the failed coup of 122 AC, the Crown Prince fit well with the knightly atmosphere, mentoring under one Yvrize Clair-vois-blanc during his time at the castle. He would graduate a decade later in 132 AC, and Handorien returned to Ithania for a brief stay. There he would marry Yvette the Magenta Princess at the behest of his still reigning mother, and would bring her to the capital the following year.
The remainder of Handorien’s time as the Crown Prince would be rather uneventful and he would spend most of his time engaging both the Regalian and Ithanian courts, with his Empress-to-be becoming quite a favorite with both sides due to her public lifestyle. Scholars tend to put this part of Handorien’s life as insignificant to him personally, but invaluable to the peace between both nations after Valdimir’s Conquest. But as such things come to pass, so too did the time as Crown Prince, with Allamaria I passing away in 190 AC.
History
Handorien ascended to the Imperial Seat one week after his father’s passing, becoming the Eighth Emperor of the Regalian Empire. Many expected the Viridian Emperor to immediately return to the degradation of his predecessor Henri I, but were pleasantly surprised at what came instead. His old mentor Yvrize was elected as the Viridian Primae early into his reign and the two set out to prevent the actions of previous Emperors from ever affecting the Viridians again. In time, Handorien and the Primae would combine the ideals of both the New Regalians and Ithanians into a philosophical treatise which would birth the Knightly Codes of Honor. Upon their publication in the Imperial Court in 192 AC, military orders such as the Viridians would be bound to a rigid structure of honor and service, ensuring the loyalty of those who would be brought up in their ways. For his part in forming these codes, Primae Clair-vois-blanc would be honored after his death in 193 AC, canonized as Yvrize Chattelois the Noble, Heron of Knights.
Unfortunately for the Emperor, this would not be the first death to impact his life. For a few years later, after a lengthy career serving many Emperors, Vladimir Kade passed away from old age. And exactly one day later, his successor Arnold Kade passed away. His son Alexander Kade the Giant would take the mantle of Chancellor, though that would be the least of the Emperor’s worries. Many at the Imperial Court knew that Valdimir’s time was up and began to form blocs around Arnold Kade near the end of the Glorious Chancellor's life. Though with the passing of Arnold in rapid succession, the games of intrigue were thrown into the eyes of the Emperor, with several ministers and nobles mysteriously vanishing from the courtly life, replaced by their heirs and replacements. While the Emperor was known to be playing no part in these affairs, he did take note of the constant infighting with the nobility and, with his Empress, he would distract many of the key players in court with various festivities. This ultimately worked to an extent, with the various factions uniting and forming their own blocs in the Imperial Court, ending the chaotic fragmentation of the palace.
During these chaotic years of rule, Hanodrien I saw the Regalian Judiciary work to unprecedented levels of stagnation, as various nobles utilized the newly established courts to see their rivals removed from power, bogging down the Justicars in many petty cases with upjumped charges. After petitions arose from the Head Justicar for reforms, Handorein obliged. He would spend the next several years reworking the Judiciary from the ground up, eliminating many of the loopholes used by the nobility through the implementation of Factis Credis and Factis Actis, as well as the Panel of Peers. During these reforms, Handorien decided that with the expansion of the Judiciary came the desire to have their reach extend further than noble affairs. And so through an Imperial Edict, the Emperor opened up the Lesser Courts to First Class Citizens (which at the time consisted only of Ailor), which worked in much the same way as the noble court, minus the Panel of Peers. For his work, Handorien saw the return of order to the Judiciary, with many of the abusive nobles severely penalized for wasting the court’s time and resources for political machinations.
Later Life
With the Judiciary reformed and the Knightly Codes ensuring the stability of the Empire, Handorien started to look outwards alongside his new Chancellor. However, due to unknown causes still debated to this day, he succumbed to an illness and passed away in the latter part of 200 AC. Having reigned for a mere decade in total, Handorien I led the Empire through one of its more chaotic times. He was succeeded by his son Allestrain Ivrae de Sange, who would go on to lead the Emperor through subjugations and conflicts with foreign powers.
Personality
Handorien I was a fairly soft spoken individual in his youth, no doubt due to the matriarchal focus of his Ithanian upbringing. However, after his Viridian graduation, he became a very outspoken individual, mostly bringing up virtues of true honor and chivalry to the often scheming nobles around him. Religiously, he was as devout a Unionist as any other, though due to his position as the Crown Prince and later Emperor, he would focus more on religious discussion rather than outright worship. In terms of character, he was one to remain genuine and honorable, earning the title of the Virtuous due to his conduct with others.
Legacy
Three things come to mind when discussing the legacy of Handorien I. First, he managed to lead the Empire through a tumultuous time, with the passing of the stabilizing factor that was Vladmir Kade, as well as his father Allamaria I and Arnold Kade. Secondly, his work with Heron Yvrize saw the creation of the Knightly Codes, many of which remain unchanged to this day. And finally, his expansion of the Regalian Judiciary saw the courts reach the commoners of the Empire, creating a lasting opinion of the Regalian justice system as one of resilience and truth in the face of corrupt individuals.
Extended Family
Handorein married Yvette the Magenta Princess and the two produced four daughters before their son Allestrain was born. He was the great-nephew of Valdimir Kade, making him and Chancellor Alexander the Giant Kade second cousins through his grandmother, Ellea Kade.
Trivia
- Handorien’s mother Leïasse the Westerling drafted the Princois Calembaise after the Crown Prince returned to Regalia, aimed at targeting House Cadar for raising Allamaria in the infant New Regalian culture. Over time, House Cadar was absorbed into House Typhonus, though the Princois Calembaise remained as a political nod to the Sovereign’s attempts at preventing the “eastern menace” from damaging Ithanian Culture.
- Despite being raised Ithanian, Handorein seemed to be even more moral than his conservative father Allamaria, who was rumored to have participated in the Cult of Virility a few times.
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