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| Regalian Chancellors | |
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| Notable Person | |
| Full Name | Chancellors of Regalia |
| Race | Ailor |
| Claim to Fame | Chancellor/Undercrown of Regalia |
The Chancellors or Undercrowns of Regalia (commonly also referred to as High Rulers of Regalia), were political offices which were positioned at the head of the civil Regalian Empire government, thus being the supreme rulers second only to the Emperor of the Empire. The Chancellor position was originally created by the Five Family Rebellion where the Five Family Concord assigned the Civil Government’s rule to House Kade. House Kade maintained control of this office for nearly 300 years uninterrupted, but the office eventually faded away during the political upheavals of the 4th century. Still, a lot of political actions and offices were inspired or influenced by the High Rulers of Regalia, and many of the rulers policies are still in effect and relevant to modern day politicians.
First Chancellor, Thedmir Kade, The First Chancellor
Thedmir was the first Chancellor of House Kade and the Regalian Empire, who became Chancellor at a relatively advanced age. Thedmir provided the frame of reference for all future Chancellors, though in terms of actual rule, did not compete much with Royal Power unlike his successors would. The vast majority of his rule involved waging wars against the Eastern Kingdoms, as such, he is often seen as a warrior Chancellor who spent very little time actually administering.
Second Chancellor, Caldomir Kade, The Patriarch Chancellor
Caldomir Kade was Thedmir Kade’s oldest son, and inherited the position of Chancellor in 20 BC when he was but 18 years old upon his father’s death. Caldomir is best known as the Patriarch Chancellor because he established the inheritance protocols of the Empire, as well as legal law concerning family, inheritance, and had a large hand in the establishment of the feudal system of the Empire. Caldomir, as such, is generally seen as an able administrator, but his work mostly resided in the confined of the Judiciary and the legal systems, not necessarily the finances or military of the Empire. He was also woefully inactive on the diplomatic front, causing an abrupt halt in wars against the neighboring Kingdoms. Caldomir Kade was the last Kade to marry a low born commoner, and also the last Kade to be an Old Gods worshipper who converted to Unionism (though he had been given the Sacrament of Birth, he was still raised an Old Gods worshiper).
Third Chancellor, Aldomir Kade, The Lazy Chancellor
Aldomir is best remembered for doing absolutely nothing. He is often used in reference to Chancellors who sought not to compete with the crown over Royal Power, and instead just let the Emperor take care of everything. In his personal life, Aldomir was also seen as a weak man, having been married to Leona of Vartown who would later cause many issues to house Kade.
Fourth Chancellor, Tedromar Kade, The Burned Chancellor
Before Tedromar came into his office as Chancellor, he was horribly disfigured by a fiery accident that claimed much of his limbs and visage, leaving him both bedridden, blind and disfigured. It was said that Tedromar was essentially a burnt corpse that somehow clung to the seat of power. As Chancellor, Tedromar was well meaning and bright of mind, but horribly hampered by his physical deformities as well as his overbearing mother who acted as his regent and constantly tried to replace male rule in House Kade with her own daughters. When Tedromar died, House Ivrae intervened in the internal House Kade politics and secured the inheritance of Dwalmar Kade.
Fifth Chancellor, Dwalmar Kade, The Short Chancellor
Dwalmar is barely remembered in the chronicles of the Chancellor’s position because he was a complete recluse that spent most of his years attempting to correct the damages done to family cohesion by Leona of Vartown. Dwalmar was reputedly very short, and died in 120 AC from the bubonic plague outbreaks that terrorized Regalia at the time. Dwalmar died childless, and after a short succession crisis, House Ivrae intervened again and secured the inheritance of Vlaas Kade (commonly called Vladimir due to his Heron-hood), the son of Dwalmar’s long deceased younger brother.
Sixth Chancellor, Vladimir Kade, The Glorious Chancellor
Vladimir Kade ascended to the position of Chancellor in 120 AC at the age of 16 years old, being the youngest Chancellor that was ever appointed. Early on, Royal Power was largely vested in the hands of House Ivrae, as they had long assumed that Vladimir Kade was an incompetent and inexperienced politician, though they would soon be proven wrong. Vladimir slowly built a support base at court through diplomatic marriages, owing to his 6 younger sisters, his wit and sharp tongue, and his striking handsomeness. By 125 AC, he had effectively swayed much of the Emperor’s inner court to his hand, meaning Royal Power was almost completely in the hands of the Chancellor. Having reduced the Emperor’s direct hand in politics to a subnote, Vladimir quickly embarked on a long campaign of subjugation and expansion, annexing most of the neighboring Kingdoms, invading and conquering Etosil, landing an army in Ithania and creating the Sovereign Accords and championing a grand immigration scheme for Ailor across the world. Under his tenure, the Regalian Empire’s population exploded, local produce grew exponentially and the Empire quickly developed into a global superpower. Vladimir would also reach a considerable age of 101 years old before he passed away in 205 AC, leaving behind a legacy of Chancellorship that would never be rivaled by any of his successors. It however also left a serious issue in the inheritance, as all his heirs were of very advanced age.
Seventh Chancellor, Arnold Kade, The One Day Chancellor
Arnold Kade is only remembered for having ruled exactly one day, and even then, he didn’t exactly rule. Within 24 hours of his appointment, he passed away in his bed. Arnold Kade was already on his deathbed from old age by the time his father died. He would pass the seat to his oldest son, Alexander I Kade.
Eight Chancellor, Alexander Kade the First, The Giant Chancellor
Alexander succeeded the Chancellorship at the age of 40, and received his nickname largely on the fact that he was seven feet tall, an extreme anomaly at the time as the average height of even Anglians was six feet. Alexander is best remembered for being an accomplished conqueror and front-line warrior, his ability to lead and fight in the front lines not being rivaled by many to come among his successors. He is however also remembered for being a complete political and economic failure, offending foreign dignitaries on a daily basis and starting a disastrous war with Nordskag, which while victorious, plunged the state into a horrible bankruptcy crisis that he left to his successor.
Ninth Chancellor, Cedmir Kade, The Soldier Chancellor
Cedmir was never intended to become Chancellor, as his older brother Aeldwynn was meant to inherit, though died some years prior to Alexander. Cedmir was largely raised as a soldier, being a Viridian Knight, but not a good state steward. Upon his ascension, a string of short but failed wars against Torse, Arlora and Arvost caused the state to default on its loans. Cedmir Kade, instead of extending the loans and perpetuating the fringe of bankruptcy, simply declared all loans forfeit under the virtue of the Imperial Spirit. In the middle of an already ongoing financial downturn in 228, this caused widespread riots and noble rebellions all across the Regalian Empire. Cedmir then proceeded to cause a period which is known as the Purple Bleeding, where anti-royal rebellions were crushed with excessive force and mass-executions. Cedmir instituted a program of rapid local resettlement, promising land ownership to the soldiers and officers who remained loyal, thus securing the loyalty of the army despite its lack of payments. Many old noble families fell, while other notable military houses were raised up from commoner status purely by having land granted to them in this troublesome period. Cedmir was eventually victorious, establishing a harsh reign that ended the Purple Bleeding and all anti-royal riots, though is not often fondly remembered as having been the period with the largest civilian casualties in Regalian history.
Tenth Chancellors, Tarnan and Sarvan Kade, The Twin Chancellors
House Kade had always had a peculiar high rate of twins being born, though Tarnan and Sarvan were the first born as heirs to the Chancellorship. Tarnan was several minutes older than Sarvan, and thus due to a technicality the only heir, but when he was 11 years old, it was discovered he was a leper. As a stroke of bad luck, his few minute younger twin Sarvan was mentally handicapped and suffered from frequent bouts of epilepsy. Cedmir left the two of them in charge of the Chancellery, reasoning that where Tarnan was frail, Sarvan could supplement him, while Tarnan would guide Sarvan with his mind. The Tenth Chancellor’s Chair is a specific relic to this era, where in the front there is a chair built for Sarvan, while behind the screen there is a bed for Tarnan. Tarnan and Sarvan would rule for 26 long years, Tarnan even becoming 71 years old, long beyond the life expectancy of a leper due to his treatments at the hands of their younger sister Catherine of Axford. Even though Catherine of Axford was denounced from the family formally, she still remained part of the family’s collective in public, and would later go on to champion Light Magic in Anglia, being the only ever recorded Kade family Mage. In terms of legacy, Tarnan and Sarvan are also remembered for championing the Great Industrial Expansion of the Empire, laying the foundations of First Contact with the Dwarves, which led to a massive increase of mining operations and industrial capacity. The use of Dwarven machinery increased production in regalia three fold, making Regalia once more a global superpower in the wake of the rebellions that terrorized Cedmir’s rule. Tarnan and Sarvan quickly died in rapid succession of one another, leaving Morgann as heir.
Eleventh Chancellor, Morgann Kade, The Golden Sun Chancellor
Morgann Kade always presents a dubious challenge to scholars, as his rule is defined by both accelerated financial growth, but also horrible decadence, court intrigue and foul schemes that dominated the Empire. Morgann Kade was a sexual deviant, engaging in depraved acts of hedonism both in the Imperial Palace and the Imperial Chancellery. His rule of Royal Power was cemented even further when Justinian the First inherited the Imperial Throne, Justinian himself being frail and weak of mind, offering absolutely no resistance to the Chancellor’s domineering presence. Morgann Kade was essentially treated as if he was the Emperor, and acted like it too. Morgann ruled the Palace with an iron fist, executing anyone who would whisper ill of him, and just throwing courtiers in a beast cage just because he could. The vast majority of his heirs died in these dangerous games, save for Norn Kade, his youngest son, who would later succeed him. Despite all of Morgann’s horrible behaviors, he was perhaps the most financially gifted Chancellor that ever was, exceeding Vladimir’s capacity to bring wealth to the Empire. Many scholars speculate the reason why he was so skilled in finance, was largely because he wanted to keep funding his opulent rule, but also because he needed the finances to bribe any would be conservative from lashing out against his decadence. Whatever the cause, he established the Regalian House of Trade and the Regalian Finance Ministry, placing a cousin on each head positions. He is credited for having created the vast financial tariff system that chokes out foreign traders, but also made Regalia the wealthiest Empire in the world. By the time of his death, he left the Empire’s coffers so filled that even his successor wasn’t able to spend all the money he had procured during his rule.
Twelfth Chancellor, Norn Kade, The Unfortunate Chancellor
Norn, in comparison to his decadent and hedonistic father Morgann, was a very simple devout and chaste Chancellor. He was relatively unassuming, had a promising start, but quickly fell to depression when his first two wives quickly died in succession in childbirth. Norn’s rule went synonymous with the era that is best remembered as the Regalian Pessimism, a period in which Unionism itself showed flaws that caused society to become disinterested in the further spreading of the cause, and the Empire’s expansion came to a halt. Norn Kade would eventually marry Morgannan (perhaps a cold irony in context of his father), who would sire him three children that survived birth. Shortly after his oldest son became of age however, a rebellion broke out in the van Sherburne lands against the opulence of the van Sherburne family, remnants of Morgann’s rule. Norn Kade died in battle against the Baron’s Army, and the Regalian Empire was forced to accept the demands of the Baron’s Coalition or suffer the mass execution of all Noble House heads who were captured. The Chancellor’s position was essentially reduced to rubble and nothingness, as the entire Chancellery was replaced with the Regalian Senate.
Thirteenth Chancellor, Moriarty Kade, The Last Chancellor
While Moriarty Kade is technically not the last Chancellor (some non-Kade Chancellors succeeded him), he is generally seen as the last Kade Chancellor who ruled for more than a year (which is often the term limit his successors would hold). Moriarty came to the position young and utterly out of power due to the Regalian Senate usurping most of the Chancellor’s office responsibilities. Moriarty and Emperor Justinian the Second were good friends, more so than previous Chancellors had been with Emperors, and the two of them worked tirelessly to destroy the Baron’s Coalition’s influence on Regalian Politics, and to end the Regalian Pessimism. Together with an extreme nationalist faction in the Senate, and the Kade led intellectual faction, the Empire embarked on a mass-genocidal war against the Allar and Slizzar of the Essa Empire to the south, ending the Regalian Pessimism with a massive plot of Unionist fervor and nationalism. With success in the war and military momentum at an all time high, the Emperor and Chancellor disbanded the Regalian Senate and re-established Absolute Monarchy in the Empire. This all came at a great cost however, as Moriarty’s wife and various family members were all assassinated by Slizzar revenge extremists. After the war time victories, Moriarty would prove to be a stable if somewhat uneventful Chancellor, until he retired in favor of his son Alexander. While Alexander is technically the Fourteenth Chancellor, he is often omitted since his office only lasted three months before he inherited the throne of the Regalian Empire, after which Moriarty returned from his retirement to assume the position of Chancellor. Moriarty eventually died in office at the hands of Andrieu Anahera.
Fourteenth Chancellor, Ulric Typhonus, The Perching Eagle Chancellor
Ulric Typhonus was Chancellor for a relatively short time compared to other Chancellors, as well as his rule being segmented in two separate periods with an intermission, though he is generally credited for being the first non Kade to hold office of Chancellor. Emperor Alexander I’s progressive rule decreed that a non-Kade should become Chancellor so as to prevent complete government control of House Kade and resentment from the nobility, resulting in the appointment of Ulric Typhonus by popular vote of the State Council, a body of advising nobles. Ulric is often framed as having been a complacent Chancellor who simply let things happen without providing for much control, though many conservatives credit him for keeping the Empire stable in a time where it was suffering invasions and social unrest. If anything, his lack of outward rule actually caused minimal extra strain on the Government. Even though Ulric would become Chancellor again after the Anahera rule, this period was so short that it is generally not considered part of his tenure.
Fifteenth Chancellor, The Anahera End
The Anahera End is not formally recognized as an actual Chancellorship, both due to the fact that it was ran by Theresa Anahera and Andrieu Anahera exchangeably, but also because the latter was later declared a traitor and a heretic of the worst kind, and the former simply disappeared from public display with her family. Their tenure was unstable and unpolitical, dominated by struggles between the nobility and a severe lack of outward vision. While Theresa Anahera is generally credited for increasing the state’s income with tax reforms, all good intentions were undone with Andrieu Anahera, who would later also make a permanent end to the seat of Chancellorship. Indeed, when their rule was over and Ulric Typhonus was restored for a short amount of time, Emperor Alexander I decreed various different forms of government, though no real Chancellery would ever return to Regalia. Some would have considered the Undercrown positions to be the natural successor to the Chancellor’s positions, which is why they are formally part of the sequence of supreme secular rulers of Regalia, though the distinction is clearly made that they were not Chancellors.
First Undercrown, Charles Montagaard, The Iron Fist Undercrown
Charles Montagaard is best remembered for being an iron-fisted Undercrown who used military force, intimidation and physical oppression to establish a rule of strong reactionary conservatism. He championed several laws which turned back some of previous Emperor Alexander I’s progressivism, while also frequently coming to blows with the notable noble families of the Empire and even the consort of Emperor Cedromar the First. Charles Montagaard eventually died in office when the global Geopolitics Crisis commenced, at the hands of an Elven Army.
Second Undercrown, Albaer Ravenstad, The Silken Undercrown
Albaer Ravenstad had the shortest tenure of a high ruler ever, and is often shrouded in tales of supposed debauchery, though none of it was ever proven. Being of advanced age, Albaer stacked his ministry with many females, the first and also last of its kind, before eventually being ousted from office at the hands of an Imperial Inquest. Albaer did attempt to enforce some military reforms over the Regalian Guard and the House Guard system of Regalia, which is what he is mostly remembered for, though he would ultimately be the actual last high ruler, being replaced by the Consuls who would share power with the Imperial Assembly after his removal from office, bringing about the permanent end to single-seat government rule.
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