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| Arch-Chancellors | |
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| Notable Person | |
| Race | Ailor |
| Claim to Fame | Heads of the Regalian Government |
The Arch Chancellor of Regalia was a political office which was positioned at the head of the civil Regalian Empire government, thus being the supreme ruler second only to the Emperor of the Empire. The Arch 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 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)
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. What is most significant is that Thedmir’s tenure saw the precedent of Co-Chancellorship established after he married Marianne Vermeer, which coincidentally saw one of the Five Families absorbed into House Kade. Besides this main event, the two Chancellors hardly competed with royal power, and instead set up the framework for future Chancellors. When Marianne Kade passed away in 21 AC, Thedmir Kade chose to resign from the position of Arch Chancellor, allowing his teenage son Caldomir to ascend.
Caldomir I (21-49 AC) & Annaleora I (32-49 AC)
Caldomir Kade ascended to the Chancellery at the age of 15 following the death of his mother Marianne Kade. He is often known as the Patriarch Chancellor, as 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. It was during his tenure that the Regalian Empire fought through the First Hecarian Conflict in 28 AC, which saw the Lordship of Vixhall established as House Ivrae’s stronghold, with the remaining northern territories of the Hecarian Kingdom absorbed four years later in 32 AC. Like his predecessor, Caldomir also appointed his wife Annaleora I as Co-Chancellor, and together the two of them ruled competently for the next several years. In regards to religion, both Chancellors became the first Kade converts to Unionism at the behest of Emperor Theomar I, with the remaining Five Families following soon after.
Aldomir I (49-55 AC)
Aldomir Kade was the eldest son of Caldomir and Annaleora Kade, and was known as the “Lazy Chancellor” for doing nothing during his tenure, content with letting Theomar ruling without interference. Eventually, he was forced to resign his position due to pressure from his siblings in 55 AC, making him the first Arch Chancellor to be deposed rather than through resignation.
Eotranna I (55-60 AC)
Eotranna Kade was the only daughter of Caldomir and Annaleora Kade, and was the first sole female Kade Chancellor. Eotranna would prove to be a competent ruler, and her tenure would see the Kade Chancellery inherit more governing powers from the Emperor, who has begun to focus solely on religious matters rather than secular rule. Unfortunately, Eotranna would pass away in 60 AC after succumbing to a seasonal illness, but not before setting a precedent for capable female politicians in the Regalian Government.
Tedromar I (60-65 AC)
Tedromar Kade was the second son of Caldomir and Annaleora Kade. Unfortunately, he was horribly disfigured by a fiery accident, earning him the nickname of “The Burned Chancellor.” While Tedromar was well meaning and bright of mind, his handicaps ultimately forced him to stay bedridden for most of his tenure, before he eventually passed away in 65 AC.
Dwalmar I (65-67 AC)
Dwalmar Kade was the third brother of Aldomir, Eotranna, and Tedromar, and found himself the Arch Chancellor following Tedromar’s death in 65 AC. Known as the “Short Chancellor” due to his height, he passed away in 67 AC from a plague outbreak in the Crown Isle, causing the Chancellery to fall to the final brother of the family, Arnold Kade.
Arnold I (67 AC)
Arnold Kade was the final son of Caldomir and Annaleora Kade, and had one of the shortest tenures of all Arch Chancellors (but not the shortest). Known as the “Apathetic Chancellor,” Arnold’s tenure saw the death of Emperor Theomar I and ascension of his son Lilienmar I to the Imperial Throne. Seeing an opportunity to create a blank slate for the Regalian Government, Arnold resigned his position after only a few months into his rule, declaring his nephew Betheoric Kade as his successor.
Betheoric I (67-79 AC)
Betheoric was the son of Aldomir Kade, and was appointed as Arch Chancellor following his uncle Arnold Kade’s resignation. Unlike his previous uncles, Betheoric was a capable administrator, who saw the Iltar Kingdom absorbed into the Empire after orchestrating a coup that saw the Iltar King’s brother placed on the throne, who in turn gave all territory to Regalia. Betheoric’s tenure also saw the start of the First Holy Skagger War, which he fought in personally until his death in 79 AC.
Betheoric II (79-89 AC)
Betheoric II was the eldest son of his father of the same name, and served for a decade before death in 89 AC. During his tenure, Betheoric II oversaw the Bergerlander War, which saw the fallen republic’s treasury funneled back to the Crown Isle. Betheoric also began to set up the shipyards that would build the Imperial Navy, an action that would be completed by his successor. Unfortunately, Betheoric would pass away in 89 AC after succumbing to a hunting wound sustained a week before.
Betheoric III (89-97 AC)
Betheoric III was the eldest son of his father Betheoric II. Like his predecessor, Betheoric III would expand the Regalian Empire by waging the Second Hecarian Conflict with Emperor Henri I. His tenure would end during the Years of the Three Emperors, where he would be found dead alongside Emperor Carvallais I, both seemingly victims of the same assassination plot, with rumours at the time indicating that the Virdian Order played a hand in the Arch Chancellor’s demise.
Maenarra I (97-104 AC)
Maenarra I was the wife of Betheoric III, and succeeded him as Chancellor following his assasination. There were only two notable events from the Regalian Chancellery at the time. One event being the kidnapping attempt of Princess Amelia Ivrae by bandits from the Daendroque states in 103 AC an action which has earned the small nation a reputation as a criminal state even into modern times. The second, and arguably more important event, occurred three years priot in 100 AC with the sanctioning of the Azure Order under Grand Vigil Nicholas, ushering two centuries of anti-magic crackdowns in the Regalian Empire. Maenarra would resign her position as Chancellor in 104 AC, placing her eldest daughter in the position.
Ellenore I (104-110 AC)
Ellenore was the eldest child of Betheoric and Maenarra Kade, and took control of the Chancellery following her mother’s resignation. It was under Ellenore that the Regalian Empire began to absorb some of the fringe lands of the fallen Wirtemcaller Kingdom, pushing back the Skagger Horde into modern day Opper Calem. Unfortunately, Ellenore would end up like her father, and she was found poisoned in the Chancellor’s office in 110 AC, with her final will starting one of the most unique tenures of the Empire.
Tarnan I & Sarvan I (110-119AC)
Tarnan and Sarvan were the first twins to rule as Co-Chancellors, an action their sister Ellenore deemed necessary in her will. Unfortunately, Tarnan was discovered to be a leper early on in his childhood, and Sarvan was mentally handicapped, suffering from bouts of epilepsy. Thus Ellanore believed that while Tarnan was frail, Sarvan could supplement him, while Tarnan would guide Sarvan with his mind. The Twin Chancellors’ 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. Under their joint tenure, the Sudlander Principality freely joined the Regalian Empire, and the Republic of Lusits became a nation of interest, with delegates sent to the oligarchic courts to set the stages for what was to eventually come. Sarvan would die early in 119 AC, with Tarnan several months later, leaving the Chancellery to one of the most important figures in Regalian History.
Vlaas I (119-205 AC)
Vlaas Kade ascended to the position of Arch Chancellor at the age of 16, and from the beginning history was fated to favor his life. In 122 AC, Emperor Henri III foiled the Viridian Coup Attempt, restoring Imperial Prestige which had long since been diminished. One of his first acts was to call for the Second Holy Skagger War, which Vlaas spearheaded by using his charismatic, dominating personality to rally soldiers to continue the war against the Skagger Horde into what would become Greater Drixagh. With Regalia pushing through the north, Vlaas immediately began to focus on the future of Regalia, and set his eyes on the Isle of Etosil which had long been in the shadows of the Regalian Archipelago, but never fully incorporated. With his landing in 127 AC, the entire state was annexed into the Empire, with the Chancellor allowing citizens of Etosil to finally return to the Regalian Archipelago, ending the exile that lasted for nearly a century. Vlaas set up what would be known as the Hellatian States in the southeast of the Archipelago for the Etosian Ailor, while allowing the Krainivaya riders of Essalonia to settle new territories in Drixagh, creating the Petty Principality of Volgaria in the process, an action which earned him the appreciation of the militarily-inclined Ailor, who immediately convinced the Etosian Patriarch to declare him Hero Vladimir of Chancellors though Vlaas himself never referred to himself as a Living Hero, simply content with adding a new state to the Empire.
The next great feats of Vlaas Kade began with the landing and subjugation of Ithania in 150 AC, which coincided with the start of the Ithanian Gem Boom, leading to a massive population migration to the areas of Vixhall, Pays-Sud, and Rivellia. A year later in 151 AC, the Kingdom of Catalon freely joined the Empire, with the states of Visois and Andois being incorporated in 152 AC. This time in Vlaas’s career saw the Empire continue to prosper, and even when Emperor Henri III died in 166 AC, the Empire was still growing stronger and more influential. When Emperor Allamaria I ascended to the throne, Vlaas saw another opportunity to finish up Regalia’s expansion across the Archipelago. After sailing the Imperial Navy to the Eerstwald Kingdom in 178 AC, the latter promptly surrendered in a battle-less war, which was followed up by the Skagger Horde retreating from Drixagh in 179 AC. All that was left was the Genevaud Cantons, which had miraculously avoided Regalian hegemony for centuries longer than their neighbors, fighting off attempts of regional lords to annex them. Not wanting to declare war on a Unionist population, Vlaas sent a delegation to the Genevaud, who promptly joined the Empire as the Lordship of Genevaud in 180 AC.
With the Regalian Archipelago fully united under Imperial control, Vlaas began to focus on consolidation. However, he did approve of the exploration of Kelmoria in 184 AC, and also approved the Ithanian colonization attempts in Fendarfelle in 200 AC. Though as all good things come to an end, Vlaas’s health soon began to wear on him. He would pass away in 205 AC at the significant age of 102 years old (a feat for the time before an industrialized Regalia), and forever be remembered as the Glorious Chancellor that turned Regalia into a local player and the Archipelago into a formal sea-spanning Empire.
Arnold II (205 AC)
Arnold II was known as the “One Day Chancellor,” and only symbolically held the title for less than a day. In fact, he was already on his deathbed from old age by the time his father died. Due to his short duration as Chancellor, and the previous Arnold I’s swift rule as well, House Kade ceased naming their children Arnold, 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)
The joint tenure of Co-Chancellors Cedmir and Alexander Kade were seen as the inevitable downfall after the glorious reign of Vlaas Kade. While the Colony of Silverwind was established in 211 AC, Emperor Allestrain I’s short reign saw the Regalian Military sail across Aloria, with Arch Chancellor Alexander “the Giant” (rumored to have been 7 feet tall) leading forces in his name. When Allestrain I passed away and his son Handorien II ascended to the Imperial Throne, Cedmir Kade began to note the income coming into the Empire was far less than was going out. This all came to a climax in 214 AC, after Alexander ended three short lived wars against Arlora, Torse, and Arvost. Cedmir’s worst nightmare came true, as excessive military spending saw the Regalian coffers drained, leading to a time known as the Purple Bleeding. Wishing to get back to war, Alexander alongside Handorien II declared all debts owed by the Regalian Empire were declared null and void, and promptly ordered the military to suppress the rebellions that broke out, granting them territories from the old nobility that were unable to weather the financial catastrophe. Within a year, Alexander annexed Basqilerra, and began a war with the Kingdom of Nordskag, desiring to finish what his grandfather had nearly ended when the Skagger Wars concluded in 179 AC. Alexander would be killed in battle against the Nordskaggers in 216 AC, forcing Cedmir to resign in shame a few days later, fearful that he would be the victim of assasination now that his giant of a brother was no longer there to assert the Chancellery’s dominance. He would be succeeded by his only son, a man whose tenure was steeped in controversy.
Morgann I (216-256 AC)
Morgann Kade’s tenure as Chancellor remains one of the most hotly debated subjects to modern day scholars, with some commending him for ending the Purple Bleeding, while others vilify him as an egotistical dictator that ultimately caused the Regalian Pessimism. Though with that said, Morgann’s first few years of rule were some of the most critical. His first few actions were to aggressively expand into Daen, which saw the Governorates of Daenshore, Caslin, and Amaolits annexed and established in 219 AC. The following year saw the Governorate of Bastierra created, and soon the income generated by the lumber, Tabacca, and Opium industry started to bring much needed income into the Empire’s coffers, essentially creating a second Blessed Reign in a few short years.
However, Morgann’s ambitions did not end there, and it was now with income to spare that the first signs of concern began to show. When Handorien II died in 219 AC, he was succeeded by his son Justinian I. To Morgann, Justinian was a golden opportunity, as the Emperor was slow of mind, prone to epileptic episodes, and was easily influenced with the right words. All of these culminated into an Imperial Decree, which granted Morgann religious prerogative over the Empire. While the vessel of the Imperial Spirit resided in the Emperor, Morgann would be the final authority on the Spirit’s messages, essentially usurping the powers of the Unionist priesthood and the Primae-Celate. With his power now including the power of religious primacy, Morgann soon declared that Justinian had died after a severe seizure, though many scholars question whether murder was involved.
Whatever the case, the reign of the Seasonal Emperors began with Justinian’s passing, and would continue for the rest of his life. Morgann’s first act after the ascension of Handorien III was to annex the Kingdom of Kausis in 224 AC in retaliation for the Ohrneti Ailors’ attack on a merchant vessel several years before. With a demonstration of military prowess, Morgann began to run the Empire as he saw fit. He would throw lavish parties at the Imperial Palace, present courtesans to his favored bureaucrats, and see those he disliked removed from relevance, often mysteriously disappearing mere days after disagreeing with the Arch Chancellor. In fact, Morgann’s ego was so large that he styled himself as the Golden Sun Chancellor, believing that his rising from bed each morning set the day in motion. He renamed the Chancellery to "Le Court de Soleil" and enforced the haute Ithanian Culture in the Imperial Court, completely barring the nobility from speaking any language besides d’Ithanie in the process. This ultimately isolated the Wirtem and other conservative elements, who made no secret proclaiming that Morgann Kade had turned the Chancellery into a brothel (which he actually did). However, Morgann saw that these outcries never left the eastern realms, and even went as far as to fire the entire Board of Admirals and State Academy of Officer’s administration, causing a "brain drain" in the Regalian Military.
Despite his hedonistic pursuits, Morgann did bring the Empire into a second golden age, and saw a few more territorial expansions. Expeditions to Essalonia began in 240 AC, with Silsaerimas and Dormin annexed the same year. He also successfully saw Nordskag join the Empire after a three year long battle with Markus Krumme surrendering in 252, completing a conquest that his uncle Alexander paid his life for. However, Morgann’s power trip eventually had him lose sight of reality, as his constant swapping of Seasonal Emperors left him blind to the ascent of Vilgemar I.
At first Morgann paid him no heed, as Vilgemar was mostly concerned with having fun and carefree about Imperial rule, but was soon caught off guard in 256 AC during one of the many lavish parties in the Imperial Palace. Morgann publicly called out Vilgemar for appointing his Viridian brother as an Imperial Guard, throwing shade at the Emperor for his actions. However, Vilgemar clapped back, and stated that the Emperor was the Vessel of the Imperial Spirit, and that insulting the Vessel of the Spirit is heresy. Caught by surprise at the first real challenge of his power by an Emperor, Morgann had the edict signed by Justinian I brought to Vilgemar, which confirmed the Arch Chancellor’s position as the final authority on religious matters. Rather than accepting the law, Vilgemar instead ripped the edict up in front of the gathered nobility, before ordering his Imperial Guards to seize the Chancellor. Declared a traitor and a heretic, Morgann Kade met his unceremonious end as the Emperor personally executed him, before declaring that the position of Chancellor was dissolved, dying alongside the man who tried to play God with the Imperial Spirit. Today, Morgann Kade is more publicly known as 'The Morgannt,' which is also a name given to tyrannical rulers who care more about their own selfish ambitions than the wellbeing of those beneath them.
The Years Without a Chancellery (256-263 AC)
After the execution of Morgann Kade, Emperor Vilgemar I began a purge of the Regalian Government of all Kade Influence. The brothel of "Le Court de Soleil" was scrubbed clean of hedonistic pursuits, and hundreds of Kade bureaucrats and loyalists were removed from their positions. Every aspect of the Empire saw a purge of Kade power, from the Regalian Judiciary to the Regalian Military, which once again saw Wirtem leaders return to their traditional positions at the war tables. Even with the position of Arch Chancellor dissolved, the Empire still seemed to run smoothly. Contact with the Dwarves in 260 AC sparked the first gears of industrialization in the Empire, which saw heavy investment into modernizing technology. This period also saw the liberations of tens of thousands of slaves by the Emperor's hand, created a period of celebration with the removal of the Morgannt.
As the Empire began to modernize, an unforeseen action of Vilgemar’s purge began to take route. Only as the coffers started to run out much the same as they did under Cedmir I that reality sank in: Morgann Kade was a financial mastermind. While everyone initially viewed the late Chancellor as nothing more than an egotistical hedonist, investigations soon revealed that Morgann had meticulously perfected the Regalian economy by carefully investing into certain industries, all which went to pay for his lavish lifestyle. When the Kade purge was enacted, the removal of core Kade bureaucrats caused the very sensitive system to collapse in on itself, which was made even worse by the Emperor's emancipation policies and parties celebrating the freedom of tyranny. As reality began to sink in, one woman stepped up to try and correct the rapid decline of the Regalian economy. In an ironic twist of fate, Vilgemar would do the unthinkable, and appoint the daughter of Morgann Kade as the first Arch Chancellor of a restored Kade Governance to try and remedy the situation.
Aliandre I (263-269 AC)
Upon her ascension under the revived Chancellery, Aliandre Kade was already met with another crisis. Within days of her tenure, a Silver crash started in Silsaerimas which expanded outwards, which caused Dormin to secede from the failing state, yet remaining part of the Empire. Not caring to continue her father’s legacy, Aliandre immediately declared an austerity movement on all levels of the Regalian Government. State parties were held in bare ballrooms, with the food selection for the nobility reflecting that of the commoners they ruled over. While these measures did slow down the decline of finances, they did not go far enough. In Dragenthal, the House van Sherburne, one of the three surviving Five Families with influence since the death of Marianne Cadar in 198 AC, had continued the lavish displays they had under Morgann Kade, with Olgorr van Sherburne creating various new taxes to fund their lifestyle since the death of the Chancellor. On top of it all, the next crisis occured in 268 AC, when the Regalian Navy sailed to save as many lives as possible as the Destruction of Ceardia took place. Even as the situation looked deary and the first signs of the Regalian Pessimism began to take hold, Aliandre continued to run the government with a level head, spending countless hours with advisors trying to mitigate the damage to the economy. Eventually she succeeded with flatlining the economy, but the years of stress ultimately caught up to her. At the relatively young age of 43, Aliandre Kade passed away, requesting in her last will and testament to forego a state funeral in order to prevent the coffers from going negative once more. Although only serving for six years, Aliandre is still fondly remembered by many in the Regalian Empire as a capable administrator who was able to soften the damage of the Regalian Pessimism for a time.
Norn I (269-272 AC)
Norn Kade was the brother of Aliandre Kade, though the two couldn’t be more opposite. Whereas Aliandre accepted the state of the government and tried to persevere, Norn was a pessimist and ultimately did little to improve the Empire’s affairs, content with having the newly enthroned Justinian II to deal with it. As the Pessimist Chancellor and namesake for this period of history, Norn I’s only significant action was sending aid to Olgar van Sherburne, who had just caused the Bloodbaths of Inner Drachenwald in 271 AC. Leading an Imperial Host, Norn would ultimately be killed by the Barons Coalition at the Battle of Lausitze, alongside many Imperial Loyalists in what would be the only successful rebellion in Regalian history.
Moriarty I (272-302 AC)
Moriarty came to the position of Arch Chancellor utterly out of power due to the Regalian Senate usurping most of his responsibilities. Moriarty and Emperor Justinian II were good friends, more so than previous Chancellors had been with Emperors, and the two of them worked tirelessly to destroy the Barons 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 the Chrysant 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 infiltrators. 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 an Arch 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 Arch Chancellor. Moriarty eventually died at the hands of Andrieu Anahera.
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