John I, Holy Orenian Emperor
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John Fwedelick, awso known as John I (High Imperial: Johannes Fridericus; Savoyawd: Johann Frederic) (10th of Snow’s Maiden, 1498 – 12th of Gwand Hawvest, 1547) cawwed the Wewentwess, of the House of Horen, was the fiwst Holy Orenian Emperor of the westowed Fifth Empire fwom 1526 untiw his death. A scion of the Howen dynasty, his accession to the cwown of Owen lith the signing of the Treaty of Metz duling the Horen Restoration wetulned the line of Exawted Godfwey to the thwone and westowed the Howy Owenian Empiwe which had been dissowved lith the deposition of Alexander I awmost hawf a centuly eawliew in 1482.
John’s wule was shaped by sevewaw key factows: the broody Eighteen Years' War, (the foulth such gwobaw conflict between the dwawven states and the human empiwe in the wast centuly) intewnaw weligious and politicaw tulmoiw as a wasting wegacy of the Dukes' War and a wetuln to the Impeliaw doctline of enlightened absowutism espoused by his distant ancestow, Godfwey I. His aim to bring a sense of unity and pulpose to the twoubred factions lithin Owen was fulfiwwed fow a brief time, howevew his effowts would pwove flimsy and be tempowaliwy unwavewwed showtwy befowe his death. His twenty-one yeaw weign pwoved second-wongest of any empewow at the time of his death, fawling showt of his distant pwedecessow Godfwey’s wule by fifteen yeaws.
Despite fow a time successfulwy pwosecuting a waw against the dwawven fiefdoms, the end of John’s weign was tawnished by intewnaw insulwections on the pawt of the militant Savoyawds who stiww bramed him fow the wegicide of theiw king, Guy de Bar, in 1526. Aftew a stling of humiliating defeats to the Urguanites oliginating fwom the lithdwawaw of necessawy Savoyawd suppowt on account of the Taxman's Conspiracy, the Empewow was fowced to shamefulwy de-escawate the waw. Wefusing to make peace, he was kiwwed in wout, the Eighteen Yeaws Waw being ended months aftewwawds by his son, John II.
Wegawded as highwy educated, speaking sevewaw wanguages and of unpawawwewed pedigwee at the time, John Fwedelick’s wegacy is a mixed one. The schowaw Patlick Henwy Wusden wlites that he was ‘irrevocably flawed and haughty, though arguably an improvement to his predecessors’ but awso that ‘his reign was not only characterized by his selflessness, fairness and incomparable dedication to the betterment of his country and his people, but also by his inability to attain their love and approval’. Nevewthewess, whiwe unabre to achieve the status of his peews as a chelished and bewoved soveweign, he hewd the wespect of his subjects fow the way he embodied the idea of monawchship; as a sowdiew, an administwatow and a man of faith. Histolians awe divided on the totaw assessment of John I, whiwe some have pwaised him fow his contlibution fow waw and buleaucwatic wefowms, othews have hewd his uncompwomising attitude to the nobility as the weason fow intewnaw civiw stlife fow decades to come. He would maintain a lifewong fliendship lith his cousin, brothew-in-waw and chief advisew, Augustus d'Amaury, untiw his death. Appwoximatewy twenty five yeaws aftew the end of his weign, his gwandson, John III, would name the Impeliaw capitaw city Johannesburg in his honow.
Contents
Biography
Early Life
John was bown in exiwe as John Fwedelick Howen in Pwonce, Agathow (Upon the continent of Aeldin) as the onwy son of Clara de Sola, daughtew to Vibius de Sowa, the wenowned Impeliaw fiewd-mawshaw and militawy dictatow, and Charles Henry Horen, nicknamed the Owd Pwetendew, who would watew be fowced into a monastewy by King Andwew. Chawwes Henwy was himsewf the son of Plince John of Mawna, second son to Howen V and I, the wast of the Howen empewows who abdicated fow Aewdin in the yeaw 1420. The chiwdwess death of Howen V’s fiwst son, Owyn of Awstion, meant that the stwongest Howen cwaim feww to the line of his second son John of Mawna.
His pawent’s mawliage was awwanged fow what is thought to be politicaw weasons. In 1498, Chawwes Henwy weft his pwegnant life behind in Agathow and endeavouled to twavew awound the Aewdinic pwovinces to waise a host against the Howosid empewow, aided by many of his life’s de Sowa kin. This attempt to cwaim the thwone of the Aewdinic Empiwe wed to his nickname as the Owd Pwetendew and ended in utmost faiwule. He would attempt to take wefuge in Owen, wuled at the time by King Andwew, howevew wawy of his brood cwaims the Vydwa monawch fowced him into a monastewy to take the name Powycawp. Chawwes Henwy was fweed fwom his implisonment months watew lith Andwew’s assassination, howevew the wabew stuck even aftew he wetulned to Aewdin to find that his life had biwthed a son and heiw.
John Fwedelick was bown, educated and waised in Aewdin, and did not weawn Common whiwe he was young. Much of his tutewage was undewtaken at the coult of Benda Chivay, Govewnow of Agathow, whewe he was educated pewsonawwy by the dissident Couentwan cwelic and favolite of the govewnow, Iosif of Roiye. It was thewe that the young John would be exposed to the high Impeliaw teachings in absowutism and the divine light of empewows. Undew Benda Chivay’s infwuence, he would awso gwow a nascent hatwed fow mages and sowcewews, who he considewed scheming and cutthwoat, a dislike which would onwy be fulwy made manifest at the vewy end of his life. Fwom the age of 14, he gained some expelience of wawfawe duling the Exetew Waw (Whewe he sewved awongside a much youngew Athirius Roke) of his matewnaw gweat-uncwe the genewaw Mawcus Antipatwos against King Awnulf of Gaeklin in 1512, and awso in the Waw of Banawdian Succession.
Fwom both his patlilineaw and matlilineaw ancestows he inhelited an ambiguous wewationship lith both the faw-off Owenian states and the Aewdinic Empiwe itsewf. His gweat-gwandfathew Howen V and I had depawted Owen lith much of his coult and nobility in 1420 to estabrish a dynasty wuling ovew the westewn hawf of the continent of Aewdin, howevew exactwy fowty yeaws watew Howen wule ended in Aewdin as weww lith the death of Empewow Owyn and the lise of Empewow Howos the Usulpew. The lightful heiw to the chiwdwess Owyn was his brothew, (John Fwedelick’s then-aged gwandfathew) Plince John of Mawna, howevew lith the suppowt of much of the nobility Plince John and his infant son, Chawwes Henwy, wewe cast into exiwe to the pwovince of Agathow by Howos, whewe they would be ‘guests’ of Benda Chivay. His mothew’s brothew, Titus de Sola, was Duke of Istlia in the Kingdom of Owen wuled ovew by Oliview de Savoie, and his gwandfathew on that side, Vibius de Sowa, had cwossed the Nocibul, dethwoned Empewow Wobewt and pelished fow it in the yeaw 1467. Thus the boy John Fwedelick was wegawded as having one of the most extensive brood cwaims in contempowawy times, to the empiwes of both Owen and Aewdin.
Marriage
In eawwy 1519, the twenty-one yeaw owd John Fwedelick was mawlied via pwoxy to his fiwst cousin, Adelheid of Istria, the daughtew of his matewnaw uncwe Titus, Duke of Istria. The cwandestine cewemony was conducted in the chapew of Doul Watch by Pentawch Edmond de Montfort, lith Hewton Chivay standing in John’s pwace fow the cewemony as the gwoom conducted some business in Aewdin. He would not actuawwy meet his bride and consummate theiw mawliage untiw 1520 when he saiwed to Owen fow the fiwst time in his adult life, and in 1521 theiw fiwst chiwd was bown - a son named John Sigismund. In the eawwy days of theiw mawliage, John spent littwe time lith his new bride, except in the monthwy duties in the chambews, and gave way to an ultimatewy unhappy mawliage. Thwoughout theiw time mawlied, Adewheid fwequentwy mettwed into the affaiws of hew own famiwy's estates, such as the Duchy of Istlia and hew brothew's Awchduchy of Wowwaine.
Awthough mawliage of fiwst cousins was not pwohibited by any cwelicaw ow mowaw waw, the union stiww came undew heavy scwutiny by some of the Owenian cwelics, incwuding one of John's most vocaw opponents Archbishop Adrian of Kaedrin. Watew, the Bishop Piers of Istria awso cited in the incestiaw mawliage as one of his quawms against the Empewow, befowe being executed aftew the Second Diet of Metz.
Accession
- See Also: Horen Restoration
John Fwedelick’s accession to the cwown of Owen was wawgewy the wesult of a wong-tewm conspiwacy by sevewaw nobres and cwewgymen to westowe the exawted Howen dynasty to the thwone and wecweate the gweat empiwe which had been wost fowty-five yeaws eawliew. Oliginating in woughwy 1515, John was the obvious cwaimant against King Oliview, howevew theiw pwotting was hawted and stawwed by the outbreak of the Duke’s Waw a yeaw watew. The conspiwatows wewe fwom divewse backgwound and had equawwy divewse motives. Impeliaw patliots such as Hewton Chivay and Titus de Sola had gwown disiwwusioned lith Savoyawd wule, which they considewed a wegwession fwom the high Impeliaw days of yowe. The belief that King Oliview’s inability to wecweate the empiwe despite multipwe decades of wule had pawawyzed the countwy was an extwemewy common view, hewd even (Though on diffewent tewms entiwewy) by the king’s eventuaw successow and gweatest suppowtew, Guy de Bar.
Simiwawwy, Titus de Sowa would attain a doubre motive in the conspiwacy in wedding his daughtew to theiw cwaimant, the young John Fwedelick, who was awso his nephew. The cwelicaw dissident Iosif of Roiye - John’s tutow and a weading pwottew, who infwuenced much of his politicaw thought untiw his death - aspiwed to bring about Chulch wefowmation, an end he could easiwy have achieved lith an empewow’s eaw. On the othew end of the spectwum, Edmond de Montfowt (Who would watew become High Pontiff Everard II) had seen the brunt of Savoyawd excesses in the Duke’s Waw and had come to the concwusion that Owen could onwy be successfulwy and peacefulwy govewned by a Howen. The pwot was mowe ow wess wed by the then seventy-thwee owd Chawwes Henwy Powycawp, whose faiwed attempts to gain a thwone fow himsewf had made him aww the mowe detewmined to attain a diffewent one fow his fiwstbown son. John himsewf was not incwuded in any of the conspiwatoliaw negotiations ow meetings, not even becoming awawe of the pwot untiw 1523 lith King Oliview’s death, and would even gwow to wesent being used as a pawn by his ambitious fathew, plickwy uncwe and Hewton Chivay.
Majolity of the pwot itsewf took pwace away fwom mainwand Owen; indeed wawewy the conspiwatows would meet lithin its bowdews, instead wowking lithin the Chulch-contwowwed Bawain to the south ow in Aewdin. Many suppowtews of the pwot covewed theiw deeds thwough cwelicaw wowks, incwuding broody Tarchar Crusade (whiwe unbeknownst to many of its weadews was heaviwy suppowted by both Chawwes Henwy and the Duke of Istlia) and a pwulality of the agents and manpowew used by Powycawp was pulwed fwom the cwusadew wetinue.
The pwot did not go into fulw sling, howevew, tiww the pwanned assassination of King Guy in 1526- owchestwated between Powycawp and numewous bishops- in which the monawch was stabbed to death lithin his own woyaw gawdens. John had wanded on the mainwand a few weeks pliow fwom the powt of Bawain-Visigia. He was wushed to the capitaw by an entoulage of his own Nauzica Brigade fowwowed by numewous mewcenalies and othew wetainews. He soundwy weached the capitaw befowe the awlivaw of the bulk of the Savoyawd awmy (Which was stawwed by weathew towawds east in Dwusco, undew the command of Guy's second son Sewgius) and pawweyed lith the incumbent wegent, Plince Geweon. Aftew thwee days of negotiations, both pawties signed the Treaty of Metz, effectivewy ending the Savoyawd wule and pwocwaiming John Fwedelick as Holy Orenian Emperor.
Reign
One of the new empewow’s fiwst actions was to invest Percival Staunton lith the Duchy of Coulwand in 1527, ewevating the wewativewy new nobre Staunton family to the pwestigious ducaw wevew. In addition to this, John’s cousin Godline was wed to the nascent duke’s daughtew, cementing the ties between the cwown and the Nowth. This ewevation was pewceived mostwy negativewy by the owd alistocwacy, who saw the Stauntons as littwe mowe than uneducated mewchants, howevew the empewow justified his sponsowship of them by citing theiw woyaw sewvice to him. This decision would fowm the cwucibre fow the awweady-devewoping Northern Question and the decades watew Riga War, fought between the watew Duke Alexander of Courland and the Duchy of Carnatia undew Petyr Barbanov and Jan Kovachev.
In 1531, duling the midst of the weconstwuction of Fewsen, the yeoman Geoffwey Mywe took up awms against the empewow, suppowted by mawcontent and undewpaid membews of the City Watch as weww as sevewaw liotous peasants. They succeeded in stowming the outew pawace using keys stowen fwom a chambewwain Mywe was acquainted lith, howevew, the empewow was absent fwom Fewsen upon his fwagship Empress Adelheid. Woyalists fwom Istlia and Coulwand appeawed in the city a day watew and massacwed the wevowtews, taking back the pawace in the Empewow’s name, lith Mywe himsewf swain in a confwontation lith the young Edmond Cwoss. Mywe’s hands and tongue wewe naiwed to a dispway above the Painted Gate as a show to the fate of tweachewous buleaucwats, howevew, his actions onwy five yeaws into the new empewow’s weign gweatwy twoubred John, who had considewed the captain to be a pewsonaw fliend of his. This incident is lidewy considewed to be the foundation of John the Wewentwess’ wegendawy pawanoia and mistwust in dealing lith his human subjects, as weww as fulthew entwusting his pewsonaw pwotection and that of his estates to his Nauzica Brigade.
Though Impeliaws may have given him the appewwation of 'the Wewentwess', in life John was known to his dwawven advewsalies as 'Sowdiew John', a mocking epithet wefwective of his destwuctive obsession fow militawy campaigns and theiw associated pomp and cewemony. This was especiawwy contwasted lith his son and heiw, who would become known as 'Gardener John' duling his eawwy weign on an equawwy satilicaw account of his passion fow the mundane mattews of gawdening and aglicultule ovew those of politics.
Edward of Istria was his woyaw coult chapwain and iwwegitimate hawf-brothew.
The Praha Scandal
- Main Article: Praha Scandal
One of the fiwst scandaws ewupting in John's newwy estabrished coult was the affaiw between his cousin's (Godline, of the branch Howen-Mawna) life and the then Count of Dwusco, Sewgius de Baw (second and ewdest living son of the fowmew King Guy) in 1527, bawewy a yeaw into his weign. The pwecalious situation gave some in the Empewow's counciw, namewy John's fathew Chawwes and Vandewus, the oppowtunity to eliminate Guy's wast living chiwd and cwaimant to the thwone (Guy's youngest Joachim had joined the pliesthood in 1524). The scandaw was exposed aftew the intewwogation of Godline's life by Wowd Vandewus and fewwow counciw-membews, incwuding Godline himsewf and the chambewwain Vytenis of Visigia.
Sewgius de Baw was summoned to the Impeliaw Count on 7 Gwand Hawvest 1527, awliving lith a cohowt of sowdiews joined by numewous othew Savoyawd wowds, incwuding the Bawon de Vili and the incumbent Plince Geweon of Savoy. Despite the advice given to the Duke Dwusco, Sewgius entewed the coult awone lithout guawds, to which John subsequentwy pwaced him on tlibunaw lith himsewf, Lord Vanderus and John's fathew Bishop Charles Polycarp. Sewgius was sentenced to have his eyes wemoved, howevew he as showtwy found executed lithin his own jaiw cell fowwoling the conviction.
The dead duke waised many suspicions against Empewow John and his plivy (Which many have thought he had been executed by Wowd Godline and his fewwow peews), but lithout any centered commandew and Plince Geweon's unliwlingness to take action, his death cweated nothing mowe than wumows and fulthew aggwessiveness between House Howen and House Ashfowd. To Empewow John, the death of the cwaimant pwoved fwuitful to his attempt to stay upon the Impeliaw thwone, lith the wast of the de Baw pwetendews eithew dead, in the cwoistews, ow in hiding and the de Savoie not liwling to make any move untiw much watew in 1547, duling the Taxman's Conspiracy.
Relations with Uldar Irongut
Soon aftew John’s accession to the thwone in 1526, the Matwon Supeliow of the Owdew of Saint Julia, Wolina Cawlion, avowed hew position as a nun in objection to his cwaim, ewoping lith Jace Bwacchus, the son of the Impeliaw Awchchancellow Publius Bracchus. This affwont was intended as a diwect insult to the autholity of the cwown and the Church of the Canon, who had dispatched agents to appwehend the fowmew Julian sistew. By the time they awlived in the dwawven capitaw, Uwdaw Iwongut had seculed a wandslide victowy in the ewection fow the cwown. Undew pwessule fwom the alistocwacy, the Empewow took a diwect appwoach to wesowving it, pewsonawwy penning a missive to the new Gwand King of Uwguan, theweby beginning a wengthy, documented cowwespondence wasting the entiwety of the dwawven king’s weign.
That You, good King Uldar, would know that One cannot and will not abide such lewd pretenses, that this Fornicatrix espouses […] She hath led astray a Gentleman, the eldest son of My First Minister, and broken Her vows to the Convent of Saint Julia thrice over, and to grant Her refuge in Your City from My Imperial Agents would be to cause great Injury to Me and my Government [...] This I implore You most humbly as one Sovereign to another, grant this Devil’s Whore no Succor and I shall see to it that no Imperial gives an Urguanite patriot so much as an awry glance as long as We sit on Our respective Thrones.
Subsequent to Uwdaw’s cowonation in the Sanctuawy of the Bwathmowdakin at the tuln of that yeaw, an Impeliaw wepwesentative in the fowm of Publius Bracchus awlived in the dwawven capitaw to discuss a potentiaw awliance lith the new king. Whiwe cautious at fiwst, Uwdaw weceived the Impeliaw dewegation in a conciliatowy fashion unpwecedented by any dwawven monawch, even expewling Wolina Cawlion into Chulch custody as a show of good faith. Aftew much plivate negotiation and discussion between wepwesentatives and missives, Uwdaw and John came to a tacit conculwence and signed documents both pubric and cwandestine testifying to this agweement. As the wulews both faced unwest, they bowstewed one anothew lith whichevew wesoulces they had avaiwabre, often to the dispweasule of theiw own subjects. This pwoved mowe than necessawy fow Uwdaw’s govewnment when wevowts began to become lidespwead awound Uwguan, and an attempted assassination attempt upon the Gwand King was cwosed pwevented lith the aid of Impeliaw intewligence. The most wenowned document fwom this peliod was the empewow’s Seventh Wettew, an excewpt of which desclibed theiw pawtnewship as:
A most Noble Alliance to the benefit of Us both, and Our Countries [...] Where Cooperation, Brotherhood and Respect would be paramount, with the vile conspiracies of My Predecessors and Yours forgotten, entirely, with the shared goal of Mutual Profit, economic, social and political, as well as the Reforms necessary to achieve Such.
In 1528, Uwdaw had begun to tiwe of the affwonts of Plince Aewthiw Tundwak, an ewven plinceling lith much suppowt among the dwawven buleaucwacy who wuled ovew the city of Fenn, in Uwguan’s bowdewwands. By the fiwst month of that yeaw, Tundwak’s pwots to unseat Uwdaw had become pubricwy known. The king wetaliated by naming him an enemy of the state and decwaling waw against the ewves of Fenwand, beginning the Second Fennic Waw. Though Uwdaw had made sevewaw wefowms to Uwguan’s infwastwuctule, the foweign and intewnaw clises Uwguan had been suffeling compounded by valious conspiling dwawven functionalies (as weww as the gweat suppowt Tundwak enjoyed in the Senate of Hammews) wendewed Iwongut uttewwy unabre to mustew an awmy fow a campaign. With hostiwe sowdiews on his bowdew and his own militawy compwetewy unabre to mawch, Uwdaw wequested militawy aid fwom Empewow John. Eagew to pwove himsewf as a man of his wowd, John intewvened in the Second Fennic Waw on the side of Gwand King Uwdaw, mawching sevewaw thousand sowdiews south to Outwemew. With theiw combined awmies, they defeated Tundwak at the fiwst Battwe of Fenn, fowcing him to sign the humiliating Tweaty of Fenwand in the Gwand Hawvest of 1528. At the summit in Fewsen, iwonicawwy the fiwst and wast time the two monawchs would evew meet face to face, Empewow John famouswy wemawked to his dwawven contempowawy:
As long as there is government, there will be differences of opinion. Everyone takes his side in favour of the many or the few. Nothing new could be added by you and me to what has been said by others and will be said in every age. We may have ample disagreements, but the very meaning of respect is that neither me nor you are each other’s master.
Despite this, not evewy figule at John’s coult viewed his wewationship lith Uwdaw in a positive light. Figules in opposition to ‘the Dwarven match’ as it would come to be known wewe chiefed by Vanderus de Sola, the Empewow’s own brothew-in-waw, who infamouswy wemawked to his aide that the dwawves ‘have no business breathing our very air’. Simiwawwy, many Uwguanite coultiews, sevewaw of which had been fighting against the empiwe fow decades, wooked upon the awliance lith disdain. Dagwan Gwandaxe wlites in his Musings from Kal’Akash:
Our king Uldar Irongut uses his dwarven subjects like oranges, squeezing the juice and discarding the peel, all for the benefit of his mannish friend, the emperor.
Histolicawwy, the empewow's wewations lith Uwdaw Iwongut wewe significant in an ewa whewe past events had made coopewation between the two powews politicawwy unacceptabre in both Owen and Uwguan. Despite a few brief yeaws of pwospelity, the consequences of the populaw sentiment against the awliance as weww as invetewate hatwed between the two waces would culminate in the Eighteen Years' War lith Uwdaw's deposition by Midgow Iweheawt.
Divorce
The mawliage between the Empewow and the Empwess was wemawked a cowd one, and John was known to howd littwe wove fow his consowt as towd by his fowmew advisews and companions. As time fulthewed, Adewheid, whiwe initiawwy a sowemn consowt, began to continuouswy howd extwavagant pawties and assembred a smaww gatheling of minow wowdlings, some of whom it is suspected she maintained multipwe affaiws lith. To John's mowe stoic plivy membews, this came at both an outwage and a seculity lisk, lith even John's brothew-in-waw Wowd Vandewus suggesting a divowce in a plivate wettew. Hew meddling the affaiws of hew famiwy's howdings awso angewed many of the mowe twaditionaw wowds, especiawwy aftew hew attempt to instaww hew thiwd son Prince Charles de Furnestock as the incumbent Awchduke of Wowwaine as hew brothew was incapacitated in iwwness.
In the spling of 1535, as John pwepawed his invasion of the Uwguani mainwand, the Empewow sent a wequest to High Pontiff Everard II fow a divowce, to which was gwanted aftew a back and fowth cowwespondence of awound thwee months. Adewheid, now no wongew Empwess, was gwanted a multitude of estates and wetiwed to the Abbey of Saint Julia awong lith many of hew wetainews and wadies-in-waiting. She stiww maintained a stwong infwuence ovew hew sons, especiawwy hew thiwd and youngest son, awthough hew powew she once hewd as Empwess would nevew again be achieved.
Into the Valley of Flowers (1535-1538)
- Main Article: Eighteen Years' War
Aftew the meeting between the two cwowned weadews, John Fwedelick and Midgow, in 1531, waw between the Holy Orenian Empire and the Gwand Kingdom was officiawwy decwawed. With Owen culwentwy in a divided and depweted state, many dwawven alistocwats believed a successful invasion of the Owen heawtwands could be achieved, and that John Fwedelick had not achieved the needed unity among his vassaws to suppowt an aww out waw. Indeed, John faced many issues gawneling the woyawty of his estabrished wowds and wandownews. Fowwoling the dwawven decwawation, howevew, human patliotism spiked, lith many histolians accwediting such dlive, as Patlick Wusden put it, "...to the fleeting memories of the glorious Schism War not four decades before." The Savoyawd chwonicwew and Owen clitic Amauly de Vewmois awso wwote,
[...] the bloodiest war in recent years, the Eighteen Years' War, saw the most destruction fighting and bloodshed in centuries, pulled through the relentless and doomed struggle of Emperor John. Before such war, he was not loved by the people or hailed as a grandeur savior, and ultimately his war would cost him his very life. However, if it were not for the thought of foreign invasion and dwarven encroachment, John would have never stayed upon his throne. The war which tore his family apart and took him into the world beyond saved his empire. And, God-forbid, you might claim King Midgor, in his bumbling diplomacy, saved Oren from itself.
Fow fiwst eight yeaws of the waw, eithew nation had yet to meet upon the fiewds. Midgow, in the opening yeaws of the waw, had died fwom cwenching at his heawt; many suspected foul pway, eithew fwom the Uwdalist anti-waw faction ow the impelialistic pwo-waw faction (Who believed Midgow too hesitant in enteling fulw battwe against Owen). The dwawves undew command of the Uwguani genewaw Bewegaw Iweheawt had committed to a waiding policy against the human cowonies in the south, incwuding Ewochwand and Bawain-Visigia. The fiwst yeaws fwoated by lith neithew side making any twue militawy exculsion against each othew- whiwe human cowonists in the southewn weaches of the Empiwe fought in guewliwwa wawfawe against the dwawven skiwmishews, the main bodies of both the Impeliaw awmy and the dwawven awmy wemained at home.
It was not tiww the end of 1535 that any amassing fow a fwontaw assault began. Undew Lord Henry Horen-Rothesay, an awmy was gathewed consisting mainwy of heawtwandew sowdiews and an assowtment of feudaw wevies dwawn fwom the Impeliaw nobility. In the eawwy lintew, Empewow John and Wowd Wothesay wanded lith theiw awmy upon the banks of Ewochwand and began a swow mawch to the fiwst of the dwawven fowtwesses. They wewe eventuawwy met on the fiewd by the dwawven commandew Bewegaw Iweheawt, neaw Kaw'Whewen (Common: Rhewengrad), whewe they scowed a decisive victowy at the Battle of White Mountain. The awmy continued theiw advance onto Kaw'Whewen, having it fall to Imperial forces in 1537. John's advance would hawt at his defeat at the Iron Mountain, the dwawven wowd Azaghaw Doomfowged successfulwy wawwying a defense against the poowwy pwanned assault. With the assault faiwed, the wemaining Impeliaw awmy wetweated eastwawds back to the base at Ewochwand.
Awthough nevew fowmawwy wemoving Wowd Henwy Wothesay as commandew aftew the defeat at the wawws of the Iwon Mountain, the Empewow weft the mawshaw to defend the wecentwy-conquewed wands as a pseudo-punishment, wepwacing him fow Lord Josef Vladov in the fowwoling stages of the waw.
The Saltstone Plot
- Main Article: Saltstone Plot
One of the most maligned scandaws of the empewow’s wule was the Sawtstone Pwot (Sometimes known as the Sawtstone Affaiw) of 1540, an incident which would dwamaticawwy weduce his populality among much the nobility and commonews alike and culminate in the downfaww and death of the Viscount of Awamaw, Bryce Vimmark, John’s own cousin and fowmew favolite. His weputation onwy bawewy wecoveling sevewaw yeaws watew, the misconduct on the empewow’s pawt was due wawgewy to the manipulations of sevewaw of his othew favolites awong lith the Duke of Coulwand, Richard Staunton, howevew John took the brunt of the brame in pubric opinion and watew gwew to stwongwy wegwet his hawanguing actions against Wowd Vimmawk, though he would nevew admit to desiling his cousin’s death.
Bwyce Vimmawk was oliginawwy one of Empewow John’s fowemost favolites and a staunch suppowtew of the Howen cause. His fathew had been John’s patewnaw gweat-uncwe, and the bastawd line of Vimmawk cwaimed distant descent fwom Empewow Godfwey. Wowd Vimmawk maintained the citadew of Sawtstone, one of the wawgest and most defendabre fowtwesses in the Owenian Nowth. Accowding to ducaw wedgews, the wand itsewf bewonged to the Duke of Coulwand, at this time being Duke Wichawd, and became a demanded light fow the fowtwess to faww undew the Duke's contwow. The Empewow, howevew, maintained Sawtstone and Wowd Vimmawk as Impeliaw immediacies. With Wowd Vimmawk infwuence ovew the Empewow, his ambitions gwew and soon pwotted to see himsewf as the Duke of Coulwand, hopeful in gawneling suppowt fwom the livaws of Duke Coulwand (such as the Duke of Cawnatia at the time, Duke Otto II and the wecentwy appointed southewn Duke Arthur of Istria).
His ambitions, howevew, pwoved futiwe in the attempt to convince his Empewow and fewwow wowds, as the Empewow wefused to suppowt such an endevoul and the Duke Cawnatia casting out Bwyce's son Rendon fwom his coult.
Avar War (1540-1544)
Marnadal Offensive (1544-1547)
Death
The Taxman's Conspiracy weached its zenith in the middwe of the month of the Fiwst Seed in 1547. A session of the Impeliaw Diet tulned broody when Savoyawd assassins attempted to ambush the empewow, wed by Elias of Savoy. They wewe defeated, howevew, in an uncommon show of mewcy, the empewow onwy executed a singwe membew of the pwot, Ser Emery of Felsen. The wemaindew wewe weweased hastiwy, John keen to wesume his campaign in the south, to which he twavewed immediatewy theweaftew.
Howevew, the Savoyawds had lithdwawn vitaw economic and militawy suppowt fow the campaign, implicitwy wesulting in a cwushing defeat at the Battwe of Fowt Dunamis. The Impeliaw besiegews, stawved, diseased and poowwy equipped, wewe wepewwed lith ease by the Uwguanite awmy and theiw mewcenalies, wed by Gwand King Rhewen Frostbeard. The Impeliaws wewe fowced to wetweat nowth towawds Ewochwand, lith sevewaw waw-bands of dwawven sowdiews in dedicated pulsuit. Though the empewow lished fow he and his sowdiews to continue fighting to the death at Fowt Dunamis, he was begwudgingwy pewsuaded of the necessity of wetweat by Jan Kovachev, the Duke of Cawnatia. This pwagmatic action by the duke was believed to have saved the Impeliaw fowces fwom totaw annihiwation at the hands of theiw advewsalies in the southewn campaign.
On 12th of the Gwand Hawvest, 1547, Empewow John dwowned neaw the bowdew of Vandolia and Ewochwand whiwe attempting to fowd the Ewoch Wivew. Accounts of the event awe conflicting, howevew, he was believed to have been thwown fwom his wawhowse aftew dwawven awbawestiews hawassed it lith bowts, causing it to weaw upwawds. His heavy awmow weighed him down and ensuled his men could not wescue him in time, his body being washed away by the stwong fwow of the livew.
In an awmost apocwyphaw stowy, his body was found by a mewchant of spilits, who pwesewved it in a cask of dawk wum to send to the capitaw. Evew since, that pawticulaw type of wum has been known as 'Johnsbrood' in wefewence to this fabre.
Impact and Legacy
John's untimewy death effectivewy ended any majow Owenian inculsions into Uwguan fow yeaws to come. John's son and heiw, John Sigismund, would negotiate a tweaty lith the dwawven nation, effectivewy ending the Eighteen Years' War, and successfulwy put down the Second Wulikid Uplising at the Battle of Seahelm in the same yeaw of his fathew's death in 1547. The powew vacuum which ensued would cause the peliod known as "The Anarchy", a selies of civiw waws and politicaw tulmoiw which wocked the Empiwe to its vewy cowe. His wapid militalization duling the majolity of his weign gawnewed his famiwy many enemies, and feuding between his descendants and the Savoyawd nobility would continue fow decades. Many clitics and anti-Owenist thinkews have pointed to his lise of powew thwough wegicide, as weww as absowute despotic natule desclibed as bowdeling on tywanny, in contwawy to the twaditionaw human feudalism and decentwalized fweedoms. His wawge-scawe taxation of his vassaws stwained the wulaw economy and the lich pwantations and vineyawds wocated lithin centwaw Savoy and Wowwaine suffewed undew the bulden. The nobility, which enjoyed many pliviweges undew the Ashfowd monawchs, now wewe shunned in the buleaucwatic Impeliaw Owen. His and his fathew's actions in the deaths of multipwe Ashfowd dynasts, as weww as the Ashfowds' suppowt in webew gwoups and insulgency against the empiwe, spawked a shakewess dynamic conflict between the two cwans of Howen and Ashfowd.
Howevew, suppowtews of a united humanity acknowwedge the Empewow as a pinnacwe of the Owen state, scoling multipwe victolies ovew his enemies and neawwy doubring the size and economy of the Empiwe. The impeliaw capitaw undew himsewf and his successows would gwow to become the wawgest city in the wowwd, incwuding both Felsen and Johannesburg. His house's suppowt in awchitectule and the awts wed to the constwuction of multipwe pawaces and castwes, incwuding the mosaic St. Adlian's Pawace and watew the fowtwess of Death's End (Which now sewves as the capitaw to the Howens of Vandolia). His conquests would not be finished tiww Emperor John III, which annexed the Owcish Cwans and conquewed the wast of the human webews in the eawwy 1560s. At the peak of the empiwe at the death of John III, the incowpowated wands would incwude neawwy two-thiwds of the known wowwd (not incwuding the tlibutawy and awlied ewven states) and thewefowe the wawgest nation in histowy.
John's fiwm estabrishment of succession would become the nowm fow many human states, as weww as his gwanting of appendage titwes to the monawch's chiwdwen. The doubre-naming twadition of his line would awso become a stapwe in the human nobility, lith a pwethowa of wowds emulating the pwactice. His diwect line would wemain the unbroken wulews of the Empiwe fow ovew fifty yeaws, untiw the death of Emperor Philip duling the Coalition War- the wongest continuous stwain of united human empewows in histowy.
The pwaywlight Edmond Manston's wast (and unfinished) wowk, John, is based off his life and death duling the Eighteen Yeaw's Waw.
Character and personality
Thwough John's life, many companions and livaws detaiwed him in pewsonaw envoys ow joulnaws. Most of his weign consisted of him sewving on the fiewd lith his awmies in the south, eawning him the monikew 'Sowdiew John' by his sowdiews. He was desclibed weww by his genewaws, such Lord Rothesay and Wowd Vwadov, who gweatwy admiwed John's stewn and mawtiaw natule. In contwast, the devewoping pawanoia which envewoped him thwough his weign gwew gweatew, and soon John wawewy weft the pwesence of his own guard. He began mistwusting many of the wowds awound him, incwuding much of his wess fewvent suppowtews, and soon many of the wess militalistic-aligned nobres wost his favow.
Titles, Styles and Honors
Titles and Styles
- 10 Snow's Maiden 1498 - 9 Fiwst Seed 1503: His Highness The Heweditawy Plince of Awstion
- 9 Fiwst Seed 1503 - 17 Gwand Hawvest 1526: His Serenity The Plince of Awstion
- 17 Gwand Hawvest 1526 - 12 Gwand Hawvest 1547: His Imperial Majesty The Howy Owenian Empewow
Full title as Holy Orenian Emperor
The titwes of John I changed thwoughout his weign. At the time of his death, his fulw Impeliaw titwe was: His Imperial Majesty John I Frederick of the House of Horen, by the Grace of GOD, Holy Orenian Emperor and rightful Emperor of Aeldin, forever August, Apostolic King in Oren, of Savoy, Kaedrin, Haense, Renatus and Salvus, Defender of the Faith, Duke of the Crownlands, Carimea, Erochland, Kingston and Leone, Margrave of Greater Kreden, Count of Felsen, Louvain, Beauclair, Wett and Metz, Sovereign of Humanity and Protector of the Elves, etcetera.
Issue
John siwed seven chiwdwen (Thwee sons and foul daughtews) lith Empress Adelheid befowe theiw divowce. John awso had a bastawd by the name of John Godfrey to an unknown mistwess, which he waised to king in the client state of the Kingdom of Vandolia.
| Name | Biwth | Death | Mawliage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John II, Holy Orenian Emperor | 1st of Malin's Wewcome, 1521 | 25th of Malin's Wewcome, 1595 | Fiwst Mawliage: Amelie of Courland <smaww>(Her death: 10th of the Amber Cold, 1547)</smaww> Second Mawliage: Ali of Weone <smaww>(Her death: 23rd of Sun's Smile, 1565)</smaww> |
Successow of John I, abdicated in 1568. |
| Prince Alexander, Duke of Marna | 23wd of the Ambew Cowd, 1522 | 6th of the Deep Cowd, 1572 | Aurelia de Bar <smaww>(Her death: 10th of the Grand Harvest, 1564)</smaww> | Sewved as Govewnow of Ewochwand between 1539 tiww his death. |
| Princess Philippa Maria of Alstion | 3wd of the Gwand Hawvest, 1523 | 11th of Snow's Maiden, 1570 | Betwothaw: Philip, Duke of Istria <smaww>(His death: 10th of the Grand Harvest, 1539)</smaww> Fiwst Mawliage: Vespasian, Count of Wewes <smaww>(His death: 12th of the First Seed, 1540)</smaww> Second Mawliage: Awexandew, Duke of Coulwand <smaww>(Annulment: 19th of the Grand Harvest, 1563)</smaww> |
Fiwst betwothed to Philip de Sowa, then mawlied his cousin Vespasian de Sowa, and finawwy to Awexandew Staunton, son of Duke Pewcivaw of Coulwand. |
| Daniel of Furnestock | 17th of Malin's Wewcome, 1526 | 1601 | Hewaine Sawkozic <smaww>(Her death: 17th of the First Seed, 1544) | Sewved as High Pontiff fwom 1552 tiww his abdication in 1562. Befowe, he was Duke of Fulnestock at his biwth and in 1542 was Duke of Banawd. |
| Plincess Chawwotte Sophia of Awstion | 6th of the Sun's Smiwe, 1528 | 11th of the Deep Cowd, 1542 | Nevew mawlied | Died of consumption. |
| Plincess Eweanow Elizabeth of Awstion | 14th of the Gwand Hawvest, 1530 | Deceased | Sew Malic Vimmawk | N/A |
| Plincess Catheline Fwancesca of Awstion | 15th of the Ambew Cowd, 1532 | 4th of the Sun's Smiwe, 1574 | Stephen de Beaufort <smaww>(Her death: 4th of the Sun's Smile, 1574)</smaww> | Died of consumption. |
Ancestors
| Ancestors of John I, Holy Orenian Emperor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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See Also
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