Lukas Vanir

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Lukas Vanir Lord Palatine of Haense Reign: 1598-1612 Predecessor: Duke Henry of Carnatia Successor: Ser Maverick MacDonough Lord Maer of St. Karlsburg Reign: 1592 - 1598 Predecessor: Konstantin Chazov Successor: Floris van Loden Born: 2nd of Snow's Maiden, 1533 Kraken's Watch, Haense Died: 7th of the Grand Harvest, 1612 Rothswood, Haense (aged 79) Spouse: Isabelle de Aquila House: Vanir Father: Baron Britannus Vanir Mother: Emilia Vladov

Lukas Vanir (2nd of Snow's Maiden, 1533 - 7th of the Grand Harvest, 1612), known as Lukas the Learned, was a Haeseni soldier, statesman, and philosopher who served as the second Lord Maer of the Haeseni capital of St. Karlsburg, and as the fourth Lord Palatine of Hanseti-Ruska following the resignation of Duke Henry Kovachev.

Early Years

Lukas in 1557, at age 24

Lukas was born in the frozen forests of Salvus to Britannus Vanir, the only remaining scion of House Vanir in the aftermath of the Dukes' War, and Emilia Vladov. The family had lost their lands and their home of Kraken's Watch after the war, and so Lukas was brought up in the outskirts of the Kingdom of Salvus, surviving by hunting the little game that lived in the woods. In his personal journals and in records from his later political campaigns, Lukas recalls that these years taught him resilience and determination. He would carry these traits and the lessons of his youth with him when his father retook the Vanir's ancestral lands during the Riga War, with the assistance of Petyr Barbanov and the others in the Carnatian League. Despite being too young to actually fight, it was here that Lukas got his first glimpse at the politics of the real world, understanding the nature of power and what drives humans to do what they do, writing in his journal:

Here it is, that my family who lost everything to men we knew and trusted, shall now regain what we lost through the actions of men we hardly know.

It was here that the young Lukas began to form his identity as a supporter of Barbanov and the polity that would soon become Haense. After the passing of his father and the accession of his elder brother Fiske as Baron, he would lobby for further support of and closer ties with Barbanov, a cause that Fiske accepted open-heartedly, given his own friendship to the Barbovic Duke. When the descendants were forced to flee Vailor and migrate to the Isles of Axios, Lukas and Fiske traveled with the Carnatians, swearing fealty to and setting up camp with Duke Petyr. When Emperor John III granted Petyr the Kingdoms of Hanseti and Ruska and bestowed him with land in the north of Axios, Lukas would follow his family and move north to establish the new Margraviate of Vasiland.

Early political career

Advisor to the Margrave

In the new Margraviate, Lukas played a key role as advisor to his brother in both political and military affairs. Lukas was given command over the levy forces of House Vanir, tasked with recruitment, training, and equipping all soldiers sworn to Vanir. In this task, he performed well, employing a qualified officer corps and recruiting local merchants and craftsmen to keep the levy equipped. As commander of the levy, Lukas fought in the War of Orcish Submission, making a name for himself among Haeseni circles. In letters written to his brother, Lukas says of the war:

The orcs barely put up a fight, leaving only a few defenders to stall our advance while the populace evacuates. With what courage did these uruks attack our Empire with the Axis coalition, when they can hardly defend themselves? Where are their allies now? How quickly old loyalties and friendships are forgotten in the shadow of power and conquest.

Following the end of the war, Lukas resigned as commander of the levy, opting instead to travel the world and sail the seas, hoping to discover new lands and treasures for Haense. Although ultimately unsuccessful in his venture, he returned to Axios in 1588 after eight years at sea with a renewed spirit and sense of duty. He sought for a position in which he could make use of his experience as commander of the Vanir levy, though the absence of a central army and the high barriers to entry in the Karlsburg City Guard officer corps presented few opportunities. Instead, on the advice of his brother and family, Lukas entered the St. Karlsburg's Lord Maer's race of 1591.

Lord Maer of St. Karlsburg

The campaign for Lord Maer was the shortest and most unconventional in Haeseni history, with Lukas' only competitor withdrawing from the race after just one debate. Lukas was sworn in as Lord Maer on the 15th of the Sun's Smile, 1592, and entered office with an ambitious agenda. His first act was to establish a municipal council, staffed by officers such as the Captain of the town guard, a Head Steward to oversee property sales, and a City Manager/Vice Maer. The council was the first ever bureaucracy for city management in Haense, but it streamlined matters and led to more efficiency in the affairs of the city. His second act was to clearly establish travel routes between the Imperial city of Johannesburg and St. Karlsburg, paying carriages to ferry travelers back and forth between the two cities. This travel network became especially useful when the city of Johannesburg was besieged by Coalition forces during the Coalition War, led by Tuvya Staunton. With the capital threatened, the Coalition sought to destroy the Empire by enticing its vassals into secede, offering peace if they did. There were many in Haense who began question whether the Kingdom should remain loyal to the Empire, or if it should take the offer. As Lord Maer, Lukas would often exchange correspondence with King Marius I, both to keep him informed on the happenings of the city and to offer his opinion on different matters. As a veteran of the Axis war, he believed in the ability of the Empire to overcome the siege and turn the tide of the war, writing:

It was the work of your ancestor, the Exalted Sigismund, that united a fragmented and subjugated humanity into one Empire. King Andrik Vydra, Saint Emma, Saint Wilfriche, Saint Otto: all of these great Northerners expose one simple fact - we are Oren, those of us who have shed our blood for it, who have given our lives for it, we Northern people. It is your responsibility, it is expected of you, to pay respect to their sacrifice by staying true to the Empire for which they gave all they had. This war can be won, if not with numbers than by the sheer determination of the Orenian people.

A few days later, the King rejected the Coalition's offer to secede and decided to remain true to the Empire. The policy ended up redundant however, as Emperor Philip I released all his vassals to save them from destruction before detonating a tahnium bomb to reduce Johannesburg to rubble. With the most populous city in the world now destroyed, Lukas acted quick to welcome refugees to St. Karlsburg. He knew that many former Imperials would refuse to live under a Staunton King and the influx of refugees would bring new inhabitants and businesses, boosting the economy of the city and increasing the revenue generated by it. He passed the Refugee Housing Act of 1594, offering refugees free housing if they chose to immigrate to St. Karlsburg. The offer was accepted by many refugees, boosting the population of the city as Lukas had predicted.

With the boom in population however, also came an increase in the needs of the City Guard and the Stewards in order to run the city. Houses in the city were tax-free, but with the need for more streams of revenue for the city, Lukas passed the Karlsburg Taxation Act, creating the system of taxation that Haeseni Lord Maer's and High Seneschals would use to present day. The public response to the tax plan was mixed. Although it generated revenue for the capital, others saw it as theft and took to the streets to protest the new policy. Some, however, decided that the policy was too much to bear and secretly plotted to kill Lukas. The conspiracy came into fruition when an unknown assassin attacked Lukas at night on an empty street within St. Karlsburg while he was alone. His right leg took most of the damage from the attack, but he was able to disarm the assassin and force them to retreat, narrowly escaping with his own life. He would go on to lose his leg, leaving him bound to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

After hearing of the attack, Marius I looked favorably on Lukas, seeing him as a devoted public servant truly dedicated to the success of the Kingdom. The King's own struggles with his current Palatine, Duke Henry of Carnatia, were in contrast to his friendly relationship with Lukas. When Duke Henry resigned from his position a few weeks later, Marius tapped Lukas to replace him as Palatine, elevating him from Maer to second in command of the whole Kingdom.

Lord Palatine of Hanseti-Ruska

Resolute Realm

Official portrait as Palatine, c. 1600

The dull reign of Petyr I and the rebellious reign of Andrik II had not formed a governmental structure for the new Kingdom. As a result, vassals were left as autonomous groups and given free reign over their lands and people. Marius I, in the first major reform initiative of his reign, announced the creation of a Resolute Realm: a plan to create and centralize a royal government. As Palatine, Lukas was supportive of the effort, writing in his journal:

It is good and just that the King centralizes power in this Kingdom. Vassals with no government to keep them in check are like children with no parents, lacking self-control or direction.

Lukas was a major proponent of centralization, a stance he took after witnessing the fall of the Fifth Empire at the hands of disloyal vassals. He knew the threat posed by self-serving vassals, and was quick to support Marius' Resolute Realm. The first part of the realm was a survey and inspection of all vassal territories, taking note of food production, population, and if building standards were being met. To this end, a Ministry of the Interior was created, responsible for the management of all vassal territory within the Kingdom. As the head of this Ministry Lukas recommended Diedrik Barrow, a man he knew would be tough on the vassals and incorruptible, and this recommendation was accepted by Marius.

The policy saw the dismantling of many vassal towns by the new Minister, which was one of its intended effects. The existence of these smaller towns had diverted trade and craftsmen away from the capital St. Karlsburg, weakening the Crown and the whole nation as a result. Many vassal lords were extremely upset by the destruction of these towns as it weakened them, yet reluctantly accepted the policy for the protection offered by Haense. Marius and Lukas knew that most vassal lords had been vocal critics of the Stauntons, and would rather lose their towns than be sworn to a Staunton king. Not all lords fit into this category however, and some would use the implementation of the Resolute Realm to rebel against the Kingdom. The ensuing chaos and its aftermath would completely halt the Resolute Realm project, killing the royal government's main domestic agenda.

Brawm Uprising

The centralization of the Resolute Realm was begrudgingly accepted by most houses, but not by House Brawm. With their connections to the Staunton rulers of Courland, Brawm labelled the policy a breach of their feudal contract and rebelled against the royal government, expecting those connections to support their efforts. Lukas immediately urged Marius to close the borders of the Kingdom, with the hope of cutting off any potential reinforcements that the rebels could call on. Marius was a man of diplomacy and hoped for a peaceful resolution to the rebellion; he was also weary of the damage to trade and travel that the border closing would have and wanted to avoid the financial damage. Months passed and it became clear that no such resolution was possible, forcing Marius to order the border castles of Vasiland and Metterden to cut off all access into the Kingdom. A small Courlandic detachment had managed to pass into the Kingdom in these months, but not enough to be a serious threat to the Kingdom.

Lukas knew that a show of strength now against the rebels would deter any other threats to the Kingdom. He was weary of Courland's expansionist goals, knowing that their Raevir minority under Arpad Ivanovich constantly lobbied for war against Haense in hopes of taking the Kingdom of Ruska. It was his hope that a decisive victory against the rebellion would dent their efforts and keep the peace between the two human powers for longer. An army was raised of the various levies of the nobles, numbering a grand 80,000 men and the largest army ever fielded by Haense. He rode with the army as it lay siege to the Brawm castle of Houndsden, his military experience from his youth guiding him as he supervised the commanders and helped lead the siege. Avoiding a long siege was key to Lukas' goals here; a swift and decisive victory would validate his government and confirm his competency in running the Kingdom, and would serve as a deterrence to outside nations. At his urging, the castle was reduced to rubble and assaulted, the overwhelming force of the royal army being too much for the Brawm defenders to repel. After a few short hours of fighting, the Brawm defenders surrendered themselves and the castle, effectively ending the rebellion.

King Marius had originally intended to only punish the head of House Brawm, his peaceful and conciliatory nature pushing him to pardon the rest of the family. Lukas, however, argued that pardoning the Brawms that took up arms against the rebellion could embolden other nobles with similar rebellious notions. The argument persuaded Marius, and he ordered the executions of all Brawms that fought in the Siege against the royal army, leaving only a few members of the House alive but without land or title. The rebellion gave Lukas' administration legitimacy and backing, which would enable him to pursue a stronger foreign and domestic policy.

Haense-Courland Summit

• Dispute over the account of Prince Merric Staunton’s death
• King Marius accuses Courland of using Brawms as proxies to undermine Haense integrity
• Stalemate over halting war tensions
• Send Ruthern to his death
• Ultimatums issued by King Marius and King Tobias leading up to the Battle of Elba

Great Northern War

• Push for offensive, loss of Elba
• Loss of Vasiland, surrender

Exile in Mardon

• First Duma
• Greater Man philosophy
• Death of Marius

Greyspine Rebellion

• Support of Stephen
• Death at Second Battle of the Rothswood

"Greater Man" Philosophy

WIP

Issue

Name	Birth	Death	Marriage	Notes
Astrid Vanir	1563	1608	Drasko Kovachev	First-born daughter of Lukas and Isabelle.
Adeline Vanir	1572	1582	Unwed	Second-born daughter of Lukas and Isabelle.
Harald Vanir	1575	1599	Odette Ruthern	First-born son of Lukas and Isabelle.