Olivier I, Prince of Savoy
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Olivier Renault Ashford de Savoie (1793 - Present), regally known as Olivier I or as Olivier the Restorer was the single legitimate son of Griffith Ashford de Savoie and his wife Maria Luisa Ashford de Bar and thus the nominal patriarch of the House of Savoie. He was a military leader post-adolescence who would come to reform Savoy as an independent Principality many centuries after its original dissolution.
Contents
Early Years; Luciensburg
Born a commoner within the Holy Orenian Empire, he would join the Sedan Rebellion in his adolescence in an attempt to re-establish the identity of the bygone houses of Oren, though fleeing Oren with the newly established Metinan Mercenary Company after the Rebellion proved unsuccessful. From the ashes of their failure, the Metinan Company established the City-State of Luciensburg as a place for disgruntled Human refugees with Olivier joining the municipal government of Luciensburg upon being anointed one of the three Consuls in service to its people and headed by the Interrex Bernard de Salier.
As Consul, Olivier was considered a controversial head in the Tenth Nordling War where he accepted a contract from the Empire of Oren to fight against the Kingdom of Norland. He is credited with deliberating on the contract with imperial leadership and then committing Luciensberg to the war. After an assassination attempt in the later days of the war, the man substituted his dismembered hand with a pure gold metal fist. It was believed at the time that the assassination attempt was the result of Olivier wishing to become the king of Luciensberg or as a consequence of anti-imperial sentiment within the city of Luciensberg.
Rise to Power
Rise to Duke of Corazon
After the assassination attempt and his move from Luciensberg, Olivier and his wife Adeline de Savoie settled down in Oren and then swore allegiance to Emperor John VIII and becoming apart of the Augustine Court. After idle time in the Empire, Olivier became disenfranchised with perpetual peace as a man of battle and brawn, thus becoming spirited at the news of a revolt against Queen Johanna of Sutica, who he sought out with some immediacy to offer his tactical skill against the insurgents. He was bestowed land under Johanna's kingdom in exchange for his promise of aid, which then befell under a title which he came to inherit from his friend, James Alstion, the last heir of House Alstion, as the Duchy of Corazon. As Duke, he was installed as a powerful member of Johanna's council and would remain in the position until her death.
Dissolution of Sutica
Shortly following the end of the rebellion, Queen Johanna was taken by illness and died, leaving Sutica in the hands of Olivier as Lord Regent to her son, Corwin Alexander. The regent quickly took hold, transforming Sutica into a modern Savoy, and cementing himself as Prince of Savoy in 1836 via the proclamation of the dissolution of Sutica [1].
Reign
Olivier Renault's reign began very smoothly, with there being little to no opposition to his reformation of Savoy or seizure of power. He was a very popular figure among the Savoyard and native Sutican populations, and he quickly moved to release new legislation for his domain. This included the Lex Savoia, which served as the Principality's official law codex. He would also go on to appoint many new noble families to new positions, and reformed the Privy Council as well as the three social classes. However, it would not be long into his reign when Savoy saw its first conflict in the form of Oisin's Rebellion within the Kingdom of Rozania. Due to Oisin's goal of establishing Rozania as a Canonist Nation and Savoy's unofficial alliance with the co-belligerent known as the Principality of Sedan, Olivier Renault ordered the departure of a small Savoyard volunteer force to support Oisin's cause.
Savoyard forces participated in almost every single battle of the rebellion, earning them renown as a formidable fighting force alongside their Sedanian comrades. Despite Oisin eventually giving up his claim, The Savoyard volunteers had gained valuable experience from the conflict and returned home as hardened veterans. This experience would go on to help the Savoyard Army establish peace within the Principality, and under Olivier Renault's reign there was minimal bandit activity within the nation at all. Thanks to the strong enforcement of peace by the Army, the majority of Olivier Renault's years as Prince were ones of peace.
The Aster Revolution
The years of peace would come to change when Olivier Renault invited Prince Philip Amadeus of the Holy Orenian Empire to San Luciano and met with him in private. This meeting would soon be realized as a plot to have Philip Amadeus coup the throne from the sitting Holy Orenian Emperor, his grandfather, Philip II. In a public missive sent out across Almaris, Philip Amadeus declared himself the rightful Holy Orenian Emperor, and marched on New Providence backed by Olivier Renault and the Savoyard Army.
Despite the success of the Coup, it had called into question Savoy's status as an independent nation. Many were unhappy with the notion of Savoy becoming a vassal-state of the Holy Orenian Empire, and some began calling for an official response from Olivier Renault. However, the Prince would often dodge these questions frequently, which would only continue to upset the population of Savoy. Eventually, Olivier Renault would abdicate the throne in favor of his son Olivier Laurène, and left the Principality of Savoy to join the Holy Orenian Empire in its war against the Grand Kingdom of Urguan. He would later go on to become the Vicechancellor of Oren.
Issue
| Name | Birth | Death | Marriage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurène Henriette Héloïse | 1817 | Alive | Matyas Basrid, Khedive of Rudria | Firstborn child of Olivier and Adeline. |
| Claude Élisabeth Hermine | 1818 | Alive | Philip Pruvia, Viscount of Provins | Secondborn child of Olivier and Adeline. |
| Eugénie Cécile Milène | 1819 | Alive | Viktor Josef Baruch | Thirdborn child of Olivier and Adeline. |
| Olivier Laurène Lucien | 1821 | Alive | Catherine, Princess Royal of Sutica | Fourthborn child of Olivier and Adeline. Firstborn Son and Prince of Savoy. |
| Louis Maximilien Visant | 1823 | Alive | Joan Catherine Alstion | Fifthborn child of Olivier and Adeline. A sickly child, many expected him to die post-birth. |
| Athénaïs Olivienne Marie | 1825 | Alive | Adrian Novellen, Count of Temesch | Seventhborn child of Olivier and Adeline. Born in Sutica. |
| Leufroy Renault Denis | 1828 | Alive | Caterina Louisa Helane | Sixthborn child of Olivier and Adeline. |
