Sigmar I, Duke of Valwyck

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Duke Sigmar I Duke of Valwyck Reign: 1748 - 1753 Predecessor: Title Created Successor: Petyr Siegmund Baruch Count of Ayr Reign: 1715 - 1753 Predecessor: Jan Baruch Successor: Petyr Siegmund Baruch Born: 1709 Marianburg Castle, Ayr, Haense Spouse: Marya Ruthern Issue: Petyr Siegmund Viktor Aldrik Josef Marius Marya Annaliese House: Baruch Father: Jan Baruch Mother: Liliana Kortrevich

Sigmar Joren Baruch (1709 - ) is a former Duke of Valwyck, within the Kingdom of Haense, son of Jan Baruch and Lilliana Kortrevich. Sigmar grew up in the times of turmoil throughout humanity, right before the War of Two Emperors. His childhood with his siblings, Kamilla and Eirik, was a troublesome part of his life; both of his parents resented each other and had committed treason against the Kingdom of Haense at the start of the War of Two Emperors, leaving him as the Count at a very young age. In his early reign his mentors were his great-grandfather Marius Karl Baruch, and his older cousin Joren Aldrik Baruch who both sat on Sigmar’s regency council until he came of age. He was educated by Marius in histories and law, focusing mainly on his Haensetti history and the involvement of the Baruch house in the past as well as the justice systems throughout the Empire and highlighting the importance of the concept of constitutionalism in the future. He longed to be like the Baruch warriors of old and so he had his cousin, Joren, teach him how to hunt, fish, and fight. Upon his 14th birthday, the regency ended and Sigmar was officially a Count in his own right. One of his first acts as Count was to appoint his regency council as advisors, and Marius and Joren along with his Uncle Lerald Vyronov were keen to accept Sigmar’s invitation to advisory roles within the County. At 15, and in the dying stages of the war, he tried and executed his mother on charges of treason in his family keep of Saint’s Rest. After difficulty overcoming his condemnation and later execution of his mother, Sigmar went on to fully immerse himself in matters of state and leadership in his later teenage years.

In his 20’s, he spent his time reviving his family's dirtied reputation, turning it once again into a prosperous respected noble family, strengthening their political reputations and securing strong alliances with the nobles of Haense such as Ruthern, Stafyr, and Vyronov. He was graciously appointed Lord Kastellan by King Andrik III as a result of his long service to the Kingdom, continued loyalty and support of House Barbanov, and being one of the major landed vassals of Haense. In 1731 at age 23, he married Marya Ruthern further strengthening the Baruch ties to the House of Ruthern. Sigmar adored Marya, and after his great-grandfather’s death she served as one of his closest advisors, taking the vacant position left by the late Marius. In 1732, he served as one of the main reformers of the Haeseni Duma, sitting on the Committee of 1732. He, alongside his dear friend and Lord Palantine Terrence May, and his cousin, Karl Gustav Vyronov, wrote the Feudalist Manifesto, outlining the core beliefs of one of the 3 benches of the Duma. In 1734, Sigmar was appointed Councillor Paramount and Lord Speaker of the Duma. in 1748, King Andrik IV bestowed upon him a new title, the Duchy of Relavia which was later renamed to the Duchy of Valwyck at Sigmar’s request. In 1753, Sigmar resigned from Lord Speaker and Councillor Paramount hoping to retire from politics and leave his life of a statesman in the past. In the same year, he abdicated his titles to his son and heir, Petyr Siegmund Baruch. In 1754, He re-established the role of Royal Envoy in the courts of Haense and later resigned the following year using his reputation to get his nephew, Emerich Gant, appointed into it. His later years he often served as a Duma representative for his house, passing many important legislation, not a single one failing inside the Duma halls.

Full titles as Duke of Valwyck

At the time of Sigmar's peek, his full title was: His Excellency, Sigmar Joren Baruch, Lord Speaker of the Royal Duma of Hanseti-Ruska, Duke of Valwyck, Count of Ayr, Baron of Laval, Riveryn, and Voron, Lord of Jorenstadt and Guardian of the Hanseti Coast