Terrence May
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Sir Terrence May, GCM, VKML (Common: Terrence May), dubbed Father of the Imperial Diet, known formally as both The President of Oren and The Chancellor of Haense, or referred to simply as Terrence. He was the twenty-first Lord Palatine of Haense, assuming the position in 1732. He was both the first Auditor-General of Oren and served non-consecutively as President of Oren, assuming the positions in 1725, 1746, and 1765, respectively. He is regarded as the most influential Haeseni and Orenian statesmen in modern human history.
Contents
Early Life and Young Adulthood
Sir Terrence May (1692-1779) was born to Hughes and Mariya (Barnes) May, as an only child within the slums of Carolustadt. He and his family grew up lowborn, his father worked as a shoemaker and his mother worked as a tavern worker. Following the migration to Arcas, both of Terrence’s parents succumbed to disease. Upon his arrival, he settled in the County of Ayr and began to work as a fisherman. Having been born a Heartlander, he managed to quickly adapt to the Ayrian way of life, such as becoming fluent in the Ayrian language and developing an Ayrian accent. Additionally, Terrence’s hobbies expanded to fishing, whaling and clamming. As a result, he grew a close rapport with the Baruch household; notably with the former Count Marius Baruch and Count Sigmar Baruch. He studied at the St. Charles University of Reza in the early 1710s where he became radicalized by the Josephite Liberties movement that precipitated in the War of Two Emperors. This had a profound impact on the trajectory of his political career that spanned decades.
Marriage
While studying as a doctoral student at the St. Charles University of Reza, Terrence May was introduced to Philippa Brasier by a mutual colleague during a Biharist Philosophy Assembly. The pair bonded over their shared love for Haeseni Chess and by 1712, the two scholars were married in the Royal City of Reza. To no one’s surprise, their marriage was filled with both love and admiration for one another. Despite this, they chose not to have any children, choosing to remain committed to their personal careers. Due to the private nature of their marriage, not much is known of their relationship. In 1779, Terrence May passed away at the age of eighty-seven. Within just two weeks following, Philippa May passed away at the age of eighty-eight.
Auditor-General of Oren
In 1723, Terrence May was elected as the first Leader of the Opposition of Haense following the reestablished Feudalist Bench. Though as the War of Two Emperors came to a close, the Holy Orenian Empire was reformed under the newly crowned Emperor Alexander II. As part of the efforts in reestablishing the framework of Oren, he was appointed to serve as the first Auditor-General of Oren (1725), thereafter prompting his sudden resignation as Leader of the Opposition. While serving under this new position, May, through his scholarly prowess, reformed the defunct Orenian Archives. As a result, he orchestrated state-publishing efforts, which promoted Orenian culture and history. Shortly after his appointment, May was tasked with compiling a report on the settlements and population distribution of the Empire. In a period after much disarray following the War of Two Emperors, much of the imperial demesne had been ravaged by war, famine, disease, and displacement. The report culminated after decades of civil disunion and was indicative of much more centralized attempts by the Imperial government to reorganize civil society in the following decades. May would later return to adjacent responsibilities as the Orenian government began to reconstitute.
While serving as both an imperial councilor and archivist, Terrence often worked alongside other Haeseni delegates. This included the Solicitor-General of Oren, Otto Alimar. The pair despite sharing different views on government grew a close rapport with one another. Notably, the publication of the Orenian Revised Code is often attributed to the pair's cooperation with each other’s respective offices, with Otto as one of the leading authors and May as the leading publisher as Chairman of the Board of Notaries. After six years as Auditor-General, Terrence May resigned in protest after Emperor Alexander II was forced into exile after his legitimacy as Holy Orenian Emperor was challenged. This decision was shared by the majority of Haense as other Haeseni delegates, like Otto Alimar, followed suit in resigning. With the end of Alexander II’s reign, Terrence May returned to the County of Ayr and resumed his representation of House Baruch in the Royal Duma.
Lord Palatine of Haense
Upon his return to the Kingdom of Haense, Terrence was asked to resume his representation of House Baruch in the Royal Duma by Count Sigmar Baruch (later Duke of Valwyck). Beginning in 1726, Terrence, a self-described Everardian-Feudalist began to introduce legislation that supported feudalist ideas with respect to noble levies, low income tax and feudal institutions. After returning to the Royal Duma, he quickly resumed as Leader of the Opposition, a position he would hold for six years. In 1727, Lord Palatine Lerald Vyronov appointed Terrence as the first Deputy Palatine of Haense. Notably, the like-minded statesmen worked together in rebuilding the war-exhausted realm, including a sizable regrowth of the army by the late 1720s.
In 1732, Terrence May was appointed as the twenty-first Lord Palatine of Haense following the unexpected death of his predecessor, Lerald Vyronov. Because of this, he resigned as Leader of the Opposition and recommended his successor to be Henrik Vanir. In his first and only year as Palatine, Terrence embarked on an ambitious domestic program. He introduced the largest spending measure in Haeseni political history, a package of proposals to fund military, education, and infrastructural provisions. However, his support in the Duma was eclipsed by skeptics and Stephanian-Centralists who believed his policies promoted radical Feudalist efforts to drain the royal treasury. Despite his uphill battle with the Centralist majority within the Aulic Government, May as the first Feudalist head of government, worked tirelessly in negotiating for increased funding to the Kingdom’ military, education and infrastructure. While having shared a close rapport with King Andrew III, May managed to acquire additional funding for the Kingdom’s lackluster infrastructure but came short on his desires to reform the substandard military and the defunct Haeseni academic sector.
By the end of this tenure, May introduced an ambitious bill that proposed the expansion of the Haeseni river systems in a series of canal expansion; which would connect the cities of Helena and New Reza by riverway. Though, the bill would stir controversy among the Haeseni nobles, many of his centralist opponents claiming May’s former employment with Oren was a conflict of interest and an example of imperial overreach. Throughout the early part of his tenure, May negotiated with Archchancellor Edward Morris of Oren to expand on an initiative to connect the Imperial heartland with the Haeseni northern hinterlands. Previous attempts via privately-funded railway and the persistent conflicts in the wake of the War of Two Emperors had caused major delays for a trans-imperial infrastructure plan.
Through stalling efforts perpetuated by the Centralist majority, the bill remained tabled till the end of the year. As a result, the bill failed to be passed within the Royal Duma, though was later given royal assent by Andrew III. In the following year, Terrence was forced to resign as his popularity amongst the Haeseni caucus subsided. Prior to his reluctant resignation, he recommended Konrad Stafyr to succeed him as the next Lord Palatine of Haense. While his work within the Haeseni government is mainly remembered for his failures, he is often thought to be redeemed later in life through his representation of the Kingdom within the Empire. During the Feudalist Conference of 1733 in Ayr, May reiterated his views for a stronger nobility and in the right of provincial self-determination. These principles would echo into his political vision for Imperial politics later in life.
Imperial Senator from Haense
Following the death of Emperor Alexander de Joannes, the Empire underwent a drastic restructuring with the ascension of the Lord Protector of Oren, Adrian de Sarkozy. Yet, his unexpected death in 1737 saw a renewed Imperial succession crisis. Imperial courtiers invoked the Instrument of Coronation, declaring Peter Sigismundic (Peter III) rightful Emperor of Oren, inaugurating a new Helenan period. In 1736, the Imperial Senate was chartered under the Edict of Establishment. Representatives across the Orenian demesne were summoned to Helena to be sworn in as the senator-designates of the new Imperial Diet. Due to his experience as an Imperial administrator and as head of the Haeseni government, Terrence May was chosen by Andrew III to represent the Kingdom of Haense in the Imperial Senate. After being sworn in by the Vice Chancellor of Oren, Senator May introduced the first pieces of legislation: the Senate Committees Act of 1737. Believing in a robust legislative body with powerful accountability and oversight powers, May was informed by the imperial corruption in the decades prior. A strong Senate, in his view, kept an executive government from going awry during periods of war and peace.
One of his first challenges was a senate race in which May confronted a rising tide of neo-Feudalist popular skepticism of the Imperial government by pockets of Haeseni nobility. Headed by candidate Reinhard K. Barclay, this campaign represented an acute surge of resentment against what May was perceived to embody: the Haeseni "Establishment" who espoused policies that were too moderate and amicable with Oren. Despite a tense campaign season, May trounced Barclay and easily fended off the attempt to unseat him. May’s victory was bolstered by his successful attempts at allaying fears of an Imperial land grab when he organized against Senator William Napier’s bill to cordon off Haeseni land into reservations.
Throughout Senator May’s career, he advocated for stronger procedural and domestic legislative items that addressed economic inequities, burning injustices, and promoted a cosmopolitan society. One of his first priorities was getting citizens back to work following a lull in the Imperial economy, May successfully authored and sponsored the Imperial Employment Opportunities Act of 1740 which provided a central forum for job listings, transparent wages, and right-to-work provisions. He also passed sweeping reforms on the Imperial medical system with the Amyas Act of 1760, the first type of legislation of its kind, broadening access to medical supplies and paying fair wages to medics, who were increasingly being staffed by Elven immigrants. Senator May was an advocate for a multiracial Oren.
President of Oren
Following the resignation of Senator William Napier as interim-President pro tempore of the Imperial Senate, Senator May stood uncontested to chair the Senate. As a prolific legislator, he received broad support from his colleagues and took office amidst a turbulent backdrop of growing Imperial bureaucratic fluff. The Tax Revolt of the 1740s marked a shift in growing attitudes against increasing Imperial taxation and central power. When the Imperial Chancellery began to propose tax reforms that levied revenue collections from the Imperial constituent vassal states, May led opposition to any comprehensive tax reform until proper assessment of the Treasury was conducted by the Senate. A senatorial investigation found that the Imperial Treasurer Peter de Sarkozy had been directing state funds that were not authorized by the budget passed by the Imperial Senate.
As President pro tempore, Senator May invoked the Writ of Impeachment powers, the first time ever in the Senate’s history. He warned that disregard of the rule of law and the discretionary powers of the Senate were a threat to the Imperial constitution and the will of the constituencies. After subpoenaing the Secretary of the Interior and the Solicitor-General of Oren, the Senate investigative committee found that the Treasurer had been funneling extraneous funding well above the allocated amounts from the legislative session. This was confirmed when Senator May summoned Treasurer Sarkozy himself. After a private consultation with the Imperial Chancellery, May announced a censure vote on Sarkozy’s mishandling of public trust and dropped the impeachment charges.
After a decade as chair of the Senate, May willingly stepped down and returned to the backbenches. However in 1764, the Imperial Crown dissolved the Imperial Senate and restructured the lower house into the House of Commons. Two parties emerged wherein May co-founded the Josephite Party and was elected to lead the Josephites, a faction that espoused imperial liberalism, cosmopolitanism, and increasing secularism in Orenian society. In the election of 1765, the Josephites won the majority and formed a new government. May was appointed as President of the House of Commons and served for one parliamentary term. By 1768, May had shown signs of aging and mental deficiency. Some believed that he was nearing retirement, which had been confirmed during the Josephite conference later that year. Speaking to a crowd in the Northern Geographical Society in New Reza, May explained that he would retire after four decades of public service. He later gave a speech on the floor of the House, the last one of his public career. He was succeeded by Jonah Stahl-Elendil as Leader of the Josephite Party.
Later Life and Death
After his retirement as President of Oren and Leader of the Josephite Party, Terrence returned to the Duchy of Valwyck to remain out of the public eye. Months following his retirement, the Order of Queen Maya and the Lily was founded; and Terrence was inducted as the first Valtakossar for his unmatched political career as the twenty-first Lord Palatine of Haense, Aulic Advisor, Member of the Royal Duma and as a Haeseni Member and President of the Imperial Senate and House of Commons. For a brief period of time, May voluntarily opted to return as an Aulic Advisor to King Sigismund II as tensions began to rise between the contentious sovereigns of Haense and Oren. As he entered into his early eighties, Terrence served as a liaison to Oren; helping mend relations with Orenian bureaucrats that were broken down by the paranoiac Sigismund II. In 1776, Terrence once again retired to the Duchy of Valwyck. A week after his eighty-seventh nameday, Terrence May died of natural causes. He was given full state funeral honors in Haense. Afterwards, statues in both Providence and Karosgrad were erected to memorialize the influential statesman.
Titles, Styles and Honors
Titles and Styles
- 1725-1731: His Excellency, Auditor-General of Oren
- 1732-1733: His Excellency, Lord Palatine of Haense
- 1736-1764: The Honorable, Senator of the Imperial Senate
- 1746-1756; 1765-1769: His Excellency, President of Oren
- 1765-1769: The Honorable, Member of the House of Commons
Honors
- 1769: GCM, Grand Cross of the Order of Merit
- 1769: VKML, Valtakossar of the Order of Queen Maya and the Lily
Formal Title
The formal title of Sigmar was: Sir Terrence May, Lord Palatine of Haense, President of Oren, Auditor-General of Oren, Senator of the Imperial Senate, Member of the House of Commons, GCM of the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit, VKML of the Order of Queen Maya and the Lily.
