Wilheim Barclay

This page contains information about a character that has been or is still played by a member of the LotC community. Please keep this in mind as you proceed reading.

Wilheim Barclay A Haeseni portrait of Wilheim, 1736 Baron of Freising Predecessor: Title Created Successor: Erwin Konrad Barclay Tenure: 1724-1745 Lord Marshal of Haense Predecessor: Otto I, Grand Prince of Muldav Successor: Erwin Konrad Barclay Tenure: 1728-1745 Born: 2nd of the Sun's Smile, 1693, Markev, Haense Spouse: Lady Marcella Avern House: Barclay Father: Ludwig Barclay Mother: Karina Barclay, neé unknown

Lord Wilheim Barclay (Nicknamed: The Stallion) served as the founder of the Haeseni noble House of Barclay and the Lord Marshal of Haense under King Andrew III after rising through the ranks from a commoner to Lord as he served under King Marius II and King Andrew. Wilheim was known for his martial prowess after squiring for Prince Otto Sigmar of Alimar and fought in the War of Two Emperors, the Three-Month War and the Toe War as the primary Haeseni field commander and is widely considered to have been one of the cornerstones in the rise of the Second Brotherhood of Saint Karl and the reformation of the Haeseni military under King Andrew III.

Early life

Wilheim was born in 1693 in a modest household in the city of Markev. Not much is known of the man's early days as it was spent mostly secluded and few written records are known depicting it due to his life as a commoner within the city.

It is assumed that Wilheim had a fairly normal life within the walls of Markev, his family being burghers who spent most of their time trading goods and peddling wares, leading to Wilheim from an early childhood having contact with nobility and gentry who came to do business with them. At some point in Wilheim's teenage years his parents died and the teenager left for in Reza, where he was taken in by Prince Otto Sigmar as a squire after the latter noticed the teenage boy's apparent prowess in combat. From there on he spent most times with the House of Alimar, and even to some extent with royalty from the House of Barbanov, which led to him forming a strong camaraderie with members of the court.

Rise Through the Ranks

Wilheim's rise through the Haeseni ranks was mostly due to his martial prowess and leadership abilities, but also thanks to the bonds he forged with other Haeseni nobles and royalty during the times of war. Together with other members of his household, the Barclays under his leadership quickly became a prominent body within Haeseni military affairs and politics, his wife for example being the first woman to be directly elected by the Haeseni people into the Royal Duma.

As a squire under Prince Otto Sigmar, Wilheim quickly began to develop his skills. He proved to be a quick learner as the hardened prince taught him the arts of strategy and command. Finding himself thrust into battle with the beginning of the War of Two Emperors against Renatus, it didn't take long until King Marius took notice of his talents and Wilheim was knighted as Ser Wilheim the Stallion, so named after his feat of stealing a dozen horses from the Renatian stables. The newly knight Wilheim quickly became a prominent figure on the frontlines alongside other Haeseni knights, lords and commanders, such as Ser Dominic Grimm, Lord Leopold Stafyr, Prince Godfric Alimar and Ser Nikolaus Kortrevich. During the war, Wilheim found himself appointed to the Marian Retinue, serving directly as one of King Marius's personal bodyguards and later after his death as King Andrew's. With that Wilheim became an integral part of the Haeseni court and made good friends with men such as the later Lord Palatine, Ser Konrad Stafyr, and Prince Georg Stanimar.

The knight managed to recruit a group of men from similar backgrounds as himself to serve with him and outfitted them with armour and weaponry from his own purse. The group was called The Landsers and frequently issued raids on the Imperial Roads to target Renatian supply lines during the war as his own personal retinue. During the war Wilheim and his men were noted to have fought in every single major battle except the initating Battle of Upper Rodenburg, often finding themselves in the vanguard. After years of fighting the War finally ended with the Treaty of Reza signed by the boy king Andrik and the Lord-Palatine Lord Lerald Vyronov.

After the war, Wilheim found himself to be an integral part of King Andrew's reforms of the Haeseni military. The Haeseni Royal Army was disbanded by the King and replaced with the reformed Brotherhood of Saint Karl, where Wilheim was appointed as the Commander of the Chapter of the Destrier, putting him in charge of all Haeseni cavalry. The Brotherhood quickly saw early success under the leaderships of Lord Otto Kortrevich, Prince Otto Sigmar and Wilheim. To reward Wilheim for his diligent services during the War of Two Emperors and the assistance of reforming the Brotherhood, he was granted a letter of ennoblement by King Andrew and was named the Baron of Freising (New Marian: Freisburg). With his new holdings on the coast of Lake Helena, he went about constructing a fort to protect Haense's western border, where the Renatians had invaded from during the War of Two Emperors.

Baron of Freising

A few years after being ennobled by King Andrew, he was appointed as Lord Marshal of Haense and granted a seat on the Aulic Council as one of the King's chief advisors. This after the former Lord Marshal had been relieved of his service due to absence in duty. Wilheim quickly began to rearrange the Brotherhood and a recruitment spree began and the Brotherhoods' numbers began to massively increase. During Wilheims' tenture as Lord Marshal the Three-Month War broke out over a border conflict between Oren and the Urguan regarding the Rhuneland. Even if the War only lasted for a brief three months, Wilheim managed to successfully lead the first Haeseni offensive since the Siege of Helena when the Brotherhood raided a dwarven fort and routed their legionnaries and mercenaries.

After the War ended and the Empire went into what was known as The Troubles, Wilheim's focus was still on the Brotherhood and even while the Empire was in turmoil, Haense remained stable and the Brotherhood's ranks continued to swell. As Emperor Alexander II ascended to the Imperial Throne, some estimated that Haense had the largest fighting force in the Empire. During the Lorrainian Revolt, Wilheim took part in the minor skirmishes along the roads between Haense and Kaedrin and also fought in the Siege of Guise and was one of the chief commanders in rooting Lorrainian seperatists under King Andrew. The verbal abuse that he suffered from Kaedreni soldiers and the current Grand Knight after being injured in a fight against bandits was one of the primary reasons to the tense relationship Haense had with the Kingdom of Kaedrin during this period of time but was resolved after the Vesnian Stand-off where it was revealed that Kaedreni dissidents supporting Lorraine had been the chief issue in causing conflict against Haense and specifically House Barclay.

Later on Wilheim took part in what would be known as the Toe War and rallied two thousand men to assist the Orenian vanguard in the Battle of Lowveld, but was dismissed by Imperial commanders due to what were assumed to be logistical reasons. Later on he would command the Haeseni forces as part of the Orenian host in the Siege of San'Strohk, which ended as a resounding victory for the Orenians. A rise in recruitment spurred by such victories, combined with the growing post-War of Two Emperors population boom in Haense, brought the Brotherhood's ranks to levels that had not been seen since Atlas.

Issue

.

Name	Birth	Death	Marriage	Notes
Klara Barclay	1726	Alive	Unwed	Firstborn daughter to Wilheim and Marcella Avern
Erwin Konrad Barclay	1729	Alive	Unwed	Firstborn son to Wilheim and Marcella Avern, heir to the Barony of Freising