Year of Four Emperors
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The Year of Four Emperors refers to the year 1585 in the Holy Orenian Empire. The year is considered to have memorable significance because of the assassination of two Holy Orenian Emperors and a single abdication leading to a rapid succession of four monarchs within one year. The four monarchs who ruled during this year were John III, John IV, Robert II, and Philip I.
Prelude
Emperor John III had ascended to the Imperial Throne in 1568, after briefly serving as Prince-Regent for his father before his abdication. Like his grandfather, John I, Emperor John III had policy for rapid expansionism and militarism, seeing to the end of the remaining Dunamic and Rurikid rebels and the total subjugation of the War Uzg. Cherised as a national hero but despised by many foreign lords and dignitaries, Emperor John III had succeeded where his grandfather failed against the human rebels at the humiliating defeat at the Siege of Dunland during the Eighteen Years' War.
Emperor John III had three sons of decreasing age: John Augustus, Robert Henry, and Philip Frederick. By 1585, Emperor John III had given his eldest son John Augustus, Prince of Alstion military command, with his secondborn Robert Henry, Duke of Marna pursuing theological studies. Despite John Augustus' clear aptitude in martial prowess, his mental state was referred to many as cruel and bizarre. As the knight Ser Edwin Harwyn wrote, "...His Imperial Highness has degraded to the point of sheer madness, cruelly viperous yet strikingly brilliant.".
