Bastions
Prologue Three: The Kings of Kings
Part 32
Prince Vishly was trusted more and more to deal with the issues of the nobles, all the while his father retreated from the public life of the King. Kiten was tired of the throne, but enjoyed its benefits. He was also not sure of whether to completely trust Vishly yet, a boy who had caused him a great deal of trouble as a child. Oleksander, on the other hand, could not inherit at all as he was known not to be Kiten's son. If the Monarchy was to be maintained, and the Unions with Bohemia and Hungary maintained, Vishly had to inherit the throne of Prussia. The Unions with Bohemia and Hungary were becoming more and more strained, more hate filled. The southern states yearned for freedom; they were tired of being nothing but Prussian play things. The nobility there paid heavy taxes and were under constant watch. The people were tired of being ruled by Prussians, and in some parts, Prussians were tired of being ruled by a distant and distrusting Monarch. In the far south lived a group of Prussians called the Carpathians. They spoke Prussian and ruled in the stead of the Monarchy, but they really sought independence.
Within the court a new buzz word was coming into fashion: Fraternalism. Fraternalism was a belief in the Feudal Contract, the Æthelræchtæs. Someone who believed in the Æthelræchtæs as the supreme law of the land was known as a Fraternal. However; fraternalism was becoming synonymous with separatism in many circles of the Empire. In Hungary, Bohemia, Mordvia, Brandenburg, Croatia, Moldavia and Wallachia the elite circles were made up mostly of Fraternals who craved independence from Prussia. Fraternalism was spurred on by cultural elitism in nobles who often spoke Prussian as a second language: German and French nobles who had fled the Caliphate. But the Carpathians who ruled Hungary and Moldavia were also ardently fraternalist. On the other end of the spectrum were the Monarchists, nobles who believed in the blood rule of the royal family as well as the royal family being the ultimate law of Prussia, above that of even the church (which ruled the spiritual, not the material). Their ranks were packed with the lowest of nobles, mainly wealthy merchants and other "peasants" who had made their wealth in the cities along the Baltic coast. However, many remained in the middle as well. Most famously were the Horselords of Azowia. They were uninterested in petty bickering and saw to it that their taxes were paid on time.
In 1307 the entire Empire held its breath. King Kiten was dead and his only son, Vishly inherited the throne. Within hours the Empire was a different place. Those who had stood against Vishly as a Prince were already disappearing. Kiten's lovers, Prince Oleksander, court members; all were dispatched quickly and brutally. The nobility knew the process was going to be painful, they just didn't know how painful. King Vishly removed their rights to command armies, protected by the Æthelræchtæs. It was the first of many amendments the King would make before just doing away with the document all together. Next was limiting their ability to tax their fiefs for personal gain and then the actual size of personal fiefs. The King cut away their ability to defend themselves, their ability to pay for themselves and then their ability to feed themselves. But more deviously he also removed their ability to call up levy armies in the future, an important change. The King had the upper hand, but the nobility was becoming angered, their anger boiling far below the surface where it was changing from just rage to a pure hate, a hate that screamed to burst forth.
Prologue Three: The Kings of Kings
Part 32
ien tevádus gebáswánt turnáf ien sunus háŝ turnáf ien kalpus godkár.
A father's distain becomes a son's hate becomes a man's ambition.
A father's distain becomes a son's hate becomes a man's ambition.
Prince Vishly was trusted more and more to deal with the issues of the nobles, all the while his father retreated from the public life of the King. Kiten was tired of the throne, but enjoyed its benefits. He was also not sure of whether to completely trust Vishly yet, a boy who had caused him a great deal of trouble as a child. Oleksander, on the other hand, could not inherit at all as he was known not to be Kiten's son. If the Monarchy was to be maintained, and the Unions with Bohemia and Hungary maintained, Vishly had to inherit the throne of Prussia. The Unions with Bohemia and Hungary were becoming more and more strained, more hate filled. The southern states yearned for freedom; they were tired of being nothing but Prussian play things. The nobility there paid heavy taxes and were under constant watch. The people were tired of being ruled by Prussians, and in some parts, Prussians were tired of being ruled by a distant and distrusting Monarch. In the far south lived a group of Prussians called the Carpathians. They spoke Prussian and ruled in the stead of the Monarchy, but they really sought independence.
Within the court a new buzz word was coming into fashion: Fraternalism. Fraternalism was a belief in the Feudal Contract, the Æthelræchtæs. Someone who believed in the Æthelræchtæs as the supreme law of the land was known as a Fraternal. However; fraternalism was becoming synonymous with separatism in many circles of the Empire. In Hungary, Bohemia, Mordvia, Brandenburg, Croatia, Moldavia and Wallachia the elite circles were made up mostly of Fraternals who craved independence from Prussia. Fraternalism was spurred on by cultural elitism in nobles who often spoke Prussian as a second language: German and French nobles who had fled the Caliphate. But the Carpathians who ruled Hungary and Moldavia were also ardently fraternalist. On the other end of the spectrum were the Monarchists, nobles who believed in the blood rule of the royal family as well as the royal family being the ultimate law of Prussia, above that of even the church (which ruled the spiritual, not the material). Their ranks were packed with the lowest of nobles, mainly wealthy merchants and other "peasants" who had made their wealth in the cities along the Baltic coast. However, many remained in the middle as well. Most famously were the Horselords of Azowia. They were uninterested in petty bickering and saw to it that their taxes were paid on time.
In 1307 the entire Empire held its breath. King Kiten was dead and his only son, Vishly inherited the throne. Within hours the Empire was a different place. Those who had stood against Vishly as a Prince were already disappearing. Kiten's lovers, Prince Oleksander, court members; all were dispatched quickly and brutally. The nobility knew the process was going to be painful, they just didn't know how painful. King Vishly removed their rights to command armies, protected by the Æthelræchtæs. It was the first of many amendments the King would make before just doing away with the document all together. Next was limiting their ability to tax their fiefs for personal gain and then the actual size of personal fiefs. The King cut away their ability to defend themselves, their ability to pay for themselves and then their ability to feed themselves. But more deviously he also removed their ability to call up levy armies in the future, an important change. The King had the upper hand, but the nobility was becoming angered, their anger boiling far below the surface where it was changing from just rage to a pure hate, a hate that screamed to burst forth.