Emperor Alexander Viromaro

Emperor Alexander Viromaro

Emperor Alexander The Peacemaker Viromaro was a Kythiran Emperor who ruled over the Kythiran Empire in the middle of the Fourth Era. He inherited an Empire that had begun to form a great many cracks after the reigns of the Three Bad Emperors. He managed to restore peace and prosperity to the realm, establishing the Pax Minecraftia that lasted for several decades, until his son, Emperor Louis Viromaro, began the Grand War.

Youth

Alexander was born as a the third son of Emperor Henry III Viromaro and younger brother to Emperor Charles II & Charles III. He was 10 when his father drowned at Summerhal Palace, and his ten year older brother Charles II took the throne. When he died at the Massacre at Summerhal at the onset of the Alcanzari Slave Rebellion, Prince Alexander was 12 years old. The Imperial Council declared that his 2 year older brother should take the throne over his niece, the crown-princess Melissa, infant daughter of Charles II.

He studied in Helmira and Ardoria. When he turned 17 years old he was ordered by his older brother, then Emperor Charles III, to join the Imperial Legion during the last year of the fight against the Alcanzari Slave Rebellion. He served as an artillery officer until the end of the war, after which he returned to Ardoria to finish his studies. When he turned 22 years old, Grand Chancellor Edward Von Roterstein was fired and replaced with Lord Vilen. As the Empire's budget started to revolve around Emperor Charles III's obsession with magic, Prince Alexander attempted to persuade his brother to fire Lord Vilen and banish the magical societies. As his brother refused, Prince Alexander plotted to save the Empire by luring Lord Vilen to a grand feast in Villa Riverside, supposedly to offer peace and as a gesture of good will gift a magical ancient relic. At the feast, the conspirators successfully killed Lord Vilen but failed at deposing the Emperor. In retaliation Emperor Charles III ordered the execution of all parties involved in the conspiracy, with the exception of Prince Alexander, as he and Charles III were the last living members of House Viromaro. Instead, he was send to a remote island in the Vestlig Sea, where he spend the last year of his brother's rule under house arrest.

After his brother, Charles III’s violent and sudden disappearance during the The Night of Lightning, Alexander was freed from the island by soldiers send by the Ardoraghi High-Lord. After staying in Ardoria for a week, he travelled east to Helmira to assume the Kythiran throne. Aged just 23, he became the 10th Kythiran Emperor.

Reign

Alexander inherited an Empire that had suffered through decades of internal issues, rebellions, crises and three bad successive emperors. He married Isadora of House Valerius, with whom he would have two sons, crown-prince Amantis and prince Louis.

He reinstated Grand Chancellor Edward Von Roterstein, who served until his death 9 years later. After this, he appointed Lord Von Reventrad as his Grand Chancellor, who would serve until Alexander's death.

Under his leadership, he restored the unity of the Empire, gave the provinces more autonomy, freed the slaves owned by House Viromaro, established rights for slaves within the Empire, recognised the Republic of Aqumis and cleared up the debris from the destroyed White-Gold Tower. He would from either the Imperial Palace of later the Skaði Palace, only using the White-Gold Tower for the weddings of himself and his two sons. At the recommendation of Grand Chancellor Von Roterstein he ordered the construction of the Skaði Palace in Ardoragh, to improve relations with the province. Furthermore, he insisted that his two sons, Prince Louis and Crown-Prince Amantis would study at the University of Ardoria. He also had a private appartement build at the High-Lord's palatial castle in Ardoria.

For a Viromaro he lived relatively simple, usually only residing in the Imperial Palace or the Skaði Palace. He established numerous organisations to help the Empire’s poor, and established the first imperial nature reserves.

Fearing that an unprepared future emperor would lead to a repeat of the Three Bad Emperors he focused heavily on preparing his oldest son Amantis for the role. When he came of age he would accompany his dad at most state functions.

Death

Emperor Alexander died at age 63 during a hunting accident in the Ardoraghi heartlands. His eldest son, crown-prince Amantis, died on his way to Helmira, leading to the coronation of his second son, prince Louis Viromaro.

Criticism

Although beloved throughout his reign and highly respected among historians, they still point out two major flaws of Alexander's reign. First, he focused too much on preparing only his oldest son for the throne, neglecting prince Louis who would be called The Party Prince by the press.

Secondly, he focused too much on his relations with the province of Ardoragh. Helmira became a secondary center of power, allowing the chaos of the coronation to occur after his death. Furthermore, he alienated himself with House Vinkhuys, which had been greatly weakened by the Alcanzari Slave Rebellion and had been unable to rebuild their vast power and wealth thanks to Alexander's strong anti-slavery stance.