Lord Kam

The Hon. Lord Kam (Shinasthana: 柑君, kam-kljur; Mar. 15, 1919 – Mar. 10, 1942) was a Themiclesian aristocrat, socialite, and politician. He was the eldest son of the Lord of Prjang (邴侯) and a personal friend of Emperor Hên'. He was killed by a Dayashinese assassin in Battle of Gwrjang-'an Palace (永安宮之役).

Name

Lord Kam's name is 晦恭 (m′es-k.rjong). His title means "Tangerine Lord".

Commemoration

Prime Minister Lram Long (談通) ordered Kam's funeral to be held at the Court Hall of Gwrjang'-'an Palace, saying that he had died in service to the crown. The Court Hall was where the Cabinet customarily met and was culturally significant to Themiclesian elites. Over 200 peers, MPs, ministers, and other ranking figures of the civil service were present. The Emperor personally conducted the lamnetation rituals for Kam on Feb. 5, 1942 and led his sarcophagus from the Court Hall. He was buried in a makeshift grave in western Themiclesia, as his ancestral burial grounds were then occupied. On Mar. 1, 1946, Kam was exhumed and reburied in Rak Prefecture, where his ancestors were laid to rest for generations. The Emperor renamed his burial mound "Mount Tangerine" (柑山, kam-sngrjar) and forested it in 9,999 tangerine trees in his memory. However, when the emperor wished in 1947 to spend his private money to build temples around his tomb, Lram sent a secretary to stop him, saying that "many others have died for their monarch and have not received as much attention as Lord Kam has."

Succession

Lord Kam died intestate and heirless, so his title and estate passed by order of the House of Lords to his eldest sister, M′es Kjang (晦姜) who became Lady Kam in 1944.  

Sexuality

While Kam's sexuality remains a mystery, it has been speculated that he was a homosexual on the argument that he identified the (married) emperor as pjêk in his final words, "let my pjêk lord alone". The word pjêk alone has the meaning of "lord, ruler". Commentators on this utterance offer various interpretations. While pjêk is a term that upper-class wives sometimes used to refer to their husbands in highly-ceremonial contexts, the use was historically limited to deceased husbands. Yet in the early 20th century, it was also used by a submissive partner to a dominant one in a homosexual relationship. Other authorities state that there is no reason to speculate this way, and pjêk is used to refer to one's liege lord in 20th-century poetry.

While Themiclesian monarchs have not maintained official polygamy since 1849, virtually all emperors sired illegitimate children and have male lovers amongst the aristocracy as well. It has been claimed that Emperor Hên′ was brought up in a sterile environment, enforced by the strict Empress Dowager Gwidh, and did not have such sexual access in his early life, but contrary voices assert that the monarchy has become much more image-conscious since the reign of Emperor Goi and may have simply censored this form of courtship. Kam was one of the Emperor's attendants of the bedchamber, and he would have enjoyed (relative) intimacy with the monarch for several months.

Dayashinese-Themiclesian rapper Namae-nashi has claimed that Kam's statement was misinterpreted and should actually be read as "spare me, pjêk lord", addressing the assassin with the term as a form of seduction. His 2015 track, kiking [sic] palace doors, references this idea. This view has received no support apart from his fans.

See also

• Themiclesia