Leo von Heidenstam

Marshal of the Realm His Excellency The Duke of Dromund
Portrait of Heidenstam in 1867
1st Premier of Geatland
In office 10 August 1867 – 12 December 1878
Monarch	Gunnar III
Preceded by	office created
Succeeded by	Baron Ingemar Ulf
Personal details
Born	Leo Verner von Heidenstam 29 September 1798 Kungslandning, Ibsäm, Geatland
Died	21 November 1882(1882-11-21) (aged 84) Esholm, Geatland
Spouse	Greta Mulborg
Parents	Oskar von Heidenstam, Count of Kravall (father) Lady Marta Trausch (mother)
Awards	Grand Knight of the Order of Eric Several others (see below)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Geatland
Branch/service	Royal Geatish Army
Years of service	1816–1867
Rank	Field Marshal
Battles/wars	King Rudolf's War King Rudolf's War Battle of Fort Aalmsted Engström Revolt Battle of Varssala

Marshal of the Realm Leo Verner von Heidenstam, 1st Duke of Dromund (29 September 1798 - 21 November 1882) was a Geatish military commander and statesman who is most renowned for crushing the Engström Revolt and serving as Geatland's first premier. He is considered among the most predominant figures in contemporary Geatish history.

Leo von Heidenstam was born into a moderately wealthy and landed noble family in Kungslandning. As the second son of a army captain, Heidenstam was made to enlist in the Royal Geatish Army at age 18. After distinguishing himself in the army academy, Heidenstam rose rapidly through the ranks and became a captain at the age of 23 in 1821. When King Rudolf's War broke out between Geatland and Azmara, Heidenstam served with valor distinction, his most famous achievement being the siege of Fort Aalmsted in 1844. After King Rudolf's War, Heidenstam was promoted to field marshal and largely retired from his military duties, conducting mostly ceremonial matters. This changed when Gunnar III called on him to personally quell the Engström Revolt, a republican insurrection against the Geatish Crown. Heidenstam's brute force and decisive understanding of logistics proved vital in destroying the rebel forces.

After his distinguished service in the Engström Revolt, Heidenstam expected to resign from public life completely. However, in 1867 the Constitution of Geatland was ratified, and Gunnar III asked Heidenstam to serve as the nation's first premier, an offer Heidenstam reluctantly accepted. He would go on to be extremely popular in that position and enacted various policies aimed at democratizing the newly-minted constitutional monarchy and liberalizing its economy. During his ten years in office, Heidenstam established many precedents and traditions that continue in Geatland today. His most famous achievement is extending voting rights to property-less men. Despite strong popular approval, Heidenstam declined to stand as premier for a third term in 1875, continuing an unbroken political precent in Geatland. He died in 1882 and was accorded a state funeral.

Heidenstam is among the mostly highly rated and celebrated premiers of Geatland. His military prowess as well as his close personal relationship with and understanding of his soldiers made him an extremely popular figure. He is considered the father of modern Geatland. In 2006, Heidenstam was declared the third greatest Geat to have ever lived, behind only Eric the Great and Otto IV. He and his descendants are among the only non-royal families to hold the title of duke in Geatland.

Early life and ancestry

The von Heidenstams' ancestral home in Kungslandning

Leo Verner von Heidenstam was born into an aristocratic Geatish family in the family's ancestral home in Kungslandning, Ibsäm County, on 29 September 1798. He was the second of four suriviving sons of Oskar von Heidenstam, Count of Kravall and Lady Marta Trausch. Through his father's side, he belonged to the von Heidenstam family, which was given landed rights around 1701. The von Heidenstams were minor nobility with limited connection to the realm's ruling royal elite. Leo was the third cousin twice removed of the reigning Geatish monarch at his birth, Eric X. His great-grandfather, Lord Sigmund von Heidenstam, was the deputy viceroy of Eldmark from 1705 to 1711.

The von Heidenstams were wealthy, though by the standards of the ruling elite they were relatively poor. Around Leo von Heidenstam's birth, the family estate had been falling into desrepair. Most of the family's wealth was reinvigorated when Oskar married Marta Trausch, the daughter of a wealthy Sunrosian businessman, and thus received a large dowry. Growing up, Heidenstam learned to speak Weranic through his mother, and he would hold a strong appreciation for Weranic culture for the rest of his life.

Until the age of 12, Heidenstam attended a local grammar school. Teachers often remarked that he was lonesome and shy but excelled in academia, especially in mathematics. He suffered from a bad stammer for which he was bullied and mocked. One tutor remarked that he was an "affectatious, insignificant boy of no remark." On Heidenstam's personal insistance, his father found him a private tutor, and he educated at home until he was eighteen. His father personally taught him horseback riding and shooting. In his later years, Heidenstam wrote, "I am my father's work."

Early career

Enlistment and the academy

The former King Eric VI Army Acadamy, where Heidenstam pursued officer training

As was tradition for young nobility, Heidenstam was enlisted into the Royal Geatish Army, an instutition he would serve for over fifty-six years. As a retired captain's son, he was destened for a career as an officer. Therefore, he was required to attend training at the King Eric VI Army Academy in Blåstad. He formally enlisted in September 1816. Training at the Academy would normally last for no more than two years at most during peacetime, even less during wartime. However, during his service at the academy, Heidenstam was frequently stricken with malaria, which rendered him bedrid. Not wishing to lose out on valuable information he may have lost while ill, Heidenstam applied for an extention of service at the Academy with the written consent of his superior officer. His petition was accepted.

While in academic training, Heidenstam was frequently praised for his erudition and sagesse. By adulthood, his stammer had disapeared, and he was commonly described as a fit and athletic man. He was frequently selected among his peers to lead parades and welcome guests. Instructors and superiors at the academy encouraged Heidenstam's veracious reading habit. In 1819, Heidenstam graduated the Academy with full distinction.

Upon his graduation from the academy, Heidenstam was immediately promoted to lieutenant. This decision was rather unprecedented, as promotions of this speed were typically reserved for the sons of high-standing nobility or members of the royal family. Upon his promotion, he was assigned as an aide-de-camp to Major Ernst Byström and stationed in Esholm. While in Esholm, Heidenstam engaged in the city's social culture, often frequently bars and gambling with fellow officers. During this time, he cultivated his skills in the violin and sometimes filled in as a reserve for various Esholm orchestras. He was, however, diligent in his duties and praised for his efficacy.

Death and funeral

Tell them that when I did it, I did it for the love of my King, for the glory of my country, and for the prosperity of my people.

 — Heidenstam's famous last words