Arthur I

This article is about the Arthur I, Head of the Vieri Family from 1601-1653. For the legend of King Arthur, see King Arthur.

Arthur I
King of the Anglish Empire, Grand Duke of Eisenland, King of Vetullia, Duke of West Vermandia.
Portrait by Lambert Sustris, 1623.
Reign	1 March 1601 – 8 September 1653
Coronation	June 1601
Predecessor	Robert III
Successor	Anastasia, Queen of Anglia
Born	Artur Charles Philip Vieri 8 December 1579 Prinsenhof of Retie, Lower Desselands, Eisen
Died	20 April 1653(1653-04-20) (aged 73) Retoria, Angland
Burial	Eastminster Chapel, Retoria
Consort	Queen Madelyn of Leciria
Queen Madelyn of Leciria
Issue	Ferdinand III Anastasia I Pavel of Vermandia
Era name and dates Arturian Era: 1601-1653
House	House of Vieri
Father	Philip of Leone
Mother	Odilia Maino

Arthur I (Vetullian: Artur I. 8 December 1579-20 April 1653) was King of the Anglish Empire and Protector of the Realm, Grand Duke of Eisenland from 1619 to 1653, King of Vetullia from 1604 to 1653 and Duke of West Vermandia from 1601 to 1644 as well as Lord of Suidenland as as titular Duke of Klokov from 1606 to 1633. He was heir to and then head of the rising House of Vieri during the first half of the 17th century, his dominions in Parthenia included the Anglish Empire, extending from the Anglican peninsula to northern Muanbia with direct rule over the Eisen hereditary lands and the Desselandian Low Countries, and West Vermandia with its Vetulian possessions of Campoleone, Basilio, and Busseto. He oversaw the long-lasting Anglish colonial holdings across the globe, notably in Atusia which grew in size during his reign with his influence spreading as far as Zyang and Kuthra. The personal union between the Parthenian and global colonial holdings gave Arthur the title of the first to rule over a collection of realms labelled "the empire on which the sun never sets". Historians consider Arthur as one of the most influential and powerful men in history.

Arthur was born in the Lower Desselands of Eisen to Vieri prince Philip of Leone (Son of Robert III of Angland and Mary of Almagria) and Odilia of Maino, middle child of Isabella I and Ferdinand II of Basilio (King and Queen of Vetullia). The ultimate heir of his four grandparents, Arthur inherited all of his family dominions at a young age. After the death of his father Philip in 1600, he inherited some Anglish and Desselandic states originally held by his paternal grandmother Mary. In 1601 his grandfather Robert III of Angland died and Arthur inherited the throne, becoming King of the Anglish Empire. Along with the Anglish crown came it's colonial territories and possesions as well as the position as Duke of West Vermandia. In 1604 he became the King of Vetullia follownig the death of Ferdinand II as well as the Vetullian overseas territories in Barnesia and Tarandra and in Leciria. Finally, he inherited the position as Grand Duke of the Duchy of Eisenland in 1619 following the death of his uncle and he was elected as head. He adopted the imperial name as King Arthur (Angland) or Emperor Artur (Parthenian politics), styling himself on the legend of King Arthur.

Arthur I revitalized the medieval concept of universal monarchy. Although his empire came to him peacefully as inheritances from strategic marriages, he spent most of his life waging war, exhausting his own royal revenues and leaving debts to his successors in his attempt to defend the integrity of his holdings from the Protestant Reformation and a series of wars between Vetullia and Vermand. With no fixed capital city, he made 40 journeys, travelling in different entities he ruled; he spent a quarter of his reign travelling within his realms. Despite this, Arthur spent a majority of his reign between the cities of Retoria, Angland and Campoleone, Vetullia. Arthur I borrowed money from Eisen and Vetullian bankers and, in order to repay such loans, he relied on the proto-capitalist economy of the Desselandi Countries and on the flow of precious metal, especially silver, from Kaliban and Hong Bang to Almagria, which caused widespread inflation. During his reign his realms expanded by Anglish conquests into Atusia and the conquests of Kuthra and neighbouring regions.

Hailed Grand Duke of Eisenland in 1619, Arthur sided with the Catholic church under Pope Julius X and outed Eisen theologian Paul Zwarteveen an outlaw at the Diet of Leaches (1620). The same year, Louis IX of Vermand, surrounded by Vieri possesions, declared war on the Eisen possesion of the Duchy of Florennes which lasted until the Battle of Pavanna (1624). Arthur also had to defend Vetullia from a Tarandran invasion from Hausminia.

Ultimately, Arthur died in 1653 following complications with pneumonia as well as other health issues over the years such as gout from his diet of prodominantly red meat. Following his death his possesions were delegated to members of the Vieri family and close advisors, his eldest son Ferdinand III got Vetullia, his daughter Anastasia got the Anglish Empire and his youngest son Pavel was given nothing due to his condition. Each of the inheritances were made according to his will.

Ancestry

Paleis of Koudenburg, where Arthur was born in Retie, Eisenland.

Born in Prinsenhof of Retie, Lower Desselands, Arthur was born the son of Vieri prince Philip of Leone (Son of Robert III of Angland and Mary of Almagria) and Odilia of Maino, middle child of Isabella I and Ferdinand II of Basilio (King and Queen of Vetullia). The political marriage of Philip and Odillia was first conceived in a letter sent by Ferdinand to Robert in order to seal an Anglish-Vetullian alliance.

From the moment he became Prince of the Angles (de facto Crown Prince of the Anglish Empire) in 1586, Arthur's paternal grandfather Maximilian had carried a very financially risky policy of maximum expansionism, relying mostly on the resources of the Vieri hereditary lands.

Birth and Childhood

Arthur's mother went into labor at a ball in 1579. At that point his parents were in Prinsenhof of Retie, Eisenland, on a diplomatic visit when Odilia went into labor. At that point the newborn's royal prospects were relatively modest as heir to the Desselandic Vieri realms and the low counties of Angland. He was named after King Arthur, a great legend king in hope Arthur would follow in his story. When Arthur was born, a poet at the court reported that the people of Retie "shouted Eisen and Angland throughout the whole city for three hours" to celebrate his birth. Given the dynastic situation, the newborn was originally heir apparent only of the Anglish Low Counties as well as the honorific Duke of Hartfordland and became known in his early years simply as "Charles of Carvershire". He was baptised at the Church of Saint Stephen in Retoria by Bishop of Abbey: Charles I de Roÿ and René Lorraine. His godfather was chosen as Afonso IV of Leciria and his godmother chosen as Lady Agnes of Vermandia. Arthur recieved a helmet and sword as baptism gifts from different Parthenian diplomats. In 1586, Miguel Angel died leaving Arthur heir apparent to the Vetullia, meaning he would now inherit Vetullian holdings as well as Anglish states.

The year following, in 1587, his parents left him in Carvershire with his godmother Lady Agnes of Vermandia as they went to establish presence in Vetullia, trying to guarantee the recognition of Arthur as Prince of Campoleone. They succeeded despite facing some opposition from the Vetullian Cortes, which was reluctant to create the premises for Vieri succession. Arthur only met his father again in 1590 while his mother returned in 1591. His mother suffered from presumed schizophrenia, and so was named "mad" by doctors and not allowed to see her children. His father Philip inherited the Desselandic coast as well as counties of Angland in 1599, however died a year later in 1600. This left him heir apparent to the Anglish Empire by his grandfather, Robert III. This turn of events left his mother Odilia in an even worse mental state as she was driven into insanity. She was retired into isolation in Vetullia. In 1601, Robert III of Angland died which left Arthur as King of the Anglish Empire and it's colonial territories as well as Duke of West Vermandia. A year following he also became heir to the Vetullian realms as his cousin Jon of Baracia died, leaving him as heir to Ferdinand.

Reign

A portrait of Arthur from 1602.

Given the vast dominions of the House of Vieri, Arthur was often on the road and needed deputies to govern his realms for the times he was absent from his territories. His first Governor of Vetulia was Margaret of Suidenland (succeeded by Mary of Baths and Jacques Philibert, Duke of Boroughsford). His first Regent of West Vermandia was Adrian of Kandbetten (succeeded by Isabella of Leciria and Philip of Almagria). For the regency and governorship of the Anglish hereditary lands, Arthur named his brother Ferdinand Archduke in the Anglish lands under his authority at the Diet of Leaches (1620). Arthur also agreed to favor the election of Ferdinand as King of the Eisens in Eisenland, which took place in 1626. By virtue of these agreements Ferdinand became Grand Duke of Eisenland and obtained hereditary rights over Eisenland at the death of Arthur in 1653.

A map of Eastern Parthenia under Arthur as well as colonial holdings of the Anglish Empire.

Vetullian Kingdoms

The city of Ferruela, the main seat of the Imperial court during his reign.

In 1586 the only heir to Vetullia, Arthur's paternal cousin Miguel Angel, passed away leaving him as the heir as the eldest grandson of Ferdinand II of Vetulluia. In 1604 Ferdinand passed away leaving Vetullia and it's overseas realms. His claim to Vetullia was supported heavily by the Cittas Anta as well as Pope Julius X, which gave his claim a great amount of support and legitimacy. Following this, his influence spread to the Vetullian overseas territories as well as far as to having claims in Leciria.

Thus, after the mourning of Ferdinand II's death in the March of 1604, Arthur was proclaimed king of the crowns of Campoleone and Vetullia. Finally, when the Basilio regent Cardinal Jiménez de Cisneros accepted the fait accompli, he acceded to Arthur's desire to be proclaimed king and imposed his enstatement throughout the kingdom. Arthur arrived in his new kingdoms in autumn of 1604. De Cisneros came to meet him but fell ill along the way, not without a suspicion of poison, and he died before reaching the King.

Arthur spent a lot of his earlier life in Vetullia, spending much of his time in the city of Ferruela where he situated main seat of the Imperial court during his reign. Arthur was accepted by most Vetullians as king, despite his "Imperial" or "Germanic" way. Despite this, he still met resistance particularly from the courts of Basilio and Busseto which he eventually managed to overcome due to his skill in negotiation. Under Arthur, the government in Vetullia became even more absolute, with local lords having pure loyalty to him.

Opposition arose against him however as he began to raise taxes to fund Anglish expeditions into Atusia, which provided Vetullia with no benefit. He also used Vetullian tax money to fund foreign wars which they had no involvement with. This stopped in 1614 however as advisors warned of an uprising, which resulted in the Revolt of the Alba Barcos which Arthur suppressed.

Around the same time as the Protestant Reformation in 1620, which Arthur had also exhausted funds trying to repel, King Louis IX of Vermand launched a large scale invasion of Vetullia and Eisenland in attempt to no longer be surrounded by Vieri possesions. This lead to a longer series of wars between Vetullia and Vermand which would last up until the mid 1640s. In 1628 he again tried to increase taxation, but this time on all of his realms. This caused suprisingly less issue than before as many were understanding as to why the tax increase happened.

Elite elements in Vetullia called for more protection for the commercial networks, which were threatened by the Sapherian Empire. Arthur instead focused on defeating Protestantism in Eisenland and the Livonienburg, which proved to be lost causes. Each hastened the economic decline of the Vetullian Empire in the next generation. The enormous budget deficit accumulated during Arthur's reign, along with the inflation that affected the kingdom, resulted in declaring bankruptcy during the reign of Ferdinand III.

Contact with the Lecirian Kingdom

Carvoiero, Leciria. Home to the villa shared by Arthur and his wife Madelyn which they would holiday to.

Arthur was described as having an "obsession" with Leciria. His godfather upon baptism was Afonso IV, King of Leciria and close friend of his father. He was introduced to his future wife Madelyn at a very young age, and when he was 7 years old the parents arranged a marriage between the two to build relations between Leciria and the Vieri's officially. His first visit to Leciria was in 1598 where he went to visit Afonso with his wife Madelyn in Benavente. It is said that Arthur fell in love with the art and culture of Leciria during this visit and this would influence his later actions as monarch.

When he became King of the Anglish Empire he signed a Treaty of Friendship with Afonso IV in 1602, helping to guarentee positive relations between Leciria and the Vieri realm. Finally, in 1623 when Leciria had conflict with Telekia, the Vieri realms officially condemned the Telekian government, aiding in Leciria's victory politically.

West Vermandia

The position of Duke of West Vermandia came along with his inheritance of the Anglish throne as his grandfather Robert III held the position before and had it twinned with the Anglish monarchy. He visited West Vermandia for the first time in 1606, where he stayed in the Palace of Moncoy. This was, however, one of three times in his entire life he would make the visit to West Vermandia and so the state was mostly governed by the elected regent. His first regent was a member of his small council named Adrian of Kandbetten, who was incredibly popular in the region.

Despite not visiting often, Arthur understood the importance of West Vermandia when it came to trade with the rest of the world. A lot of the Vieri agriculture came from the region, however this resulted in a disliking of Arthur in West Vermandia as they felt the share of their goods was not fair.

In 1620, West Vermandia came under attack from Louis IX of Vermand who launched an invasion through West Vermandia and into Vetullia. This was later suppressed by Arthur.

Eisen and the Desselands

Arthur depicted in Eisen robes and armour at the Palace of Brattenburg in Eisenland, 1634.

The latest of the territories Arthur inherited, he was elected as Grand Duke of Eisenland following the death of his uncle, Grand Duke Charles the Bold, in 1619. The territories sit within the western borders of the Empire, near West Vermandia, Suidenland and Vetullia. He found himself in constant conflict with the Livoni barbarians which raided and sieged many settlements near the border. Arthur I sent a letter directly to King Manuel IV of Livonienburg threatening that if he did not sort the threat of barbarians in the east he would invade. Manuel, it is reported, completely ignored the letter. This soon found the two nations at war with eachother, and Livonienburg was greatly outnumbered. Despite a victory, Eisenland was left in debt to local banks which it had borrowed money from for the campaign in Livonienburg however this ended up being compensated by the lack of barbarian attacks following the invasion.

From 1622 to 1625, Arthur's government in Eisenland also had to contend with the rebellion of Desselandic peasants (led by Pier Gerlofs and Wijard Jelckama). The rebels were initially successful but after a series of defeats, the remaining leaders were captured and decapitated in 1625.

Arthur extended the Eisen territory with the annexation of Reizen, Bree, Maasbracht and Herten. The Seventeen Provinces had been unified by Arthur's Eisen ancestors, but nominally were fiefs of either Vermand or Livonienburg. Arthur eventually won the Heelpollen Wars and united all provinces under his rule, the last one being the Duchy of Heelpollen. In 1639, Arthur issued a Pragmatic Sanction, declaring the Desselands to be a unified entity of which his family would be the heirs.

The Desselandic territories were generally loyal to Arthur throughout his reign, likely due to the amount of time he spent there during his early life. The important city of Reizen rebelled in 1639 due to heavy tax payments demanded by Arthur. The rebellion did not last long, however, as Arthur's military response, with reinforcement from the Duke of Bree, was swift and humiliating to the rebels of Reizen.

Colonial Holdings

From his maternal grandfather, Robert III of Angland, who had funded Lionello Venturi's first voyage in 1542, Arthur inherited Angland's overseas territories in the eastern world. Anglish colonisation of Atusia began in 1543 however the territories in Atusia and Muanbia were paritally marginal to Arthur's Parthenian empire and not the focus of his attention for a majority of his reign. In 1514, Arthur oversaw the voyage of the HMS Spaniel which took famous Anglish explorer Charles Wilkie to Barnesia where they established Anglish territories in Barnesia Major in Port Spaniel. The realm of known Anglish possessions also increased in size with Paolo Bondone and his circumnavigation of the globe in 1522. The profits from this convinced Arthur to increase the presence of the Anglish Empire, notably in north Muanbia in modern states such as Odua. The conquest of Odua meant a large indigenous population had the Anglish language taught to then, resulting in north Muanbia having a high population of Anglish speakers in modern day. Arthur had begun creating councils to oversee aspects of his realms, first reorganizing the existing Council of Campoleone, established by the Catholic Monarchs.

War in Muanbia

Main article: Kanuri War

The Anglish Empire held colonial territories throughout northern Muanbia since the later 15th century. The first of which being the Western Boat Company in Odua, which later became the Anglish Colony of Odua. During much of the Anglish reign over the region they had been taken up by small internal conflicts with the people. This escalated under Arthur's rule of the Anglish Empire as a group called the Kanuri lead by Chief Madaki Roho lead an uprising to try and purge Anglish rule. This was sucessfull, taking control back over from the Anglish for a half a century, until they were colonised again in the 1670s. This war again cost a great amount for Arthur and his empire, leaving him with a stunning defeat.

Health

Coombe Abbey, his place of death

Arthur struggled with poor health, particularly during his teenage years, with doctors treating him for what they thought was Scarlet Fever however due to examination of his skeleton and autopsies was more likely an issue with his mast cells that caused a flair up of hives.

Some advisors considered him physically weak and used that as a reason for him to delay his marriage to Madelyn of Leciria. A diplomat in Arthur's court described him as "not much of a womaniser" and did not have out of wedlock children during his marriage, which was unlikely for the time. He suffered from fainting spells, which might have been epilepsy. He was seriously afflicted with gout, presumably caused by a diet consisting mainly of red meat.

As he aged, his gout progressed from painful to crippling. In March of 1653 his doctors reported that he had caught Pneumonia and had him rest at Coombe Abbey, a residence he owned in Retoria. He died a month later from a presumed mix of pneumonia and gout.

Death

The deathbed of King Arthur I, in Coombe Abbey.

In March 1953 he was diagnosed with pneumonia which he had caught at his residence in Ferruela. He left Vetullia and sailed to Angland, arriving to the capital in early march. He was accompanied by his wife Madelyn and his three children Ferdinand, Anastasia and Pavel. He arrived at his residence of Coombe Abbey in Retoria on the 3rd of March, only 17 days before his passing. He continued to correspond widely and kept an interest in the situation of the empire, while suffering from severe gout and pneumonia. He lived alone in a secluded monastery on the abbey grounds, surrounded by paintings by Lambert Sustris and with clocks lining every wall, which some historians believe were symbols of his reign and his lack of time. While in the monastry he wrote his Right of Ascendance, which detailed which of his kids would inherit which of his holdings. Following his death, there were a plethora of commemorations in his empire, including in Kaliban and Kuthra. Some 30,000 masses were arranged for the soul of the emperor and some 30,000 gold coins that he had set aside for the ransom of prisoners, poor virgins, and paupers were distributed, but he owed huge debts from his constant warfare far beyond the funds on hand, which his heirs spent decades paying off.

Arthur was originally buried in the chapel of Coombe Abbey, but he left a codicil in his last will and testament asking for the establishment of a new religious foundation in which he would be reburied with his wife Anastasia. Following his return to Angland in 1659, their son Ferdinand undertook the task of fulfilling his father's wish when he founded the Monastery of Westminster. After the Monastery's Royal Crypt was completed in 1564, the bodies of Arthur and Anastasia were relocated and re-interred into a small vault in directly underneath the altar of the Royal Chapel, in accordance with Arthur's wishes to be buried "half-body under the altar and half-body under the priest's feet" side by side with Anastasia.

Titles

Includes all major titles held by Arthur, discluding smaller city-states and duchies apart of the Vieri holdings.

Title		From	To	Regnal name
	King of the Anglish Empire	1 March 1601	8 September 1653	Arthur I
	Duke of West Vermandia	20 April 1601	8 September 1644	Artur I
	King of Vetullia	25 September 1604	8 September 1653	Artur I
	Lord of Suidenland	25 September 1606	9 July 1633	Lord Arthur I
	Titular Duke of Klokov	25 September 1606	9 July 1633	Arthur I
	King of Brynmor	1 March 1601	8 September 1653	Arthur II
	Grand Duke of Eisenland	7 November 1619	8 September 1653	Arthur I

Family

Siblings

The children of Philip and Odilia

Name	Birth	Death	Notes
Eleanor	15 November 1580	25 February 1658(1658-02-25) (aged 59)	first marriage in 1594, and had children; second marriage in 1605, Louis IX of Vermand and had children.
Isabella	18 July 1582	19 January 1606(1606-01-19) (aged 23)	married in 1597, Christian II of Deseleria and had children.
Ferdinand	10 March 1503	25 July 1564(1564-07-25) (aged 61)	married in 1521, Anna of Bohemia and Hungary and had children.
Mary	15 September 1505	18 October 1558(1558-10-18) (aged 53)	married in 1522, Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia and had no children.
Catherine	14 January 1507	12 February 1578(1578-02-12) (aged 71)	married in 1525, John III of Portugal and had children.

Issue

Arthur and Madelyn had three legitimate children, and all three of them survived to adulthood.Arthur also had one natural child before he married who was illegitimate.

Name	Portrait	Lifespan	Notes
Ferdinand III		21 May 1610 – 13 September 1698	Eldest son of Arthur, went on to become King of Vetullia following his father's death.
Anastasia, Queen of Anglia		21 June 1612 – 26 February 1703	Middle child of Arthur and Madelyn, Queen of the Anglish Empire.
Pavel		22 November 1617 – 13 July 1657	Born a dwarf, Arthur decided to keep Pavel which was a controversial decision. Eventually made a member of his neice's Small Council.

Legacy

Arthur I has traditionally attracted considerable scholarly attention. There are differences among historians regarding his character, his rule and achievements (or failures) in the countries in his personal empire as well as various social movements and wider problems associated with his reign. Historically seen as a great ruler by some or a tragic failure of a politician by others, he is generally seen by modern historians as an overall capable politician, a brave and effective military leader, although his political vision and financial management tend to be questioned. Arthur's legacy was hugely important to him, according to scholars.

The 300th anniversary of his death, celebrated in 1953 across Vetullia, brought together the local national catholic intelligentsia and a number of Parthenian conservative figures, underpinning an imperial nostalgia for Arthur's Parthenia and the Universitas Christiana, also propelling a peculiar brand of parthenism.

See Also

• List of Anglish monarchs

References

Elezia