Lucius Blackhelm

Lucius Blackhelm
Chancellor of the Blackhelm Confederacy
In office 31 May 1997 – 02 March 2011
Preceded by	Office Established
Succeeded by	Octavius Eaglebrand
Chancellor of the Paradise City Free State
In office 18 November 1996 – 31 May 1997
Preceded by	Office Established
Succeeded by	Office Disbanded
Imperial Senator from Paradise Province
In office 1987–1996
Personal details
Born	Lucius Octavius Blackhelm (1947-04-06) 6 April 1947 Paradise City, Empire of Exponent
Spouse	Valeria Blackhelm (nee Benenatus)
Alma mater	Paradisa University

Lucius Blackhelm is the first Chancellor of the Blackhelm Confederacy, and was responsible for forming the nation after the collapse of the Empire of Exponent. Blackhelm was deposed in 2011, during the Blackhelm Confederate Revolution, and was replaced with current chancellor Octavius Eaglebrand.

Early life

Lucius Blackhelm was born on April 6, 1947, in Paradise City, in the then-Empire of Exponent. His family had been of the lower martial Equite class, and adopted the surname during the nomenclature reforms of the 1897 Hesperidesian Census. His father worked as a local bureaucrat on the Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and his mother was a homemaker. Blackhelm was educated at Paradisa University, graduating in 1971 with a degree in international law.

Senatorial period

Lucius Blackhelm was one of the youngest individuals to be elected to the Imperial Senate, taking office a few months shy of his 40th birthday. Less than a year after he was appointed to the Senate, the Empire of Exponent ceded most of Eastern Hesperidesia under the Treaty of Paradisa in 1988. Blackhelm was one of the group of Senators, known as the Populares, who fiercely resisted the signing of the treaty. Following the loss of eastern Hesperidesia, Blackhelm's faith in the Imperial family was shattered.

Collapse of Exponent

Blackhelm was one of the leading members of the Populares who pushed for the resignation of the Imperial family. Amidst widespread public unrest, and after meetings with the Senate, the last Emperor of Exponent was finally persuaded to step down, thus ending the nearly 2000 year rule of the Exponentia family in Hesperidesia.

Chancellorship

Blackhelm was swiftly elected to lead the newly established Paradise free state, and almost immediately began building alliances with neighboring states. These alliances eventually grew to become the Blackhelm Confederacy, named in his honor.

With western Hesperidesia largely united under his rule by 2004, Blackhelm then set out to rebuild Hesperidesian relations abroad, effectively taking on the roles and responsibilities of the Empire of Exponent.

Blackhelm Confederate Revolution

In 2010, the Blackhelm Confederate Senate began enacting a series of increasingly repressive rules and regulations against the nation's Islamic minority. These laws were firercely resisted by Blackhelm, who sought to arrest the Senate, which he felt had gone rogue. These attempts failed, leading to the Blackhelm Confederate Revolution and widespread fighting across the country. Blackhelm was eventually forced to step down in order to end the bloodshed, ceding the Chancellorship to the head of the Blackhelm Confederate Senate, Octavius Eaglebrand.

Post-Chancellor activity

Since his resignation from the Chancellory, Blackhelm has remained away from the domestic political scene within the nation that bears his name. He is, however, still seen by many as a symbol of the nation, and often embarks on goodwill tours to foreign nations on behalf of the Confederacy.

Blackhelm was also named to the board of directors of Griffincrest Oil Incorporated shortly after his resignation, a position he remains in today.

Personal life

Lucius Blackhelm married Valeria Benenatus on May 8, 1971. The couple has one daughter, Lucretia.