Giulia the Tamaran

Giulia I
'Regnoselima'
August Queen of the Santian Empire
Reign	17 March 1315 - 18 June 1370
Consecration	21 March 1315
Predecessor	Vitirio I
Successor	Giulia II
Born	Danata Berica di Magario 13 March 1293 Orafars
Died	18 June 1370(1370-06-18) (aged 77) Yezerin
Burial	Magario Tombs
Issue	Giulia II Prince Letio Vitirio Prince Golbiro Capitolo Princess Danata Arsama Princess Faraia Luqiana Prince Araspo Magario Princess Gemelica Selima
Posthumous name Ziastorovianosa
Lineage	House of Magario
Father	Vitirio I
Mother	Gemelica the Tamaran
Religion	Santian Folk Religion

Giulia I (born Danata Berica di Magario; c. 13 March 1293 - 18 June 1370), also known by her posthumous name Ziastorovianosa, and commonly as Giulia the Tamaran or Giulia the Pure Soul, was the longest-reigning monarch of the Santian Empire. Ruling from 1315 to 1370, she oversaw the restoration of the empire from a small rump state into a major territorial power, ruling the entirity of the islands of Santia and Promeridona, and is regarded as the first ruler of the Giulian Period of Santian history.

Early years

Giulia I was born Danata Berica di Magario in winter 1293, in Orafars, her date of birth traditionally placed on 13 March. The third child of Prince Piro-Darado Fisi, son of reigning king Piro-Pero, her mother was Gemelica the Tamaran, a northern Tamaran princess who had been married to Piro-Darado in a diplomatic union in 1291. During her upbringing she remained close to her mother, speaking to her in a Tamaran dialect which would quickly give her the lifelong epithet 'the Tamaran'. In 1297, Piro-Pero died, naming Piro-Darado to succeed him as Vitirio I. As the daughter of a reigning king, Giulia was educated by court scholars on the presumption that she would participate in government, with a standard curriculum including poetry, hunting, horse-riding, calligraphy and singing. In 1306, aged 13, she is recorded as having led ancestral sacrifices at the annual Amsira celebrations in Magario on behalf of the king.

In 1308, aged 15, Giulia ended her formal education, and underwent a coming-of-age ceremony. By this time, she was recognised by her father as a capable princess, and was given the prestigious role of Warden of Orafars, separating her from the court during the summer months. During her time in the role, she assisted the king in presiding over the first re-plastering of the White Walls of Orafars in over 50 years, and formed links with a number of notables and officials who would later occupy high positions in her reign, including the Giasabsian Romelio Salu Masinu. In 1313, after presiding over the annual Amsira celebrations for a second time, she was withdrawn from the role of Warden and returned to court. Historians generally agree that this was intended to position her closer to succession, either so that she could be evaluated against her siblings or because she was already considered the most desirable heir; by 1313, Vitirio I's health was beginning to deterioriate. In 1315, no successor had been publicly designated, and Giulia's elder brother Piro-Faraio Delo was still considered a strong contender for the throne.

Early Reign

Accession

On 17 March 1315, in Yezerin, Vitirio I died after a long illness. Having been in too poor condition to make the seasonal move to Orafars at the beginning of winter, many leading members of the House of Magario had gathered in expectation of his death, but by March had begun to drift away, leaving Giulia in Yezerin with a minority of other princes and princesses. After learning of Vitirio I's death, Giulia declared that she believed she had been designated heir, and was able to earn the acceptance of her claim at court before the arrival of Piro-Faraio. On 21 March, the House of Magario convened at the Magario Tombs to oversee Vitirio I's burial and the succession. Following the funeral, Giulia presented her rule as a fait accompli and received oaths of loyalty from Piro-Faraio and other potential claimants. After this, she immediately returned to the entrance of the main tomb and underwent formal consecration, completing her accession to the throne.

Political struggles

Despite the efforts of Vitirio I to re-assert royal authority during his reign, the position of the monarchy remained precarious at Giulia's accession. The former king's chancellor, Shiro Remso di Castalesio, had backed Giulia's claim after she agreed to re-confirm his position, and quickly cemented his authority by putting forward a list of appointments, the majority of which Giulia accepted. Shiro Remso's cousin, Aiba Razmie di Castalesio, became Chamberlain of the Hall of Appearances, controlling access to the court. In an attempt to balance the power of the House of Castalesio, Giulia also appointed Giele di Lontano, a member of the rival House of Lontano, to command the royal guard, the Ultifesa.

In the two years after Giulia's accession, the government of the kingdom was dominated by Shiro Remso and the House of Castalesio, to whom large numbers of Asagi in western Santia owed direct loyalty. In the summer of 1316, the chancellor's brother Sirimo Thamrusio led a successful raiding expedition to the coast of western Promeridona. In the New Year celebrations of 1317, Shiro Remso claimed the right to follow Giulia in making sacrifices in the Hall of Appearances in Yezerin, a practice which had been common in the preceding centuries but abandoned in Piro-Pero's reign. Giulia refused, creating an increasing rift between the monarchy and chancellor. Shortly afterwards, Giele di Lontano was forced out of her position after being accused of embezzlement by Aiba Razmie di Castalesio. Against strong opposition, Giulia appointed a bondservant, Sama Gioru, in her place.

Millenarian claims

In the late 13th century, a millenarian current had emerged in Santia in expectation of the passing of 1000 years since the eruption of Mount Birrin in the year 285, an event widely believed to have brought about a reordering of the cosmic order. After the passing of the year without great incident, many continued to expect a coming re-alignment. During her political struggles with the House of Castalesio, Giulia appealed to this current. On the day of Atimu Selimu in 1317, Giulia publicly reported in Yezerin the detection of auspicious signs and omens by palace heralds and diviners, and took the epiphet 'the pure soul', associated with the royal family's legendary divine founder, Magario. Later that year, new embassies were sent to Promeridona, courting rulers who still held nominal allegiance to the Santian monarchy. These efforts were largely unsuccessful, but made asagi in the former lands of the Santian Empire aware of Giulia's desire to re-establish imperial rule.

After assuming millenarian trappings, Giulia increasingly came into contact with local asagi, touring the environs of Orafars in the winter of early 1318. She set up a network of heralds, messengers and overseers separate under direct royal control, enabling her to communicate directions and interventions without involving the palace hierarchy or bureaucracy. At the following new year celebrations, she again refused the demand of Shiro Remso to allow him to jointly participate in sacrifices, widening the rift between Queen and chancellor even further.

Destruction of the House of Castalesio

In May 1318, the Nizmate of Farstan in northern Basaqastan was invaded by Yereman, the ruler of the neighbouring Nizmate of Aliqi. The ruling Nizm, ethnic-Santian Tasfalo II, continued to maintain that the Nizmate was still part of the Santian Empire despite its de-facto independence, and appealed to Giulia for aid. She publicly accepted the request, and began raising an army, composed of a wide array of middle and lower Asagi, and building a fleet. By the beginning of winter, the main body of the army had assembled outside Orafars, waiting until spring to cross the Strait of Devisgund.

After celebrating Amsira in the capital, on 24 December 1318, Shiro Remso met with Giulia and senior members of her household to discuss the military situation. Suddenly, the Queen began to harshly denounce the chancellor, accusing him of conspiring to overthrow her and poisoning Vitirio I. Realising his situation, he attempted to flee, but was prevented from leaving the room by members of the Ultifesa, and strangled with a cord. Immediately after Shiro Remso's death, Aiba Razmie was apprehended with her household and killed. Over the following hours, all other members of the House of Castalesio in Orafars were killed, and orders were sent across Santia to execute members of the lineage outside the capital. By the beginning of 1319, most prominent members of the family had been killed. In Castalesio, the heartland of the house's power, Sirimo Thamrusio gathered soldiers he had been preparing for the campaign in Farstan and denounced Giulia's rule as illegitimate. He attempted to raise an army, but found that several lower asagi families in Castalesia province had sided with the Queen, and could only gather 2,000 soldiers. The royal army in Orafars quickly began to move north under Giulia's command, reaching Castalesio in February 1319. After two weeks, the leaders of the city surrenderered. Sirimo Thamrusio was executed, along with all remaining notable members of the House of Castalesio, and the southern portion of the city wall was demolished to prevent future rebellion.

After the events of the winter, the House of Castalesio ceased to exist as a political force, leaving Giulia in undisputed control of the government. Giele di Lontano was appointed chancellor in Shiro Remso's place, while the Giasabsian Romelio Salu Masinu was appointed chamberlain of the hall of appearances. Shortly after the siege of Castalesio, near the town of Palilema, Giulia gathered the asagic leaders of her army and compelled them to swear a new oath of loyalty, the Submission of Palilema, affirming her divine descent as 'the Pure Soul', and recogising her right to re-order the world in pursuit of justice. After this, the army was dispersed, putting off the eventual invasion of Farstan until after Yereman had conquered the area.

Military campaigns

Conquest of Basaqastan

In the spring of 1320, Giulia assembled a second army to defeat Yereman of Aliqi, now with the mission of directly re-establishing Santian rule in northern Basaqastan. The asago Masilio Aino was appointed its commander. In April, it disembarked near Varisil, which immediately opened its gates to the Santians. After the defeat of Tasfalo II, many asagi in the former lands of the Nizmate of Farstan were dissatisfied with Yereman's rule, and were attracted by Giulia's millenarian message, which was delivered by heralds to cities near the army. The Santian army moved inland and besieged the city of Confimeri, which negotiated a surrender. Shortly afterwards, the Santian army returned to its advance towards Aliqi, and was brought to battle by a slightly smaller army under Yereman near a ford on the River Mitori. In the Battle of the Mitori, Aino gained the upper hand and was able to force an Aliqian retreat, during which Yereman was thrown from his horse and killed. After the Nizm's death, resistance collapsed, and most northern Basaqastanian asagi swore oaths of loyalty to Giulia. Aliqi was besieged, and surrendered after three weeks, bringing the campaign to an end. The city of Aliqi was sacked, and lands owned by major asagi who had remained loyal to Yereman were distributed to supporters. The formerly separate Nizmates of Farstan and Aliqi were restored as Sabania, with Santian Sabani.

Two years after the conquest of Farstan, Tayisela di Salsirimo, the Sabana of Aliqi, launched a military campaign to capture the city of Navenurt, the last remaining ciy in northern Basaqastan, which had been under the protection of the Kotalid Nizmate of southern Basaqastan. The Nizmate had been in a state of political insecurity after the accession of Nizm Teripa Kotala, and had refused requests for tribute from Giulia's court despite its status as a nominal Santian subject. After the successful capture of Navenurt, Teripa took no action, but ignored a Santian embassy asking again for her to acknowledge Santian leadership. After this, Giulia began making preparations for a campaign in southern Basaqastan, and began steady communication with a number of major asagi under Kotalid rule.