Martin, Crown Prince of Dakmoor

Full name
	Martin Balthazar Dakmaran

Martin
Martin
Crown Prince of Dakmoor
Born	7 March 1989 (age 35); Royal Dakar Hospital, Dakar, Dakmoor, Ghant
Spouse	Maria of Latium (m. 2010)
Issue	Prince Marcel of Dakmoor; Princess Stephania of Dakmoor; Princess Isabella of Dakmoor; Princess Valencia of Dakmoor; Prince Jason of Dakmoor; Princess Marina of Dakmoor;
Full name
Full name
	Martin Balthazar Dakmaran
House	Dakmaran
Father	Malibar I of Dakmoor
Mother	Elizabeth Mutu
Religion	Ipargurutism

Martin, Crown Prince of Dakmoor (Martin Balthazar Dakmaran; born 7 March 1989) is the second child and oldest son of Malibar I of Dakmoor and Elizabeth Mutu, thereby making him the Crown Prince and heir of the Kingdom of Dakmoor in western Ghant. He is also an extended member of the Latin Imperial Family by virtue of his wife, Maria of Latium, with whom he’s been married since 2010 and has six children.

Birth and Naming

Martin was born on 7 March 1989, at 12:15 PM at the Royal Dakar Hospital in Dakar, the second child of the then Crown Prince Malibar of Dakmoor and Elizabeth Mutu. He was the second grandchild born to Miraxes I of Dakmoor and Isabella of Gauekoizarra, preceded only by his older sister Sophia of Dakmoor. He was named after Martin I of Dakmoor, the second Dakmaran king, and his middle name is after his maternal grandfather, Balthazar Mutu. Elizabeth gave birth to two more children following Martin, brothers Michael of Dakmoor in 1991 and Merrick of Dakmoor in 1993.

Early Life and Education

Martin spent his earliest years in Dakar at the court of his grandfather King Miraxes, and was close with both his grandparents, parents and siblings. Martin was described as an active, precocious child who was fond of animals and other children, and enjoyed spending time in the gardens with his mother and older sister. By all accounts, he enjoyed a loving relationship with his mother, grandparents and siblings, though it was noted that his father often found it difficult to relate to Martin and his interests.

In 1993 when Martin was four, his grandfather Miraxes died and his father Malibar ascended the throne as King Malibar of Dakmoor. Martin was said to have taken his grandfather’s death quite hard, as the late king was especially fond of his grandson, and Martin enjoyed a closer paternal relationship with him than with Malibar. Martin was an unusually young age for a Crown Prince of Dakmoor, though it was observed that he took his role seriously and strove to rise to the dignity of the title.

Typical of a Prince of Dakmoor, Martin was educated strictly by private tutors alongside a few select peers, most notably his cousin Benjamin of Dakmoor. He was described as an above average pupil in the fields of art, literature, poetry and music, and while he seemed to have a decent grasp of statesmanship and diplomacy, lacked a personal interest in those fields, although he later showed a competency in those disciplines.

His mother Elizabeth took a personal interest in traveling with her children to the various courts of Ghant and Belisaria. Due to the personal friendship between Malibar and John, Crown Prince of Ghant, Martin and Sophia often visit the Imperial Court in Ghish, where Martin and Sophia befriended Prince Nathan of Ghant, his sister Princess Adelaide and half-brother Prince Leo, all of whom were close in age. Similarly, Elizabeth maintained a friendship with the late Stephania Pinaria; This, along with the close relationship between the Dakmooran Royal and Latin Imperial Families, Martin and Sophia also befriended Stephania’s daughter with Jason, Prince of Youth, Princess Maria of Youth.

As early as the mid 1990s there was speculation of any number of prospective betrothals between these various children, though nothing was ever settled upon due to tragic deaths affecting all three families, including the deaths of Crown Prince John of Ghant in 1994, Emperor Alan of Ghant in 1997, King Miraxes in 1993, Stephania Pinaria in 1991 and Latin Emperor Leo X in 1997, though the various children remained friends.

In 1997, at the age of eight, Emperor Alan agreed to foster Martin in the Imperial Palace. Martin would become Nathan's best friend along with his half-brother Leo, and the three boys would remain very close throughout their lives. Isabella of Latium, Crown Prince John’s wife of dubious legality and Leo’s mother, was given some influence on the boys’ education, and brought tutors from Latium to provide them instruction. Martin proved a quick study in Latin, which in addition to his native Ghantish he also studied up Gaelic and Allamunnic.

Fostering in Ghish

On 19 May 1997, Emperor Alan died of a brain aneurysm while sleeping, and was discovered dead the following morning by servants. Martin was on hand for these events, and comforted his friend Nathan, who had suddenly become Emperor of Ghant. Similarly, Martin was present for Nathan’s coronation as Emperor on July 17, 1997, which became the most watched television event in the history of Ghant. In an unusual event, Martin could be seen not far from the altar, close to Dowager Empress Grace and Adelaide. His presence was largely attributed to his close friendship with the Emperor, and provided him with comfort and reassurance during a difficult time.

Prince Albert of Ghant was appointed Regent during Nathan’s minority, and as such assumed guardianship of Martin for the duration of his fostering in Ghish. Prince-Regent Albert was noted for his cold and distant demeanor, though Martin proved a capable student and not easily intimidated by Albert’s imposing figure. Likewise, Albert was stern and cold towards Martin, due to a deep personal enmity between Albert and Malibar, though Albert’s fondness for Elizabeth prevented him from being harsh towards Martin. However, one of Albert’s first actions as regent was to banish Isabella and her children, directly impacting Martin’s close friend and court companion, Prince Leo. This action not only damaged Prince-Regent’s already tense relationship with Martin, but proved to aid in the development of the growing friendship between Martin and the new Emperor Nathan.

Nathan faltered under the instruction of his retainers, and proved a poor student. Martin on the other hand proved to be a quick study and excelled in this training, though he was eventually banished from court in 2002 for coming to the defense of the Emperor when he was being punished by their instructors. At the age of thirteen, Martin’s fostering in Ghish had officially come to an end, and Martin returned to Dakar. He would not visit Ghish again until 2006, after Nathan attained his age of majority and Albert had departed court.

Back in Dakar, Martin resumed his private education and gradually began to assume more royal duties delegated to him by his father. He continued to show an interest in the arts and literature, though his time in Ghish made him an eager equestrian and a decent fighter. He acquired a certain affinity for foreign cultures and traveling during this time as well, and took a particular interest in Latin language, history and culture.

Courtship

Due to a lack of paparazzi in Dakmoor, Martin's personal life was not often subject to considerable media coverage outside of his time spent in Ghish. Following a personal visit by the Latin Imperial family to Ghant in 1990, speculation in Ghant had arose concerning a future courtship of Martin and Maria of Latium, on account of the close ties between Dakmoor and Latium, and a supposed pact made between Miraxes and the Latin Empress Diana Augusta. This was in spite of other rumors involving interest between the Ghantish and Latin Imperial Families pertaining to Nathan and Maria.

Throughout his childhood, rumors persisted that a match between Martin and Maria was being pursued by Dakmoor, in spite of Latin betting firms placing better odds on a betrothal between Nathan and Maria. However, many Latin insiders claimed that a match was "extremely unlikely" due to the chilly relations between the Latin Imperial household, particularly Emperor Leo, and Ghantish Imperials Emperor Albert I and his wife Empress Grace. Relations would grow even worse during the reign of Maria's father, Jason VI, and Prince-Regent Albert in Ghant. Ghantish betting firms had Martin at better odds than Nathan, and Latin sources seemed to indicate that within the Latin Imperial Family, Martin was a far more compelling option than Nathan.

Maria of Latium

Indeed, most speculation regarding Martin’s courtship surrounded Princess Maria. Martin and Maria first met as children, due to visiting Maria’s half-sister Violant Claudia de Aultavilla who resided in Dakmoor for part of each year. Though Maria developed a close friendship with Sophia of Dakmoor, she was seen as near inseparable from Martin, and whether they were in Latium or Dakmoor, were often in each other’s company. Martin has said that one of his oldest memories was him teaching Maria Ghantish words as children.

Martin’s relationship with Maria was subject to invasions of privacy since they were teenagers, most notable in Latium. In 2003, a paparazzi photograph of Maria kissing Martin at her birthday party was published in various Belisarian tabloids. Again in 2004, a photograph of the pair holding hands at the Alba Zoo in Castellum was published. The 2004 event resulted in multiple arrests and criminal charges in Latium, though ultimately charges were dropped following a steep citation and community service. During a 2009 interview following his engagement, Martin said that “I wasn’t used to people keeping such a close eye on me like that, at first I never even really noticed that they were there. I was just so caught up in the moment, of the time I was spending with Maria to pay attention to them.” The 2004 event prompted the Latin Imperial Family to offer regular updates of Maria, with her approval, to the press – there were few incidents following this. However, in Dakmoor, the Royal Family refused to comment publicly on Martin and Maria’s relationship.

Martin was Maria’s guest at the 2005 Christmas party at Palatium Supranio, hosted by Maria’s family. Immediately following the party, there were rumors that Maria and Martin’s relationship had abruptly ended. While previously, each visited Dakmoor or Latium multiple times a year, Maria did not visit Dakmoor throughout the following months. In June 2006, Martin visited Latium during the scheduled return of Maria’s sister Violant for the summer. During this trip, Martin was seen with Maria for the first time since Christmas 2005.

In August 2007, the Royal Household announced a betrothal agreement between Martin and Martin. During this time, Martin continued to reside in Dakar, Dakmoor, while Maria was attending university. Maria moved into Velia House during this time, though when Martin enrolled in classes at the University of Castellum Iohannes XIII as a visiting student, Maria returned to the Palace of Augustus while Martin resided at Velia House. Their relationship became much more public during this period, and Maria commissioned a series of photographs of her and Martin following the betrothal.

Marriage

Martin formally proposed to Maria on 15 November 2009. Her engagement ring is the same ring that her father gave her mother when they became engaged in 1987. Their engagement was announced the following week. Maria was heavily involved in the wedding planning, despite being in the final year of her university studies. Plans were made for two ceremonies, one at Dakar Cathedral and another in Castellum, later determined to be Sancta Sapientia. While much of her preparations took place in Latium, Maria traveled to Dakar for her easter break to tour Dakar Cathedral. During an interview with RAL in April, Maria stated that she had no plans to convert from Catholicism to Ipargurutism, Martin’s faith. Maria remains Catholic today. Likewise, Martin was prohibited by Dakmooran law to convert to Catholicism, though in the past he’s expressed little interest in religion.

Following her graduation from university, Maria more frequently visited Dakar as the wedding date in July neared. On 3 July 2010, Martin and Maria married during a ceremony at Sancta Sapientia. The ceremony in Latium was presided over by the Patriarch of Alba. It was followed by a second ceremony a week later, on 10 July 2010 at Dakar Cathedral. Both ceremonies were attended by prominent members of Latin and Ghantish royalty and nobility, as well as prominent foreign dignitaries.

Maria moved to Dakar following the wedding and took up residence at Dakauregia with Martin. The Dakmooran Royal Family and Latin Imperial Family issued a joint birth announcement for Maria’s first pregnancy, in October 2010. On 29 April 2011, their first child, Prince Marcel was born. On 15 March 2013, a second child, Princess Stephania, was born. Maria gave birth to twins Princess Isabella and Princess Valencia, commonly referred to as the “Dusk Twins” due to the circumstances of their birth, on 30 May 2015, having been born during astronomical twilight. She later gave birth to Prince Jason on 15 June 2017, who was named for Maria’s father Emperor Jason VI, who passed away 7 months prior. Maria personally announced she was pregnant with her sixth child via her Filter account on August 2019; on 12 February 2020, Princess Marina was born.

Married Life

Martin and Maria took up residence at Dakauregia in July 2010, though the two traveled extensively during the first few months of their marriage. Martin and Maria both were active participants in Elizabeth’s numerous charities, and in August 2011, Maria established her first charity with Martin’s support, which was focused on aiding local orphans and children of single parents. Following Elizabeth’s death in 2013 from breast cancer, Martin established his own charity that focused on aiding women and families affected by breast cancer, while Maria has gradually taken on roles within a number of charities originally founded by Elizabeth.

Since marrying, Martin has taken a more active role in rulership, participating in royal council meetings with his father, and later joined by his older children Marcel and Stephania. Martin has provided valuable leadership during difficult times, such as the Bandit Uprising in 2014. Though he did not participate directly in the conflict, he was involved in coordinating logistics for the Dakmooran Provincial Forces, of which his father is nominally commander-in-chief.

Martin frequently travels throughout Dakmoor, both by himself and alongside Maria. He often visits with prominent lords and local government leaders in their lands, and has a reputation for being personable and down to earth. He also has earned a reputation as a dutiful husband and a family man, spending ample time with his wife and children.

Interests

Like his wife, Martin is keen on sports and athletics, including personal participation and fandom. His favorite sport is hockey and he is a supporter of the Dakar Royals of the Ghantish Hockey League. He is also a fan of PC Imperialis Ianiculum of the Latin Liga Premier, as well HC Alba Imperialis of Liga Magna because of Maria.

He has also run marathons and other athletic events. Martin participated in the 2007 Alba Marathon, finishing the race within five hours. Martin’s personal athletic pursuits include equestrian games, polo and croquet, though he has never competed professionally in any of those sports. He is an accomplished jouster and has competed in local tournaments, winning at least one.

Styles, titles, and honors

7 March 1989 – 6 June 1993: His Royal Highness Prince Martin of Dakmoor
6 June 1993 – Present: His Royal Highness The Crown Prince of Dakmoor

Honors

Gelonia: Knight of the Illustrious Order of the Red Hand
Latium: Knight of the Order of the Winged Ram
Latium: Knight of the Ancient Equestrian Order
Sydalon: Knight of the Order of the White Lion

Dynastic orders

House of Hazarasp: Knight of the Order of the Senmurv

Issue

Name	Birth	Death	Notes
By Maria of Latium
Prince Marcel of Dakmoor	(2011-04-29) 29 April 2011 (age 13)
Princess Stephania of Dakmoor	(2013-07-03) 3 July 2013 (age 11)
Princess Isabella of Dakmoor	(2015-05-30) 30 May 2015 (age 9)
Princess Valencia of Dakmoor	(2015-05-30) 30 May 2015 (age 9)
Prince Jason of Dakmoor	(2017-06-15) 15 June 2017 (age 7)
Princess Marina of Dakmoor	(2020-02-12) 12 February 2020 (age 4)