Lademar Rekuwajalin
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Lademar Rekuwajalin | |
|---|---|
 Rekuwajalin depicted in an 1826 portrait by Lanang Aram | |
| 1st President of Kajera | |
| In office August 7 1825 – November 19 1830 | |
| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Succeeded by | Simiram Akapito |
| 1st General of the Army of the Kobatarinae | |
| In office August 7 1825 – May 23 1840 | |
| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Succeeded by | Asou Eradrik |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 13, 1769 Laere-iinit, Kaamarmeji |
| Died | April 28, 1862 (aged 92) Ebadon House, Palinmul, Kajera |
| Resting place | Ebadon House, Palinmul |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | Livani Ngatminah Setiwayat (m. 1823) |
| Parents |
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| Relatives | Rekuwajalin family |
| Occupation |
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| Military service | |
| Branch/service | |
| Years of service |
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| Battles/wars | |
Atiniui Lademar Rekuwajalin (September 13, 1769 - April 28, 1862), better known with his second name as Lademar Rekuwajalin, was a Kajeran military officer, statesman, and scholar who served as the first president of Kajera from 1825 to 1830. Selected by the Konkomman to command the Army of the Islands, Rekuwajalin led the army to victory in the Kajeran Reunification and oversaw the Council of the Dawn in 1825, which created and ratified the Consitution of Kajera and the Kajeran government. For his role in the nation's founding Rekuwajalin has been called the 'Father of the Republic.'
Rekuwajalin's first public office was as inspector of ships for the island of Kaamarmeji. Following a period of study which included a residency in Latium, he received his first military training and commanded the Anenkio Irregulars during the Interisland Wars. He was later approached by the Jeman Assembly to oversee the creation of a new legislature, subsequently being appointed Commander in Chief of the Army of the Islands which he led to victory in the Reunification after defeating dissident forces at the Battle of Taongi, securing unity for the new republic.
Rekuwajalin played a vital role in outlining and rectifying the Constitution of Kajera, which replaced the earlier Tiimajan Charter and Rijerba Accords and has remained mostly unchanged to this day. He was elected president by the Konkomman unanimously and implemented strong economic protections while balancing competing interests within his cabinet. He prioritized positive relations with Daobac and Pulau Keramat and endeavored to combat remaining Belisarian colonial interests in the Kayatman. His retirement at the end of his term set an enduring precedent for the length of Kajeran presidential office.
Rekuwajalin has been memorialized by monuments, a holiday, various depictions in media, geographic locations, and currency. Many scholars and ordinary Kajerans rank him among the greatest Kajeran presidents.
Early life (1769-1790)
The Rekuwajalin family was a shipwright family with roots tracing back to the Tahamaja Empire. Rekuwajalin's grandfather Tekawa Rekuwajalin moved in 1724 to Kaamarmeji from Rimae and founded a repair business with sailmaker Lantai Antekana. Rekuwajalin was born on September 13, 1769, in the village of Laere-iinit, and was the second of eight children of Terlaje and Tana Libetru Rekuwajalin. His father was a naval supplier and a prominent figure on the island with ties to Pulaui trade interests. In 1772 the family moved to Buakaanj.
Rekuwajalin did not receive any formal education in his childhood, but was tutored by a cousin of his mother's, naval officer Lamanoku Jamir. He learned mathematics, piloting, navigation, and basic rhetoric. His writing was described by peers as "lacking in poise" though he was well-regarded in the community for his honesty. He was rarely humorous in correspondence.
Rekuwajalin travelled frequently to other islands within the Kayatman with his elder brother Lateitan Rekuwajalin. In 1785 he spent four months on the island of Oneeke repairing vessels that had been damaged in a tropical cyclone, where he first met Rawe Uma, whom would later become admiral of the Kajeran Navy. The return trip to Kaamarmeji was delayed by a sudden unseasonal storm that partially wrecked Lateitan's ship and severely injured Rekuwajalin. He remarked in his memoirs that this incident instilled him with mild astraphobia, which he would not fully overcome for many years.
Education and early politics (1790-1803)
Years in Belisaria
Militia career (1803-1814)
Interisland Wars
Commander in chief (1815-1825)
Rimae campaign
Western battles
Demobilization
Council of the Dawn
Presidency (1825-1830)
Legislature
Domestic issues
Foreign affairs
Post-presidency (1830-1862)
Later military career
Retirement
Final days and death
Burial and net worth
Personal life
Rekuwajalin was famously taciturn, and while admired for a strong presence was never well-regarded for impromptu speeches. This habit was noted by poet and friend Asou, who posited in jest that "[Rekuwajalin] is of rural stock and would chew off his tongue if he mangled our language to any great degree." A large man, he stood between 6 ft 1.5 in (1.87 m) to 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) and weighed upwards of 215–225 pounds (98–102 kg).
He had deep blue eyes and dark hair that greyed in places prematurely. Rekuwajalin's hair, uncommonly for Kajerans at the time, was kept short, an affectation which spread to much of the military after him. It is believed that this was picked up from his encounters with Latin students and dignitaries. From the 1910s onward a similar taper-cut hairstyle has been infrequently referred to in Kajera as a 'Reku' in honor.
Rekuwajalin was a talented sailor, though his most favored recreational pastime was riding. Contemporaries described his enjoyment for equestrianism as "rather insatiable," and he was known to ride even on islands with mostly unsuitable ground. His private herd of Fahrani thoroughbreds was expanded in later life to include Onekawa-Nukanoa drafts and Arthurista cobs. Descendants of Rekuwajalin's original warhorses continue to populate modern Kajeran stables.
Marriage and family
At the age of nineteen Rekuwajalin was briefly engaged to the youngest daughter of Egin chief Nang Kamere, Taari, but the engagement was broken off after two months with Rekuwajalin's entry into his studies.
Regarded beforehand as a perpetual bachelor, in 1823 Rekuwajalin, at 53, married Livani Setiwayat, the 51-year-old half-Pulaui widow of his brother Lajarno. Livani had long held affection for Rekuwajalin, a fact which she noted in Mother to State, but did not act upon it out of loyalty to her first husband. Their marriage was as much a matter of necessity as personal desire, with Rekuwajalin requiring a firmer base of finance and respect amongst the burgeoning free Kajeran political class. Owing to their union Rekuwajalin became the legal father to her four adult children, his nieces and nephews; Liryn, Lajian, Jinah, and Centin.