Jordan IX of Sydalon

Full name
	Jordanes Guy Tancred Rainier Xavier

Jordan IX
Jordan IX
	Jordan in 1999
King of Sydalon (more...)
Reign	10 August 1975 – 10 September 2017
Anointing	9 September 1975
Predecessor	Elissa IV
Successor	Melisende III
Chancellors	See list Anna de Brinkat du Duminka; Lady de Magro; Prince of Saint-Gilles; Lord of Melfi; Valent Micallef; Lord of Caeseti; Lord of Ibelina;
Co-Prince of Ascalzar
Reign	10 August 1975 – 10 September 2017
Predecessor	Elissa IV
Successor	Melisende III
Captains-General	See list Oliver Kanmi; Baron Rabat; Hiram Abdosir;
First Counsellor	See list Diosdado Alarcón; Hermenegildo Matamoros; Jacobo Ordaz Acevedo; Rafael Matamoros;
Born	29 June 1939; Palis du Aultaville, Ostracine, Sydalon
Died	10 September 2017 (aged 78); Palis de Aultavilla, Ostracine, Sydalon
Burial	Cathedral of the Holy Sepulchre, Sydalon
Spouses	Melisende of Philipopolis; (m. 1962; died 1987); Héloïse Baudelaire (m. 1999);
Issue	Desiderius, Prince of Petra; Princess Jordana, Duchess of Montjoie; Prince Francis, Duke of Rema; Princess Sibylla, Countess of Birkara‎‎; Prince Alfonse of Sydalon; Princess Emilia of Sydalon;
Full name
Full name
	Jordanes Guy Tancred Rainier Xavier
House	Aultavilla (official); Villeine (agnatic)
Father	Tancred of Toron
Mother	Elissa IV
Religion	Fabrian Catholic

Jordan IX (Jordanes Guy Tancred Rainier Xavier; 29 June 1939 – 10 September 2017) was the King of Sydalon from 1975 until his death in 2017.

Jordan was the eldest child and son of Queen Elissa IV and her husband, Tancred of Toron. He was born during the reign of his grandmother, Queen Emmanuelle I. At the time of his birth, Jordan was not in the immediate line of succession, as his uncle the future King William VII was the heir apparent and Jordan's mother only second in line. He was 5 years old when his grandmother Queen Emmanuelle I died, and 9 years old when his uncle William VII abdicated and Jordan became heir. Jordan joined in the military, similar to most members of the royal family, and was educated at Academia Militaris Olympia, in Latium. In 1962, Jordan married Melisende of Philipopolis and they had four children: Desiderius, Jordana, Francis, and Sibylla‎‎. In 1986, his wife Melisende died. In 1997, Jordan was rumored to have a mistress, later revealed to be Lyncanestrian-socialite Héloïse Baudelaire, with whom he had an illegitimate child in 1997. He and Baudelaire married in 1999, and had two children: Alfonse, and Emilia.

Jordan became king at the age of 36, after the assassination of his mother in 1975. As king, Jordan was regarded as a more center-leaning ruler as compared to his mother's conservative and hard-line Catholic policies. Along with bringing Sydalon into compliance with the Yarden Accords, Jordan lifted the remaining restrictions on non-Christians, including allowing entrance into the holy city of Kerkouane, and ending incentive-based conversion policies. However, Jordan was often criticized abroad and by human rights groups for his slow move to order a prohibition on the Order of the Holy Lance's persecution of non-Christians that was often ignored under his mother's reign. His reign was relatively peaceful when compared with previous Sydalene monarchs, and has been noted for the economic growth and moves to diversify the Sydalene economy.

Jordan was plagued with numerous health concerns after falling from horseback in 1993, and reportedly suffered from seizures thereafter. In 2013, Jordan was diagnosed with dementia and his reign entered into a regency, originally led by his eldest child and heir, Desiderius, Prince of Petra, though he would step down in 2013 after his own health concerns in favor of Queen Héloïse. Jordan passed away on 10 September 2017 after suffering from a stroke.

Early life and education

Jordan was born at Palis de Aultavilla in Ostracine during the reign of his maternal grandmother Emmanuelle I on 29 June 1939, the first child of Princess Elissa of Sydalon and Tancred of Toron. He was baptized at Cathedral of the Holy Sepulchre by the Patriarch of Sydalon. At the time of his birth, Jordan was third in line to the Sydalene throne, after his uncle and mother; he was not expected to become King. He became heir apparent in 1948 after the abdication of William VII and his flight from Sydalon.

He was educated by a governess until the age of eight, and by private tutors until he was sixteen. Jordan's tutors were largely academics from Balzac University, and other higher education institutions. He completed his under education at Academia Sanctus Paul-Taphioia, a Latin boarding school near the Lihnidosi border, known for its rigorous curriculum. In his youth, Jordan was an active athlete, and played football from an early age.

Jordan joined the Sydalene Defense Forces in 1957, and was enrolled at Academia Militaris Olympia for officer training and tertiary education. Jordan graduated from Olympia with a degree in Philosophy, politics and law. Biographers note that Jordan wished to attend law school at Balzac University after graduating from Olympia, but further education was refused by his mother, and Jordan became a Lieutenant.