Lord Kam
The Hon. Lord Kam (Shinasthana: 柑君, kam-kljur; Mar. 15, 1919 – Mar. 10, 1942) was a Themiclesian aristocrat, socialite, and politician. He was the eldest son of the Lord of Prjang (邴侯) and a personal friend of Emperor Hên'. He was killed by a Dayashinese assassin in Battle of Gwrjang-'an Palace (永安宮之役).
Name
Lord Kam's name is 晦恭 (m′es-k.rjong). His title means "Tangerine Lord".
Early life
Career
In 1939, due to the Lord of Prjang's prolonged indisposition, the government conferred the title Lord Kam on Prjang's eldest and only adult son, k.Rjong. Kam took his father's seat in the upper house while the government sat in Rjem-tsji. Despite his youth, Kam was already reputed in aristocratic circles as a well-spoken man with good Conservative connections. Kam first met the sovereign in the House of Lords, when he was ceremonially presented to the emperor, but it was through Privy Councillor the Lord of Hru that he was introduced on a personal level, in early 1940. Kam quickly was appointed a lord-in-waiting (侍中侯) and moved into the palace. He seems to have delivered a daily report on Parliamentary occurrences to the emperor.
Kam willingly made many public appearances on the emperor's and other government leaders' behalf. He reviewed the 33rd Motorized Division for the War Secretary on Oct. 12, 1940 and was also a guest on the SS Moon, a destroyer belonging to the Themiclesian Navy. He gifted 50 hams and 1,000 biscuits to the ship's crew as a gesture of kindness. Kam was also an agreeable figure to both political parties in his brief political career, as he usually did not openly support either in Privy Council meetings.
In the 1940 assassination attempt by Yamabe Oshimaro, Kam was with the Emperor while the Gentlemen-at-Arms tried to stop the intruders. It is related from unverified accounts that he kept the monarch from fright by shutting him in the throne. After the incident, Kam represented the emperor on the Privy Council and asked if the Navy Secretary has imposed additional measures to prevent future incidents. The Navy Secretary responded that there was no reason to think such a thing could happen again and promised only vigilance. The Council was secretly dissatisfied and moved the emperor to Gwrjang'-'an Palace, where Kam followed. Kam solicited two of his cousins to serve the emperor as gentlemen-at-arms; one was just coming of age, and the other quit his job. The Emperor expressed his gratitude.
In the Battle of Gwrjang'-'an Palace, Kam was dining with the emperor when the intruders stormed past the militia units sent to guard the outer perimeter and the gentlemen holding the gates to the palace hall. As some of the courtiers rushed to expel the assassins or to escape, Kam held onto the leg of Nagami Komaro and said, "leave my lord alone", preventing him from taking aim at the emperor, who had fainted in the throne. Nagami freed himself of Kam's restraint, but Kam held onto his shoelaces instead. The assassin then turned around and stamped on Kam's head, allowing Lord Lrje (畤君) and Tribune Rjem (御史林) time to carry the emperor away. Then, the timely arrival of the confection chef provided more distraction and ultimately incapacitated the assassins. Kam had died by the time physicians arrived, his skull fractured by Nagami's stamp.
Commemoration
Prime Minister Lram Long (談通) ordered Kam's funeral to be held at the Court Hall of Gwrjang'-'an Palace, saying that he had died in service to the crown. The Court Hall was where the Cabinet customarily met and was culturally significant to Themiclesian elites. Over 200 peers, MPs, ministers, and other ranking figures of the civil service were present. The Emperor personally conducted the lamnetation rituals for Kam on Feb. 5, 1942 and led his sarcophagus from the Court Hall. He was buried in a makeshift grave in western Themiclesia, as his ancestral burial grounds were then occupied. On Mar. 1, 1946, Kam was exhumed and reburied in Rak Prefecture, where his ancestors were laid to rest for generations. The Emperor renamed his burial mound "Mount Tangerine" (柑山, kam-sngrjar) and forested it in 9,999 tangerine trees in his memory. However, when the emperor wished in 1947 to spend his private money to build temples around his tomb, Lram sent a secretary to stop him, saying that "many others have died for their monarch and have not received as much attention as Lord Kam has."
Succession
Lord Kam died intestate and heirless, so his title and estate passed by order of the House of Lords to his eldest sister, M′es Kjang (晦姜) who became Lady Kam in 1944. In 1947, Lady Kam was promoted as Baronness of Kam (柑侯), and the line retains a seat in the modern upper house as of 2020.
Sexuality
While Kam's sexuality remains a mystery, it has been speculated that he was a homosexual on the argument that he identified the (married) emperor as pjêk in his final words, "let my pjêk lord alone". The word pjêk alone has the meaning of "lord, ruler". Commentators on this utterance offer various interpretations. While pjêk is a term that upper-class wives sometimes used to refer to their husbands in highly-ceremonial contexts, the use was historically limited to deceased husbands. Yet in the early 20th century, it was also used by a submissive partner to a dominant one in a homosexual relationship. Other authorities state that there is no reason to speculate this way, and pjêk is used to refer to one's liege lord in 20th-century poetry.
While Themiclesian monarchs have not maintained official polygamy since 1849, virtually all emperors sired illegitimate children and have male lovers amongst the aristocracy as well. It has been claimed that Emperor Hên′ was brought up in a sterile environment, enforced by the strict Empress Dowager Gwidh, and did not have such sexual access in his early life, but contrary voices assert that the monarchy has become much more image-conscious since the reign of Emperor Goi and may have simply censored this form of courtship. Kam was one of the Emperor's attendants of the bedchamber, and he would have enjoyed (relative) intimacy with the monarch for several months.
Dayashinese-Themiclesian rapper Namae-nashi has claimed that Kam's statement was misinterpreted and should actually be read as "spare me, pjêk lord", addressing the assassin with the term as a form of seduction. His 2015 track, kiking [sic] palace doors, references this idea. This view has received no support apart from his fans.