Lera Seraðu
Lera Seraðu (27 November 1845 – 25 December 1920) was a Gylian–Cacertian businesswoman and philanthropist. She was at one point one of the wealthiest women in the Duchy of Abruzzo and the Cacertian Empire, and was a prominent advocate of the Gylian cause, supporting the Gylian ascendancy and working to cultivate Cacertian support for the Gylians.
Early life
Lera was born on 27 November 1845 in Xevden. She was of mixed Aréş and Varan descent, and came from a poor family.
Her family left Xevden in 1855, and settled in the Duchy of Abruzzo. She was educated at home and through clandestine education up to that point. Afterwards, she attended a charitable school for destitute children.
She never became fully fluent in Italian, speaking it with a thick Gylic accent and writing it in eye dialect — traits biographers would interpret as hesitancy towards assimilation.
Business career
The Seraðu family went into business with a local merchant, and founded a bank. Lera became involved in the business, and demonstrated a talent for it. Building on the bank's success, she expanded into other areas of business, such as publishing, agriculture, and real estate. She was famed for her generous wages, good working conditions, and good treatment of her workers.
Lera managed to avoid entanglement in the Second and Third Cacertian War of Unification. By the late 19th century, she had become one of the richest women in the Cacertian Empire, with an estimated wealth of ɫ1,8 million — roughly equivalent to Ŧ15 billion in 2020.
Philanthropy
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Lera spent the majority of her wealth on scholarships, endowments, and a wide range of philanthropic causes. The bulk of it was directed towards improving the lives of the poor, with projects that included schools and hospitals, social housing, and various beautification and social research projects.
Her business philosophy was guided by a desire to contribute to strengthening the Gylian community. She established a special publishing company for Gylian works — usually operating at a loss since most of them were distributed for free and smuggled to the Gylians in Xevden. She provided crucial support for the careers of several famous Gylians in Cacerta, including architect Livia Maffucci.
She made donations to key figures and organisations of the Gylian ascendancy, funding both the translation and publication of Gylian works in Cacerta, and the translation of significant political works to be disseminated among the Gylian resistance. She purchased several significant Gylian properties, including Anca Déuréy's mansion (future site of Anca Déuréy University) and the Hotel Mare di Diamante in Garés, which she entrusted to local administrators.
She maintained a rewarding correspondence with key figures of the ascendancy, such as Mary Grant and Hannah Edelstein; Hannah once entrusted her intact republican flag and revolutionary tricolour to her estate for safekeeping.
Through her philanthropic works, she tried to muster Cacertian support for the Gylian cause, and encourage traditional ties between the two despite the interference of Xevdenite rule.
Alscia
The establishment of Alscia provided a favourable context for her endeavours, although like many Gylians, Lera was disappointed that the Cacerta-Xevden War had not ended with the destruction of Xevden.
Lera moved to Alscia, settling in Garés. She continued her philanthropic work, which included the restoration of the Hotel Mare di Diamante and the inauguration of a lavish drinking fountain in the city's Municipal Park. She was also a sponsor of the Race Around the World in 1919, contributing to the prize money.
She was one of the first people to receive the title Duchess from the UOC, as well as the Order of Civic Virtue and Order of Beneficence in recognition of her philanthropy and contributions to the Gylian ascendancy.
She spent her last years largely exhausting her wealth through her philanthropic activities. With much of the workforce moving to Alscia as well, her business empire in Cacerta withered and collapsed due to lack of leadership and the increased taxation caused by the Divide War. In Alscia itself, she was overshadowed by Arlette Gaubert, who replaced her as the "first lady of Alscian capitalism".
Death
Lera died on 25 December 1920, aged 75, of natural causes.
Legacy
Lera remains celebrated as one of the most influential foreign supporters and champions of the Gylian ascendancy, and is considered an exemplar of altruism in enterprise similar to Mary Grant and Arlette Gaubert.
Her former mansion in Garés now hosts a social centre, and many buildings and streets are named after her in various Gylian cities, particularly those formerly part of Alscia.