Shelley family
| Shelley family | |
|---|---|
 The emblem of the Shelley family | |
| Current region | Gylias |
| Place of origin | Allamunnika |
| Founded | 1890 |
| Founder | Errett Shelley |
| Estate(s) | Château Shelley |
The Shelley family (Gylic transcription: Şeli) is a Gylian family of Allamunnae–Shalumite descent, that has been active in politics, business, and the arts. Famed for their wealth and sophistication, they have been described as "patricians" and "aristocrats" of post-war Gylias.
The family first rose to prominence in Alscia, and became one of the most wealthy and influential Gylian families during the Golden Revolution, which they supported and helped bankroll. They were lauded for their elegance, philanthropy, and patronage of the arts. The family includes Susan Shelley, one of Gylias' most celebrated and commercially successful musicians; Irene Shelley, renowned Gauchic illustrator; Judy Harper Shelley, one of Gylias' most renowned directors; and prominent members in the artistic, judicial, financial, business, and political professions.
Raşa Edau, author of the biography Gylias' First Family, described the Shelleys as "nouveaux riche who successfully transformed themselves into vieux riche", and "a remarkable Gylian success story of the 'fake it 'til you make it kind'", noting that they "bluffed their way into the Alscian establishment and then transformed themselves into the epitome of high society, capturing the Gylian public's respect and intertwining themselves around the Gylian state."
History
The Shelley family originated in Allamunnika during the 1850s. Its ancestor married a Shalumite, thus giving it a mixed descent.
The founder of the family, Errett Shelley, migrated to Xevden in 1890. He married a local woman, who assimilated into her husband's culture and anglicised her name. The couple initially had one child, named Henry.
Alscia
During the Cacerta-Xevden War, Errett defected with his wife and child to the Cacertian Empire, and settled in what became Alscia. Errett became a construction worker, and the family had a modest but comfortable existence. The family had two more children, Diana and Georgina.
Henry Shelley proved more ambitious, and began the family's ascent to the upper echelons of Alscian society. He married Beatrice Shelley. The two did a variety of jobs that brought them in proximity to Alscia's upper class. They both became managers of the Royal Concert Hall in Etra. Henry also joined the National Unity Party and was elected to the Legislative Council in 1920. He would win re-election until Alscia's dissolution. Both Henry and Beatrice were granted the title of Baron and Baroness by the UOC, and the Order of Arts and Letters in recognition of their work.
Henry and Beatrice had two daughters: Irene, later a renowned Gauchic illustrator, and Susan, later famed as Gylias' greatest record producer, arranger, and composer of art music.
Liberation War
After Alscia voted to join the Free Territories, the family briefly underwent a geographic separation. Henry and Beatrice, together with their daughters, initially moved to Molise to escape the Liberation War, and subsequently to the Northern States. They remained there for most of the war.
Another branch of the family, represented by Diana and Georgina Shelley, remained in the Free Territories. They became successful businesswomen and active in the Free Territories' civic life, ingratiating themselves with leading wartime political figures. Most significantly, Diana and Georgina built international contacts and smuggling operations that brought luxuries and supplies from nearby Molise and more distant Auroa and Vartaxia. Over the course of the war, this gave the family name a reputation for philanthropy and popularity with the public.
In the meantime, the Northern States branch of the family had achieved a similarly comfortable, well-off situation. Susan and Irene had married. Diana and Georgina kept their relatives informed of the situation in the Free Territories, while Irene had established her own contacts and was contributing illustrations to Free Territories publications by international mail. Although the tide of war had turned in favour of the Free Territories, Henry and Beatrice felt it was still too risky to return.
Having extensively cultivated ties with both established and ascendant political figures like the ferroses and Donatella Rossetti, Diana and Georgina played a crucial supporting role in the Lucian Purge. One month later, in May 1956, they concluded the "Pact of Peisir", which eased their rise to prominence. The "pact" committed the Shelley family to supporting the anticipated post-war government both tactically and materially, and in exchange the government would shield their assets and tolerate their economic and political activities.
While the "pact" was little different from the existing practices of the honoured citizens list, it gave carte blanche to the family to build up power after the war as long as they supported the new post-war order.
Gylias
The Shelley family was reunited after the Liberation War. Susan and her husband Alan moved to the Free Territories shortly before the war ended, and Irene, Henry and Beatrice followed afterwards. Susan entered and experienced a rapid rise in the Gylian music industry, while Irene rapidly established itself as Gylias' leading illustrator. Diana and Georgina entered local politics, capitalising on the local power base they'd built during the war, while Henry resumed his career with the NUP, being elected to the Gylian Senate in 1962.
The Shelley family became Gylias' leading business family after the war. During the National Obligation period, they were the main importers of luxury and consumer goods, and their high public profile strengthened their popularity. The family publicly supported and privately helped finance the Golden Revolution, donating money off the books while the National Bank of Gylias stabilised the money supply. In return, they were overlooked by the Inspectorate of Competition, which allowed them to expand their economic clout by setting up companies, buying shares in companies, and making themselves partners to federal and local governments in carrying out reconstruction and development. They thus grew wealthy by helping bankroll and advance the Golden Revolution.
The success of Susan and Irene in particular drove the family to new heights of prestige. They cultivated a sharp-dressed, elegant image and a spotless reputation. To the public, they represented success to aspire to — Susan's name even entered Gylian slang to represent success accompanied by respect —, sophistication, and socialised luxury. They were metaphorically described as Gylian "patricians" or "aristocrats", alluding to their "old Alscian" brand of elegance, and "artistic royalty" due to their extensive involvement and influence in the arts.
Their high profile made them major participants in the pact of the dinner party, promoting an ideal of appealing moderation to the public. Their ranks included prominent members of Freemasonry, and they played a major role in devising and executing strategies to "sophisticate the revolution", particularly by placing likeminded moderates in the Committees for the Advance of the Revolution and swaying them to promote the current of moderation and self-restraint. Raşa Edau writes that "they used any and every opportunity to serve Gylias and further their good name". The family's belief in attaining glory through social responsibility is reflected in Beatrice's unofficial mottos: "The people decide, and the Shelleys implement", and "What's good for Gylias is good for the Shelleys".
Today, the Shelley family remains associated with elegance, philanthropy, affluence, patronage of the arts, and an ideal of sophistication and happy home lives best embodied by Susan and Irene's marriages. They are collectively the richest family in Gylias, and are major participants in the Social Partnership Program.
During her life, Susan was the richest Gylian, with an estimated net worth of Ŧ100 billion as late as 2006, and Irene the second richest with an estimated net worth of Ŧ50 billion, even as they both paid the 100% marginal tax for their earnings above the maximum wage, as well as the wealth tax. The public saw Susan and Irene's wealth as a reflection of how greatly their work was treasured by society, and their enormous contributions to Gylian popular culture.
Symbol
The Shelley family emblem would be described in heraldic terms as sable a horn argent.
Notable members
- Errett Shelley (1860–1930), founder of the family, the first to settle in Alscia.
- Henry Shelley (1894–1985), manager of the Royal Concert Hall of Alscia, member of the Legislative Council (1920–1936) and Senate (1962–1976) for the National Unity Party. Son of Errett Shelley.
- Beatrice Shelley (1895–1985), manager of the Royal Concert Hall of Alscia, businesswoman. Wife of Henry Shelley.
- Diana Shelley (1909–1990), businesswoman, activist in the Free Territories. Daughter of Errett Shelley.
- Georgina Shelley (1912–2000), businesswoman, activist in the Free Territories. Daughter of Errett Shelley.
- Irene Shelley (1924–2017), illustrator. Daughter of Henry and Beatrice.
- Susan Shelley (1926–2016), record producer, arranger, composer, audio engineer, and musician. Daughter of Henry and Beatrice. Married to Alan Shelley.
- Alan Shelley (1926–2019), husband of Susan Shelley.