Virtuous Among the Tyrants

Virtuous Among the Tyrants or Virtuoso Entre los Despotas is a posthumously awarded title granted to certain Cartulian monarchs who have achieved great or particularly noteworthy feats during their reign. The title is both a secular and religious honour which has been awarded by the Joint Conclave of Scholars since 312 ICC; prior to this date it had been awarded by the Conclave of Elders, a body consisting of the recognised clan elders and wise men of the nation. In total six Cartulian monarchs have been enshrined as Virtuous and granted a posthumous honorific, those being (in chronological order); Corto Unificador, Alavarro Legislador, Caira Espadacante, Rocinante el Sabia, Caira Espadacante, and Francis el Grande.

The first Virtuous were proclaimed in 244 ICC during the reign of Miguel-Carlos II to recognise the accomplishments of the great monarchs of the past; it was not an idea or process approved or proclaimed by the reigning monarch, and was in some ways a jab at both Miguel-Carlos II and his father for being less than exemplary. The idea was rooted in Iblesi Dawi clan tradition, whereby great ancestors would be raised up by their living descendants, reaching a level of apotheosis through their accomplishments in life and the reverence of the living. Corto I, Alavarro I, and Caira I were all granted the title of Virtuous Among the Tyrants in 244 ICC on successive days in order of their respective reigns so as to ensure the extended tenure of the older monarchs over their successors.