Emperor 'Ei (Themiclesia)
| Emperor ′Ei | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emperor and Elder Prince | |||||||||||||
| Reign | Feb. 4, 1770 – Oct. 12, 1821 | ||||||||||||
| Coronation | Feb. 4, 1770 | ||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Emperor K.rong | ||||||||||||
| Successor | Emperor K.rang | ||||||||||||
| Regent | Empress Dowager Kū (to 1771) | ||||||||||||
| Born | 司馬弧, sle-mrānk-gā 23 May 1753 Middle Palace, Kien-k'ang | ||||||||||||
| Died | 9 October 1821 (aged 68) 'Kên'-ljang Palace, Kien-k'ang | ||||||||||||
| Burial | Long Mausoleum (長陵) | ||||||||||||
| Consort | Empress Lang | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Father | Emperor kRjong | ||||||||||||
| Mother | Empress Dowager Ku | ||||||||||||
Emperor ′Ēi (Shinasthana: 哀皇帝, ′ēi-g′wāng-tīh; May 23, 1753 – Oct. 12, 1821) was the Emperor of Themiclesia from 1770 to his death in 1821. He was the only son of his father, Emperor K.rong, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Emperor K.rang. ′Ei's reign encompassed pivotal changes that some historians believe demarked modern Themiclesian history, including the abolition of the imperial foreign policy and adoption of a conservative one, the loss of virtually all of its colonial and overseas territories, and the signing of several peace treaties. The throne's concentration of power, ongoing since the 16th century, reversed during ′Ei's reign in favour of the aristocracy that had been sidelined since the reign of Gwīts-men.
Early life
Reign
Regency
′Ei came to the throne in 1770 at the age of 17, and his mother, as empress-dowager, became regent for him until he came of age in 1773. The power of the Themiclesian monarchy had been enhanced to hitherto-unseen levels by his great-grandfather, Emperor Gwidh-mjen, and his descendants, so ′Ei enjoyed a significant range of powers that a young monarch like him would not in other periods. ′Ei's reign began in the aftermath of the First Maverican War, which greatly boosted his confidence and may have influenced his beliefs later in life. During the regency, his mother relied on the Baron of Kung (共侯, kung-gwa) as prime minister, who advocated for greater autonomy to the militarized colony of Norfeld.
Early reign
The 1770s and 1780s have been two decades of increasing conflict around the Meh. The Themiclesian fleet, which was cut to size after the Camian War of 1747 and First Maverican War in 1765 – 68, was expanded to counter the founding of Camia's new navy and the appearance of Sieuxerr in the sea. ′Ei was moved by Kung both to grant concessions to the Mavericans and to expand the fleet, which the latter believed must be the most capable in the sea to safeguard national interests on both shores. To this end, the court agreed that tariffs were to be raised on both imports and exports to fund an expanded navy.
Middle reign
Private life
Legacy
Epithet change
In 1900, it was proposed amongst Conservative circles to change ′Ei's epithet, meaning "sad", to something more positive, since it was realized that parliamentary democracy, which had become part of Themiclesia's national pride amongst Hemithean states, began during ′Ei's reign and were at least partly attributable to his carelessness or concessions. The discussion occurred amidst calls to name the Lord of Gar-lang the "Father of Democracy" officially. However, the government decided against this, preferring to retain his epithet as a record of how his contemporaries assessed him.