Joseph I of Salvia

Saint Joseph I
Contemporary depiction from about 1265
King of Salvia and Alvernia
Reign	8 November 1256 – 25 August 1291
Coronation	29 November 1256 in Tolas Cathedral
Predecessor	Leo II
Successor	Philip I
Born	25 April 1224 Tolas, present-day Salvia
Died	19 August 1291 (aged 67) Deopolis, present-day Salvia
Burial	St. Leo's Cathedral
Spouse	Margaret of Sicani (m. 1242)
Issue among others...	Philip I, King of Salvia (1292-1303) Isabella, Duchess of Sicani John Tristan, Duke of Alvernia John Michael, Count of Tolas Peter I, King of Salvia (1304-1321)
House	Gaullis
Father	Leo II, King of Lavitta
Mother	Maria of Samorica
Religion	Salvian Catholicism

Joseph I (25 April 1224 - 19 August 1291), byname the Great or the Strong, was King of Lavitta until his coronation by Pope Leo VI on 5 July 1261, becoming the first king of Salvia. He is the only Salvian monarch to be canonized by the Catholic Church aside from King Clovidian I and as such is commonly referred to as Joseph the Saint or Saint Joseph.

Joseph was crowned at the age of 26 following the death of his father, Leo II in 1250. During his years as King of Lavitta (1250-1261), Joseph waged constant warfare on his peninsular rivals, most notably the Republic of Demetae. He also faced internal conflict with powerful nobles and a papal succession crisis, both of which he solved. Following his coronation by Pope VI, he declared the Divine Imperium of Salvia and dedicated the rest of his life to strengthening it. Joseph annexed many notable provinces during his reign, incorporating most of modern-day Tanemum, the Sicani Islands, the western half of the Salvian peninsula, Alvernia, and small areas of Kiteton. He propagated the spread of Salvian Catholicism throughout his empire and began the process of 'Salvification' in which Catholic Salvians emigrated away from the eastern seaboard and spread out across the empire, significantly shifting the demographics of surrounding areas. Both of these sparked numerous minor uprisings by Marenai pagans and Salvian proto-Protestant groups which were suppressed. Experiencing political turmoil in the early part of his reign as monarch of all of Salvia, Joseph enacted several reforms that brought political and economic stability, ensuring a united empire that would outlast him, and provided large amounts of funds to the Church to promote the sciences and the arts, propping up a medieval renaissance in Salvia. He died peacefully in his sleep in 1291 at the age of 67, likely from a heart attack.

Inspired by religious zeal and the chivalric code, Joseph I left a legacy of a strong united Salvia that would go on to become one of the largest empires in history. Through his reforms and charity he created a stable unified empire that experienced a cultural and intellectual revitalization which inspired the Magnaere Progresiant and contributed heavily towards the Salvian cultural identity.

Legacy

The golden age that Joseph I ushered in, the High Medieval Renaissance, was a great cultural, economic, and intellectual transformation that would lay the groundwork for the Magnaere Progresiant. It was largely based in the increased contact with Marenesian and southern Europan nations due to prosperous trade, which allowed for the introduction of foreign ideas that later monarchs and eventually the philosophers of the Great Progression would take up and develop further. Southern Europan architectural techniques, considered more advanced then Salvian architecture, was adopted by Salvian architects and mathematicians who would develop it further into Gothic architecture. Universities were also constructed and supported by the state and Church in an effort to encourage the learning of the arts, sciences, history, and theology. Most universities were partly or fully controlled by the Church, which Joseph I and his heirs promoted, and as centers of the Great Progression would influence the Catholic worldview many of the humanists possessed.

Many churches, streets, buildings and more are built in Joseph's name, while numerous monuments are also dedicated to him.