Monarchy of Great Nortend

King and Sovereign Lord of Nortend, Cardoby and Hambria
Coat of Arms of Great Nortend
Incumbent
Alexander II since 30th April 2003
Details
Style	His Majesty
Heir apparent	William, Prince of Rhise
Residence	Palace of St Michael'sgate, Lendert-with-Cadell

The martyr, Edmund the Good, unified Nortend south of the Monmorians, and had four sons.

Alexander I is one of the most influential monarchs in Erbonian history, establishing the independence of the Church of Nortend as well as unifying Nortend and Hambria under a single Crown.

Mary's betrothal to the Earl of Scode precipitated the Olnite Matter.

Catherine I (1789–1812) ruled over major economical and trade reforms; however, she remaind a staunch defender of feudalism. Her marriage to Prince Henry de Anthord returned the Crown to the House of Anthord.

Edmund IX (1904–1955) was the longest reigning monarch of Great Nortend, leading the nation through the Great Astyrian War and through the treasurership of Henry de Foide.

The Monarchy of Great Nortend, commonly known as the Nortish or Erbonian Monarchy, is the semi-constitutional monarchy of the Kingdom of Nortend, Cardoby and Hambria. The current Monarch and Sovereign Lord of the Kingdom is Alexander II, who acceded to the throne on April 30th, 2003, upon the death of his mother, Catherine II.

Origins

See also: History of Great Nortend

The origins of the Erbonian monarchy of Nortend, Cardoby and Hambria lie in the separate Kingdom of Nortend and Cardoby, and the Kingdom of Hambria, which were united in the Acts of Cleaving in the 18th century.

The former kingdom arose from the kingdoms of the Nords, Sexers and Cardes, who were Arlethic tribes from Lorecia who settled in the regions of the Isles of Erbonia in the 3rd to 4th centuries. Despite the rise of up to ten smaller kingdoms, under successive kings the Kingdom of the Nords managed to conquer and claim rule over the entire region.

The Kingdom of Hambria originated in the much older Ethlorek peoples in the modern-day region of Hambria, known as the Hoes. Though they were numerous small tribes, they grew to recognise the Cothen tribe as superior and thereby established the Kingdom of Cothen, which later became known as the Kingdom of Hambria.

Constitutional role

The Crown is the legal embodiment of the Kingdom as a nation or state, with the Sovereign from time to time as the physical and temporal manifestation of the institution. The Sovereign's image represents the sovereignty of the Great Nortend, and thus is depicted on coins of the official currency of the Realm, the pound marten, appears on stamps issued by the General Post Office, and hangs in all Government buildings and schools across the country.

The Crown wields all legislative, executive, military, investigative and judicial power over his Realm. Great Nortend is in theory an absolute monarchy subject only to the laws of God. In practice, however, kings upon their coronation swear oaths to limit the exercise of their power. Furthermore, they delegate their temporal powers to the officials of their Curia Regis: legislative powers to their High Court of the Parliament, executive powers to their Privy Council and their Ministers, military powers to their Armed Forces, investigative powers to his Crown Inquisitors, and judicial powers to their judges.

To an extent, however, the Sovereign remains deeply involved with the operations of the country when he desires. Declining to grant Assentus Regis to bills presented by the Parliament is not uncommon, and the Sovereign has on many previous occasions directly ordered executive action by his own mere motion or determined particular judicial cases by his own person.

Liegeance is the paramount consideration under the uncodified constitutional practice of Great Nortend. It forms the legal and moral relationship between God, the Sovereign and the subject, where subjects bear “faith and troth” unto the Sovereign and the Sovereign acts as God's viceregent with the duty to protect his subjects. Crimes are wrongs against the Crown's peace, and thus are punishable by the Crown in its criminal courts. Wrongs against fellow subjects are wrongs against those protected by the Crown and thus determinable by the Crown in the common courts.

Religious role

The Sovereign is by the Statute of Supremacy, 12 Alex. II, within his Realms the “Supreme Governour of the Church Mundane” and “Vicar of Christ” as temporal head of the Church of Nortend and viceregent of God. Since Hartmold the Great's coronation in 756, nearly every king or queen of Nortend and Cardoby has been crowned in a Christian coronation under the auspices of the Church, almost always being anointed with holy oil and invested with the symbols of the kingly office. Despite the similarities of the coronation rite with a clerical ordination, the Sovereign is not a clerk in holy orders. Some authorities, such as the Cardinal Dr. Shevensole, Lord Archbishop of Sulthey from 1734 to 1759, have suggested that the Sovereign is a minor cleric, on par with a sub-deacon, as evidenced by his serving as sub-deacon at the coronation mass. However, this has been disputed by other theologians.

As Supreme Governour of the Church, the Sovereign's approval is necessary for the installation of the Lord Archbishop of Sulthey and his institution as Primate of the Church in Great Nortend. The Sovereign also issues writs for the incardination of cardinals, and appoints all other archbishops and bishops as “Fathers in God”. In 2,352 parishes, the Sovereign retains the right of advowson to present priests to the diocesan bishop for appointment to the curacy of souls. The Sovereign is also head of the ecclesiastical judicial hierarchy.

List of monarchs

House of Lanort of Nortend

• Æthelbert 512–515
• Edward the Elder 516–533
• Edward the Young 534–545
• Æthelwolf 546–578
• Fredwin the Sick 579–598
• Cuthbert 599–634

House of Lanort of Nortend and Cardoby

• Fredwin Longlobes 634–712
• Oslac 713–733
• Egbert 734–754

Interregnum

House of Mure of Nortend and Cardoby

• Hartmold the Great 756–798
• Æthelfrey 799–823
• Erwin the Stiff 824–839
• St. Edmund the Good 840–894
• Godfrey 895–921
• Henry I 922–935
• Henry II 936–963

House of ?

A Nicolian invasion?

• Erwin 964–970
• Edmund II 971–972

House of Barmast

• Gerolph 973–1003
• Geoffrey 1004–1019
• Jane 1020–1046
• Edward I 1047–1068
• Richard I 1069–1082
• Richard II 1083–1111
• Stephen 1112–1122
• Richard III 1123–1146
• Edmund III 1147–1179
• Henry III 1180–1201
• Harold 1203–1232
• Hartmold II 1233–1253
• Edmund IV 1254–1267

House of Dester

• Hartmold III 1268–1289
• Peter I 1290–1312
• William 1313–1334
• Henry IV 1335–1378
• Peter II 1379–1403
• Charles I 1404–1425
• Charles II 1426 – 1455
• Peter III 1456–1468
• Albert 1469–1493
• Peter IV 1494–1518

House of Anthord ante–Oln

• William II 1519–1554
• George I 1555–1566
• Alexander I 1567–1634
• Edmund V 1635–1664
• Charles III 1665–1668
• William III 1669–1693
• Edmund VI 1694–1736
• Mary 1736–1777

House of Oln

• George II 1778–1782
• John of Hall 1783–1788
• Catherine I 1789–1812

House of Anthord post–Oln

• Edmund VII 1813–1867
• Henry VI 1868–1889
• Edmund VIII 1890–1903
• Edmund IX 1904–1955
• George III 1956–1963
• Catherine II 1963–2003

House of Anthord–Mere–Lucas

• Alexander II 2004–present