Valerius I
| Valerius I | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:ValeriusExponentia.jpg | |||||
| Emperor of Exponent | |||||
| Reign | 87 AD - 103 AD | ||||
| Predecessor | Position Established | ||||
| Successor | Joannes I | ||||
| Born | 42 AD Capua, Italy | ||||
| Died | 103 AD | ||||
| Issue | Joannes I | ||||
| |||||
| Dynasty | Exponentia | ||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||
Valerius Exponentia, also known as Valerius I was the founder and first emperor of the Empire of Exponent. He reigned from 87 AD until he died in AD 103.
Early years and conversion to Christianism
Born in Capua in AD 42 from a family of liberti, he was named Valerius to honour the patrician name of their former owners.
His early life is not well documented, but there are accounts of his participation in the Roman-Parthian War of AD 58-63, under general Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo.
It’s likely in Parthia that he first got in touch with Christianity, as he partook in the first Journey of the Faithful towards the lands of Hesperidesia in 66 AD.
Foundation of Paradisa and early military career
As the Journey of the Faithful landed in Hesperidesia, the settlement of Paradisa was founded and Valerius celebrated his Christian marriage with Lucia Parthica.
Nonetheless, many troubles awaited him and the other Roman settlers as the native tribe of Kaskia attempted to expel them from their shores.
As most of the Christian settlers were inexperienced in military matters, Valerius took it upon himself to form a militia and defend Paradisa from the vicious attacks of the Kaskii.
The now-Legatus Valerius and the militia built a system of Roman castra (fortified military encampments) around the settlement and engaged in a war of attrition against the natives – a war that would have likely been lost were it not for the arrival of several more ships from the Mediterranean filled with Christian settlers and expert soldiers, who were hastily employed to defeat the Kaskian army near the river Makawna.
Foederatio Demonium and public acclamation
Upon pacifying the Kaskian threat, Valerius found himself as the de-facto general of the small Hesperidesian Roman Army, making him the only one wielding hierarchical power in a society otherwise founded on pure democracy.
Paradisa kept evolving into a proper Roman city, with a public senate (Senatus Expansus) in place of the imperial power and the various offices beneath it, until a coalition of the neighbouring tribes of Kaskia, Wakalu and Rambana (Foederatio Demonium, as dubbed in the ancient chronicles) pressed on in an attempt to destroy it.
Valerius, being the most senior military member and having already proven his worth in the previous years against the Kaskii, was called by the Senatus Expansus to direct the military efforts against the “Demones”, acclaiming him as the de-facto general of the Hesperidesian Roman Army.
Learning from his past mistakes and counselled by his strategists Minimus Lodiensis and Rubor Gallicus, he halted the preparations for a war of attrition and divided the Army into three cohortes, employing for the first time in history the famous Valerian formation (central army in front, two detached wings avoiding confrontation while performing a set of manoeuvres from the sides, to obtain an encirclement) in the plains near Paradisa.
The Battle of Paradisa (83 AD) ended in an overwhelming victory for the Romans, who acclaimed Valerius as a war hero.
In his speech to the Senatus Expansus he proposed to completely subdue the natives to avoid future confrontations, but the most influential members of the clergy, Saint Benedictus and Nicholas Latus, fiercely opposed his proposal: Christian piety imposed to be merciful with one’s enemies and show the other cheek, they said, as they preached that war would only lead to more war.
For the time being, Valerius stepped down and disbanded his cohortes.
As the Foederatio Demonium was reformed including two more tribes (Ratwan and Lamatha), in AD 86, Valerius took arms again and defeated the natives once more – but this time, he refused the order to disband the army.
Instead, he pushed the loyal cohortes into the enemy homeland and set it ablaze, enslaving women and children and dispatching everyone else.
Notably, the Ratwan chief avoided such a fate for his tribe by pledging its allegiance to Valerius himself.
Coronation and foundation of the Empire of Exponent
As the victorious Valerius returned to Paradisa as a defier of the Senate and wielding absolute power over the military, he found little resistance when he publicly addressed the need for a strong leader if Christianity was to survive in such hostile lands.
He donned the Imperial coat in AD 87 – some sources say in March, some in July – and formally declared Paradisa the capital and first city of a new Empire built by his blood and that of his descendants: the Empire of Exponent.
Later years and death
Emperor Valerius I slowly expanded the Imperial territory over the nearby jungle, building fortifications and aqueducts, roads and stadii, showing the neighbouring tribes the benefits of becoming foederati of the technologically advanced Empire.
His rule ended peacefully in AD 103, as he left the Empire in the hands of his only son Joannes.