Vasko of Makedon
| Vasko | |
|---|---|
| Basileus | |
 Vasko in 1998. | |
| Reign | 1970-1988 |
| Coronation | 17 July 1970 |
| Predecessor | Antonij |
| Successor | Position abolished |
| Born | 19 November, 1940 Zovahr, Makedon |
| Died | 5 June, 2006 Ossoria |
| Dynasty | Zelusian Dynasty |
| Religion | Zobethos |
Vasko (born 19 November, 1940, died 5 June, 2006 age 66) was the last Basileus (King) of Makedon, reigning from 1970 to 1988.
Born on 19 November, 1940 during the Broken Years, Vasko was second-in-line for the throne but became the heir apparent following the death of his brother Andon when Vasko was 14. A member of the Zelusian Dynasty which had ruled since 556 BCE, Vasko embraced a traditionalist and conservative approach to the throne which he ascended to on 17 July 1970. Seeking to revitalize the influence of Syara's Royal Families following the decline of the Aristokrati, Vasko inserted himself into Syaran politics and took an active role in the Realm Government of Makedon hoping to exercise the traditional influence the Makedonian King had. This made him a principle target for the burgeoning Wardens movement who objected to his involvement in national politics and issues.
Beginning with the Hayren War Vasko and pro-Warden public figures and politicians continued to clash and accusations of the King overstepping his boundaries. Vasko's public presence in Syaran politics and the media made him a major focal point for the growing revolutionary-traditionalist divide between the Wardens and what became known as the Royalists, of whom Vasko quickly became a leading figure of. The first decade of his rule saw an increasingly pro-Warden government come to power in Syara, leading Vasko to begin forming covert ties with supporters in the Syaran government and military. He also held secret meetings with Acrean representatives and arranged contingency plans if the Wardens planned to abolish the titles of Royalty in Syara, which became increasingly likely starting in the 1980s.
The outcome of the 1982 Senatorial elections placed a firm Warden government in power which immediately began targeting Vasko's influence. The death of President Krunislav Mircevski and the election to interim President Robert Križan led Vasko to conspire with Field Marshal Sivo Hadjiev to prevent the Senate from removing the legal status of the nobility in Syara, leading to the Refusal Crisis. The crisis developed into civil war between the Royalists and the Wardens. Vasko played a semi-active role in the conflict, largely leaving the military decisions to Hadjiev and other Royalist officers while also attempting to promote the Royalist cause within Syara and abroad. Vasko received support from Acrea, Ossoria, Mansuriyyah, and Ruvelka, the latter of which damaged Royalist reputation in Syara. Despite the support the Wardens were able to inflict a number of defeats on the Royalist forces, and in 1986 the Warden invasion of Galania signaled the beginning of the end.
As the Royalist forces steadily collapsed, Vasko and his family fled to Ossoria where his family received a small estate and rank within the Ossorian nobility. In 1989 the newly founded Commonality of Syara stripped the Royal Families of their rights and estates while also convicting him and others of treason in absentia and sentenced him to death. In the years afterwards Vasko remained largely out of the public eye, and was described by others around him as "despondent and lonely". He gave few interviews, though in 2005 he steadily began making more public appearances. He was in the process of writing his memoirs when he suffered a stroke that he never recovered from, and died on 5 June, 2006. His will requested his body be returned to Makedon to be buried alongside his ancestors in the Basileus Mausoleum, but this request was denied by the Government of Syara.