Ževuran
From Almeopedia
Ževuran Este ([ʒɛ ˈvu ran ˈɛ stɛ], Ževuran the Great) was the second king of the Prežeon dynasty of Verduria. His 72-year-long reign was the longest in the kingdom's history, and is considered its early golden age.
His training and personality were those of a good army officer: he was strict, organized, and practical; impatient above all with those who told him something could not be done; careful to anticipate problems before a decision was made, and intolerant of dissent afterward. He was not naturally charismatic— he could be gruff and tactless— but he impressed people with his intelligence and breadth of knowledge. He was famously little interested in religion and art, and one of the first kings to devote great interest to the new ways of the natural philosophers. He disliked the company of women, which made life particularly difficult for his queen Fivaďra.
Etymology: Ver. 'people-warrior'.
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Stormy accession
Ževuran, born in 2940, was Caleon's oldest son and his clear heir. Nonetheless, when Caleon was assassinated in 2958, the Biyetora, the body with the legal right to choose the Verdurian king, selected his younger brother Ženeon instead— perhaps because he was considered more tractable, perhaps because while the city was roiling over the king's murder, he was at hand and Ževuran was not.
Ževuran was only as far as Zeirdan, where he was belgsanno, general of the eastern army; when he learned of the Biyetora's decision he marched directly on the capital. The local garrisons either joined him or failed to oppose him, and he occupied the palace, detaining his brother. (As Ženeon had only a week on the throne and effectively did nothing, he is generally not counted as a king of Verduria.)
His opponents fled the city, but immediately began recruiting friendly army units and raising their own troops, gathering near Curesi, which was felt to be difficult to reach, and closer to the southern nobles who might have more sympathy with their cause. Ževuran simply marched his army to Šerian, which divided his enemies. Two battles in Curesi province sufficed to eliminate the threat; a march south to Žésifo encountered no organized resistance.
He never forgave the nobles who voted against him; three of them, captured in Curesi, were executed for treason, and he abolished the Biyetora.
Conquests
It was said that Ževuran ditavne so sönil še asuena, "preferred the saddle as his seat"; he surpassed his father as a conqueror, adding to the realm Peleu (2958), the upper Serea (2970), parts of the Western Wild (2985), Isiza (3020), parts of Ismahi (3026), and Vimínia (3030).
The Great Code
Caleon had largely relied on force of personality to knit his conquests together; Ževuran realized that the greatly expanded realm needed new institutions. In 2999 he convened a group of Verdurian and Ctesifoni scholars to create a new legal code for the entire country; the result was the Este Amrab or Great Code (3021). He scandalized the scholars by requiring them to write the law in Verdurian rather than Caďinor; the law was for the people, he insisted, and they must be able to read it.
Even before the code was complete, Ževuran established courts in all the major towns. The nobles cooperated only sullenly with the new law, preferring their medieval near-sovereignty. In emphasizing the rule of law Ževuran was prescient, but was also following the long Prežeon experience ruling Verduria city. Cities were inherently power bases for the merchant class and against the nobility, and thrived on law; and Verduria city, like Žésifo, had retained its strong court system throughout the Dark Years. It was only natural for its rulers to wish to extend the idea of law to their vast new conquests.
Scholarship
He also granted charters to two Verdurian universities, that of Curesi in 2982, and Zeir in 2985. He visited these institutions often, and indeed had himself named president of the latter; he enjoyed coming to chat with the šriftomî in Caďinor.
Later years
In later life, tiring of the endless petty meetings and rituals of the capital, he preferred to stay at his family estates near Belušati, or in Zeir. Generations grew up knowing no other king, and Verduria grew fonder of its stern old ruler.
He ruled into his 90s, dying in 3031; his son Estdorot was already 58 when he ascended the throne. Ževuran remained vigorous into his old age— indeed, he personally led the campaign against Ismahi when he was 85, though some weakness may be indicated by his failure to occupy the entire country.
Because of his early struggles, his long reign, his conquests, and his insistance on the law, he is often called the Verdurian Ervëa.
Other Ževurans
- Ževuran Abolineron (3334-81), the younger son of king Ažerey 2e and father of the dynasty's last ruler, Ayeša; he was a player in the sordid power politics of the dynasty, and murdered in the coup that ended the dynasty.
- A street in Verduria city is named for the king; it forms the southern boundary of the University of Verduria, crosses the Desi Ževuran (the Ževuran Bridge, built to replace the Arcaln Bridge destroyed by the Kebreni), passes through the Mažtan-Lagana, and ends a block away in the Scafiora.
| Preceded by: Caleon | Ževuran 2958-3031 | Succeeded by: Estdorot |
