Soley
From Almeopedia
| Soley dynasty | |
| 3142-73 | Caloton |
| 3173-81 | Efaristo |
| 3181-98 | Alunařo |
The Soley [ˈso lɛj] dynasty ruled Verduria for 56 years, from 3142 to 3198.
In 3128 the general Boďomor Kušďey took power from the last Prežeon king; though he declared himself king, he was regarded as a usurper, and when he died the country declined into civil war. For some time it appeared that each province might go its own way as an independent kingdom, except that anyone who did well regionally felt entitled to try to reunite the kingdom.
Born in 3100, Caloton šoh i Pelym (Duke of Pelym), whose family name was Soley, was a descendant of both the Prežeons and the Salúer family, who had supplied many of the Lords of Verduria. His father Ponvuran had tried his own hand at seizing the sash, with no great success, but Caloton had distinguished himself both on the battlefield and in the more important campaign to win support from other nobles. After becoming Duke in 3138, Caloton concentrated on pacifying the Svetla corridor: Pelym, Anaseri, and Vyat in Verduria province, and the province of Šerian. Stability allowed the river trade to recover, and convinced Verduria city to offer its support. He now had the resources to raise an army of more than provincial size, and used it to cow the rest of Verduria province into submission, and then Aodo— not exactly a power center, but representative of his reach and ambition.
He now felt settled enough to call up the Biyetora, the ancient assembly of nobles with the right to elect kings, and let it declare him king (3142). By now he was unstoppable; by a combination of charm and force he succeeded in enforcing his authority throughout the kingdom within the next four years.
He continued to consult the Biyetora, believing that nobles who felt that their voices were listened to would not rebel. He got along so well with them that he expanded it, adding more kešana (borough) members, all the guildmasters of Verduria city, and 20 members at large; the expanded body was called the Esčambra and for the first time had legislative power. It was understood that he trusted the new Esčambra more than he trusted his heir, Efaristo.
Efaristo succeeded his father in 3173, and found that the Esčambra understood Caloton's commission to mean that it had ruling authority. It appointed officials and generals, determined the budget, even judged court cases. Efaristo eventually protested, and finally began to refuse to sign bills he disapproved of. When he became deathly ill in 3181, the Esčambra deposed him in favor of his brother Alunařo— who however proved less rather than more tractable.
The standoff was finally resolved with a compromise: taxation authority would reside in the Esčambra; day-to-day government remained in the hands of the king's Konselora or cabinet— usually, however, composed of Esčambromî.
In 3198 the wizard Utu murdered Alunařo and seized the sash for himself.
Šm Ihano Debere wrote a history of the dynasty; he liked to say that he chose it because it was the least distinguished of Verduria's dynasty, so that his book would become definitive. As he himself pointed out, however, the dynasty was a major step in the transition from pure monarchy to the the country's current mixed king-and-parliament system.
| Preceded by: Usurpation of 3128 | Soley d. 3142-98 | Succeeded by: Gray Years |
