Vlaran
From Almeopedia
Vlaran [ˈvla ran] was king of Verduria, the first king of the Vleteon dynasty.
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Early life
Vlaran was born in 3387, first son of Caiem, baron of Amežna, a small town in the east of Verduria province. The barony was small and undistinguished, but close to Verduria city, which both increased its prestige and allowed the barons to easily participate in Verdurian politics. They were pagans, but as the barony was close to the sea, they were normally supporters of the Navirora party.
Caiem had been active in the Esčambra; his expertise in Verdurian law and parliamentary procedure was an obstacle to the usurping queen Onvaďra 2ë, and thus a favorite of the parliamentarians. In his later years, however, he preferred to relax on his estate, and Vlaran, after a brief army career, lived in the city and represented him in the Esčambra from his early twenties. In 3418 he married a rich merchant's daughter, Nounesa Uprusin; as a wedding gift Caiem surprised him by relinquishing his title.
Election
Two years later Onvaďra died, and the Esčambra quickly moved to reestablish its right to select a new monarch. The choice was wide open, as the last dynasty, the Vočnorî, had no direct descendants, while the Abolineronî were discredited by the civil wars they had engendered. (Everyone agreed that the queen's son Getemil had no chance; indeed, he was placed under arrest.) The leading candidates were the surcont of Anaseri and the cont of Ulian, but the former was too unpopular with the conservative pagans, and the latter unacceptable to the mercantile elite. It's said that the duke of so Řuk proposed so beom Amežna thinking that Caiem, the hero of constitutional resistance to the usurpation, was still baron. Anaseri and Ulian were in a stalemate, and a dozen other names were considered and discarded; Vlaran's remained, not so much because of his positives (though he was well regarded) but because few had reason to reject him.
There was a last-ditch attempt to unite behind the hipcont Borodino; vote after vote was held during the evening of 26 reli, just before the holiday of Cuéndimar. Borodino's tallies rose with excruciating slowness; at 2 in the morning he was still ten votes shy of a majority. The parliamentary leaders held a long caucus and held one more vote-- for Vlaran. He won by three votes; but it was 4 in the morning and there was no quorum. The Esčambra delayed the holiday in order to hold a vote during the day; this time Vlaran won a clear majority.
Policies
Vlaran at first focussed on restoring the kingdom's position in Eretald-- a project nearly everyone could get behind. He restored Verdurian authority over Zelm, pacified the Western Wild, and reoccupied the castle of Pérecaln. He supported the rebellion of Hroth against Mútkün in 3425, with the assistance of Célenor. When the duke of Célenor referred to his country as a kingdom, however, Vlaran arranged a parable about Verdurian benevolence and power: he served a case of Célenorian red wine to his officers, and blew up another with gunpowder. The lesson was learned, and Célenor affirmed Verdurian sovereignty, though the duke was allowed to govern the province as a vassal.
His major domestic change was to require nobles to live for at least one month a year in Verduria city in order to vote in the Esčambra. The rule had been suggested by the Esčambromi themselves: legislation was now a serious business, and the hardest-working members resented nobles who whisked in, knowing little of the issues and muddying day-to-day politics. Naturally the absentee nobles resisted; but the entire nobility made up only a third of the Esčambra, and even under the old rules, the resistors were outvoted.
Perhaps more important, the change further strengthened the Navirora party, which had been weakened by the defection of the Ženië (People's) party under Onvaďra.
(Members were also prohibited from having a family member vote for them-- a change that would have disallowed Vlaran's own early parliamentary career.)
Family and succession
Vlaran had four children: Zolges (born 3419, died in childhood); Alric (3423), Mërošec (3425), and Šelicöra (3427). Alric was named his heir in 3433.
Vlaran died in 3462. He was never a dashing figure, but his hard work, diplomatic nature, and successful military exploits made him well respected, and left Verduria stronger and healthier than it had been in a century.
| Preceded by: Usurpation of 3404 | Vlaran 3420-62 | Succeeded by: Alric |
