A political history of Balancía: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 14:12, 23 August 2024

This page shall document the political history of Balancía from the reign of King Alfonso I in 2655. For the history prior to this, see the page which documents the reign of King Philip I.

Reign of King Alfonso I (2655 - 2661)

See also Alfonso I

Accession

Alfonso's accession to the throne marked a major victory for King Philip I's Murcian dynasty. Philip I had reigned for fifteen years, throughout which the future wasn't entirely certain. Some members of court believed that Balancía should rejoin the Madrilene Empire following Philip's death, while others began to consider alternative forms of government. Philip marked in his will that he wished for his son, Alfonso, to succeed him as King. In addition to his will, Philip created the procedure for an Accession Council (a practice that exists to this day) which was filled with pro-monarchist ministers. The Accession Council was responsible for acting on Philip's behalf after his death.

The Accession Council met at Murcia Castle after Philip's death on 1 August 2655. Alfonso was residing at Pembroke at the time. Chaired by Lord Juan Pius, the Accession Council's responsibility was to proclaim the new King, as well as inform Alfonso of the death of the crown. Reports from the first Accession Council are hotly debated. However, the general consensus among historians is that the Council was more contested than Philip had originally intended.

Despite filling the Council with pro-monarchists, not all members who wholly convinced of Alfonso's ability to adequately succeed his father. During Philip I's reign, Alfonso made public declarations which suggested that his interests laid in academics rather than governance. Indeed, Alfonso's own diaries have since confirmed this, with them confirming that his life seemed "destined" to be spent in the histories. While no record exists, the most likely contender for King aside from Alfonso would have been Philip I's brother, Lord Carlos. Carlos Murcia, as the younger son of King Philip, served in a number of key ministerial positions in his court. Lord Carlos was Minister for the Crown, a position which made him the most powerful minister in the country. Philip's decision to name Lord Pius as head of the Accession Council has been interpreted as a mistrust on the part of Philip.

Despite this, the Accession Council, led by Lord Juan Pius, sent word to Pembroke and Alfonso rode for Murcia Castle. He was formally proclaimed His Grace King Alfonso, King of the Rock the next day. He was crowned on 3 November 2655.

Reluctance

Alfonso's desire to spend his time studying history and supporting the development of Pembroke University was not mitigated by his reign nor his coronation. In the first month of his reign, he only spent the night at Murcia Castle (the home of the court and government) on the night before and night of his coronation. Aside from that, he resided almost entirely at Pembroke. In an attempt to mitigate the impact of this on the general function of the government, King Alfonso made the unprecedented decision to vest his legal authority in another individual.

Alfonso created the office of Lord Keeper of the King's Seal, commonly referred to as the Lord Keeper. In the royal charter which was signed only 2 days after his coronation, Alfonso granted the Lord Keeper "the powers temporal of the King of the realm and henceforth the right to speak with the King's wisdom and voice". He named Lord Juan Pius to the position.

As Pius ran the court, Alfonso studied at Pembroke. Throughout his almost six year reign, Alfonso only ever signed laws that were placed in front of him by his Lord Keeper. These laws included the Carriageway Act of 2657, which consolidated authority for building and maintaining new carriageways into the government, and the Treasury Act of 2659 which created a centralised treasury aside from the Crown's own treasuries.

Courtship

The biggest issue of Alfonso I's reign was the issue of his marriage, or lack thereof. As he entered the second year of his reign, the pressure on the King to marry was growing. Many, especially Lord Pius himself, were cautious over increasing the amount of power in the Accession Council. Some feared that the monarchy would devolve into an elected position, with the Accession Council choosing the successor if no obvious candidate presented themselves. In addition, there were fears that the King's will would become an unreliable source of finding the successor. Thus, a royal line needed to be produced.

Several Royal Balls were organised by Lord Pius, with the aim of finding the King a match that he would be well suited towards. It was readily apparent that Lord Pius was promoting his own daughter, Lady Hyde Pius, as a contender for the King's wife. Because of this, as well as his general reluctance to engage in court at all, Alfonso was reluctant to attend the balls. Ultimately, there were six balls between 2656 and 2658, none of which resulted in a royal marriage.

Since his death, there has been speculation into why King Alfonso was so unwilling to marry a lady of the court. At the time, it seemed to be believed that Alfonso associated the politicking of the court with the ladies. If he had married one of them, his personal life would be absorbed into the fray of internal politics. Some arguments since his death have suggested that his reluctance to marry was born out of an asexuality that Alfonso presented in much of his time at Pembroke University. There are no reports at all of Alfonso ever engaging in sexual activity with anybody, and no relationships have ever been uncovered.

Eventually, in October 2658, Alfonso dismissed Lord Juan Pius from his position of Lord Keeper. The announcement came as a shock to much of the court, as Pius was managing the show. While some feared that Alfonso would begin governing for himself, this was quickly relieved as King Alfonso appointed his uncle, Lord Carlos Murcia, as the new Lord Keeper.

Formal records from the court of King Alfonso I are rare. The most famous text, written by Lord Carlos's squire, seems to suggest that Alfonso's decision was born out of a frustration with Lord Pius and his insistence of marriage. Perhaps this was because Pius was relentless in pursuing his own daughter as Queen, or perhaps a general fear of an heirless succession. Regardless, Lord Pius left court and would not return for two years.

Death

King Alfonso's reign continued without interference from the King himself. Lord Carlos seamlessly continued the administration of Lord Pius and, likely due to his own standing as a potential successor of the King, Lord Carlos didn't push the matter of marriage very strongly. During this time, Lord Carlos married Lady Hyde after the death of his first wife, a German duchess called Anne, in 2656.

In late 2660, after his five-year anniversary on the throne, Alfonso announced his decision to attend a parlay with academics from the University of Madrid. Earlier in the year, Alfonso College had been established and Alfonso was seriously considering taking up role as Master of the University. Lord Carlos, who was Lord Keeper at the time, advised that Alfonso not take the journey, which led to him being replaced with Lord Juan Pius. Lord Pius too advised the King not go on the six month expedition. However, he did not press the issue. King Alfonso departed Balancía on 1 December 2660. He spent the following six months in Madrid, where it is believed he was influenced heavily by Emperor Hadrian of the Madrilene Empire. Some feared that, upon his return, King Alfonso would try to push for Balancía's return to the Empire. Whatever the truth of this belief, fate intervened. On the sea journey back to the Doggerlands, a major storm in the Atlantic caused Alfonso's ship to sink. Alfonso's body was never recovered and it is believed that he died while trying to swim to one of the surviving ships in his flotilla.

Reign of King Charles I (2661 - 2695)

See also: Charles I

Accession and coronation

Following the news that King Alfonso I had died in a shipwreck, the Lord Keeper Juan Pius immediately called for an Accession Council. Since Alfonso's death was unexpected, the Council was rather incomplete. The previous year, King Alfonso had dismissed Lord Carlos Murcia as Lord Keeper over his opposition to his planned trip to Madrid University. Along with Lord Carlos, four other senior ministers of the crown resigned. By the time of Alfonso's death, they were still yet to be replaced. The Accession Council was only half filled. Yet, it immediately made the proclamation that Lord Carlos, King Philip's brother and King Alfonso's uncle, would succeed as His Grace King Charles Murcia.

He was quickly crowned at a coronation alongside his wife. This became the first coronation in Balancín history to crown a King alongside a Queen. Queen Hyde Pius was the daughter of the Lord Keeper. King Charles's accession was a big boost in power for House Pius. Lord Juan was the younger brother of Lord Andre Pius and thus had the ear of the richest House in the Kingdoms. Charles I's early reign reflected this power dynamic.

Early reign

Although Charles played a significantly more active role in government than his nephew did before him, he still relied significantly on Lord Juan for many aspects of government. Although the pair had a contentious relationship following their years of competing for power in the courts of King Philip and King Alfonso, they were remarkably well matched. Significantly, Charles promoted better record keeping than during the reign of his predecessors and so much of the relationship between the pair were, to some extent or another, documents after Charles's coronation.

King Charles and Lord Juan's relationship reached its apex in 2664 when the pair promoted new tariffs on trade with the Madrilene Empire. The tariffs themselves weren't economically significant as they concerned the trade of ivory, which was hardly a significant market in Balancía. However, it represented a significant victory for Charles and Balancía as a whole. The new tariffs was linked with the signing of the Madrilene Peace, which was the first peace agreement signed between Balancía and the Madrilene Empire since the Balancín War for Independence almost twenty years prior. It is said that Lord Juan was significant in the negotiation of the treaty and his victory won him significant respect from the King.

Queen Hyde and the Lorenz Affair

The early reign was also characterised by the role of Queen Hyde. Queen Hyde was the daughter of Lord Juan and thus was heavily influenced by him. Lord Juan's diaries, which were discovered in 2705 during a formal accounting of Pius House, recorded many meetings between Lord Juan and the Queen in which they discussed a whole range of matters that the Queen would not typically be privy to. One such matter that seemed to garner significant attention at the time of its uncovering was the Lorenz Affair. Lord Vinick Lorenz was the Lord High Admiral during the early reign but, in 2666, it was uncovered that he was engaging in an extramarital affair with Lady Beesbery, the wife of the Lord High Steward.

The Lorenz Affair infuriated King Charles, who was a close friend to Lord Wyman Beesbery (the Lord High Steward) from childhood. The records of the King's Council from the day it was revealed to court showed the King demanding Lorenz's resignation as Lord High Admiral. While Lord Juan was able to calm King Charles enough to wait 24 hours before proceeding with a public dismissal of Lord Lorenz, he was unable to convince the King to keep Lorenz in post. Lorenz was a close political ally of House Pius and his dismissal would have been embarrassing for Lord Andre Pius, as well as a weakening of their control of the court.

After the meeting of the King's Council, Lord Juan held a private audience with his daughter, Queen Hyde. In the meeting, they discussed the affair and the importance of keeping Lorenz in post as Lord High Admiral. After the discussion, it is widely believed that Queen Hyde spoke with King Charles. After their discussion, King Charles gave up on his insistence to dismiss Lord Lorenz. Instead, Lord Beesbery was compensated with a knighthood for his son. The affair was seldom mentioned in court after the incident.

Princess Cecilia's claim

The event that was widely considered to mark the end of Charles I's early reign was ignited when Princess Cecilia Murcia, the daughter of King Philip I and King Charles I's niece, returned to Balancía after an extended period in France on 20 June 2671. Princess Cecilia was King Philip's eldest daughter and some considered her to be a contender for the throne. Upon the death of King Alfonso, those supporters of the Princess were not present at the Pius-controlled Accession Council. However, upon her return to Balancía, as well as King Charles's declaration that he wished to see his daughter succeed him as Queen, ignited speculation because a) a woman could now inherit the throne, and b) Princess Cecilia was a more senior royal descendant.

Princess Cecilia found support primarily in those more ambitious houses that sought to displace the Pius-dominated court at Murcia Castle. Upon returning, she stationed herself at Talaga Castle along with her sister, Laurel, and wrote a declaration to the realm.

"To all those lords and ladies of the Rock who swore loyalty to my beloved father, I hereby lay claim to the Iberian Throne of Balancía."

King Charles did not make any comment on the matter at all. Lord Pius believed that a royal comment on the Princess's declaration would lend it legitimacy. However, House Pius declared an informal war on Princess Cecilia. Owing to House Pius's massive resources, they were able to raise a standing army to march on Talaga Castle. The siege lasted less than one month, before Lord Arthur of Talaga surrendered and gave up the Princess and her sister.

The rebellion formally ended when the Princess issued a statement on the steps of the Iberian Palace, pledging fealty to King Charles and renouncing the throne in perpetuity. Lord Pius's journals revealed that Princess Cecilia was threatened with execution by the Pius army. Despite the rebellion's short life, it created a precedent that undermined King Charles's ability to project power. After the rebellion, and for the rest of Lord Juan Pius's life, people perceived the true power in the Kingdom to be with House Pius and not House Murcia.

Pius's ill-health and death

Into the 2670s, Juan Pius's health began to decline. In 2674, he suffered a serious stroke and was absent from court. Later, in 2675, word got out that Lord Pius was refusing to eat. These reports were shocking to many, especially with the wide spread belief that Lord Pius was actually running the country. In reality, the 2670s gave King Charles the opportunity to govern independently - and he did so. In 2676, King Charles commissioned the construction of a new capitol, in what would become the Iberian Palace. In addition, he regularly addressed court by himself. He even considered forming a Parliament, though this wouldn't materialise until much later.

Pius's health recovered slightly between 2677 and 2679, during which time he returned to many of his duties. However, for the most part, his time was up. Pius's diaries noted the change in respect that people had for him. His position in court was dwindling as King Charles named more and more courtiers independently of Pius's influence.

The biggest crack in House Pius's power was the death of Lord Andre Pius in 2678. Lord Andre, Juan's older brother, was replaced as Lord and head of house by his 15-year old son, Marco. Without a clear leader, and with Juan's health in decline, many began to strongly believe that House Pius's apex was behind it.

Eventually, in early 2680, Juan Pius suffered a second major stroke. While he survived, he was severely debilitated. For the remainder of 2680 until his death in October, he was unable to speak. He died on 30 October 2680 at the age of 70 and was buried at Murcia Castle, as was requested in his will.

Pius's death was well prepared for, thanks to his series of strokes. King Charles named Sir Ricardo Dafydd to the position of Lord Keeper in 2680. However, many now strongly understood that King Charles intended to rule himself.

Charles's age

The death of Juan Pius created a general sense in court that the era of political figures that included King Philip I, Lord Juan Pius, and King Charles was coming to an end. This was joined by the fact that King Charles himself was very old. At the time of Juan Pius's death in 2680, King Charles was 76 years old.

While many were confident in his health - as he was, in fact, extremely fit and active - he gained the nickname the Old King and many began to plan for his succession. As it turned out, King Charles reigned until he was 90. But, before his death, the last big issue of his reign was the succession.

It was during his period that King Charles rebranded the monarchy. He changed his formal style to His Majesty King Charles and moved the court to the newly constructed Iberian Palace. Murcia Castle remained House Murcia's ancestral seat, as well as the Royal Family's summer home.

The Mountain War (2685)

The Mountain War broke out in the Almere mountains when several tribes of barbarians that lived in the region began to raid the outer farms of the Balancín realm. The war was brief but served as an opportunity for King Charles to demonstrate his ability to lead of the country. While the King did not lead soldiers into battle himself, his decisive leadership helped vacate the mountains of barbarians. In addition, it solidified Balancía as the firm power of the eastern Doggerlands.

The victory parade through the Iberian Palace was one of the largest events of his reign and would not be beaten in terms of crowd size until the coronation of Philip II in 2749.

The succession debate

Upon taking the throne, King Charles made the declaration that he wanted to see his daughter and only child, Elisa, succeed him as Queen of the Rock. Charles married Hyde Pius in 2656. However, before this, he had married the German Princess Anne, with whom he had a daughter, Elisa. After remarrying, it became quickly clear that Queen Hyde was unable to have more children. Thus, if the throne were to continue through Charles's lineage, it would have to go through Elisa.

Issues with this arose immediately. Firstly, many didn't support the throne passing to a woman. While the concept of male-only succession was floating around, it was not vocalised until Elisa was formally named as the heir to King Charles. The biggest proponent of this was Lord Ause Fallon, the Duke of Belemadena, who argued that the throne should pass through Elisa to her son, Charles.

The idea that the throne should skip over Elisa was not an unpopular one. Firstly, Elisa had struggled to gain many friends in court and her marriage to Maeron Martell of Sardinia annoyed many courtiers who would have strongly coveted the royal match. Prince Charles (Elisa's son) began to be groomed by many of those who supported the idea of skipping. Eventually, they formalised into the faction that became the Whigs.

Elisa was a very jealous woman. Having lived through much of the discrimination that women faced in the early years of Balancía, she began to believe that Charles himself was conspiring to usurp her throne. When Maeron Martell died in 2682, Elisa's abuse towards Charles became significant. She would often have her guards beat the Prince, and refused to give him food when he would be locked away in his chambers for days on end. Eventually, King Charles uncovered his grandson's mistreatment. He sent him away from court for his own protection, sending him to the Royal Navy for his education.

Divisions in court

The Lord Keeper during the initial period of contention was Sir Ricardo Dafydd. As one of the chosen successors of Lord Juan Pius, Dafydd seemed automatic in his support for King Charles's choice of heir. Upon taking the office in 2680, Dafydd began to organise the support in opposition to Lord Ause Fallon's attempts to rally support for supplanting Elisa. Dafydd's faction in court was the largest and Elisa gained confidence from Dafydd's advice and counsel. Supporters of Elisa's claim became known as the Rooks, named after the Chess piece and its symbolism with castles.

Dafydd's position as Lord Keeper was significantly weaker than that of Lord Juan Pius. He was not a member of the nobility and rose to prominence as an advisor to House Pius on commerce affairs. As House Pius's power continued to dwindle in court, so did Dafydd's leadership of the court, especially given the King's reducing health and thus the increasing emphasis on the role of the Lord Keeper.

In reaction to the creation of the Rook faction, the Whigs, led by Lord Ause Fallon, formalised their faction into the Whigs - named after a term of general reformers. Historians believe that Fallon chose the term "Whig" to avoid associations with sexism and misogyny, but instead wishing to be seen as reformers and progressives.

Fall of the Rooks

The dominance of the Rooks in court was short lived. When much of the court uncovered Elisa's mistreatment of her son Charles, support for her claim began to fall. Initially, it was minor fluctuations such as the resignation of the Lord Spiritual over Elisa's comments. Eventually, however, as support continued to fall, Dafydd seemed unable to govern effectively. The sole issue of the court come the fall of 2685, after the Balancín victory in the Mountain War, was the succession, and Dafydd's association with the Rooks made him increasingly unpopular.

On 1 November 2685, Dafydd was ambushed by courtiers in the halls of the Iberian Palace. The Whig courtiers demanded Dafydd to explain why he was ignoring Princess Elisa's track record of abuse. Reports suggest that many of them turned violent, only to suggest that it represented what the Kingdom would become should she succeed King Charles to the throne. As tensions rose, it became clear to Dafydd that his lack of nobility left him unable to confidently navigate the crisis. He feared that his continuation in his post would contribute to a war for the succession, something that he, and most Rooks, wanted to avoid.

On the same day as his ambush, Dafydd resigned as Lord Keeper of the King's Seal. King Charles was angry by Dafydd's decision and tried to convince him to remain in post. However, Dafydd's decision was firm and he left court that same evening alongside his wife and son. King Charles sent three letters to Dafydd, requesting his return to court. None of the letters were followed by Dafydd's return.

King Charles's health was weak in 2685. At the age of 80, he was struggling to maintain even his own level of work. In the absence of a Lord Keeper, that workload looked set to increase. Thus, a replacement was essential for the effective continuation of Charles's government. He did consider appointing his grandson, Prince Charles, after his success as a Commander during the Mountain War. However, he recognised that such an appointment would create the impression that he was beginning to favour Charles over his own heir, Elisa.

Ultimately, King Charles elected to appoint the person who seemed to hold the broadest base of support in court - that of Lord Ause Fallon, the leader of the Whigs. Lord Fallon became Lord Keeper on 3 November 2685. His appointment was a clear victory for the Whigs, whose base in court was only growing as the 2680s reached their conclusion.

Lord Fallon's leadership and parliamentarianism

As King Charles's health continued to reduce his ability to work, the Lord Keeper's position was growing in power. Eventually, by 2887, the Lord Keeper was presiding over sessions of the court exclusively. The Whigs were now the clear majority in court and courtiers were switching over to Fallon's side. Prince Charles, the King's grandson and the Whig's preferred successor, was also in an increasingly powerful position as Lord High Admiral from 2888. In contrast, Princess Elisa was becoming so isolated in court that she eventually moved to Murcia Castle, where her Rook allies were more properly able to plan without the interference of the Whigs.

Lord Ause Fallon's tenure as Lord Keeper saw the first discussion of the creation of a formalised Parliament be raised. The Whigs, and Fallon in particular, wished to see the Accession Council formalised into a House of Parliament, with a second, General Court, established for other operational functions. King Charles was reportedly open to the idea and Lord Fallon began to make preparations for its establishment.

The biggest set-back in the creation of a Parliament was the death of Lord Fallon, who was killed in a duel with Sir Vyman Vox in 2691.

The Princess Regent and the Earl of Basque

By the time of Lord Fallon's death, King Charles was entirely unable to function without significant assistance. At the age of 86, the King went through significant periods of being unable to speak and walk. With the death of his Lord Keeper, King Charles had to name a replacement - a task that he was simply unable to do independently.

In light of his condition, King Charles ordered for his daughter, the Princess Elisa, to return from Murcia Castle to assist him as regent. King Charles signed a royal charter, known as the Regency Charter of 2691, in which he signed over many executive functions to his daughter. Notably, the regency in this form did not include powers of law, succession, or military command. It was primarily for appointments and, where necessary, organising the court. Princess Elisa became known as the Princess Regent.

In her first act as Princess Regent, Elisa named Lord Vic de Vigo, the Earl of Basque, to the position of Lord Keeper. Basque was a Rook and the appointment angered the Whig majority in court. However, despite their previous seemingly dominant position, the King's decision to name Elisa as the Princess Regent was perceived as a major setback to the Whig cause. Elisa now had the authority and the control of the Iberian Palace to put herself in a prime position to succeed in the event of the King's death.

The Earl of Basque's tenure as Lord Keeper was dominated by the Princess Regent's reshaping of the royal court. She was ruthless in her dealings with Whig courtiers. Known as the 'carrot and the stick' policy, she both attracted courtiers over to the Rook faction, and punished Whig loyalists who refused to pledge their support to her. By 2695, Princess Elisa was able to overturn the Whig control of the court to where it was, virtually, a stalemate.

During the period in which the Earl of Basque was Lord Keeper, the Princess Elisa refused to meet privately with her son, Prince Charles. As their relationship completely broke down, and as the King's health continued to decline, many were fearing the outbreak of civil war.

The kingly recovery

Known as "the Kingly Recovery", the period just before King Charles's death was characterised by a sudden and unexpected return to health. In the summer of 2695, King Charles surprised many by entering the throne room while the Princess Regent was addressing the court. Reports from the time suggest that the King seemed relatively youthful and smiling. He walked without assistance and spoke without pause.

Recognising his return to health, the King re-instated his own powers and dismissed the Earl of Basque as Lord Keeper. Many have speculated that Prince Charles, King Charles's favourite, convinced him to name a Whig successor to help mediate the divided court. Others, however, believe that King Charles had some grudge against the Earl of Basque after (unsubstantiated) reports that he had engaged in a sexual relationship with the Princess Elisa during the regency.

Whatever the reason, King Charles had dismissed the Rook Lord Keeper and named Geoffrey Albares, the childhood best friend of Prince Charles to the position of Lord Keeper. Albares was seen by many as a puppet of Prince Charles and so a short burst of hope was ignited into the Whig cause.

Death

With the belief that King Charles had returned to health, Prince Charles left court on 20 June 2695 to ride for Rock's End. The reason for his departure is not entirely documented, though many have speculated it was in an attempt to convince Lord Bovril over to the Whig cause. Most historians agree, however, that the decision was disastrous.

On the night of 27 June 2695, King Charles collapsed in his study at the Iberian Palace. He was alone, until the early hours of 28 June when he was found by his primary physician. He died in the early hours of 28 June with his daughter, Princess Elisa, by his side. Charles was buried the same day without a state funeral, a sign of disrespect that would characterise the reign of his successor.

Reign of Queen Elisa I (2695 - 2703)

See also Elisa I

Accession

With Prince Charles away from court, only the Lord Keeper Geoffrey Albares was in any position to resist Elisa stacking the Accession Council. The early hours of 28 June 2695 saw the Accession Council summoned, though many invitations to Whig members were omitted by Princess Elisa. Albares was, however, present. In a clear minority, he contested Elisa's claim vocally. He was supported by Lord Cartwright alone but, when threatened by Elisa's guard, they relented. Without Prince Charles present, the few Whigs left felt unable to resist the stacked Accession Council.

The Accession Council proclaimed Elisa had succeeded her father. She became Her Majesty Queen Elisa, the Lady of the Rock. She held court the same day at the Iberian Palace, where oaths of fealty were sworn for her. Even Whig courtiers swore allegiance, though most simply prepared to leave court in fears of persecution from the new Queen.

On 1 July 2695, Prince Charles returned to the Iberian Palace. He defied protocol by visiting the grave of his grandfather, King Charles, before entering the Iberian Palace throne room. Isolated and alone, he swore allegiance to his mother, thus ending the prospect of a Whig-backed usurping of the throne. Queen Elisa sent Prince Charles away from court, likely in an attempt to isolate him from the governance of the country. Charles took his place as Lord of Talaga Castle, a title that would eventually become Duke of Talaga. Subsequently, all heirs to the Iberian Throne became known as the Duke of Talaga, even after the destruction of Talaga Castle during the Crusade of 2840.

Remarriage

Queen Elisa was coronated on 1 September 2695, after which she immediately announced her intention to remarry. The announcement came as a clear indication that she intended to replace her son, Prince Charles, as heir with a new child. While precedence supported the eldest child being the natural successor, Queen Elisa and her supports had complete control of the Accession Council. Thus, they had the de facto ability to name a different heir. By the time of Queen Elisa's coronation, almost all Whig courtiers had either been banished from court or left on their own volition. The Rooks commanded the court, and the Earl of Basque returned as Lord Keeper.

Meanwhile, many Whig courtiers regrouped at Talaga Castle where Prince Charles set up a rival court. The court at Talaga Castle was entirely comprised of Whigs, who grew to gain many of the reformist ideas of Lord Ause Fallon. They became convinced that the creation of a Parliament was required to mitigate future situations like this. They also believed that the Accession Council was a flawed method of handling the succession, as evidenced by Queen Elisa's stacking of it with Rooks. While some Whigs refused to join the rival court in fear of persecution, most did continue to support Prince Charles. Eventually, their mission became to oppose Queen Elisa's remarriage.

Queen Elisa married Gaston Maria on 3 February 2696 and the royal couple immediately began trying for a child. Prince Charles did not attend the wedding, and none of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting were the wives of Whig courtiers (though this is likely a result of the concentration of Whigs in Charles's rival court at Talaga Castle). Gaston Maria received the title "King Consort", the first and last time that such a title has been used in Balancín history.

The Lord Keeper, the Earl of Basque, seemed to grow more distant from the Queen after her remarriage. Some have speculated that the change in relationship between the Queen and the Earl of Basque was a sign of a romantic past between the two. However, many historians have countered this by bringing up the increased role that the King Consort played in court during this time - a role taken almost entirely from the Lord Keeper.

Pregnancy and death

Queen Elisa, in her mid-40s, struggled to get pregnant. Records from her physicians documented three phantom pregnancies between 2696 and 2670, as well as a miscarriage in 2671. In the case of the miscarriage, the Queen bore the child for six months. Upon the child's death, she was buried and given the name Anne (after her mother). Princess Anne was buried and given a full state funeral. In her diaries, the Queen wrote how Balancía "was robbed of a future Queen".

The Queen's determination to get pregnant didn't relent after the death of Princess Anne. In September 2702, Elisa announced that she was pregnant. In contrast to her previous pregnancy, in which no announcement was made until the miscarriage, the Queen made a public show of her pregnancy. Physicians were unable to determine the child's sex, due to the technological limitations of 27th century Balancía. However, Queen Elisa proclaimed that it would be a boy. She named the child Philip, after Philip the Great, and spoke regularly in private about how Philip would be her heir, and not her elder son Charles.

The records from her latter pregnancy were all destroyed on the order of the King Consort Gaston during the Christmas of 2702. Historians have speculated that the reason for this was that it was an attempt to preserve the Queen's delusion that the child would be healthy. The Queen would go on for long stretches speaking about the "future reign of King Philip", and, by all accounts, she genuinely believed that the child would be healthy.

Elisa went into labour on 29 January 2703. The documentation from the period of labour was well kept by her physicians and they report a difficult and painful labour for the Queen. In one testimony, a royal physician speculated on the ethics of euthanasia. She remained in a difficult labour for almost 40 hours. On 1 February 2703, the physicians discovered that the child had died in the process. The news broke the Queen, who was told that she would need emergency surgery to survive. In agony, she died as the physicians were unable to save her. Queen Elisa's funeral was held on the same day as her child's. They were both buried alongside the miscarried Princess Anne. The boy was buried as Prince Philip Maria.

Contemporarily, Queen Elisa I is remembered as a cruel monarch, who mistreated her son and surrounded herself with sycophants. The Rook position in court was her only lasting legacy and continued well into the 29th century.

Reign of King Charles II (2703 - 2738)

A contested succession

The Accession Council's refusal

The Accession Council met on the day of the Queen's death. It was chaired by the Earl of Basque and, in attendance was King Consort Gaston Maria. Given the near-sycophantic nature of the Rook majority in the court, the Accession Council simply refused to proclaim Prince Charles as King. In the records from the meeting, the Accession Council heard a number of claims and Prince Charles's name was only mentioned once and was immediately dismissed from consideration.

Among the claims considered were that of noble lords, such as Lord Marco Pius, the head of House Pius, Lord Pedro Beesbery, and even the King Consort himself. The debate was fierce, given the lack of noble options aside from Prince Charles. Some on the Accession Council even considered naming Prince Charles's son, also called Charles, in a form of spite against the Whig attempts to supplant Queen Elisa, though this proposal didn't go anywhere. Ultimately, the Accession Council was gridlocked. This was the last accession that held a powerful Accession Council. From this point forward, the Accession Council was a formality of the law.

The Accession Council refused to proclaim a new monarch. As a result, the news of Queen Elisa's death wasn't widely reported. King Consort Gaston Maria ordered a legion to be stationed outside the Iberian Palace and nobody was allowed to leave the grounds, on the fears that the reports would reach Prince Charles at Talaga Castle.

Charles's response

Despite the attempt to hide the information, Lord Beesbery himself was able to escape through a back entrance and a bribed century. He rode to Talaga Castle and informed Prince Charles of his mother's death. Prince Charles was reportedly saddened by the news, despite of the poor relationship he had with his mother. Lord Beesbery informed Charles of the King Consort's actions in stationing soldiers outside of the Iberian Palace. As a result, he called his banners. The Whig rival court represented large swaths of the country and thus he was able to raise an army of 2,500 men. They set off from Talaga Castle and marched through Balancía, towards the Iberian Palace.

The King Consort's garrison at the Iberian Palace was only made up of soldiers from the surrounding lands. He refused to raise more soldiers at the risk of spreading information of the Queen's death. So, when Prince Charles's host reached the Iberian Palace, they outnumbered the King Consort's 5-1. Basque ordered the Palace's surrender, in open defiance of the King Consort. However, as Gaston didn't have any legitimate authority in his own right, the soldiers followed Basque's order.

The gates of the Iberian Palace were opened to Prince Charles's host without a single life lost. Later that day, the Accession Council met again, this time comprised of both Rook and Whig courtiers. They proclaimed that Charles had succeeded to the Iberian Throne. He became His Majesty King Charles Martell, the second of his name, King of the Rock and Elector of Sardinia. King Charles held the title of Elector of Sardinia in the Madrilene Empire, a title that would be held by the Balancín royals until 2815.

Charles's court

The court of King Charles II was a far more dynamic one than that of his predecessor. Upon ascending to the throne, Charles named and knighted his childhood friend, Geoffrey Albares, making him the Lord Keeper of the King's Seal. However, he refused to take malicious actions against the Rook courtiers of his mother's reign. While the Earl of Basque was relieved of his office as Lord Keeper, he was allowed to keep his lands and titles, as well as continue in court. This applied for most other Rooks, creating the dynamic of a contested court between the Rook and Whig factions. While Charles had particular sympathies for the Whigs, he did not exclude the Rooks and often included them in meetings of state.

Sir Geoffrey Albares, the new Lord Keeper, counselled Charles in favour of keeping many Rooks in court. Despite being a Whig himself, he did this in the hope of creating the basis for a new Balancín Parliament. The Whigs and the Rooks often found themselves in a state of debate. However, regardless of how heated they got, the King served as a good mediator between the two factions.

Military expansionism

The biggest priority of Charles's early reign was the establishment of a Royal Army that could be levied by the monarch and could serve appropriately with great range. While Sir Geoffrey operated primarily on the domestic side of policy, as well as regulating both the Rook and the Whig factions in court, King Charles focused on boosting the navy and the army.

He signed three military-related royal charters in the first ten years of his reign. The first was to minimise the ability of noble lords to raise troops that weren't sent directly to the Royal Army. The second created the Ministry of War, which operated Balancín military policy until the abolition of the monarchy in 2986. The third took the first royal charter even further and eliminated private armies entirely in Balancía.

The result rose Balancía to become the strongest military power in the Doggerlands, as well as in the North Sea. While Balancín power was still less than that of the Madrilene Empire, the Martelian ability to project power through their seat in Sardinia, as well as in Balancía, made King Charles and his successors some of the most powerful people in all of Europe.

Scandal about his son

When he first ascended to the throne, Charles II named his son, also called Charles, as Duke of Talaga. This formalised the tradition that the their to the throne would take the title of Duke of Talaga. The Duke of Talaga was, from a young age, groomed to be a King. He grew up attending court and had a private education fit for a King.

During his father's reign, the Duke of Talaga seemed reluctant to marry. Rumours started to spread that he was a closeted homosexual, and that he had been engaging in sexual activities with his squire, Sir Manson the Devilish. While the Duke continued to refuse to marry, the rumours were becoming embarrassing for the King.

On orders from his father, the Duke of Talaga married the daughter of Lord Aerion, who at this time was serving as Lord High Steward. The marriage did not reduce rumours of Talaga's sexuality, which continued well into his own reign after his father's death.

Religion

With the rediscovery of the Lux Orbis by St. Konstantin and the establishment of the Pontifical Church in Ecclesia, religion became a growing topic of conversation in Balancía. It is believed that Lord Norte was the first Balancín nobleman to convert but the religion quickly spread across the Kingdom. The religion was particularly popular among the peasantry, who used it as a means of building community.

Many noblemen resisted the rise of Pontificalism. The most prominent opponents of Christianity in Balancía were the Whigs. Believing religion to be a step back into the past, the Whigs (self-branded reformers) were hesitant to promote religion in Balancía. The Lord Keeper, Sir Geoffrey Albares, was among the Whigs who repeatedly attempted to block the establishment of Pontifical parishes in Balancía.

In 2720, however, King Charles himself converted to Christianity. The announcement came as a shock to him and his Whig courtiers, who had assumed that the King was as secular as them. In a statement to his people, King Charles spoke of the "enormous potential of faith in the Crown". Many believe that Charles's decision was partially inspired by the political desire to introduce the divine right of kings to the constitution of Balancía.

St. Konstantin the Great travelled to Balancía to meet King Charles II in 2723, further cementing Charles as a Pontifical Christian. The contents of St. Konstantin's private discussions with King Charles are not known. However, when Sir Geoffrey Albares resigned over religious expansionism in December 2723, he was replaced as Lord Keeper with Archbishop Alfonso Ferdinando. Archbishop Alfonso Ferdinando had been named as the Archbishop of Balancía by St. Konstantin upon his visit, with many speculating that the Pontifex had influenced King Charles into naming a Pontifical clergyman to the head of the government.

Archbishop Alfonso was a significant contributor to the growth of Christianity in Balancía. He commissioned the construction of what would later become St. Alfonso's Basilica, and broke bread with many sceptics in the country. By the time of Archbishop Alfonso's retirement as Lord Keeper in 2729, after just five years in the post, Balancía was a majority Christian Kingdom.

Frustrated with the Whig scepticism that continued to grow, despite the new Christian majority, King Charles refused to name a Whig as Archbishop Alfonso's replacement. Instead, in a surprise move, he named the Duke of Rajoy to the position of Lord Keeper of the King's Seal. Rajoy was the first Rook Lord Keeper in 26 years and the change represented a significant shift in policy for King Charles II.

The royal charter of 2733

In 2733, as his health seemed to be declining, King Charles II signed a royal charter which proclaimed the status of the Balancín Crown as subservient to that of the Christian Church in Ecclesia. The royal charter was incredibly divisive. While supported by most Rooks, including the Duke of Rajoy, it was fiercely opposed by Whigs in court. The signing of the royal charter is considered by historians as the moment in which Balancía truly became a Pontifical Christian state.

The biggest political result of the charter was the change in the succession. The charter outlined a number of rules for succession, namely male-preference primogeniture, and the role of the Pontifex in the coronation. This meant that, from then on, the Accession Council was merely a formality, and that the Pontifex in Ecclesia would be the final decider on succession uncertainty.

Pontifex St. Konstantin I granted King Charles the title "Defender of the Faith" after the signing of the royal charter. This changed the royal title to By the Grace of God, Charles Martell, the second of his name, King of the Rock and Elector of Sardinia, Defender of the Faith.

Death

Despite believing that his health was a strong as his grandfather's, King Charles II suffered from obesity towards the end of his life. He continually smoked the pipe, which resulted in his voice growing weaker and weaker. By the Christmas of 2737, King Charles II looked likely to die in the coming weeks. When the King spent Christmas day in prayer, he gained a burst of health. Many considered this to be another instance of "the kingly recovery" that occurred when King Charles I died at the age of 90. However, unlike Charles I, Charles II's health did measurably improve in the spring of 2738.

Eventually, though, the King died in good spirits at the Iberian Palace on 8 August 2738. He was succeeded by his eldest son, also called Charles, who became King Charles III. He was coronated by Pontifex St. Konstantin, making him the first ever Balancín monarch to be coronated in a Christian service.

Reign of King Charles III (2738 - 2748)

See also Charles II

Accession

Upon the death of King Charles II in 2738, the new rules for the succession, as laid out in the royal charter of 2733, were put into action. Prince Charles, Duke of Talaga was formally proclaimed as the new King by the Accession Council, with Pontifex St. Konstantin I publicly affirming the proclamation. The Pontifex would travel to Balancía for a second time during the Christmas of 2738, when he conducted the first Christian coronation service in Balancín history. He was crowned By the Grace of God, Charles Martell, the third of his name, King of the Rock and Elector of Sardinia, Defender of the Faith

Charles's wife, Queen Matilda Aerion, was crowned as Queen Consort alongside him. This was widely seen as an attempt by the new King to solidify his marriage after significant rumours that he was engaging in sexual activities with men. However hard the King tried to refute the charges, there was little luck. Historians have debated the root of the rumours against Charles III. Some have suggested that it might have been rooted in truth, while others believe it may have been a symptom of his policies of liberalisation.

Liberalisation

Charles III grew up surrounded by Whigs. During his father's rival court at Talaga Castle, all of Charles's contacts and associations were with Whigs. This stuck with him as he grew up and, eventually, had huge influences over his reign. Upon ascending to the throne, Charles wanted to replace his father's Lord Keeper (a Rook) with a Whig. The King's preference was likely to re-appoint Sir Geoffrey Albares. However, Albares continued many of his anti-religious statements after his resignation in 2723. Thus, many in court felt uncomfortable with the appointment of such a secularist. In addition, the current Lord Keeper, the Duke of Rajoy, was immensely experienced in government. He had served for over 10 years and so King Charles decided to retain Rajoy as Lord Keeper.

Despite the continuation of a Rook Lord Keeper, King Charles wanted to see more liberal policies instituted. His first major policy was one that his father had wanted, as well as most Whigs: the creation of a Parliament. In a royal charter, King Charles decreed that the court would be formalised into two bodies: the King's Court (which was made up of noble courtiers), and a new General Court (also known as the Cortes Generales). The Cortes Generales would be elected by all landowning individuals in the country. Upon its establishment, it had 210 elected MPs.

The Duke of Rajoy was completely opposed to democratisation in any form and so resigned on 1 November 2739. The new Parliament was comprised of a Rook majority, and so Charles decided to appoint another Rook. This time, though, he named his father-in-law, Lord Aerion, to the position.

The death penalty

King Charles was morally opposed to the death penalty. Believing the practice of beheading to be anti-Christian, he attempted to pass laws restricting and abolishing the practice. While the new Parliament was reluctant, owing to Rook opposition to the idea, King Charles effectively ended the practice when he announced that he would no longer sign warrants of justice (which were akin to judicial verdicts) that included the penalty of death.

In place of the death penalty, Balancía began to use the practice of transportation, in which criminals of serious crimes were shipped to different parts of the world in exile. One such location was the Balancín colony of San Helio, an island in the south of the Eastern Sea of the Doggerlands. The policy of transportation was detested by the nobility of San Helio, as well as many of the coastal lords who traded significantly with them. Following the implementation of the transportation policy, the Madrilene Empire denounced the practice.

The Corn Laws

Another liberal policy that King Charles promoted with opposition to the Corn Laws. The Corn Laws were one of the first acts of Parliament, which served as a land levy on farmers. The nobility had been petitioning the monarch to levy taxes on farmers as their profits grew significant in the early 28th century. The Balancín tax system taxed land, not the sale of food, and thus the nobility saw profits from farms as lost revenue.

Parliament, with its new powers, passed laws to tax the produce of farmers. In three different bills, Parliament taxed different forms of agriculture, from cattle to grazing. Despite King Charles not wanting the law, he did grant royal assent to them, primarily because he didn't want to have to veto the first ever law of his new Parliament.

However, he did make it a mission of his to abolish the Corn Laws. He made significant noise in Whig circles about repealing them, and tried to threaten his father-in-law into campaigning for their repeal. However, as the King's later reign was overshadowed by rebellion, he wasn't able to repeal the Corn Laws.

Rebellions

Three major rebellions characterised the latter part of Charles III's reign. All of them rose up as a result of his encouragement of liberalising policies. While none of them were successful in achieving their primary goals (which varied), they all helped destabilise Charles III's ability to enact liberal policies.

The Queen's Rebellion (2741-42)

In his attempts to repeal the Corn Laws, King Charles threatened to fire Lord Aerion as Lord Keeper of the King's Seal. Aerion was, by all accounts, an immensely proud man. After the confrontation, he immediately resigned as Lord Keeper. The resignation of Lord Aerion came as a surprise to the Rook controlled Parliament, which was growing increasingly frustrated with the King's attempts to circumvent their wish to have the Corn laws.

Lord Aerion, along with a number of his favourites, fled court on the day of his resignation. While his daughter, Queen Matilda, remained behind at court, she was equally as enraged by the incident. She refused to meet with her husband, the King, and began to speak poorly of the King's government to their children. The diary of King Charles and Queen Matilda's second son, Prince Alfonso, were filled with many of the distasteful comments which originated from his mother.

As House Aerion's position in court was severely damaged, and as Queen Matilda was isolated from the decisions of government, the leadership of the Rooks seemed to be disenfranchised, despite their commanding majority in Parliament. The tensions between House Aerion and the Crown were made worse when King Charles named Sir Geoffrey Albares, a former Whig courtier of his father and grandfather, to take on the position of Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. Sir Geoffrey was significantly older than King Charles but, with twenty years of experience as Lord Keeper, he seemed a strong choice. He was, however, a Whig.

The appointment of Sir Geoffrey came as a shock to Lord Aerion, who had assumed that King Charles would respect the Rook's majority in Parliament. After the decision, Lord Aerion declared his intention to force change in the King's Court. House Aerion raised a host of 3,200 men, in direct violation of the ban on private armies. The rebellion had significant sympathies from within the royal household, given Lord Aerion was Queen Matilda's father. Thus, historians have dubbed the rebellion as the Queen's Rebellion.

The Battle of Trias Forge

When news reached the Iberian Palace that Lord Aerion was in open rebellion, the royal army wasn't immediately mobilised. Going against the advice of Sir Geoffrey, the King didn't believe that House Aerion was capable of raising enough troops to muster a force. The royal charters instituted by his father that eliminated private armies were also designed to reduce the nobility's ability to raise soldiers even if they wanted to. His belief in the effectiveness of this policy was, however, ill-founded.

The Aerion host was led by Lord Aerion himself and sieged the minor castle of Trias Forge. They quickly took the undefended castle, in a battle that all but eliminated House Frutos (the lords of Castle Trias Forge) from the map. Lord Frutos was hanged by Lord Aerion - he was a Whig and a supporter of the Crown. While Lord Aerion wasn't public about his desire to usurp the throne from King Charles, historians unanimously agree that his plan was to depose King Charles and replace him with Prince Alfonso (Aerion's grandson and King Charles's younger son).

After the defeat of House Frutos, King Charles woke up to the threat of House Aerion. He quickly mobilised the royal army and rode with 13,000 men to Trias Forge. On 20 January 2741, Lord Aerion was resoundingly defeated. Letters that were found in his command camp indicated that Lord Aerion didn't believe that King Charles would mobilise before the Spring, at which time he had hoped to capture Murcia Castle and gain support from other houses.

Aftermath

Lord Aerion survived the battle and was arrested, along with his brothers and sons who were serving as advisors. In a royal decree some days later, King Charles stripped Aerion of all lands and titles. House Aerion ceased to exist, and Lord Aerion, his brothers and his sons were all hung outside the Iberian Palace. Many Rooks saw the destruction of the old House Aerion as something of an overreaction, with many wondering how capable King Charles truly was at commanding militarily.

Sir Geoffrey Albares, the Lord Keeper, wrote in his diary that he believed the death of Lord Aerion's sons, the King's own brothers and sisters by marriage, was a step too far. House Aerion was stripped of their dominion of the Dreadfort, with the seat being granted to House Rovira. The whole rebellion was a significant drain on the Crown's reserves, and saw two major houses (House Frutos and House Aerion) destroyed forever.

The Stale Pretender (2746)

The rebellion of the Stale Pretender was the shortest and most minor of the three rebellions that were launched against the reign of King Charles III. On 1 January 2746, House Granger, led by Lord Jess Granger, sent letters to every other house in the realm. In it, they declared to be harbouring the true born son of King Alfonso I. Historians have since confirmed that the man they had been harbouring was not, in fact, the son of King Alfonso, but instead a peasant called Perkin Neswitt.

Regardless of the genetic legitimacy of House Granger's claim, it sparked significant conversation. It had been some years since the Queen's Rebellion and many were discussing the stability of the King's mental health after his reactionary decision to execute all of House Aerion. House Granger was joined by House Bestwood in supporting Neswitt's claim. Although no other houses declared support for Neswitt, there was still significant traction and discussion as a result.

Sir Geoffrey Albares had died in 2745 and was replaced with Sir Eduardo de la Serna. De la Serna was a military man. That, along with King Charles having learned his mistake from abstaining in the Queen's Rebellion, allowed for a speedy reaction to the claim. The royal army quickly descended on Houses Granger and Bestwood. There was no battle. House Bestwood surrendered immediately and was granted clemancy for their crimes. In contrast, House Granger was stripped of all lands and titles.

The restraint to which House Granger and Bestwood were treated when compared to House Aerion is often noted by historians. A few explanations have been given: firstly, the crimes of House Granger and Bestwood were significantly smaller than that of House Aerion. As they did not raise any soldiers, they were not in open defiance of the ban on private armies. In addition, they were not responsible for the destruction of another house, as House Aerion was. Secondly, King Charles's overreaction was still noted by many of his courtiers, and thus his leniency may well have been a correction for his actions during the Queen's Rebellion.

The Prince's Rebellion (2748)

In the years after the destruction of her whole family, Queen Matilda became incredibly disillusioned with her husband. They rarely spoke, they rarely were seen in public or private together, and they rarely spoke well of each other. Eventually, in 2746, Queen Matilda left the Iberian Palace to reside at Murcia Castle. While King Charles agreed to her move, he refused to allow Prince Philip, the King's heir, to go with her. Instead, Prince Alfonso, the King's second son, moved to Murcia Castle with her. As a result, Prince Alfonso became an outlet for the Queen's anger with the King.

In addition to the Queen's rhetoric, Prince Alfonso was close with his grandfather, Lord Aerion. After his death, there were reports that he became depressed. Even after the move to Murcia Castle, he was still a shell of the man he was before. In 2748, on the anniversary of his grandfather's death, King Charles refused Prince Alfonso's request for a proper burial and funeral. The decision sparked a rage in Alfonso, which led him to rebel.

Prince Alfonso had a number of loyal swords at his disposal. With them, they were able to overcome the relatively lax defences of Murcia Castle. He raised a flag of rebellion, proclaiming his father and brother incapacitated. He was publicly supported by his mother, Queen Matilda, and issued a warrant to Parliament for the King's arrest and confinement to the royal apartments. He requested that Parliament, which was still controlled by Rooks, pass a new Regency Act to allow him to become regent. He planned to then displace his older brother, Philip, and become King thereon after.

Strategy

Prince Alfonso knew that Murcia Castle would be impossible defend in the likely event that the King mobilised the royal army to arrest him. Thus, the decision was easy. Prince Alfonso, Queen Matilda, and his sword swords abandoned Murcia Castle and rode for the coast. His plan was to petition support from the Redfyre, a castle north of the Bonitana plains, and march down the coast to Talaga Castle, gaining support along the way. From the more heavily defendable Talaga Castle, he planned to make a play for the Iberian Palace itself.

The first part of the Prince's plan went off without a hitch: he was able to win the support of House Moore of the Redfyre and, with a combined force, they rode south to Talaga Castle. In between the Redfyre and Talaga Castle, however, was the castle of Rock's End. The third largest castle in the Kingdom, Rock's End was a major strategic base. Prince Alfonso attempted to petition Lord Nico Fallon, the Lord of Rock's End, however he received no luck. House Fallon declared support for King Charles and stopped Prince Alfonso was marching any further south.

Rock's End was home to 7,000 royal soldiers under the command of Lord Fallon. When Lord Fallon refused to turn on King Charles, those 7,000 soldiers became an impossible barricade to cross for Prince Alfonso. He was killed in the minor skirmish that occurred, and Queen Matilda was arrested.

Aftermath

Queen Matilda was arrested and handed over to King Charles for sentencing. While Charles considered leniency, he was ultimately convinced that she had done too much damage to be allowed to continue to operate. Lord Keeper De la Serna argued that, if she were allowed to go free, Queen Matilda would create a rival court and thus risk further rebellion and even civil war. Eventually, the King relented.

Queen Matilda was executed on the steps of the Iberian Palace on 19 November 2748. The execution of his wife and the death of his younger son sent the King into a depression from which he would never recover. He spent the Christmas of 2748 in isolation and, on 28 December, was found dead in his apartment. The official record assigned his death to natural causes. However, most historians have retrospectively concluded that his death was most likely a suicide. His son, the Duke of Talaga, succeeded him as King.

Reign of King Philip II (2748 - 2793)

See also Philip II

Early reign

Accession and coronation

King Philip II ascended to the throne at a time of mourning for the royal family. His father, King Charles III, had died unexpectedly and many historians have argued that Philip was aware of the likelihood that he had killed himself. His proclamation came quickly as the Accession Council had been relegated to a formality, with Pontifex Vasiliev I affirming the succession. He was proclaimed By the Grace of God, Philip Martell, the second of his name, King of the Rock and Elector of Sardinia, Defender of the Faith. His coronation was held quickly. The decision to hold the coronation so soon after King Charles III's death was made in light of the rebellions that had characterised the last decade of Balancín history.

The coronation was a muted affair. There were concerns that the new Pontifex, St. Vasiliev I, would be unable or unwilling to attend the coronation. It had only been a short while since the Papal Conclave that elected him as St. Konstantin's successor, and with the short notice many didn't think he would make the trip. To the relief of King Philip, who was worried about signs of illegitimacy in the light of recent rebellions, Vasiliev arrived in Balancía and performed the coronation ceremony on 18 January 2749.

Changes to the royal family

The Queen's Rebellion and the Prince's Rebellion changed the way that the country saw the royal family. Prior to these events, the royal family held significant respect and admiration. Even among the peasantry, the royals has clout and public support. Ever since the establishment of Christianity in Balancía, the divine right of kings became common faith among the citizenry. However, with the rebellions, the perception that the royals were simply power hungry politicians began to spread, especially among the commoners who suffered at their hands.

Upon ascending to the throne, King Philip inherited a large royal family. Three generations of royals were members in House Martell, some of whom were increasingly distant cousins of the main line royals. King Philip was extremely cautious of this. His lived experience indicated to him that ambitious royals were the single biggest threat to the stability of the realm, as well as his own reign. Thus, his plan to reduce the size of the royal family was implemented.

The first change that the King made was to ask Parliament to pass legislation concerning royal titles. The Royal Titles Act of 2749 introduced the following rules:

The title of Prince or Princess was only entitled to the mainline children and grandchildren of the reigning monarch;
Royal Dukedoms (titles associated with no land holdings granted to royals) were to be granted and revoked by the King and not, as was convention, by Parliament;
All changes applied retrospectively.

The effect of this change was to revoke the title of Prince or Princess to 10 cousins of the crown. The slimming down of the royal family was a significant step and helped restore the aura of intrigue that the commoners had about the institution. King Philip's management of his families set the precedent for how future monarchs would regulate the workings of the royal family. After this point, the royal family as an institution was well and truly born.

King Philip and his wife, Queen Annette, went onto have eleven children, and thus the rules were seen as important in keeping the size of the royal family down for future generations.

The Sun-King

King Philip's early reign brought him incredibly popularity. He had made the significant decision to reappoint the Lord Keeper during his father's later reign, Sir Eduardo de la Serna. De la Serna, as a Whig, spent a significant portion of his time boosting the Whig cause. As a result, in the general election of 2749 (triggered by the death of the Crown), the Whigs won control of Parliament for the first time in history. De la Serna was confidently reappointed, as well as gaining the title of Lord President of the King's Court (a title elected by Parliament).

De la Serna's popularity, as well as Philip's, helped create the impression that Balancía was on the rise. The economy was prosperous and war seemed an increasingly distant memory. King Philip stayed out of much of the day-to-day politics of his early reign, primarily due to his implicit support for the controlling Whig faction. He would often open the doors of the Iberian Palace, inviting commoners and noblemen alike for great banquets in the Great Hall. For the first time, many commoners felt a connection to the monarchy. That, coupled with Philip's reforms for a more slimmed down and efficient royal family, helped skyrocket his popularity. He quickly gained the nickname "the Sun-King", a reference to his golden orange coronation gowns. Replicas of Philip's coronation portrait spread across the country quickly, creating the tradition that portraits of the monarch would hang on public facing walls.

The Newton Farmers

Many of the farming communities of the region around the Newton river had felt neglected by Balancía for many years. While certainly under the domain of the Balancín monarch, the region was not formally incorporated into the Kingdom. Despite this political separation, they were still subjected to the Corn Laws. This resulted in some minor riots against the Rook governments that installed the laws.

However, when the Whigs won control of Parliament in 2749 and they repealed the Corn Laws entirely, there was significant jubilation among the Newton farmers. The support for King Philip and the Whig government was so strong that local leaders began calling for formal incorporation into Balancía. With the consent of Parliament, and Sir Eduardo's support, King Philip formally incorporated the Newton into the Balancín realm. He added it to his formal title, making him By the Grace of God, Philip Martell, the second of his name, King of the Rock and of the Newton, Elector of Sardinia and Defender of the Faith.

Political divisions

The early reign of King Philip II came to an end when, on 26 August 2756, Sir Eduardo de la Serna died. De la Serna was granted a state funeral by King Philip, a sign of respect and the significant popularity for which he had garnered among both Whigs and Rooks. By the time of de la Serna's death, it had been 7 years since the last general election and the Whig-controlled Parliament was beginning to lose political capital. When they passed a new law surrounding different types of carriageways through rural lands, the Rook nobles began to make their protests known to King Philip.

Confident of the popularity of the Whigs, Philip dissolved Parliament and called for a general election. In the meantime, he appointed Sir Enrique FitzBasque, the bastard son of the Earl of Basque, to the position of Lord Keeper. Despite being illegitimate, FitzBasque held significant support among the Whig reformers, who were in favour of loosening laws against bastards. The general election of 2756 delivered a shock result, however. While King Philip seemed convinced of the ability of the Whigs to win another strong mandate, the landowning electorate delivered a different verdict.

There resulted in a Hung Parliament, in which neither the Rooks or the Whigs could command a majority. The Rooks would have secured a majority in the lands of Balancía before the inclusion of the Newton, which voted overwhelmingly for the Whigs. The election created the political landscape that would allow for Rook dominance for the rest of the century, all the way until the Pius Revolution of 2821. When Parliament returned, they elected the Duke of Cantabria to the position of Lord President of the King's Council. As a Rook, Cantabria wished to see changes to the liberalising policies of the previous Whig administration.

Upon his election, Cantabria held an audience with King Philip, in which he demanded that the King dismiss Sir Enrique FitzBaque as Lord Keeper. Cantabria wished to see a Rook appointed to the position, with most believing that he offered himself as a candidate. Despite the Rook's status as having eliminated the Whig majority, King Philip refused. While this was well within his rights as King, the move was seen as Philip's first major intervention into politics. Prior to this, most of Philip's major actions were done with the permission (both implicit and explicit) of Parliament. Now, a division grew between Parliament and the Iberian Palace.

FitzBasque's administration as Lord Keeper was stunted. The Rooks in Parliament simply refused to consider legislation that he had proposed, with the parliamentary procedure of filibustering becoming prominent during this time. Without a majority, the Whigs simply couldn't pass legislation, nor govern effectively. When FitzBasque introduced the Legitimacy Bill, in an attempt to reduce the stigma of bastards by allowing them to adopt their father's house name with the father's permission, it became abundantly clear that FitzBasque held no political capital whatsoever. Even the one successful policy that he introduced, known as the Urban Tax (a tax on the growing urbanisation of Belemadena and coastal Balancía, likely introduced to further appease the Newton farmers), failed to be enforced when Parliament refused to spend any of the money raised by the tax.

King Philip found Parliament's insubordination to be angering. He banished the King's Court from the Iberian Palace, which is when they took their place at Belemadena Palace (where they sit to this day). However, this only served to further divide the monarch from Parliament. When Sir Enrique FitzBasque resigned as Lord Keeper because of the gridlock in early 2762, King Philip's anger with the Rooks in Parliament was seen as a strong reason as to why he refused to appoint a Rook.

In response to FitzBasque's resignation, Philip dissolved Parliament. It was his hope that a general election would provide greater support for the Whigs, given the obstructionism of the Rooks. The result, however, was quite the opposite. The general election of 2762 saw the Rooks elected to the majority, mainly due to the failure of the Whigs to properly enforce a Urban Tax. With a Rook majority, it seemed impossible for the King to maintain his opposition to the Whigs. Eventually, he relented. He appointed Lord Guillermo Montoro, the Duke of Cantabria, to the position of Lord Keeper of the King's Seal. Cantabria's appointment brough an end to the ability of Whigs to win elections among the landowning voter base in the country. The interim Whig Lord Keeper, Prince Robert, was the last Whig Lord Keeper ever. Rooks would control Balancín politics until the Pius revolution.

Philip's children

Throughout his reign, the biggest personal struggle was the management of his children. The rebellious nature of Philip's children led to a race by the elder sons to produce an heir. King Philip and Queen Annette had eleven children, eight of whom were sons.

His eldest and heir, the Duke of Talaga, was Prince Oberon. Oberon was sent to Pembroke University, a decision that was sponsored by King Philip who thoroughly enjoyed his time at the University. Oberon elected to study at the Divinity School, eventually becoming a devout Christian. In 2764, when pressed about his marriage, Prince Oberon declared his intention to study at Ecclesia to become a Pontifical priest, thus making him celibate.

King Philip tried to forbid his son from making the decision. Worried about the implications on the future of the Crown, the Whig minority began to consider calling for Prince Oberon to abdicate his claim to the throne and instead pass the throne to Prince William, the King's second son. The calls for this never went any further than simple discussion, before King Philip proclaimed his unwillingness to allow such a situation. Prince Oberon left the Iberian Palace to begin his studies as a clergyman. When he returned, he was named Archbishop of St. Alfonso's Basilica, having taken the vow of chastity. Oberon's vow created a period of instability for the Crown. While King Philip continued to insist that Oberon should succeed him as King, especially given the support that the Pontifical Church had for Oberon, many were beginning to look past Oberon for who would come next.

King Philip's second son was next in line. Prince William was the Duke of Murcia but he was struggling to marry. His father had arranged a number of royal balls in the hope of arranging a suitable match for William, but none of them came to fruition. After Oberon's vow of chastity, however, he became a significantly more desirable choice for a match. Yet, William continued to struggle in finding a suitable wife. When he died in 2770 at the age of 40, he was unmarried.

Next was Philip's third son, Anthony. Prince Anthony was never destined for the crown and was given a military career early in his life. He was the Lord Commander of the Royal Navy from 2751 for over 40 years, until his father's death. Anthony did have lots of children. However, his marriage was a morganatic one. He had married Ms. Catherine Peters, a commoner who lived near Rock's End where Prince Anthony was located. Many within the Rook Parliament were deeply concerned with the idea of a commoner Queen, and didn't believe that Prince Anthony's children were legitimate as a result.

After Prince William's death and Prince Oberon's vow of chastity, King Philip proclaimed, without the consent of Parliament, that Anthony's marriage was legitimate and that all of his children were in line to the throne. The proclamation helped shore up the line of succession, securing the Martellian dynasty for another generation.

Later reign and death

King Philip took after his grandfather and great-great grandfather in living well into old age. When he turned 80 in 2789, he was in good health and good spirits. With the succession clearer, his age was less of a concern for the remainder of his reign. He took on a paternal grandfatherly role in the royal family, which seemed more united than ever, even in spite of Prince Oberon's vow of chastity.

The Rooks continued to dominate politics for the remainder of Philip's life. Lord Cantabria was replaced by Lord Pedro de Vigo, the Earl of Basque (the brother of FitzBasque), and then later by Sir Roman Luis. The succession of Rook Lord Keepers oversaw the continued rise of Balancía in the Doggerlands, all the way to the point of the Kingdom becoming the strongest power in the region.

The King's health took a turn for the worse during the Christmas of 2793. Prince Oberon was visiting Ecclesia at the time and, throughout his trip, he was in constant conversation with the Iberian Palace with regards to his father's health. On 21 December, Philip II died of natural causes. His legacy as the Sun-King, as well as the longest reigning monarch in Balancín history, is one that made King Philip among the most famous monarchs in history. While he never quite hit the points of popularity of his early reign, he died relatively popular and happily content with a secured succession.

Reign of King Oberon (2793 - 2801)

See also Oberon

The Pontifical Convoy

During the Christmas of 2793, King Philip II's health was in decline. His son and heir, Prince Oberon, was in Ecclesia for the Christmas mass. The King died on 21 December and Oberon was proclaimed King by the Accession Council. There was fears that Oberon's brother, Prince Anthony, might make a play to be crowned King in Oberon's absence. However, with Oberon's support from the Church, such a move would have been religiously divisive. Prince Anthony wasn't a strong Christian but was well aware of the growing influence that the Church had over the country.

King Oberon wrote a letter to Parliament following his accession, informing them that he intended to remain in Ecclesia through the Christmas day mass, before returning to Balancía alongside Pontifex Konstantin III for his coronation in January. The announcement shocked many Rooks and Whigs alike, and marked a signal that Oberon, as an Archbishop of the Pontifical Church, would be more interested in Church affairs than government affairs.

On 28 December 2793, King Oberon departed Ecclesia alongside Pontifex Konstantin III in a Pontifical Convoy. The journey involved a ship journey across the Doggerland's Northern Sea, and then carriage riding south to Balancía. The Pontifical Convoy stopped in a number of places, including Almere and Zaandam, before arriving at the Iberian Palace on 2 January 2794. The following day, on 3 January, Pontifex Konstantin III performed the coronation service. He was crowned By the Grace of God, Oberon Martell, King of the Rock and the Newton, Elector of Sardinia, Shepard of the Faithful and Defender of the Faith. The addition of the title "Shepard of the Faithful" served as a further sign of the religious bent of the new King's administration.

The Rook confrontation

Upon returning to Balancía, King Oberon held court at the Iberian Palace. He invited the King's and General Courts, as well as his ministers and military advisors. It was the largest gathering of courtiers since the formation of Parliament in 2739. There, in front of everybody, King Oberon dismissed Sir Roman Luis, the leader of the Rooks, as Lord Keeper of the King's Seal. The announcement shocked everybody, with the Rook majority in Parliament seeing it as a major affront to parliament's rights.

King Oberon was in his sixties but was generally in good health. Many Rooks were concerned that a long reign could unsettle the political consensus that had existed for the past century. Sir Roman departed court infuriated and resigned his seat in Parliament. In a speech, King Oberon said how grateful he was that Sir Roman voluntarily relinquished power, "as opposed to the general corruption of morality that has persisted". The new King was bad at making friends.

In the place of Sir Roman Luis, King Oberon named his deputy as Archbishop of St. Alfonso's, Bishop Bernardo Swuil. Swuil was not a Balancín subject and so his appointment caused further anguish among the Rook parliamentarians. Most historians agree that, had it not been for the rise of Pontificalism among the commoners, a rebellion against King Oberon would have been likely. Instead, most lords stayed quiet in the hope of a shorter reign.

Oberon's will and death

Signed by himself and Lord Keeper Swuil as witness, King Oberon's will was devised with the hope of continuing his religion-oriented government. King Oberon was concerned that his younger brother, Prince Anthony, and his nephews, were not devout enough Christians. He feared the risk of a return to secularism and wished to prevent it at all costs. In his will, King Oberon made four major declarations, all of which upset the balance in Balancín politics.

Upon his death, the throne would pass to his younger brother, Prince Augustus. Augustus was King Philip II's youngest son but was the only one who professed any interest in the Pontifical Church. Prince Augustus joined King Oberon on his travels to Ecclesia.
The Crown Estates would be gifted to the Ecclesian Church, with the exception of the Iberian Palace which would be kept under the Crown. The aim of this declaration was likely to force future monarchs to be subservient to the Pontifical Church.
The Accession Council be eliminated all together, with the role of proclaiming a new monarch given exclusively to the Pontifex.
Parliament be reduced in size to 100 members in its entirety.

Most historical and legal scholars agree that King Oberon's will was very extreme and was never something that was going to be accepted in the event of his death. Prior to his death, as his health seemed to decline and he was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 72, King Oberon attempted to make mechanisms to ensure his will would be enforced. He met often with parliamentarians to discuss these plans, hoping that they would support his diktats.

By the time of his death, the contents of his will were well known. However, there was not significant pushback publicly. In fact, many seemed apathetic to the ideas included in it. This gave the dying King confidence that his wishes would be carried out. The truth was, however, that most courtiers simply conspired to wait until after his death to declare the will illegitimate.

King Oberon died on 19 February 2801. He was unable to travel to Ecclesia for Christmas mass, as he had done every year, and died a painful death. He was alone, having alienated much of his family. He was buried at St. Alfonso's Basilica but was not granted a state funeral by his brother and eventual successor. After his death, he was canonised by the Pontifical Church and is now known by historians as St. Oberon.

Reign of King Anthony Edmund I (2801 - 2804)

See also Anthony Edmund I

Accession controversy

As the oldest surviving child of King Philip II, Prince Anthony seemed set to succeed to the throne after Prince William's death in 2770. When his older brother became King, Anthony began to lose hope that he would one day come to the throne. Firstly, despite being only one year younger than Oberon, he was in significantly worse health. He spent much of his later years as Lord Commander of the Royal Navy living in luxury, gaining weight and losing health. Oberon, by contrast, was fit and lived frugally as an Archbishop.

Oberon's death in 2801 at the age of 72 came as something of a surprise to Anthony. The death was announced by the Lord Keeper, Bishop Bernardo Swuil, who attempted to contact Pontifex Konstantin III in order to put Oberon's will into effect. Prince Anthony, who also sat in the King's Court of Parliament, discovered when a letter was sent by Swuil to Parliament, formally proclaiming Oberon's will as law.

Oberon's will was no secret, even to Prince Anthony. He had spent the last years of his life trying to get it respected by Parliament so that, after his death, it wouldn't be ignored. However, it was far too radical. It included provisions that would eliminate the independence of the monarchy and granted greater powers to the Church in Ecclesia. In addition, it supplanted Anthony as heir, instead naming their youngest brother Augustus to the Crown. Albeit ambitious, very few planned on allowing his will to be implemented. Firstly, following the establishment of Parliament, the monarch simply didn't have the authority to enact such sweeping constitutional reform. In addition, the rules of succession had been laid out after the succession debate of 2703.

When Lord Keeper Swuil attempted to assemble an Accession Council to proclaim Prince Augustus as the new King, nobody, aside from Prince Augustus and an unnamed courtier, showed up. Instead, Prince Anthony convened an Accession Council comprised of both Rook and Whig courtiers. In attendance to the alternative Accession Council was Anthony's son and heir, Charles, as well as senior courtiers. Parliament voted to grant Anthony's Accession Council legitimacy, and it proclaimed him as the new King.

Upon hearing the news, Bishop Bernardo Swuil attempted to reach out to the Pontifical Church. His hope was that Pontifex Konstantin III would intervene and enact Oberon's will. Instead, however, Konstantin upheld the will of Parliament and the original line of succession. As a form of compensation, Konstantin promised to canonise Oberon; a compromise that Swuil did not see as sufficient. However, he obeyed his Pontifex. Konstantin travelled to Balancía the following spring. Anthony was crowned By the Grace of God, Anthony Edmund of House Martell, King of the Rock and the Newton, Elector of Sardinia and Defender of the Faith. King Anthony Edmund chose the regnal name despite his Christian name being Anthony Doran. The reason for the change has been lost to history, with some thinking it was coupled with his decision to abandon the title "Shepard of the Faithful" in order to distance the monarchy from the Pontifical Church.

Short reign

King Anthony Edmund ascended to the throne at the age of 71. Thanks to the long reign of his father, Philip II, Anthony Edmund was already an old man by the time he became King. Oberon had died at the age of 72 and was in significantly better health than the new King. Thus, many saw it as a matter of time until he passed on and was succeeded by his son and heir, Prince Charles, the new Duke of Talaga.

The first act of King Anthony Edmund's reign was to appoint a new Lord Keeper. As a longtime Rook, as well as a proud parliamentarian, the King named the leader of the Rooks, Lord Bernat Aido, Earl of Aido, to the position of Lord Keeper of the King's Seal.

Urbanisation and industrialisation

King Anthony Edmund's reign was brief. However, it is a significant turning point in Balancín history. Prior to his accession, during the reign of the previous Martellian Kings, the Balancín monarch was among the most powerful in all of Europe. Owing to their position as both King and Elector of Sardinia in the Madrilene Empire, the Balancín monarch was able to exert significant influence. King Oberon extended this further by expanding his power into the church, although this was short lived. However, by the turn of the 29th century, Balancín power was starting to wane.

Balancía was a symbol of power. However, increasingly urbanisation and industrialisation was beginning to turn the great pristine Rock into an urban centre with crime, poverty, and pollution. The successive Rook governments of the late 28th century refused to regulate the increasing numbers of factories and so the Balancín coast became overrun with polluting factories. While only a symbolic change, it did begin to shift perspectives on Balancía and its role at the head of Europe.

Madrilene Imperial Election of 2802

The biggest event of King Anthony Edmund's reign was his trip to Madrid to vote in the 2802 election for the Madrilene Emperor. The House of Aragon had ruled as Emperors for over 300 years. However, after the death of Emperor Jorge IV, the Aragon male line had ended. Typically, elections for Emperor were just a formality, with the Aragon heir being voted unanimously (and in the case of the Sardinian vote, by proxy). However, in the first contested election in over a century, King Anthony Edmund felt it appropriate to vote in person.

Among the candidates for Emperor were a distant Aragon relation from the House of Andorra, Archduke Phillippe, and the Emperor's daughter, Grand Duchess Anastasia. Upon King Anthony Edmund's arrival in Madrid as Elector of Sardinia, he proposed a different solution: his son, Prince Charles Martell. The proposal of a Martellian Emperor did have some merit: the re-inclusion of Balancía into the Madrilene Empire would have turned the tide in the Empire's decline; it would have created distance between the Balancín monarchs and the Pontifical Church, something Anthony Edmund was keen on; it would have marked a new generation of Madrilene leadership as both Phillippe and Anastasia were of advanced age; and it would have avoided civil war between the Aragonites and the Andorrans. There seemed genuine momentum for the idea, with some, including the Elector of Lisbon, writing in his diary "I expect an Emperor Carlos by the end of the summer".

During King Anthony Edmund's trip to Madrid, Prince Charles remained in Balancía. Anthony Edmund believed it was important for there to be distance while he lobbied for his son's election. In fact, the move proved effective, as many Madrilene nobles felt like the move was not a synnical power play as Anthony Edmund did not propose himself as a candidate, rather his son. Prince Charles ruled in his father's stead, alongside Lord Keeper Bernat Aido.

Prince Charles's marriage to Elisa Pius

Since their downfall from national governance, House Pius continued to be an influential force in the Balancín nobility. While they lost the status for a short while, they had been the richest house in the Kingdom for over thirty-years. Lord Aido, the Lord Keeper, was an Earl underneath Lord Pius, and thus was heavily influenced by House Pius and their wealth.

Upon his departure for Madrid, King Anthony Edmund left Lord Aido and Prince Charles with one job: find Charles a wife. Prince Charles hadn't married, thanks to King Anthony Edmund believing that love as was important in marriage as political advantage (he himself had married against the wishes of his father for love and he felt the consequences of such disagreement). However, when the prospect of Charles becoming Madrilene Emperor arose, King Anthony Edmund changed his tune. A big boost in Charles's campaign would be the announcement of a politically advantageous marriage, and preferably the news that his new bride was pregnant.

Lord Aido, under the influence of House Pius, found a match for Prince Charles immediately: the daughter of Lord Pius, the Lady Elisa. The problem with the match was, however, her age: she was six years old. Charles was reluctant at first. However, enchanted with the prospect of being King and Emperor, he agreed. Charles, aged 50, and Elisa, aged 6, were married at St. Alfonso's Basilica while King Anthony Edmund was away. While they acted without his direct consent, Lord Aido believed that his instruction upon departing was consent enough.

The marriage enraged just about everybody. The nobles in Parliament found it horrific and the Archbishop of St. Alfonso's condemned the marriage immediately. Even the Prince's brother, Prince Maximilian, called it distasteful. When word reached King Anthony Edmund in Madrid, he was furious. The match immediately tanked Prince Charles's campaign to be Emperor. The Madrilene nobles felt the same about the marriage as did the Balancín nobles: it was sinful and distasteful. Such a misjudgement made many Electors feel that Prince Charles was unfit to rule as Emperor, and they all were unwilling to see a child become Empress.

The electoral college voted in August 2802, eventually electing Archduke Phillippe of House Andorra. Phillippe was crowned as Emperor Phillippe. King Anthony Edmund departed Madrid disappointed and angry, returning to Balancía by the fall of 2802.

Decline and death

King Anthony Edmund's health was not good enough to sustain a long reign. He was overweight and continued to eat significant amounts even upon his accession. In his final years, he spoke sparingly to his son, Charles, over the matter of his marriage to the child Elisa Pius. Upon his return to the Iberian Palace, King Anthony Edmund sent his son away to Murcia Castle. He kept his child daughter-in-law in the Iberian Palace for her own protection, believing that the couple having sex would undermine any future efforts to annul the marriage.

In the spring of 2804, Prince Charles was diagnosed with a brain tumour. His physicians kept the diagnoses quiet from King Anthony Edmund and Parliament, with Prince Charles insisting that he was sufficiently fit to become King. He did tell his brother, Prince Maximilian, fearing the possibility that Maximilian would have to succeed him as King.

When King Anthony Edmund died in the summer of 2804, the Accession Council proclaimed Prince Charles as the new King. Anthony Edmund was buried at St. Alfonso's Basilica and was given a state funeral. After his death, Anthony Edmund was interred into the new Royal Vault, constructed for him and his wife, the late Queen Catherine.

Reign of King Charles IV (2804 - 2805)

See also Charles IV

Accession and planned coronation

Charles succeeded to the throne at the age of 52. He was the youngest monarch since Philip II. However, the perception that he would be a young and progressive monarch were ruined by his marriage to Elisa Pius, the six year old daughter of House Pius. At age 8, Elisa became the Queen Consort, the youngest person ever to hold the title of King or Queen. Unbeknownst to most of the court, aside from his brother Maximilian and his physicians, the new King Charles was suffering from a brain tumour. Medical limitations of the time meant it was difficult for King Charles to know exactly how much time he was expecting to have.

His coronation was planned for 15 March 2805. It was designed to be a small affair, given the recent coronations of the past decade having driven up costs. King Charles was eager to plan his coronation, seeing it as a crucial component of the monarch's role. He led the coronation committee himself, alongside Lord Keeper Aido and his brother, Prince Maximilian. It included a long procession and a royal tour, where Charles hoped to visit the many corners of his Kingdom. He extended an invitation to Pontifex Konstantin III but was denied, owing to an ongoing political crisis in Ecclesia. Many speculated that the Pontifex refused to attend not because of any political crisis but because of Charles's marriage to Queen Elisa Pius.

Many of the aspects of his coronation were complete. He had picked out coronation robes and posed for his coronation portrait, which was completed after his death. He also had invitations printed and commemorative items ordered. It became known as the coronation that never was.

Health and death

King Charles's health took a turn for the worse over the Christmas of 2804. While he had distracted himself with the preparations for his never-to-be coronation, Christmas was a difficult time for the dying King. He insisted on giving a Christmas address to both houses of Parliament, a task which drained him of all of his energy. His courtiers noted his pale skin and his broken disposition. His brain tumour was still a secret. However, many were suspecting that the King had greater health problems that he had originally let on.

He made it through the New Year and was attended to by his physicians. Eventually on 10 January, he was given significant painkillers when he broke down in agony. In his final days, he struggled to speak, owing to the strength of the painkillers. He did attempt to call for his brother, Prince Maximilian, to discuss his inevitable succession. However, Prince Maximilian didn't arrive before the King completely lost consciousness. He died alongside his child wife and brother on 13 January 2805. He was buried alongside his father in the Royal Vault at St. Alfonso's Basilica.

To historians, he was the King who married a child and destabilised both his reign and his relationship with the Pontifical Church and the Madrilene Empire. Most historians agree that, had he been elected Emperor, his sudden death would have destabilised Madrid significantly more than the reign of Emperor Phillippe, who successfully established the Andorran Imperial Dynasty.

Despite having never been coronated, King Charles IV still governed as the monarch. He was styled, albeit unofficially, By the Grace of God, Charles of House Martell, the fourth of his name, King of the Rock and the Newton, Elector of Sardinia and Defender of the Faith.

Reign of King Maximilian I (2805 - 2821)

See also Maximilian I

Accession and coronation

Maximilian I's coronation portrait c. 2805

Maximilian was well aware of the likelihood that he would succeed to the Iberian Throne. His brother, King Charles IV, was suffering from a malignant brain tumour. Maximilian spent much of his brother's reign securing his succession and building strong relationships that would carry him to the throne. When King Charles IV died on 13 January 2805, Maximilian, with the support of the Lord Keeper Bernat Aido, summoned the Accession Council to proclaim him as the new King. There was little contention with Maximilian's accession as there were few possible alternatives. Maximilian was the young and popular son of King Anthony Edmund and was seen as a natural fit for the Crown.

Given the time and money that was spent arranging Charles IV's coronation, Maximilian decided to go forward with the arrangements in honour of his brother. He was coronated on 15 March by Archbishop Paul Lear, being crowned By the Grace of God, Maximilian of House Martell, King of the Rock and the Newton, Elector of Sardinia and Defender of the Faith. The service was a muted affair and respectful, given the circumstances of his accession. Maximilian did not move into the Iberian Palace immediately and maintained his residence at Shipley House for the first few months of his reign.

Marriage

Maximilian was, much like his brother, unmarried. Owing to his father's belief that they should marry for love, Maximilian was never forced into a political marriage during his youth. However, upon his accession to the throne, the question quickly arose over who he would marry. Maximilian wasn't naive enough to believe that he could still marry for love and so discussed with Lord Aido, the Lord Keeper, about a potential match. His mother, the Dowager Queen Catherine, cautioned Maximilian about making a hasty decision. Catherine was reaching the end of her life and still maintained King Anthony Edmund's belief that there should be marriage for love. She was, however, overruled.

Lord Aido suggested to the King a match that would anger him: the Dowager Queen Elisa. After the death of her husband, Queen Elisa became the youngest Dowager Queen ever at age 8. Despite the controversies surrounding the marriage of such a young girl, House Pius was still hugely in favour of the match. With the rise of urbanisation, the Crown was finding itself increasingly in debt as the Kingdom's tax systems were not sufficiently updated to match the non-agrarian and noble-led metropolitan set up. Thus, appeasing House Pius, the richest house in the Kingdom, was certainly an advantage.

King Maximilian refused Lord Aido's suggestion and fired him as Lord Keeper of the King's Seal. Maximilian came to believe that Aido was biased in the matter and that he owed too much allegiance to Lord Pius, Elisa's father. In his place, Maximilian appointed the Earl of Win de la Ross, Lord Beesbery, to the position of Lord Keeper. Beesbery struggled to find Maximilian an appropriate spouse, although the search was paused following the death of the King's mother, Dowager Queen Catherine

Eventually, Lord Beesbery went back to King Maximilian with a compromise. A marriage to House Pius was not only politically desirable - it was becoming a political necessity if the Crown's finances were to be restored. The Rook Parliament seemed completely unwilling to grant the King greater financial freedom. Thus, House Pius had to be appeased and their one requirement was that Elisa be the Queen. Maximilian's moral objections were, however, put at ease when an agreement was devised to delay the marriage until Elisa came of age.

Maximilian hesitantly agreed, marrying Elisa Pius in 2813 when she reached the age of 15. Maximilian, in contrast, was 58. She entered her second marriage, once again becoming Queen Consort.

The calm before the storm

The period of King Maximilian's reign which followed his marriage and the birth of his three daughters, Anne, Catherine, and Matilda, is known by historians as "the calm before the storm", a reference to the relative stability and prosperity that characterised the period. No significant major crises of note occurred and the economy seemed to prosper. The industrialisation was continuing sharply and the government began to regulate for workers rights. Lord Beesbery was a proponent of fixed wages and a ban on shifts lasting more than 10 hours.

While many socialist historians discredit Beesbery's reforms as not going far enough, they were effective in supporting a large labour base that was continually expanding via positive migration from Europe and the Doggerlands. Balancín power was dwindling from its height at the turn of the 29th century. However, the calm before the storm began to make some wonder if Balancía was soon to return to its height.

Despite being characterised by a happy royal family in the Iberian Palace, a strong monarch on the throne, a growing economy, and increasing Balancín influence, the calm before the storm, inevitably, came to an end.

Annus Horribilis

The Annus Horribilis is the name given to the year 2821. The year was a disaster for the royal family and, broadly, a disaster for Balancín influence around Europe. The year consisted of crisis after crisis, beginning with the Sardinian Pirate Party.

Sardinian Pirate Party

In January 2821, a group of ten privateers and their crews arrived at the Sassari docks in Sardinia. Immediately taking over the port, the privateers wrote a list of demands to King Maximilian and the Madrilene Emperor, Olavo Andorra. In their demands, they listed a large ransom of 5 million triads, as well as resources enough to refit their ships.

Upon receiving the news, Emperor Olavo demanded an explanation from Maximilian. After the Pirate Party, it was revealed that the privateers were sponsored by the Balancín-Sardinian government for operational work across the Mediterranean Sea. While Maximilian himself hadn't commissioned them, he was immediately tagged as responsible as the King and Elector of Sardinia.

When King Maximilian paid the privateers, they maintained their promises and departed Sardinia. The whole incident enraged Olavo, who saw the hiring of privateers a direct attempt to undermine the Imperium in Madrid following the failed Balancín plot to install a Martell on the Imperial Throne. Emperor Olavo proclaimed a mass reorganisation of the Empire, in which he granted the island of Sardinia to the Electorate of Lazio. Thus, King Maximilian was stripped of his title of Elector of Sardinia and thus his formal political influence in the Madrilene Empire.

The incident permanently damaged Balancín ability to influence Imperial policy and downgraded Balancía from the strongest regional power to one failing to compete.

Queen's hospitalisation

The previous year, Queen Elisa had given birth to a fourth child, Prince John. The birth was arduous and left Queen Elisa unable to walk for many months. During the spring of 2821, many of the physical scars that her physicians thought had healed, tore again. She was quickly rushed to a medical clinic in the Crownlands, where she spent two months.

The hospitalisation of the Queen did not help the King's image. The loss of Sardinia was costly to the Balancín Crown, which had lost a significant form of revenue. TBC

@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 Alfonso's desire to spend his time studying history and supporting the development of Pembroke University was not mitigated by his reign nor his coronation. In the first month of his reign, he only spent the night at Murcia Castle (the home of the court and government) on the night before and night of his coronation. Aside from that, he resided almost entirely at Pembroke. In an attempt to mitigate the impact of this on the general function of the government, King Alfonso made the unprecedented decision to vest his legal authority in another individual.
-Alfonso created the office of [[Lord Keeper of the King's Seal]], commonly referred to as the Lord Seal. In the royal charter which was signed only 2 days after his coronation, Alfonso granted the Lord Seal "the powers temporal of the King of the realm and henceforth the right to speak with the King's wisdom and voice". He named Lord Juan Pius to the position.
+Alfonso created the office of [[Lord Keeper of the King's Seal]], commonly referred to as the Lord Keeper. In the royal charter which was signed only 2 days after his coronation, Alfonso granted the Lord Keeper "the powers temporal of the King of the realm and henceforth the right to speak with the King's wisdom and voice". He named Lord Juan Pius to the position.
-As Pius ran the court, Alfonso studied at Pembroke. Throughout his almost six year reign, Alfonso only ever signed laws that were placed in front of him by his Lord Seal. These laws included the Carriageway Act of 2657, which consolidated authority for building and maintaining new carriageways into the government, and the Treasury Act of 2659 which created a centralised treasury aside from the Crown's own treasuries.
+As Pius ran the court, Alfonso studied at Pembroke. Throughout his almost six year reign, Alfonso only ever signed laws that were placed in front of him by his Lord Keeper. These laws included the Carriageway Act of 2657, which consolidated authority for building and maintaining new carriageways into the government, and the Treasury Act of 2659 which created a centralised treasury aside from the Crown's own treasuries.
 === Courtship ===
@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 Since his death, there has been speculation into why King Alfonso was so unwilling to marry a lady of the court. At the time, it seemed to be believed that Alfonso associated the politicking of the court with the ladies. If he had married one of them, his personal life would be absorbed into the fray of internal politics. Some arguments since his death have suggested that his reluctance to marry was born out of an asexuality that Alfonso presented in much of his time at Pembroke University. There are no reports at all of Alfonso ever engaging in sexual activity with anybody, and no relationships have ever been uncovered.
-Eventually, in October 2658, Alfonso dismissed Lord Juan Pius from his position of Lord Seal. The announcement came as a shock to much of the court, as Pius was managing the show. While some feared that Alfonso would begin governing for himself, this was quickly relieved as King Alfonso appointed his uncle, Lord Carlos Murcia, as the new Lord Seal.
+Eventually, in October 2658, Alfonso dismissed Lord Juan Pius from his position of Lord Keeper. The announcement came as a shock to much of the court, as Pius was managing the show. While some feared that Alfonso would begin governing for himself, this was quickly relieved as King Alfonso appointed his uncle, Lord Carlos Murcia, as the new Lord Keeper.
 Formal records from the court of King Alfonso I are rare. The most famous text, written by Lord Carlos's squire, seems to suggest that Alfonso's decision was born out of a frustration with Lord Pius and his insistence of marriage. Perhaps this was because Pius was relentless in pursuing his own daughter as Queen, or perhaps a general fear of an heirless succession. Regardless, Lord Pius left court and would not return for two years.
@@ Line 36: / Line 36: @@
 King Alfonso's reign continued without interference from the King himself. Lord Carlos seamlessly continued the administration of Lord Pius and, likely due to his own standing as a potential successor of the King, Lord Carlos didn't push the matter of marriage very strongly. During this time, Lord Carlos married Lady Hyde after the death of his first wife, a German duchess called Anne, in 2656.
-In late 2660, after his five-year anniversary on the throne, Alfonso announced his decision to attend a parlay with academics from the University of Madrid. Earlier in the year, Alfonso College had been established and Alfonso was seriously considering taking up role as Master of the University. Lord Carlos, who was Lord Seal at the time, advised that Alfonso not take the journey, which led to him being replaced with Lord Juan Pius. Lord Pius too advised the King not go on the six month expedition. However, he did not press the issue. King Alfonso departed Balancía on 1 December 2660. He spent the following six months in Madrid, where it is believed he was influenced heavily by Emperor Hadrian of the Madrilene Empire. Some feared that, upon his return, King Alfonso would try to push for Balancía's return to the Empire. Whatever the truth of this belief, fate intervened. On the sea journey back to the Doggerlands, a major storm in the Atlantic caused Alfonso's ship to sink. Alfonso's body was never recovered and it is believed that he died while trying to swim to one of the surviving ships in his flotilla.
+In late 2660, after his five-year anniversary on the throne, Alfonso announced his decision to attend a parlay with academics from the University of Madrid. Earlier in the year, Alfonso College had been established and Alfonso was seriously considering taking up role as Master of the University. Lord Carlos, who was Lord Keeper at the time, advised that Alfonso not take the journey, which led to him being replaced with Lord Juan Pius. Lord Pius too advised the King not go on the six month expedition. However, he did not press the issue. King Alfonso departed Balancía on 1 December 2660. He spent the following six months in Madrid, where it is believed he was influenced heavily by Emperor Hadrian of the Madrilene Empire. Some feared that, upon his return, King Alfonso would try to push for Balancía's return to the Empire. Whatever the truth of this belief, fate intervened. On the sea journey back to the Doggerlands, a major storm in the Atlantic caused Alfonso's ship to sink. Alfonso's body was never recovered and it is believed that he died while trying to swim to one of the surviving ships in his flotilla.
 == Reign of King Charles I (2661 - 2695) ==
@@ Line 43: / Line 43: @@
 === Accession and coronation ===
 [[File:CharlesI.jpg|thumb|Charles I before his accession]]
-Following the news that King Alfonso I had died in a shipwreck, the Lord Seal Juan Pius immediately called for an Accession Council. Since Alfonso's death was unexpected, the Council was rather incomplete. The previous year, King Alfonso had dismissed Lord Carlos Murcia as Lord Seal over his opposition to his planned trip to Madrid University. Along with Lord Carlos, four other senior ministers of the crown resigned. By the time of Alfonso's death, they were still yet to be replaced. The Accession Council was only half filled. Yet, it immediately made the proclamation that Lord Carlos, King Philip's brother and King Alfonso's uncle, would succeed as '''His Grace King Charles Murcia'''.
+Following the news that King Alfonso I had died in a shipwreck, the Lord Keeper Juan Pius immediately called for an Accession Council. Since Alfonso's death was unexpected, the Council was rather incomplete. The previous year, King Alfonso had dismissed Lord Carlos Murcia as Lord Keeper over his opposition to his planned trip to Madrid University. Along with Lord Carlos, four other senior ministers of the crown resigned. By the time of Alfonso's death, they were still yet to be replaced. The Accession Council was only half filled. Yet, it immediately made the proclamation that Lord Carlos, King Philip's brother and King Alfonso's uncle, would succeed as '''His Grace King Charles Murcia'''.
-He was quickly crowned at a coronation alongside his wife. This became the first coronation in Balancín history to crown a King alongside a Queen. Queen Hyde Pius was the daughter of the Lord Seal. King Charles's accession was a big boost in power for House Pius. Lord Juan was the younger brother of Lord Andre Pius and thus had the ear of the richest House in the Kingdoms. Charles I's early reign reflected this power dynamic.
+He was quickly crowned at a coronation alongside his wife. This became the first coronation in Balancín history to crown a King alongside a Queen. Queen Hyde Pius was the daughter of the Lord Keeper. King Charles's accession was a big boost in power for House Pius. Lord Juan was the younger brother of Lord Andre Pius and thus had the ear of the richest House in the Kingdoms. Charles I's early reign reflected this power dynamic.
 === Early reign ===
@@ Line 76: / Line 76: @@
 Eventually, in early 2680, Juan Pius suffered a second major stroke. While he survived, he was severely debilitated. For the remainder of 2680 until his death in October, he was unable to speak. He died on 30 October 2680 at the age of 70 and was buried at Murcia Castle, as was requested in his will.
-Pius's death was well prepared for, thanks to his series of strokes. King Charles named Sir Ricardo Dafydd to the position of Lord Seal in 2680. However, many now strongly understood that King Charles intended to rule himself.
+Pius's death was well prepared for, thanks to his series of strokes. King Charles named Sir Ricardo Dafydd to the position of Lord Keeper in 2680. However, many now strongly understood that King Charles intended to rule himself.
 === Charles's age ===
@@ Line 100: / Line 100: @@
 ==== Divisions in court ====
-The Lord Seal during the initial period of contention was Sir Ricardo Dafydd. As one of the chosen successors of Lord Juan Pius, Dafydd seemed automatic in his support for King Charles's choice of heir. Upon taking the office in 2680, Dafydd began to organise the support in opposition to Lord Ause Fallon's attempts to rally support for supplanting Elisa. Dafydd's faction in court was the largest and Elisa gained confidence from Dafydd's advice and counsel. Supporters of Elisa's claim became known as the Rooks, named after the Chess piece and its symbolism with castles.
+The Lord Keeper during the initial period of contention was Sir Ricardo Dafydd. As one of the chosen successors of Lord Juan Pius, Dafydd seemed automatic in his support for King Charles's choice of heir. Upon taking the office in 2680, Dafydd began to organise the support in opposition to Lord Ause Fallon's attempts to rally support for supplanting Elisa. Dafydd's faction in court was the largest and Elisa gained confidence from Dafydd's advice and counsel. Supporters of Elisa's claim became known as the Rooks, named after the Chess piece and its symbolism with castles.
-Dafydd's position as Lord Seal was significantly weaker than that of Lord Juan Pius. He was not a member of the nobility and rose to prominence as an advisor to House Pius on commerce affairs. As House Pius's power continued to dwindle in court, so did Dafydd's leadership of the court, especially given the King's reducing health and thus the increasing emphasis on the role of the Lord Seal.
+Dafydd's position as Lord Keeper was significantly weaker than that of Lord Juan Pius. He was not a member of the nobility and rose to prominence as an advisor to House Pius on commerce affairs. As House Pius's power continued to dwindle in court, so did Dafydd's leadership of the court, especially given the King's reducing health and thus the increasing emphasis on the role of the Lord Keeper.
 In reaction to the creation of the Rook faction, the Whigs, led by Lord Ause Fallon, formalised their faction into the Whigs - named after a term of general reformers. Historians believe that Fallon chose the term "Whig" to avoid associations with sexism and misogyny, but instead wishing to be seen as reformers and progressives.
@@ Line 113: / Line 113: @@
 On the same day as his ambush, Dafydd resigned as Lord Keeper of the King's Seal. King Charles was angry by Dafydd's decision and tried to convince him to remain in post. However, Dafydd's decision was firm and he left court that same evening alongside his wife and son. King Charles sent three letters to Dafydd, requesting his return to court. None of the letters were followed by Dafydd's return.
-King Charles's health was weak in 2685. At the age of 80, he was struggling to maintain even his own level of work. In the absence of a Lord Seal, that workload looked set to increase. Thus, a replacement was essential for the effective continuation of Charles's government. He did consider appointing his grandson, Prince Charles, after his success as a Commander during the Mountain War. However, he recognised that such an appointment would create the impression that he was beginning to favour Charles over his own heir, Elisa.
+King Charles's health was weak in 2685. At the age of 80, he was struggling to maintain even his own level of work. In the absence of a Lord Keeper, that workload looked set to increase. Thus, a replacement was essential for the effective continuation of Charles's government. He did consider appointing his grandson, Prince Charles, after his success as a Commander during the Mountain War. However, he recognised that such an appointment would create the impression that he was beginning to favour Charles over his own heir, Elisa.
-Ultimately, King Charles elected to appoint the person who seemed to hold the broadest base of support in court - that of Lord Ause Fallon, the leader of the Whigs. Lord Fallon became Lord Seal on 3 November 2685. His appointment was a clear victory for the Whigs, whose base in court was only growing as the 2680s reached their conclusion.
+Ultimately, King Charles elected to appoint the person who seemed to hold the broadest base of support in court - that of Lord Ause Fallon, the leader of the Whigs. Lord Fallon became Lord Keeper on 3 November 2685. His appointment was a clear victory for the Whigs, whose base in court was only growing as the 2680s reached their conclusion.
 ==== Lord Fallon's leadership and parliamentarianism ====
-As King Charles's health continued to reduce his ability to work, the Lord Seal's position was growing in power. Eventually, by 2887, the Lord Seal was presiding over sessions of the court exclusively. The Whigs were now the clear majority in court and courtiers were switching over to Fallon's side. Prince Charles, the King's grandson and the Whig's preferred successor, was also in an increasingly powerful position as Lord High Admiral from 2888. In contrast, Princess Elisa was becoming so isolated in court that she eventually moved to Murcia Castle, where her Rook allies were more properly able to plan without the interference of the Whigs.
+As King Charles's health continued to reduce his ability to work, the Lord Keeper's position was growing in power. Eventually, by 2887, the Lord Keeper was presiding over sessions of the court exclusively. The Whigs were now the clear majority in court and courtiers were switching over to Fallon's side. Prince Charles, the King's grandson and the Whig's preferred successor, was also in an increasingly powerful position as Lord High Admiral from 2888. In contrast, Princess Elisa was becoming so isolated in court that she eventually moved to Murcia Castle, where her Rook allies were more properly able to plan without the interference of the Whigs.
-Lord Ause Fallon's tenure as Lord Seal saw the first discussion of the creation of a formalised Parliament be raised. The Whigs, and Fallon in particular, wished to see the Accession Council formalised into a House of Parliament, with a second, General Court, established for other operational functions. King Charles was reportedly open to the idea and Lord Fallon began to make preparations for its establishment.
+Lord Ause Fallon's tenure as Lord Keeper saw the first discussion of the creation of a formalised Parliament be raised. The Whigs, and Fallon in particular, wished to see the Accession Council formalised into a House of Parliament, with a second, General Court, established for other operational functions. King Charles was reportedly open to the idea and Lord Fallon began to make preparations for its establishment.
 The biggest set-back in the creation of a Parliament was the death of Lord Fallon, who was killed in a duel with Sir Vyman Vox in 2691.
 ==== The Princess Regent and the Earl of Basque ====
-By the time of Lord Fallon's death, King Charles was entirely unable to function without significant assistance. At the age of 86, the King went through significant periods of being unable to speak and walk. With the death of his Lord Seal, King Charles had to name a replacement - a task that he was simply unable to do independently.
+By the time of Lord Fallon's death, King Charles was entirely unable to function without significant assistance. At the age of 86, the King went through significant periods of being unable to speak and walk. With the death of his Lord Keeper, King Charles had to name a replacement - a task that he was simply unable to do independently.
 In light of his condition, King Charles ordered for his daughter, the Princess Elisa, to return from Murcia Castle to assist him as regent. King Charles signed a royal charter, known as the Regency Charter of 2691, in which he signed over many executive functions to his daughter. Notably, the regency in this form did not include powers of law, succession, or military command. It was primarily for appointments and, where necessary, organising the court. Princess Elisa became known as the Princess Regent.
-In her first act as Princess Regent, Elisa named Lord Vic de Vigo, the Earl of Basque, to the position of Lord Seal. Basque was a Rook and the appointment angered the Whig majority in court. However, despite their previous seemingly dominant position, the King's decision to name Elisa as the Princess Regent was perceived as a major setback to the Whig cause. Elisa now had the authority and the control of the Iberian Palace to put herself in a prime position to succeed in the event of the King's death.
+In her first act as Princess Regent, Elisa named Lord Vic de Vigo, the Earl of Basque, to the position of Lord Keeper. Basque was a Rook and the appointment angered the Whig majority in court. However, despite their previous seemingly dominant position, the King's decision to name Elisa as the Princess Regent was perceived as a major setback to the Whig cause. Elisa now had the authority and the control of the Iberian Palace to put herself in a prime position to succeed in the event of the King's death.
-The Earl of Basque's tenure as Lord Seal was dominated by the Princess Regent's reshaping of the royal court. She was ruthless in her dealings with Whig courtiers. Known as the 'carrot and the stick' policy, she both attracted courtiers over to the Rook faction, and punished Whig loyalists who refused to pledge their support to her. By 2695, Princess Elisa was able to overturn the Whig control of the court to where it was, virtually, a stalemate.
+The Earl of Basque's tenure as Lord Keeper was dominated by the Princess Regent's reshaping of the royal court. She was ruthless in her dealings with Whig courtiers. Known as the 'carrot and the stick' policy, she both attracted courtiers over to the Rook faction, and punished Whig loyalists who refused to pledge their support to her. By 2695, Princess Elisa was able to overturn the Whig control of the court to where it was, virtually, a stalemate.
-During the period in which the Earl of Basque was Lord Seal, the Princess Elisa refused to meet privately with her son, Prince Charles. As their relationship completely broke down, and as the King's health continued to decline, many were fearing the outbreak of civil war.
+During the period in which the Earl of Basque was Lord Keeper, the Princess Elisa refused to meet privately with her son, Prince Charles. As their relationship completely broke down, and as the King's health continued to decline, many were fearing the outbreak of civil war.
 ==== The kingly recovery ====
 Known as "the Kingly Recovery", the period just before King Charles's death was characterised by a sudden and unexpected return to health. In the summer of 2695, King Charles surprised many by entering the throne room while the Princess Regent was addressing the court. Reports from the time suggest that the King seemed relatively youthful and smiling. He walked without assistance and spoke without pause.
-Recognising his return to health, the King re-instated his own powers and dismissed the Earl of Basque as Lord Seal. Many have speculated that Prince Charles, King Charles's favourite, convinced him to name a Whig successor to help mediate the divided court. Others, however, believe that King Charles had some grudge against the Earl of Basque after (unsubstantiated) reports that he had engaged in a sexual relationship with the Princess Elisa during the regency.
+Recognising his return to health, the King re-instated his own powers and dismissed the Earl of Basque as Lord Keeper. Many have speculated that Prince Charles, King Charles's favourite, convinced him to name a Whig successor to help mediate the divided court. Others, however, believe that King Charles had some grudge against the Earl of Basque after (unsubstantiated) reports that he had engaged in a sexual relationship with the Princess Elisa during the regency.
-Whatever the reason, King Charles had dismissed the Rook Lord Seal and named Geoffrey Albares, the childhood best friend of Prince Charles to the position of Lord Seal. Albares was seen by many as a puppet of Prince Charles and so a short burst of hope was ignited into the Whig cause.
+Whatever the reason, King Charles had dismissed the Rook Lord Keeper and named Geoffrey Albares, the childhood best friend of Prince Charles to the position of Lord Keeper. Albares was seen by many as a puppet of Prince Charles and so a short burst of hope was ignited into the Whig cause.
 === Death ===
@@ Line 148: / Line 148: @@
 == Reign of Queen Elisa I (2695 - 2703) ==
+<blockquote>''See also [[Elisa I]]''</blockquote>
 === Accession ===
-With Prince Charles away from court, only the Lord Seal Geoffrey Albares was in any position to resist Elisa stacking the Accession Council. The early hours of 28 June 2695 saw the Accession Council summoned, though many invitations to Whig members were omitted by Princess Elisa. Albares was, however, present. In a clear minority, he contested Elisa's claim vocally. He was supported by Lord Cartwright alone but, when threatened by Elisa's guard, they relented. Without Prince Charles present, the few Whigs left felt unable to resist the stacked Accession Council.
+With Prince Charles away from court, only the Lord Keeper Geoffrey Albares was in any position to resist Elisa stacking the Accession Council. The early hours of 28 June 2695 saw the Accession Council summoned, though many invitations to Whig members were omitted by Princess Elisa. Albares was, however, present. In a clear minority, he contested Elisa's claim vocally. He was supported by Lord Cartwright alone but, when threatened by Elisa's guard, they relented. Without Prince Charles present, the few Whigs left felt unable to resist the stacked Accession Council.
 The Accession Council proclaimed Elisa had succeeded her father. She became '''Her Majesty Queen Elisa, the Lady of the Rock'''. She held court the same day at the Iberian Palace, where oaths of fealty were sworn for her. Even Whig courtiers swore allegiance, though most simply prepared to leave court in fears of persecution from the new Queen.
@@ Line 157: / Line 158: @@
 === Remarriage ===
-Queen Elisa was coronated on 1 September 2695, after which she immediately announced her intention to remarry. The announcement came as a clear indication that she intended to replace her son, Prince Charles, as heir with a new child. While precedence supported the eldest child being the natural successor, Queen Elisa and her supports had complete control of the Accession Council. Thus, they had the de facto ability to name a different heir. By the time of Queen Elisa's coronation, almost all Whig courtiers had either been banished from court or left on their own volition. The Rooks commanded the court, and the Earl of Basque returned as Lord Seal.
+Queen Elisa was coronated on 1 September 2695, after which she immediately announced her intention to remarry. The announcement came as a clear indication that she intended to replace her son, Prince Charles, as heir with a new child. While precedence supported the eldest child being the natural successor, Queen Elisa and her supports had complete control of the Accession Council. Thus, they had the de facto ability to name a different heir. By the time of Queen Elisa's coronation, almost all Whig courtiers had either been banished from court or left on their own volition. The Rooks commanded the court, and the Earl of Basque returned as Lord Keeper.
 Meanwhile, many Whig courtiers regrouped at Talaga Castle where Prince Charles set up a rival court. The court at Talaga Castle was entirely comprised of Whigs, who grew to gain many of the reformist ideas of Lord Ause Fallon. They became convinced that the creation of a Parliament was required to mitigate future situations like this. They also believed that the Accession Council was a flawed method of handling the succession, as evidenced by Queen Elisa's stacking of it with Rooks. While some Whigs refused to join the rival court in fear of persecution, most did continue to support Prince Charles. Eventually, their mission became to oppose Queen Elisa's remarriage.
@@ Line 163: / Line 164: @@
 Queen Elisa married Gaston Maria on 3 February 2696 and the royal couple immediately began trying for a child. Prince Charles did not attend the wedding, and none of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting were the wives of Whig courtiers (though this is likely a result of the concentration of Whigs in Charles's rival court at Talaga Castle). Gaston Maria received the title "King Consort", the first and last time that such a title has been used in Balancín history.
-The Lord Seal, the Earl of Basque, seemed to grow more distant from the Queen after her remarriage. Some have speculated that the change in relationship between the Queen and the Earl of Basque was a sign of a romantic past between the two. However, many historians have countered this by bringing up the increased role that the King Consort played in court during this time - a role taken almost entirely from the Lord Seal.
+The Lord Keeper, the Earl of Basque, seemed to grow more distant from the Queen after her remarriage. Some have speculated that the change in relationship between the Queen and the Earl of Basque was a sign of a romantic past between the two. However, many historians have countered this by bringing up the increased role that the King Consort played in court during this time - a role taken almost entirely from the Lord Keeper.
 === Pregnancy and death ===
@@ Line 195: / Line 196: @@
 === Charles's court ===
-The court of King Charles II was a far more dynamic one than that of his predecessor. Upon ascending to the throne, Charles named and knighted his childhood friend, Geoffrey Albares, making him the Lord Keeper of the King's Seal. However, he refused to take malicious actions against the Rook courtiers of his mother's reign. While the Earl of Basque was relieved of his office as Lord Seal, he was allowed to keep his lands and titles, as well as continue in court. This applied for most other Rooks, creating the dynamic of a contested court between the Rook and Whig factions. While Charles had particular sympathies for the Whigs, he did not exclude the Rooks and often included them in meetings of state.
+The court of King Charles II was a far more dynamic one than that of his predecessor. Upon ascending to the throne, Charles named and knighted his childhood friend, Geoffrey Albares, making him the Lord Keeper of the King's Seal. However, he refused to take malicious actions against the Rook courtiers of his mother's reign. While the Earl of Basque was relieved of his office as Lord Keeper, he was allowed to keep his lands and titles, as well as continue in court. This applied for most other Rooks, creating the dynamic of a contested court between the Rook and Whig factions. While Charles had particular sympathies for the Whigs, he did not exclude the Rooks and often included them in meetings of state.
-Sir Geoffrey Albares, the new Lord Seal, counselled Charles in favour of keeping many Rooks in court. Despite being a Whig himself, he did this in the hope of creating the basis for a new Balancín Parliament. The Whigs and the Rooks often found themselves in a state of debate. However, regardless of how heated they got, the King served as a good mediator between the two factions.
+Sir Geoffrey Albares, the new Lord Keeper, counselled Charles in favour of keeping many Rooks in court. Despite being a Whig himself, he did this in the hope of creating the basis for a new Balancín Parliament. The Whigs and the Rooks often found themselves in a state of debate. However, regardless of how heated they got, the King served as a good mediator between the two factions.
 ==== Military expansionism ====
@@ Line 216: / Line 217: @@
 With the rediscovery of the Lux Orbis by St. Konstantin and the establishment of the Pontifical Church in Ecclesia, religion became a growing topic of conversation in Balancía. It is believed that Lord Norte was the first Balancín nobleman to convert but the religion quickly spread across the Kingdom. The religion was particularly popular among the peasantry, who used it as a means of building community.
-Many noblemen resisted the rise of Pontificalism. The most prominent opponents of Christianity in Balancía  were the Whigs. Believing religion to be a step back into the past, the Whigs (self-branded reformers) were hesitant to promote religion in Balancía. The Lord Seal, Sir Geoffrey Albares, was among the Whigs who repeatedly attempted to block the establishment of Pontifical parishes in Balancía.
+Many noblemen resisted the rise of Pontificalism. The most prominent opponents of Christianity in Balancía  were the Whigs. Believing religion to be a step back into the past, the Whigs (self-branded reformers) were hesitant to promote religion in Balancía. The Lord Keeper, Sir Geoffrey Albares, was among the Whigs who repeatedly attempted to block the establishment of Pontifical parishes in Balancía.
 In 2720, however, King Charles himself converted to Christianity. The announcement came as a shock to him and his Whig courtiers, who had assumed that the King was as secular as them. In a statement to his people, King Charles spoke of the "enormous potential of faith in the Crown". Many believe that Charles's decision was partially inspired by the political desire to introduce the divine right of kings to the constitution of Balancía.
-St. Konstantin the Great travelled to Balancía to meet King Charles II in 2723, further cementing Charles as a Pontifical Christian. The contents of St. Konstantin's private discussions with King Charles are not known. However, when Sir Geoffrey Albares resigned over religious expansionism in December 2723, he was replaced as Lord Seal with Archbishop Alfonso Ferdinando. Archbishop Alfonso Ferdinando had been named as the Archbishop of Balancía by St. Konstantin upon his visit, with many speculating that the Pontifex had influenced King Charles into naming a Pontifical clergyman to the head of the government.
+St. Konstantin the Great travelled to Balancía to meet King Charles II in 2723, further cementing Charles as a Pontifical Christian. The contents of St. Konstantin's private discussions with King Charles are not known. However, when Sir Geoffrey Albares resigned over religious expansionism in December 2723, he was replaced as Lord Keeper with Archbishop Alfonso Ferdinando. Archbishop Alfonso Ferdinando had been named as the Archbishop of Balancía by St. Konstantin upon his visit, with many speculating that the Pontifex had influenced King Charles into naming a Pontifical clergyman to the head of the government.
-Archbishop Alfonso was a significant contributor to the growth of Christianity in Balancía. He commissioned the construction of what would later become St. Alfonso's Basilica, and broke bread with many sceptics in the country. By the time of Archbishop Alfonso's retirement as Lord Seal in 2729, after just five years in the post, Balancía was a majority Christian Kingdom.
+Archbishop Alfonso was a significant contributor to the growth of Christianity in Balancía. He commissioned the construction of what would later become St. Alfonso's Basilica, and broke bread with many sceptics in the country. By the time of Archbishop Alfonso's retirement as Lord Keeper in 2729, after just five years in the post, Balancía was a majority Christian Kingdom.
-Frustrated with the Whig scepticism that continued to grow, despite the new Christian majority, King Charles refused to name a Whig as Archbishop Alfonso's replacement. Instead, in a surprise move, he named the Duke of Rajoy to the position of Lord Keeper of the King's Seal. Rajoy was the first Rook Lord Seal in 26 years and the change represented a significant shift in policy for King Charles II.
+Frustrated with the Whig scepticism that continued to grow, despite the new Christian majority, King Charles refused to name a Whig as Archbishop Alfonso's replacement. Instead, in a surprise move, he named the Duke of Rajoy to the position of Lord Keeper of the King's Seal. Rajoy was the first Rook Lord Keeper in 26 years and the change represented a significant shift in policy for King Charles II.
 ==== The royal charter of 2733 ====
@@ Line 238: / Line 239: @@
 Eventually, though, the King died in good spirits at the Iberian Palace on 8 August 2738. He was succeeded by his eldest son, also called Charles, who became King Charles III. He was coronated by Pontifex St. Konstantin, making him the first ever Balancín monarch to be coronated in a Christian service.
-== Reign of Charles III (2738 - 2748) ==
+== Reign of King Charles III (2738 - 2748) ==
+<blockquote>''See also [[Charles II]]''</blockquote>
 === Accession ===
@@ Line 246: / Line 248: @@
 === Liberalisation ===
-Charles III grew up surrounded by Whigs. During his father's rival court at Talaga Castle, all of Charles's contacts and associations were with Whigs. This stuck with him as he grew up and, eventually, had huge influences over his reign. Upon ascending to the throne, Charles wanted to replace his father's Lord Seal (a Rook) with a Whig. The King's preference was likely to re-appoint Sir Geoffrey Albares. However, Albares continued many of his anti-religious statements after his resignation in 2723. Thus, many in court felt uncomfortable with the appointment of such a secularist. In addition, the current Lord Seal, the Duke of Rajoy, was immensely experienced in government. He had served for over 10 years and so King Charles decided to retain Rajoy as Lord Seal.
+Charles III grew up surrounded by Whigs. During his father's rival court at Talaga Castle, all of Charles's contacts and associations were with Whigs. This stuck with him as he grew up and, eventually, had huge influences over his reign. Upon ascending to the throne, Charles wanted to replace his father's Lord Keeper (a Rook) with a Whig. The King's preference was likely to re-appoint Sir Geoffrey Albares. However, Albares continued many of his anti-religious statements after his resignation in 2723. Thus, many in court felt uncomfortable with the appointment of such a secularist. In addition, the current Lord Keeper, the Duke of Rajoy, was immensely experienced in government. He had served for over 10 years and so King Charles decided to retain Rajoy as Lord Keeper.
-Despite the continuation of a Rook Lord Seal, King Charles wanted to see more liberal policies instituted. His first major policy was one that his father had wanted, as well as most Whigs: the creation of a Parliament. In a royal charter, King Charles decreed that the court would be formalised into two bodies: the King's Court (which was made up of noble courtiers), and a new General Court (also known as the Cortes Generales). The Cortes Generales would be elected by all landowning individuals in the country. Upon its establishment, it had 210 elected MPs.
+Despite the continuation of a Rook Lord Keeper, King Charles wanted to see more liberal policies instituted. His first major policy was one that his father had wanted, as well as most Whigs: the creation of a Parliament. In a royal charter, King Charles decreed that the court would be formalised into two bodies: the King's Court (which was made up of noble courtiers), and a new General Court (also known as the Cortes Generales). The Cortes Generales would be elected by all landowning individuals in the country. Upon its establishment, it had 210 elected MPs.
 The Duke of Rajoy was completely opposed to democratisation in any form and so resigned on 1 November 2739. The new Parliament was comprised of a Rook majority, and so Charles decided to appoint another Rook. This time, though, he named his father-in-law, Lord Aerion, to the position.
@@ Line 268: / Line 270: @@
 ==== The Queen's Rebellion (2741-42) ====
-In his attempts to repeal the Corn Laws, King Charles threatened to fire Lord Aerion as Lord Keeper of the King's Seal. Aerion was, by all accounts, an immensely proud man. After the confrontation, he immediately resigned as Lord Seal. The resignation of Lord Aerion came as a surprise to the Rook controlled Parliament, which was growing increasingly frustrated with the King's attempts to circumvent their wish to have the Corn laws.
+In his attempts to repeal the Corn Laws, King Charles threatened to fire Lord Aerion as Lord Keeper of the King's Seal. Aerion was, by all accounts, an immensely proud man. After the confrontation, he immediately resigned as Lord Keeper. The resignation of Lord Aerion came as a surprise to the Rook controlled Parliament, which was growing increasingly frustrated with the King's attempts to circumvent their wish to have the Corn laws.
 Lord Aerion, along with a number of his favourites, fled court on the day of his resignation. While his daughter, Queen Matilda, remained behind at court, she was equally as enraged by the incident. She refused to meet with her husband, the King, and began to speak poorly of the King's government to their children. The diary of King Charles and Queen Matilda's second son, Prince Alfonso, were filled with many of the distasteful comments which originated from his mother.
-As House Aerion's position in court was severely damaged, and as Queen Matilda was isolated from the decisions of government, the leadership of the Rooks seemed to be disenfranchised, despite their commanding majority in Parliament. The tensions between House Aerion and the Crown were made worse when King Charles named Sir Geoffrey Albares, a former Whig courtier of his father and grandfather, to take on the position of Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. Sir Geoffrey was significantly older than King Charles but, with twenty years of experience as Lord Seal, he seemed a strong choice. He was, however, a Whig.
+As House Aerion's position in court was severely damaged, and as Queen Matilda was isolated from the decisions of government, the leadership of the Rooks seemed to be disenfranchised, despite their commanding majority in Parliament. The tensions between House Aerion and the Crown were made worse when King Charles named Sir Geoffrey Albares, a former Whig courtier of his father and grandfather, to take on the position of Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. Sir Geoffrey was significantly older than King Charles but, with twenty years of experience as Lord Keeper, he seemed a strong choice. He was, however, a Whig.
 The appointment of Sir Geoffrey came as a shock to Lord Aerion, who had assumed that King Charles would respect the Rook's majority in Parliament. After the decision, Lord Aerion declared his intention to force change in the King's Court. House Aerion raised a host of 3,200 men, in direct violation of the ban on private armies. The rebellion had significant sympathies from within the royal household, given Lord Aerion was Queen Matilda's father. Thus, historians have dubbed the rebellion as the Queen's Rebellion.
@@ Line 286: / Line 288: @@
 Lord Aerion survived the battle and was arrested, along with his brothers and sons who were serving as advisors. In a royal decree some days later, King Charles stripped Aerion of all lands and titles. House Aerion ceased to exist, and Lord Aerion, his brothers and his sons were all hung outside the Iberian Palace. Many Rooks saw the destruction of the old House Aerion as something of an overreaction, with many wondering how capable King Charles truly was at commanding militarily.
-Sir Geoffrey Albares, the Lord Seal, wrote in his diary that he believed the death of Lord Aerion's sons, the King's own brothers and sisters by marriage, was a step too far. House Aerion was stripped of their dominion of the Dreadfort, with the seat being granted to House Rovira. The whole rebellion was a significant drain on the Crown's reserves, and saw two major houses (House Frutos and House Aerion) destroyed forever.
+Sir Geoffrey Albares, the Lord Keeper, wrote in his diary that he believed the death of Lord Aerion's sons, the King's own brothers and sisters by marriage, was a step too far. House Aerion was stripped of their dominion of the Dreadfort, with the seat being granted to House Rovira. The whole rebellion was a significant drain on the Crown's reserves, and saw two major houses (House Frutos and House Aerion) destroyed forever.
 ==== The Stale Pretender (2746) ====
@@ Line 312: / Line 314: @@
 ===== Aftermath =====
-Queen Matilda was arrested and handed over to King Charles for sentencing. While Charles considered leniency, he was ultimately convinced that she had done too much damage to be allowed to continue to operate. Lord Seal De la Serna argued that, if she were allowed to go free, Queen Matilda would create a rival court and thus risk further rebellion and even civil war. Eventually, the King relented.
+Queen Matilda was arrested and handed over to King Charles for sentencing. While Charles considered leniency, he was ultimately convinced that she had done too much damage to be allowed to continue to operate. Lord Keeper De la Serna argued that, if she were allowed to go free, Queen Matilda would create a rival court and thus risk further rebellion and even civil war. Eventually, the King relented.
 Queen Matilda was executed on the steps of the Iberian Palace on 19 November 2748. The execution of his wife and the death of his younger son sent the King into a depression from which he would never recover. He spent the Christmas of 2748 in isolation and, on 28 December, was found dead in his apartment. The official record assigned his death to natural causes. However, most historians have retrospectively concluded that his death was most likely a suicide. His son, the Duke of Talaga, succeeded him as King.
 == Reign of King Philip II (2748 - 2793) ==
+<blockquote>''See also [[Philip II]]''</blockquote>
+=== Early reign ===
+==== Accession and coronation ====
+King Philip II ascended to the throne at a time of mourning for the royal family. His father, King Charles III, had died unexpectedly and many historians have argued that Philip was aware of the likelihood that he had killed himself. His proclamation came quickly as the Accession Council had been relegated to a formality, with Pontifex Vasiliev I affirming the succession. He was proclaimed '''By the Grace of God, Philip Martell, the second of his name, King of the Rock and Elector of Sardinia, Defender of the Faith'''. His coronation was held quickly. The decision to hold the coronation so soon after King Charles III's death was made in light of the rebellions that had characterised the last decade of Balancín history.
+The coronation was a muted affair. There were concerns that the new Pontifex, St. Vasiliev I, would be unable or unwilling to attend the coronation. It had only been a short while since the Papal Conclave that elected him as St. Konstantin's successor, and with the short notice many didn't think he would make the trip. To the relief of King Philip, who was worried about signs of illegitimacy in the light of recent rebellions, Vasiliev arrived in Balancía and performed the coronation ceremony on 18 January 2749.
+==== Changes to the royal family ====
+The Queen's Rebellion and the Prince's Rebellion changed the way that the country saw the royal family. Prior to these events, the royal family held significant respect and admiration. Even among the peasantry, the royals has clout and public support. Ever since the establishment of Christianity in Balancía, the divine right of kings became common faith among the citizenry. However, with the rebellions, the perception that the royals were simply power hungry politicians began to spread, especially among the commoners who suffered at their hands.
+Upon ascending to the throne, King Philip inherited a large royal family. Three generations of royals were members in House Martell, some of whom were increasingly distant cousins of the main line royals. King Philip was extremely cautious of this. His lived experience indicated to him that ambitious royals were the single biggest threat to the stability of the realm, as well as his own reign. Thus, his plan to reduce the size of the royal family was implemented.
+The first change that the King made was to ask Parliament to pass legislation concerning royal titles. The Royal Titles Act of 2749 introduced the following rules:
+* The title of Prince or Princess was only entitled to the mainline children and grandchildren of the reigning monarch;
+* Royal Dukedoms (titles associated with no land holdings granted to royals) were to be granted and revoked by the King and not, as was convention, by Parliament;
+* All changes applied retrospectively.
+The effect of this change was to revoke the title of Prince or Princess to 10 cousins of the crown. The slimming down of the royal family was a significant step and helped restore the aura of intrigue that the commoners had about the institution. King Philip's management of his families set the precedent for how future monarchs would regulate the workings of the royal family. After this point, the royal family as an institution was well and truly born.
+King Philip and his wife, Queen Annette, went onto have eleven children, and thus the rules were seen as important in keeping the size of the royal family down for future generations.
+==== The Sun-King ====
+King Philip's early reign brought him incredibly popularity. He had made the significant decision to reappoint the Lord Keeper during his father's later reign, Sir Eduardo de la Serna. De la Serna, as a Whig, spent a significant portion of his time boosting the Whig cause. As a result, in the general election of 2749 (triggered by the death of the Crown), the Whigs won control of Parliament for the first time in history. De la Serna was confidently reappointed, as well as gaining the title of Lord President of the King's Court (a title elected by Parliament).
+De la Serna's popularity, as well as Philip's, helped create the impression that Balancía was on the rise. The economy was prosperous and war seemed an increasingly distant memory. King Philip stayed out of much of the day-to-day politics of his early reign, primarily due to his implicit support for the controlling Whig faction. He would often open the doors of the Iberian Palace, inviting commoners and noblemen alike for great banquets in the Great Hall. For the first time, many commoners felt a connection to the monarchy. That, coupled with Philip's reforms for a more slimmed down and efficient royal family, helped skyrocket his popularity. He quickly gained the nickname "the Sun-King", a reference to his golden orange coronation gowns. Replicas of Philip's coronation portrait spread across the country quickly, creating the tradition that portraits of the monarch would hang on public facing walls.
+==== The Newton Farmers ====
+Many of the farming communities of the region around the Newton river had felt neglected by Balancía for many years. While certainly under the domain of the Balancín monarch, the region was not formally incorporated into the Kingdom. Despite this political separation, they were still subjected to the Corn Laws. This resulted in some minor riots against the Rook governments that installed the laws.
+However, when the Whigs won control of Parliament in 2749 and they repealed the Corn Laws entirely, there was significant jubilation among the Newton farmers. The support for King Philip and the Whig government was so strong that local leaders began calling for formal incorporation into Balancía. With the consent of Parliament, and Sir Eduardo's support, King Philip formally incorporated the Newton into the Balancín realm. He added it to his formal title, making him '''By the Grace of God, Philip Martell, the second of his name, King of the Rock and of the Newton, Elector of Sardinia and Defender of the Faith'''.
+=== Political divisions ===
+The early reign of King Philip II came to an end when, on 26 August 2756, Sir Eduardo de la Serna died. De la Serna was granted a state funeral by King Philip, a sign of respect and the significant popularity for which he had garnered among both Whigs and Rooks. By the time of de la Serna's death, it had been 7 years since the last general election and the Whig-controlled Parliament was beginning to lose political capital. When they passed a new law surrounding different types of carriageways through rural lands, the Rook nobles began to make their protests known to King Philip.
+Confident of the popularity of the Whigs, Philip dissolved Parliament and called for a general election. In the meantime, he appointed Sir Enrique FitzBasque, the bastard son of the Earl of Basque, to the position of Lord Keeper. Despite being illegitimate, FitzBasque held significant support among the Whig reformers, who were in favour of loosening laws against bastards. The general election of 2756 delivered a shock result, however. While King Philip seemed convinced of the ability of the Whigs to win another strong mandate, the landowning electorate delivered a different verdict.
+There resulted in a Hung Parliament, in which neither the Rooks or the Whigs could command a majority. The Rooks would have secured a majority in the lands of Balancía before the inclusion of the Newton, which voted overwhelmingly for the Whigs. The election created the political landscape that would allow for Rook dominance for the rest of the century, all the way until the Pius Revolution of 2821. When Parliament returned, they elected the Duke of Cantabria to the position of Lord President of the King's Council. As a Rook, Cantabria wished to see changes to the liberalising policies of the previous Whig administration.
+Upon his election, Cantabria held an audience with King Philip, in which he demanded that the King dismiss Sir Enrique FitzBaque as Lord Keeper. Cantabria wished to see a Rook appointed to the position, with most believing that he offered himself as a candidate. Despite the Rook's status as having eliminated the Whig majority, King Philip refused. While this was well within his rights as King, the move was seen as Philip's first major intervention into politics. Prior to this, most of Philip's major actions were done with the permission (both implicit and explicit) of Parliament. Now, a division grew between Parliament and the Iberian Palace.
+FitzBasque's administration as Lord Keeper was stunted. The Rooks in Parliament simply refused to consider legislation that he had proposed, with the parliamentary procedure of filibustering becoming prominent during this time. Without a majority, the Whigs simply couldn't pass legislation, nor govern effectively. When FitzBasque introduced the Legitimacy Bill, in an attempt to reduce the stigma of bastards by allowing them to adopt their father's house name with the father's permission, it became abundantly clear that FitzBasque held no political capital whatsoever. Even the one successful policy that he introduced, known as the Urban Tax (a tax on the growing urbanisation of Belemadena and coastal Balancía, likely introduced to further appease the Newton farmers), failed to be enforced when Parliament refused to spend any of the money raised by the tax.
+King Philip found Parliament's insubordination to be angering. He banished the King's Court from the Iberian Palace, which is when they took their place at Belemadena Palace (where they sit to this day). However, this only served to further divide the monarch from Parliament. When Sir Enrique FitzBasque resigned as Lord Keeper because of the gridlock in early 2762, King Philip's anger with the Rooks in Parliament was seen as a strong reason as to why he refused to appoint a Rook.
+In response to FitzBasque's resignation, Philip dissolved Parliament. It was his hope that a general election would provide greater support for the Whigs, given the obstructionism of the Rooks. The result, however, was quite the opposite. The general election of 2762 saw the Rooks elected to the majority, mainly due to the failure of the Whigs to properly enforce a Urban Tax. With a Rook majority, it seemed impossible for the King to maintain his opposition to the Whigs. Eventually, he relented. He appointed Lord Guillermo Montoro, the Duke of Cantabria, to the position of Lord Keeper of the King's Seal. Cantabria's appointment brough an end to the ability of Whigs to win elections among the landowning voter base in the country. The interim Whig Lord Keeper, Prince Robert, was the last Whig Lord Keeper ever. Rooks would control Balancín politics until the Pius revolution.
+=== Philip's children ===
+Throughout his reign, the biggest personal struggle was the management of his children. The rebellious nature of Philip's children led to a race by the elder sons to produce an heir. King Philip and Queen Annette had eleven children, eight of whom were sons.
+His eldest and heir, the Duke of Talaga, was Prince Oberon. Oberon was sent to Pembroke University, a decision that was sponsored by King Philip who thoroughly enjoyed his time at the University. Oberon elected to study at the Divinity School, eventually becoming a devout Christian. In 2764, when pressed about his marriage, Prince Oberon declared his intention to study at Ecclesia to become a Pontifical priest, thus making him celibate.
+King Philip tried to forbid his son from making the decision. Worried about the implications on the future of the Crown, the Whig minority began to consider calling for Prince Oberon to abdicate his claim to the throne and instead pass the throne to Prince William, the King's second son. The calls for this never went any further than simple discussion, before King Philip proclaimed his unwillingness to allow such a situation. Prince Oberon left the Iberian Palace to begin his studies as a clergyman. When he returned, he was named Archbishop of St. Alfonso's Basilica, having taken the vow of chastity. Oberon's vow created a period of instability for the Crown. While King Philip continued to insist that Oberon should succeed him as King, especially given the support that the Pontifical Church had for Oberon, many were beginning to look past Oberon for who would come next.
+King Philip's second son was next in line. Prince William was the Duke of Murcia but he was struggling to marry. His father had arranged a number of royal balls in the hope of arranging a suitable match for William, but none of them came to fruition. After Oberon's vow of chastity, however, he became a significantly more desirable choice for a match. Yet, William continued to struggle in finding a suitable wife. When he died in 2770 at the age of 40, he was unmarried.
+Next was Philip's third son, Anthony. Prince Anthony was never destined for the crown and was given a military career early in his life. He was the Lord Commander of the Royal Navy from 2751 for over 40 years, until his father's death. Anthony did have lots of children. However, his marriage was a morganatic one. He had married Ms. Catherine Peters, a commoner who lived near Rock's End where Prince Anthony was located. Many within the Rook Parliament were deeply concerned with the idea of a commoner Queen, and didn't believe that Prince Anthony's children were legitimate as a result.
+After Prince William's death and Prince Oberon's vow of chastity, King Philip proclaimed, without the consent of Parliament, that Anthony's marriage was legitimate and that all of his children were in line to the throne. The proclamation helped shore up the line of succession, securing the Martellian dynasty for another generation.
+=== Later reign and death ===
+King Philip took after his grandfather and great-great grandfather in living well into old age. When he turned 80 in 2789, he was in good health and good spirits. With the succession clearer, his age was less of a concern for the remainder of his reign. He took on a paternal grandfatherly role in the royal family, which seemed more united than ever, even in spite of Prince Oberon's vow of chastity.
+The Rooks continued to dominate politics for the remainder of Philip's life. Lord Cantabria was replaced by Lord Pedro de Vigo, the Earl of Basque (the brother of FitzBasque), and then later by Sir Roman Luis. The succession of Rook Lord Keepers oversaw the continued rise of Balancía in the Doggerlands, all the way to the point of the Kingdom becoming the strongest power in the region.
+The King's health took a turn for the worse during the Christmas of 2793. Prince Oberon was visiting Ecclesia at the time and, throughout his trip, he was in constant conversation with the Iberian Palace with regards to his father's health. On 21 December, Philip II died of natural causes. His legacy as the Sun-King, as well as the longest reigning monarch in Balancín history, is one that made King Philip among the most famous monarchs in history. While he never quite hit the points of popularity of his early reign, he died relatively popular and happily content with a secured succession.
+== Reign of King Oberon (2793 - 2801) ==
+<blockquote>''See also [[Oberon, King of Balancía|Oberon]]''</blockquote>
+=== The Pontifical Convoy ===
+During the Christmas of 2793, King Philip II's health was in decline. His son and heir, Prince Oberon, was in Ecclesia for the Christmas mass. The King died on 21 December and Oberon was proclaimed King by the Accession Council. There was fears that Oberon's brother, Prince Anthony, might make a play to be crowned King in Oberon's absence. However, with Oberon's support from the Church, such a move would have been religiously divisive. Prince Anthony wasn't a strong Christian but was well aware of the growing influence that the Church had over the country.
+King Oberon wrote a letter to Parliament following his accession, informing them that he intended to remain in Ecclesia through the Christmas day mass, before returning to Balancía alongside Pontifex Konstantin III for his coronation in January. The announcement shocked many Rooks and Whigs alike, and marked a signal that Oberon, as an Archbishop of the Pontifical Church, would be more interested in Church affairs than government affairs.
+On 28 December 2793, King Oberon departed Ecclesia alongside Pontifex Konstantin III in a Pontifical Convoy. The journey involved a ship journey across the Doggerland's Northern Sea, and then carriage riding south to Balancía. The Pontifical Convoy stopped in a number of places, including Almere and Zaandam, before arriving at the Iberian Palace on 2 January 2794. The following day, on 3 January, Pontifex Konstantin III performed the coronation service. He was crowned '''By the Grace of God, Oberon Martell, King of the Rock and the Newton, Elector of Sardinia, Shepard of the Faithful and Defender of the Faith'''. The addition of the title "Shepard of the Faithful" served as a further sign of the religious bent of the new King's administration.
+=== The Rook confrontation ===
+Upon returning to Balancía, King Oberon held court at the Iberian Palace. He invited the King's and General Courts, as well as his ministers and military advisors. It was the largest gathering of courtiers since the formation of Parliament in 2739. There, in front of everybody, King Oberon dismissed Sir Roman Luis, the leader of the Rooks, as Lord Keeper of the King's Seal. The announcement shocked everybody, with the Rook majority in Parliament seeing it as a major affront to parliament's rights.
+King Oberon was in his sixties but was generally in good health. Many Rooks were concerned that a long reign could unsettle the political consensus that had existed for the past century. Sir Roman departed court infuriated and resigned his seat in Parliament. In a speech, King Oberon said how grateful he was that Sir Roman voluntarily relinquished power, "as opposed to the general corruption of morality that has persisted". The new King was bad at making friends.
+In the place of Sir Roman Luis, King Oberon named his deputy as Archbishop of St. Alfonso's, Bishop Bernardo Swuil. Swuil was not a Balancín subject and so his appointment caused further anguish among the Rook parliamentarians. Most historians agree that, had it not been for the rise of Pontificalism among the commoners, a rebellion against King Oberon would have been likely. Instead, most lords stayed quiet in the hope of a shorter reign.
+=== Oberon's will and death ===
+Signed by himself and Lord Keeper Swuil as witness, King Oberon's will was devised with the hope of continuing his religion-oriented government. King Oberon was concerned that his younger brother, Prince Anthony, and his nephews, were not devout enough Christians. He feared the risk of a return to secularism and wished to prevent it at all costs. In his will, King Oberon made four major declarations, all of which upset the balance in Balancín politics.
+# Upon his death, the throne would pass to his younger brother, Prince Augustus. Augustus was King Philip II's youngest son but was the only one who professed any interest in the Pontifical Church. Prince Augustus joined King Oberon on his travels to Ecclesia.
+# The Crown Estates would be gifted to the Ecclesian Church, with the exception of the Iberian Palace which would be kept under the Crown. The aim of this declaration was likely to force future monarchs to be subservient to the Pontifical Church.
+# The Accession Council be eliminated all together, with the role of proclaiming a new monarch given exclusively to the Pontifex.
+# Parliament be reduced in size to 100 members in its entirety.
+Most historical and legal scholars agree that King Oberon's will was very extreme and was never something that was going to be accepted in the event of his death. Prior to his death, as his health seemed to decline and he was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 72, King Oberon attempted to make mechanisms to ensure his will would be enforced. He met often with parliamentarians to discuss these plans, hoping that they would support his diktats.
+By the time of his death, the contents of his will were well known. However, there was not significant pushback publicly. In fact, many seemed apathetic to the ideas included in it. This gave the dying King confidence that his wishes would be carried out. The truth was, however, that most courtiers simply conspired to wait until after his death to declare the will illegitimate.
+King Oberon died on 19 February 2801. He was unable to travel to Ecclesia for Christmas mass, as he had done every year, and died a painful death. He was alone, having alienated much of his family. He was buried at St. Alfonso's Basilica but was not granted a state funeral by his brother and eventual successor. After his death, he was canonised by the Pontifical Church and is now known by historians as St. Oberon.
+== Reign of King Anthony Edmund I (2801 - 2804) ==
+<blockquote>''See also [[Antony Edmund I|Anthony Edmund I]]''</blockquote>
+=== Accession controversy ===
+As the oldest surviving child of King Philip II, Prince Anthony seemed set to succeed to the throne after Prince William's death in 2770. When his older brother became King, Anthony began to lose hope that he would one day come to the throne. Firstly, despite being only one year younger than Oberon, he was in significantly worse health. He spent much of his later years as Lord Commander of the Royal Navy living in luxury, gaining weight and losing health. Oberon, by contrast, was fit and lived frugally as an Archbishop.
+Oberon's death in 2801 at the age of 72 came as something of a surprise to Anthony. The death was announced by the Lord Keeper, Bishop Bernardo Swuil, who attempted to contact Pontifex Konstantin III in order to put Oberon's will into effect. Prince Anthony, who also sat in the King's Court of Parliament, discovered when a letter was sent by Swuil to Parliament, formally proclaiming Oberon's will as law.
+Oberon's will was no secret, even to Prince Anthony. He had spent the last years of his life trying to get it respected by Parliament so that, after his death, it wouldn't be ignored. However, it was far too radical. It included provisions that would eliminate the independence of the monarchy and granted greater powers to the Church in Ecclesia. In addition, it supplanted Anthony as heir, instead naming their youngest brother Augustus to the Crown. Albeit ambitious, very few planned on allowing his will to be implemented. Firstly, following the establishment of Parliament, the monarch simply didn't have the authority to enact such sweeping constitutional reform. In addition, the rules of succession had been laid out after the succession debate of 2703.
+When Lord Keeper Swuil attempted to assemble an Accession Council to proclaim Prince Augustus as the new King, nobody, aside from Prince Augustus and an unnamed courtier, showed up. Instead, Prince Anthony convened an Accession Council comprised of both Rook and Whig courtiers. In attendance to the alternative Accession Council was Anthony's son and heir, Charles, as well as senior courtiers. Parliament voted to grant Anthony's Accession Council legitimacy, and it proclaimed him as the new King.
+Upon hearing the news, Bishop Bernardo Swuil attempted to reach out to the Pontifical Church. His hope was that Pontifex Konstantin III would intervene and enact Oberon's will. Instead, however, Konstantin upheld the will of Parliament and the original line of succession. As a form of compensation, Konstantin promised to canonise Oberon; a compromise that Swuil did not see as sufficient. However, he obeyed his Pontifex. Konstantin travelled to Balancía the following spring. Anthony was crowned '''By the Grace of God, Anthony Edmund of House Martell, King of the Rock and the Newton, Elector of Sardinia and Defender of the Faith'''. King Anthony Edmund chose the regnal name despite his Christian name being Anthony Doran. The reason for the change has been lost to history, with some thinking it was coupled with his decision to abandon the title "Shepard of the Faithful" in order to distance the monarchy from the Pontifical Church.
+=== Short reign ===
+King Anthony Edmund ascended to the throne at the age of 71. Thanks to the long reign of his father, Philip II, Anthony Edmund was already an old man by the time he became King. Oberon had died at the age of 72 and was in significantly better health than the new King. Thus, many saw it as a matter of time until he passed on and was succeeded by his son and heir, Prince Charles, the new Duke of Talaga.
+The first act of King Anthony Edmund's reign was to appoint a new Lord Keeper. As a longtime Rook, as well as a proud parliamentarian, the King named the leader of the Rooks, Lord Bernat Aido, Earl of Aido, to the position of Lord Keeper of the King's Seal.
+==== Urbanisation and industrialisation ====
+King Anthony Edmund's reign was brief. However, it is a significant turning point in Balancín history. Prior to his accession, during the reign of the previous Martellian Kings, the Balancín monarch was among the most powerful in all of Europe. Owing to their position as both King and Elector of Sardinia in the Madrilene Empire, the Balancín monarch was able to exert significant influence. King Oberon extended this further by expanding his power into the church, although this was short lived. However, by the turn of the 29th century, Balancín power was starting to wane.
+Balancía was a symbol of power. However, increasingly urbanisation and industrialisation was beginning to turn the great pristine Rock into an urban centre with crime, poverty, and pollution. The successive Rook governments of the late 28th century refused to regulate the increasing numbers of factories and so the Balancín coast became overrun with polluting factories. While only a symbolic change, it did begin to shift perspectives on Balancía and its role at the head of Europe.
+==== Madrilene Imperial Election of 2802 ====
+The biggest event of King Anthony Edmund's reign was his trip to Madrid to vote in the 2802 election for the Madrilene Emperor. The House of Aragon had ruled as Emperors for over 300 years. However, after the death of Emperor Jorge IV, the Aragon male line had ended. Typically, elections for Emperor were just a formality, with the Aragon heir being voted unanimously (and in the case of the Sardinian vote, by proxy). However, in the first contested election in over a century, King Anthony Edmund felt it appropriate to vote in person.
+Among the candidates for Emperor were a distant Aragon relation from the House of Andorra, Archduke Phillippe, and the Emperor's daughter, Grand Duchess Anastasia. Upon King Anthony Edmund's arrival in Madrid as Elector of Sardinia, he proposed a different solution: his son, Prince Charles Martell. The proposal of a Martellian Emperor did have some merit: the re-inclusion of Balancía into the Madrilene Empire would have turned the tide in the Empire's decline; it would have created distance between the Balancín monarchs and the Pontifical Church, something Anthony Edmund was keen on; it would have marked a new generation of Madrilene leadership as both Phillippe and Anastasia were of advanced age; and it would have avoided civil war between the Aragonites and the Andorrans. There seemed genuine momentum for the idea, with some, including the Elector of Lisbon, writing in his diary "I expect an Emperor Carlos by the end of the summer".
+During King Anthony Edmund's trip to Madrid, Prince Charles remained in Balancía. Anthony Edmund believed it was important for there to be distance while he lobbied for his son's election. In fact, the move proved effective, as many Madrilene nobles felt like the move was not a synnical power play as Anthony Edmund did not propose himself as a candidate, rather his son. Prince Charles ruled in his father's stead, alongside Lord Keeper Bernat Aido.
+==== Prince Charles's marriage to Elisa Pius ====
+Since their downfall from national governance, House Pius continued to be an influential force in the Balancín nobility. While they lost the status for a short while, they had been the richest house in the Kingdom for over thirty-years. Lord Aido, the Lord Keeper, was an Earl underneath Lord Pius, and thus was heavily influenced by House Pius and their wealth.
+Upon his departure for Madrid, King Anthony Edmund left Lord Aido and Prince Charles with one job: find Charles a wife. Prince Charles hadn't married, thanks to King Anthony Edmund believing that love as was important in marriage as political advantage (he himself had married against the wishes of his father for love and he felt the consequences of such disagreement). However, when the prospect of Charles becoming Madrilene Emperor arose, King Anthony Edmund changed his tune. A big boost in Charles's campaign would be the announcement of a politically advantageous marriage, and preferably the news that his new bride was pregnant.
+Lord Aido, under the influence of House Pius, found a match for Prince Charles immediately: the daughter of Lord Pius, the Lady Elisa. The problem with the match was, however, her age: she was six years old. Charles was reluctant at first. However, enchanted with the prospect of being King and Emperor, he agreed. Charles, aged 50, and Elisa, aged 6, were married at St. Alfonso's Basilica while King Anthony Edmund was away. While they acted without his direct consent, Lord Aido believed that his instruction upon departing was consent enough.
+The marriage enraged just about everybody. The nobles in Parliament found it horrific and the Archbishop of St. Alfonso's condemned the marriage immediately. Even the Prince's brother, Prince Maximilian, called it distasteful. When word reached King Anthony Edmund in Madrid, he was furious. The match immediately tanked Prince Charles's campaign to be Emperor. The Madrilene nobles felt the same about the marriage as did the Balancín nobles: it was sinful and distasteful. Such a misjudgement made many Electors feel that Prince Charles was unfit to rule as Emperor, and they all were unwilling to see a child become Empress.
+The electoral college voted in August 2802, eventually electing Archduke Phillippe of House Andorra. Phillippe was crowned as Emperor Phillippe. King Anthony Edmund departed Madrid disappointed and angry, returning to Balancía by the fall of 2802.
+==== Decline and death ====
+King Anthony Edmund's health was not good enough to sustain a long reign. He was overweight and continued to eat significant amounts even upon his accession. In his final years, he spoke sparingly to his son, Charles, over the matter of his marriage to the child Elisa Pius. Upon his return to the Iberian Palace, King Anthony Edmund sent his son away to Murcia Castle. He kept his child daughter-in-law in the Iberian Palace for her own protection, believing that the couple having sex would undermine any future efforts to annul the marriage.
+In the spring of 2804, Prince Charles was diagnosed with a brain tumour. His physicians kept the diagnoses quiet from King Anthony Edmund and Parliament, with Prince Charles insisting that he was sufficiently fit to become King. He did tell his brother, Prince Maximilian, fearing the possibility that Maximilian would have to succeed him as King.
+When King Anthony Edmund died in the summer of 2804, the Accession Council proclaimed Prince Charles as the new King. Anthony Edmund was buried at St. Alfonso's Basilica and was given a state funeral. After his death, Anthony Edmund was interred into the new Royal Vault, constructed for him and his wife, the late Queen Catherine.
+== Reign of King Charles IV (2804 - 2805) ==
+<blockquote>''See also [[Charles IV]]''</blockquote>
+=== Accession and planned coronation ===
+Charles succeeded to the throne at the age of 52. He was the youngest monarch since Philip II. However, the perception that he would be a young and progressive monarch were ruined by his marriage to Elisa Pius, the six year old daughter of House Pius. At age 8, Elisa became the Queen Consort, the youngest person ever to hold the title of King or Queen. Unbeknownst to most of the court, aside from his brother Maximilian and his physicians, the new King Charles was suffering from a brain tumour. Medical limitations of the time meant it was difficult for King Charles to know exactly how much time he was expecting to have.
+His coronation was planned for 15 March 2805. It was designed to be a small affair, given the recent coronations of the past decade having driven up costs. King Charles was eager to plan his coronation, seeing it as a crucial component of the monarch's role. He led the coronation committee himself, alongside Lord Keeper Aido and his brother, Prince Maximilian. It included a long procession and a royal tour, where Charles hoped to visit the many corners of his Kingdom. He extended an invitation to Pontifex Konstantin III but was denied, owing to an ongoing political crisis in Ecclesia. Many speculated that the Pontifex refused to attend not because of any political crisis but because of Charles's marriage to Queen Elisa Pius.
+[[File:Charles IV.jpg|thumb|Charles IV's coronation portrait, completed after his death in 2805]]
+Many of the aspects of his coronation were complete. He had picked out coronation robes and posed for his coronation portrait, which was completed after his death. He also had invitations printed and commemorative items ordered. It became known as the coronation that never was.
+=== Health and death ===
+King Charles's health took a turn for the worse over the Christmas of 2804. While he had distracted himself with the preparations for his never-to-be coronation, Christmas was a difficult time for the dying King. He insisted on giving a Christmas address to both houses of Parliament, a task which drained him of all of his energy. His courtiers noted his pale skin and his broken disposition. His brain tumour was still a secret. However, many were suspecting that the King had greater health problems that he had originally let on.
+He made it through the New Year and was attended to by his physicians. Eventually on 10 January, he was given significant painkillers when he broke down in agony. In his final days, he struggled to speak, owing to the strength of the painkillers. He did attempt to call for his brother, Prince Maximilian, to discuss his inevitable succession. However, Prince Maximilian didn't arrive before the King completely lost consciousness. He died alongside his child wife and brother on 13 January 2805. He was buried alongside his father in the Royal Vault at St. Alfonso's Basilica.
+To historians, he was the King who married a child and destabilised both his reign and his relationship with the Pontifical Church and the Madrilene Empire. Most historians agree that, had he been elected Emperor, his sudden death would have destabilised Madrid significantly more than the reign of Emperor Phillippe, who successfully established the Andorran Imperial Dynasty.
+Despite having never been coronated, King Charles IV still governed as the monarch. He was styled, albeit unofficially, '''By the Grace of God, Charles of House Martell, the fourth of his name, King of the Rock and the Newton, Elector of Sardinia and Defender of the Faith'''.
+== Reign of King Maximilian I (2805 - 2821) ==
+<blockquote>''See also [[Maximilian I]]''</blockquote>
+=== Accession and coronation ===
+[[File:Maximilian.jpg|thumb|Maximilian I's coronation portrait c. 2805]]
+Maximilian was well aware of the likelihood that he would succeed to the Iberian Throne. His brother, King Charles IV, was suffering from a malignant brain tumour. Maximilian spent much of his brother's reign securing his succession and building strong relationships that would carry him to the throne. When King Charles IV died on 13 January 2805, Maximilian, with the support of the Lord Keeper Bernat Aido, summoned the Accession Council to proclaim him as the new King. There was little contention with Maximilian's accession as there were few possible alternatives. Maximilian was the young and popular son of King Anthony Edmund and was seen as a natural fit for the Crown.
+Given the time and money that was spent arranging Charles IV's coronation, Maximilian decided to go forward with the arrangements in honour of his brother. He was coronated on 15 March by Archbishop Paul Lear, being crowned '''By the Grace of God, Maximilian of House Martell, King of the Rock and the Newton, Elector of Sardinia and Defender of the Faith'''. The service was a muted affair and respectful, given the circumstances of his accession. Maximilian did not move into the Iberian Palace immediately and maintained his residence at Shipley House for the first few months of his reign.
+=== Marriage ===
+Maximilian was, much like his brother, unmarried. Owing to his father's belief that they should marry for love, Maximilian was never forced into a political marriage during his youth. However, upon his accession to the throne, the question quickly arose over who he would marry. Maximilian wasn't naive enough to believe that he could still marry for love and so discussed with Lord Aido, the Lord Keeper, about a potential match. His mother, the Dowager Queen Catherine, cautioned Maximilian about making a hasty decision. Catherine was reaching the end of her life and still maintained King Anthony Edmund's belief that there should be marriage for love. She was, however, overruled.
+[[File:Elisa Pius.jpg|thumb|Elisa Pius as Queen Consort c. 2806]]
+Lord Aido suggested to the King a match that would anger him: the Dowager Queen Elisa. After the death of her husband, Queen Elisa became the youngest Dowager Queen ever at age 8. Despite the controversies surrounding the marriage of such a young girl, House Pius was still hugely in favour of the match. With the rise of urbanisation, the Crown was finding itself increasingly in debt as the Kingdom's tax systems were not sufficiently updated to match the non-agrarian and noble-led metropolitan set up. Thus, appeasing House Pius, the richest house in the Kingdom, was certainly an advantage.
+King Maximilian refused Lord Aido's suggestion and fired him as Lord Keeper of the King's Seal. Maximilian came to believe that Aido was biased in the matter and that he owed too much allegiance to Lord Pius, Elisa's father. In his place, Maximilian appointed the Earl of Win de la Ross, Lord Beesbery, to the position of Lord Keeper. Beesbery struggled to find Maximilian an appropriate spouse, although the search was paused following the death of the King's mother, Dowager Queen Catherine
+Eventually, Lord Beesbery went back to King Maximilian with a compromise. A marriage to House Pius was not only politically desirable - it was becoming a political necessity if the Crown's finances were to be restored. The Rook Parliament seemed completely unwilling to grant the King greater financial freedom. Thus, House Pius had to be appeased and their one requirement was that Elisa be the Queen. Maximilian's moral objections were, however, put at ease when an agreement was devised to delay the marriage until Elisa came of age.
+Maximilian hesitantly agreed, marrying Elisa Pius in 2813 when she reached the age of 15. Maximilian, in contrast, was 58. She entered her second marriage, once again becoming Queen Consort.
+=== The calm before the storm ===
+The period of King Maximilian's reign which followed his marriage and the birth of his three daughters, Anne, Catherine, and Matilda, is known by historians as "the calm before the storm", a reference to the relative stability and prosperity that characterised the period. No significant major crises of note occurred and the economy seemed to prosper. The industrialisation was continuing sharply and the government began to regulate for workers rights. Lord Beesbery was a proponent of fixed wages and a ban on shifts lasting more than 10 hours.
+While many socialist historians discredit Beesbery's reforms as not going far enough, they were effective in supporting a large labour base that was continually expanding via positive migration from Europe and the Doggerlands. Balancín power was dwindling from its height at the turn of the 29th century. However, the calm before the storm began to make some wonder if Balancía was soon to return to its height.
+Despite being characterised by a happy royal family in the Iberian Palace, a strong monarch on the throne, a growing economy, and increasing Balancín influence, the calm before the storm, inevitably, came to an end.
+=== Annus Horribilis ===
+The Annus Horribilis is the name given to the year 2821. The year was a disaster for the royal family and, broadly, a disaster for Balancín influence around Europe. The year consisted of crisis after crisis, beginning with the Sardinian Pirate Party.
+==== Sardinian Pirate Party ====
+In January 2821, a group of ten privateers and their crews arrived at the Sassari docks in Sardinia. Immediately taking over the port, the privateers wrote a list of demands to King Maximilian and the Madrilene Emperor, Olavo Andorra. In their demands, they listed a large ransom of 5 million triads, as well as resources enough to refit their ships.
+Upon receiving the news, Emperor Olavo demanded an explanation from Maximilian. After the Pirate Party, it was revealed that the privateers were sponsored by the Balancín-Sardinian government for operational work across the Mediterranean Sea. While Maximilian himself hadn't commissioned them, he was immediately tagged as responsible as the King and Elector of Sardinia.
+When King Maximilian paid the privateers, they maintained their promises and departed Sardinia. The whole incident enraged Olavo, who saw the hiring of privateers a direct attempt to undermine the Imperium in Madrid following the failed Balancín plot to install a Martell on the Imperial Throne. Emperor Olavo proclaimed a mass reorganisation of the Empire, in which he granted the island of Sardinia to the Electorate of Lazio. Thus, King Maximilian was stripped of his title of Elector of Sardinia and thus his formal political influence in the Madrilene Empire.
+The incident permanently damaged Balancín ability to influence Imperial policy and downgraded Balancía from the strongest regional power to one failing to compete.
+==== Queen's hospitalisation ====
+The previous year, Queen Elisa had given birth to a fourth child, Prince John. The birth was arduous and left Queen Elisa unable to walk for many months. During the spring of 2821, many of the physical scars that her physicians thought had healed, tore again. She was quickly rushed to a medical clinic in the Crownlands, where she spent two months.
+The hospitalisation of the Queen did not help the King's image. The loss of Sardinia was costly to the Balancín Crown, which had lost a significant form of revenue. TBC
+[[Category:Politics]]