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| {{Estyn_King_Template|title1 = Arthur I|caption1 = an 11th century painting of 'Arthur the Consolidator'|born = January 20, 1072|death = September 3, 1032 (aged 60)|residence = The Aegon Fort, King's Landing|gender = Male|titles = King of all of Estyn
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| King of the Esters and Drowned Men
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| Lord of the Several Kingdoms
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| Protector of the Realm|known_as = The Conqueror
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| The Consolidator|status = Deceased|allegiance = House Francisco
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| [[The Kingdoms of Estyn]]|predecessor = Inaugural holder|successor = Arthur II Francisco|image1 = ArthurI.jpg}}'''Arthur I Francisco '''(c. 1072 - September 3, 1032), usually known as '''Arthur the Consolidator''', was the first Francisco King of [[The Kingdoms of Estyn|Estyn]], reigning from 102 until his death in 132. Arthur was the Lord of [[Dragonstone]] and "King in the Narrow Sea" before the [[Francisco Conquest of Estyn]] in 102, which resulted Arthur being crowned the first ever king of a united Estyn.
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| Arthur was born on Dragonstone to Lord Leopold Francisco. House Francisco was a noble house in the Grand Dutchy of Moscow. However, was banished from the region following Arthur I's great grandfather's attempt to overthrow the Dukedom. This laid the foundations for the establishment of the Tsardom of Russia.
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| House Francisco fled east to Estyn, settling on the island of Dragonstone. Eventually, leading to the conquest of Estyn.
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| Once Arthur has rule over Estyn, he began to install a feudal system of government. The King was supreme. In attempts to maintain support from the pre-existing Estyn houses, he allowed many to remain in their seats. However, one thing was clear. Arthur was in charge. He married Martha Hightower (the daughter of the High Priest of the Traditionalist Church) in order to secure the loyalty of the second most powerful entity in Estyn (the Church).
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| His rule brought about mass change to the people of Estyn. For the first time in history, the people were united by a common identity.
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| == Reign of Arthur I ==
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| The reign of King Arthur the Consolidator, officially, started in 1002 with his coronation at the Citadel in Oldtown. He would reign for thirty years until 1032 when he died of a fever in the night. During the Consolidation, Arthur was a tested warrior. He was valiant on a horse and unstoppable with a sword. The way he wielded a sword was almost like a martial art. He tore down his enemies like a sport. Arthur wasn’t a bad man but, when he was in battle, it was hard to tell the difference.
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| He was a peaceful King. He was not aggressive and most agreed that Arthur’s conquest was over. Estyn was what he desired and, once he had it, he was done fighting. Now he ruled. And this would prove to be a difficult task. Arthur’s second Hand of the King described Arthur’s patience as “if it were god-like”. Ruling isn’t a simple or enjoyable job. Many would seek power for powers sake. Most who would seek the crown over the next four centuries would only seek it to be King. Arthur did not want to be King to be King, Arthur wanted to be King to rule.
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| He assembled his most trusted advisors to form a Small Council. The Small Council would act as Arthur’s conscience. The Council would look mostly the same over the next four centuries; The Master of Coin, the Master of Ships, the Master of Laws, the Master of War, the Master of Whisperers, later the Lord Commander of the King’s Guard (which we will come to shortly) and finally, and arguably most importantly, the Hand of the King. The position of Hand of the King was unknown to Estyn before Arthur’s Reign. The King’s Hand would act as leader of the Small Council and would hold the responsibility of handing out the King’s commands. Traditionally, the Hand of the King would be the most trusted advisor to the King. However, in certain instances over the next four-hundred years, it would become a political position. However, the most honourable Kings would give the position to the best, most suited man for the job. King Arthur was one of these men. Arthur appointed Lord Orys Baratheon. Orys Baratheon was the brother of the former Storm King, and current Lord of Storms End, Jonus Baratheon. Orys and Arthur had become extremely close friends during the Consolidation. It is believed that Orys’ arguments in favour of bending the knee to Arthur was one of the catalysts for the other Kingdom’s following suit, though this is only rumour and speculation. Orys was a clever man. He was shorter than the average man. However, he was clearly a Baratheon. The traditional look of a Baratheon was present; Long black hair, black eyes and pale white skin. Orys’ stature might have been smaller, but this garnered him no less respect. The first Hand of the King served Arthur well during the years of peace. The years of peace allowed the capital city of King’s Landing to grow and prosper. Within ten years, the Capital was the largest city in Estyn. However, peace would not last forever.
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| Since the Consolidation, many Lords had a hard time swallowing Arthur’s rule. He was the King and few disputed it, but there was a feeling among many that maybe a return to the old way was better. This was a growing pressure across the Kingdoms and this pressure came to climax in 1024 with the Dornish Rebellion.
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| In 1024, Warden of the Sand, Onus Martell died. Onus was avidly loyal to the Francisco cause. However, his successor was not. Doran Martell believed that the Francisco rule of Dorne needed to come to an end. Doran, a quarter year following his ascension as Warden of Sand, invited King Arthur to Dorne to celebrate his succession. Arthur made a habit not to attend such events. There were Seven Kingdoms, and if he made a habit of attending every time one died, he would “never rest”. By this point in Arthur’s reign, most lords had stopped bothering sending an invitation. So, when the Warden of Sand and Lord Paramount of Dorne invited Arthur, he sent his Hand Orys Baratheon.
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| When Orys arrived, they were ambushed. Orys was taken prisoner by the Dornishmen and his host was executed at dinner. Doran Martell sent a letter to King Arthur. The exact wording was recorded by Grand Maestor Dint: “Dorne does not bend. From this day to the end of days, Dorne is an independent principality as it has been for a thousand years. Doran Martell is the Crown Prince of Dorne. Lay foot in Dorne, and worse will occur”. Attached with the letter were the severed hands of Orys Baratheon. A note saying “hands from your Hand”. Arthur was enraged.
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| For the first time in Arthur’s twenty-two-year reign he called the banners of his Kingdoms. Northmen, Westerlanders, Knights of the Vale, Soldiers of the Reach and the Stormlands. The River lords and Islanders. All came to Arthur’s defence. The First Dornish War had begun.
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| Arthur was not as young as he was during the Consolidation. Arthur hadn’t aged with grace and so, by the time of the First Dornish War, Arthur was an old man in a middle-aged man’s body. He could not fight. Arthur remained in King’s Landing and his Master of War, Ser David Walk, was appointed Hand of the King and was placed in charge of the campaign. Arthur attempted to steer the direction of the war, but day to day management of the army was in the Hands of Ser David. Ser David would serve as Hand of the King for the rest of the Consolidator’s reign. His ability to win the war would be the decider of whether a United Estyn would survive past the reign of Arthur I. King Arthur’s single aim since Consolidation; make it last. He did not want to see the return to the old way following his death and the First Dornish War would be his biggest test yet.
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| The campaign was long and brutal. It lasted until the end of Summer in 1028. King Arthur proclaimed victory when, the capital of Dorne, Sunspear was conquered. Lord Ashgar Mullan was named Warden of the Sand and for a short time it seemed as if the Crown had won. They had rescued Lord Orys Baratheon. Although he refused to take up the position as Hand of the King once again. This was believed to be a victory, however, the Dornish do not bend. Ashgar had the nobility, but not the common people. The Dornish broke out in rebellion as soon as the Francisco armies had left Dorne. A campaign of deception left Ashgar killed and the Crown Prince of Dorne in place. Arthur was enraged once again. The Dornish War had not come to an end after all.
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| The late reign of Arthur the Consolidator saw strife with war. The end of the First Dornish War would not arrive until 1031 when Crown Prince Doran Martell died. His sister, Lucia Martell, became Crown Princess of Dorne and asked for peace with the Franciscos. Lucia was young and most of her teenage years were spent in the First Dornish War. She wanted the war to end, as did many. Lucia and Arthur met at Lannisport in 1031 to sign the Declaration of the Crown of Dorne. The people of Dorne would not accept an outsider, and so, as apart of the declaration, Dorne would keep their Crown Prince or Princess. The declaration also gave the Dornishmen a level of autonomy that no other Kingdom received. King Arthur would be King of Dorne. However, he would grant the title Crown Prince of Dorne to the head of House Martell. The King would have little power in Dorne. The Dragon could not conquer Dorne, so he bought it. This was the last achievement of the reign of King Arthur I.
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| The King’s peace was restored; however, Arthur would not live long enough to see it fulfilled.
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| In 1005, Arthur married Martha Hightower and had three children; Maegor, Leopold and Matilda. Maegor was the first heir to the throne. He received the title ‘Prince of Dragonstone’, a title which would be passed onto every heir for the rest of history. Upon Arthur’s death, Maegor took the throne with the support of his brother, Leopold and the Hand of the King, Ser David Walk. The first succession of the throne was peaceful, and this would set the standard for succession for the next four-hundred years.
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| King Arthur the Consolidator was buried at Dragonstone in 1032. Less than a fortnight Later, Maegor was crowned [[King Arthur II]].
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