Prince (Vardanian Variant)

Giving your family unprecedented control over the military and economy of your nation. Such a brilliant, truly brilliant idea. Those thirty-odd million dead Vardanians will surely thank Eugeron in the afterlife.

— Edrin "Venomtongue" on the Princes

There are many offices one could reach within the Tarquinnian Hegemony. Hundreds are open to those willing or ambitious enough and thousands more have existed across the Hegemony's four incarnations. The office or title of Princeps or Prince in the Common Tongue, is perhaps one of the most infamous among them, despite being in use for a mere four decades.

Powers & Responsibilities

The Vardanian word Princeps is a compound of the two terms prine, which means "to lead", and cepere, which translates to "watching over". As such the title outlines the duties of the wearer. In essence, a Prince is similar to a provincial governor in that they rule over one of the Hegemony's many territories. Where the two positions differ, however, is in terms of power. Princes hold absolute control over all resources of their respective region, command any military forces attached to the province and can only be removed by the Emperor himself. They are essentially kings in their own right, removed from the system of checks and balances that exists to prevent imperial officials from gaining too much autonomy.
A hereditary position, the heir only has to be confirmed by the emperor, it also enables the wearer to "reshuffle" the provincial administration, ensuring that only loyal officials fill the ranks below the Prince. The issue of having semi-independent warlords with powerbases is only made more severe by the fact that the provinces given to a Prince, are of vital importance to the Hegemony. This means that they are either important economic or military centres, making their governor one of the most powerful lords of the Hegemony by default. The only real check on them is the oath of loyalty they swear upon the Emperor. obligating them to refrain from any action that would harm the Hegemony as a whole. Under a strong Emperor this system could indeed work quite well, but could have disatrous consequences if the ruler is too weak to check the Princes.

History

By 2190 DA, Eugeron the Kind, 27th emperor of the Second Tarquinnian Hegemony, had grown distrusting of his realm's bureaucratic class. As his paranoia grew, he began to instate measures actively hampering the bureaucracy and increasingly relied on his family for advice and counsel. His feud with the governors and administrators of the Hegemony reached its peak at the end of the year when Eugeron sacked several of his governors and granted the provinces to various family members.
These provinces, eleven in total, were key to the Hegemony's defence and economy and enabled the newly instated Princes to establish their own powerbases. So much so that by 2200 DA, the Valerian Dynasty held more than half of all the Hegemony's forces under their direct command. An issue that had devastating consequences as it proved one of the many causes of the War of the Seven Princes in 2210. The conflict, which lasted for over 14 years, destroyed much of Vardania and is seen by many as the death knell of the Second Hegemony.
Following the conflict Emperor Seron Valerian officially declared the title defunct in 2227. Aside from the clear problems it brought with it, the simple fact that except for Seron and his son, there were no Valerians left, meant that the position had become unnecessary.

Never again will a Vardanian be wearing the title Princeps and once I am dead this utter foolishness will finally be history.

— Seron Valerian, Emperor of the Hegemony 2224-2242 DA

Type

Nobility, Military

Status

Defunct

Creation

Eugerian Edict of 2190 DA

Source of Authority

Emperor of the Hegemony

Vardanian Princes
Every single Prince was a member of House Valerian, the ruling Dynasty of the Second Hegemony. Losing himself more and more to paranoia, Emperor Eugeron trusted no one but his own kin to secure the vast realm and its manifold people.

• Gordian - Prince of Ilin

• Votarian "the Vitrian" - Prince of Tarquinnia

• Eugenius - Prince of Helenia

• Amelian "the Elder" - Prince of Sigrin

• Amelian "the Younger" - Prince of Imera

• Adeon "the Preserver" - Prince of Moira

• Vespasian - Prince of Magna Caria

• Seron "the Red" - Prince of Atria

• Ilia "Ironside" - Princess of Hekari

• Majorian "the Butcher of the Hene" - Prince of Illigara

by SADANAND KUMAR