The Imperial House Nikolaides
The Restoration has seen to it that the age of Doukas has ended. Let us usher in the age of Nikolaides.
A History of the Imperial House of Nikolaides
The House of Nikolaides was formed in 448 AFE to accomodate the birth of Basil, the bastard son of Basileus Nikolaos II Doukas. House Nikolaides rose to prominence shortly thereafter during the Angelos Restoration,when Basil the Bastard served as a general in support of his half-brother, Dimitrios IV Doukas. When the civil war ended and Gregorios II Angelos claimed the throne, Basil Nikolaides was forced into exile and his sons executed.
Later in the year, when Gregorios was murdered by his palace guard, the Senate was hesitant to place another Angelos on the throne, and no scion of the Doukas family was in a place to be appointed emperor, there was little hesitation on the part of the Senate in appointing the imperial bastard the empire's new Basileus. He was offered both the crown and legitimization into the House of Doukas. Declining the latter, he accepted the throne and was crowned Basil I Nikolaides.
As Emperors of the Laparans, House Nikolaides oversaw the subjugation and integration of the vast northern territories of Khanakia, maintained imperial control over the fractious peoples of Ardhéa, and built long-lasting alliances with the leading families of Pesara and Kalliope, effectively placing them under imperial control. The Nikolaides-led Golden Age of the Laparan Empire was brought to an end as a direct result of The Great Invasion, and The Siege that brought about the destruction of the city.
With the loss of the population of the Imperial City, the empire was left with no clear successor and fell into a period of interregnum, before Joannes IV's half-brother, whom he had personally appointed as governor of Achenae, produced a writ of legitimization and proclaimed himself Joseph Nikolaides, Emperor of the Laparans. This claim was not universally accepted throughout the imperial lands, and Joseph found himself as Basileus over Achenae and the lands of the Laparan Empire's eastern frontier.
The House of Nikolaides is currently represented by the two siblings Basil III Nikolaides and Alexios Gregorios Nikolaides, its sole surviving members.
Let the deliberation end, for I am the rightful heir of our fallen basileus, Joannes. I present to you this writ of legitimization, from which I take the name Nikolaides, and my governorship as proof. From Metilene, the Imperial Court will continue to guide the empire, with me as your basileus.
Leadership and Heirarchy
For the vast majority of the house's history, the reigning emperor of the Laparan Empire has been a member of the Nikolaides family, and the house has deferred to the emperor as its head, with full rights as paterfamilias, including education, approval over marriage of all members, and acceptance of appointment to imperial posts. The child emperor, Basil III Nikolaides, currently is the head of the family, although his regent, Leon Argenteros, handles most of these tasks.
Traditionally, the governorship of Achenae has been used as the post to signify and train the Basileus' choice of heir apparent. After the fall of Lapara, Joseph Nikolaides, the bastard son of Basil II, used his post, coupled with a questionable writ of legitimization, to bolster his claim to the throne after The Siege.
Significant Members
Emperors of the Laparans:
Joannes III Nikolaides
Damianos Nikolaides
Basil II Nikolaides
Constans Nikolaides
Joannes IV Nikolaides
Reigned 511 - 548
Reigned 548 - 549
Reigned 549 - 574
Reigned 574 - 586
Reigned 586 - 602
Emperors of Achenae:
Reigned 647 -
High Priests of the Wills:
Gregorios Nikolaides
Joannes Constantinos (Bastard)
Not Even the Gods Fight Necessity
The Imperial Bastard
Basil I Nikolaides was the bastard son of Nikolaos II Doukas and an Ardhéan merchant's widow. Raised in the imperial court, he proved an invaluable ally to his half-brother, fighting on his behalf during the Angelos Restoration. His martial courage, reputation for honesty, and relationship to both the Doukas and Angelos houses made him the natural successor to the murdered Gregorios II Angelos.
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