Valten Kuglar
Chancellor of Aussel
This great country was found on trust and kindness, but those simpler days are long gone. Our collective struggle for freedom is no longer a uniting factor that can keep us together. The time for change has come! Our political system must be reformed!
Ninth Chancellor of the Peasants' Republic of Aussel, founder and leader of the Reform League, and a vocal advocate for political reform, Valten Kuglar is an Ausselian statesman known for his leadership and political reforms. He became well-known to the public after he managed to pass the first of his reforms through parliament despite his faction only having a few seats.
Before founding his own party, Valten worked for a nonpartisan group that sought to end the political violence that had become prominent after the rise of the factional paramilitary wings back in the mid-1520s.
Early Hardships
Valten Kuglar is the only child of Jander and Aina Kuglar (née Kalnisis). Jander had met Valten's mother in Steendern at the start of the Ausselian War of Independence while he was in the city's garrison. Aina gave birth to Valten in a small town near the capital called Leiten while Jander was on the war campaign and she had to raise him with the help of her family until the end of the war in 1517.Kalnisis' Situation
Valten's mother's family was originally from Alminthas, but the outbreak of the war had left them stranded in Aussel. Her father wasn't wealthy and they were forced to sell all of their goods at unoptimal rates in order to afford housing and food.Aina's relationship with the Ausselian man had strained her relations with her family, but when the signs of her pregnancy had become clear, her father offered to help his daughter, even at the expense of his savings.
Being raised by foreigners who barely spoke the local language meant that Alminthian had become Valten's mother tongue. Aina realised that if her son were to stay in Aussel, he would have to learn Rükic. She was still unsure whether or not she should stay. Her family wanted her to go home with them but she left her decision up to Jander.
If he were willing to accept her and the child into his family, she would stay in the country, but she also feared the possibility that he wouldn't want them or worse, that he had died. The news of the war had suggested that things were going well, but no war was waged without casualties on all sides.
When the war ended, and my unit marched through Leiten, I hadn't expected to see her there with her family and the boy. I was all but willing to break through the lines just to run and hug her.
Move to Bieterberge
Orange Pumpkin by Jessica Lewis
After they had said their farewells to Jander, Aina and to the four-year-old Valten, both parties parted ways. The Kalnisis' boarded a ship back to the Federal State of Alminthas and Jander led his family back to his home village, Bieterberge.
Valten and his mother were welcomed to the family by Jander's parents and siblings who all lived under the same thatched roof surrounded by fields. They were all free peasants now. Jander worked on the fields all day, occasionally finding the time to tell the tales of his military adventures to his son. Aina started teaching both Valten and Jander how to read and write while also helping out with chores and basket weaving.
From an early age, young Valten had to go out and help both of his parents to make ends meet. Harvests had worsened after the war, leading many to panic about an impending famine. Luckily for the Kuglar's, nothing of the sort happened and the situation improved.
Political Turmoil
Political violence, corruption scandals and incompetent members of parliament are all the rage nowadays. We're in desperate need of a new Chancellor Tieter who could unite the people and reform the broken system.
Valten's interest in politics and the state of his country came when he was sixteen-years-old. He had gone on a trip to Steendern with a dozen other villagers, all eager to sell the produce in the capital. On the journey there, he had overheard talks of a failed alliance offer and the corruption scandals that had tarnished the Peasants' Party of Aussel's reputation, leading to the Ausselian Democrats victory in the previous year's elections.
He mulled over what he'd heard, wondering what had caused such problems to occur in the first place. After arriving in the city, Valten saw the political turmoil with his own eyes. Gangs of armed thugs harassed those who opposed their faction's views, different groups clashed on the streets, and many of the capital's inhabitants lived in fear.
He mulled over what he'd heard, wondering what had caused such problems to occur in the first place. After arriving in the city, Valten saw the political turmoil with his own eyes. Gangs of armed thugs harassed those who opposed their faction's views, different groups clashed on the streets, and many of the capital's inhabitants lived in fear.
| Incidents that Valten observed |
|---|
| Tieter Square Riots |
| The Red Night of 1531 |
| Anzlitten Ambush |
| Burning of the Batmoz |
| Battle for the Harbor |
| Sesnor Shakedown |
From Peasant to Politician
Tired of the constant news of corruption, incompitence and instability, Valten decided to take action. He gathered the veterans of the Sarzin Conflict who he had rallied to his cause and together they founded the Reform League, a faction dedicated to the reformation of Aussel's political system.1543 Elections
Less than a year after the creation of the Reform League was the Ausselian parliamentary election of 1543. As they were still unknown to the public, Valten decided that they shouldn't participate. Instead, the optimistic reformists travelled around the country and talked about the issues that they cared passionately about. They hoped that their passion and optimism could draw in more support for their political faction.1547 Elections
Despite the support they had gained, the Reform League had only gained a total of three seats in the parliament. They had hoped for at least eight as their message seemed to resonate with both peasants and the wealthier townsfolk alike. The poor results had dampened their mood and optimistic spirit, but Valten still had faith in himself and the reforms that he was hoping to enact once they were in power.Snap Election
Following the Independent Monarchists withdrawal from the ruling coalition, new elections were held as the Peasants' Party failed to get anything done with a minority government. The campaign had gone well, but the other factions' militant gangs kept harrasing Valten's supporters. The Reform League had been forced to create its very own paramilitary wing to protect their people.Valten was uncomfortable with the decision, but everyone around him had demanded a force that could put down anyone who dared to attack their supporters and members. Once the votes had been cast and the results were known to the public, the Peasants' Party made a deal with Valten to form a new coalition along with the League of Ausselian Baglamists. He accepted, hoping that he could push through at least one of his reforms, proving to the country that he was willing to do everything that he'd promised.
Political Reformation
People are tired of constant elections and all the political squabbling and mudslinging that comes with them. If the government could work for six years instead of the current four, then everyone should be pleased.
When forming the coalition and agreeing on what the government should do, Valten introduced his Six-Year Act. The other coalition representatives seemed thrilled with the idea, but not for the same reasons as the Reformists were. They just liked the idea of staying in power for a few extra years. Valten knew that of course, it was why he proposed to pass that reform first. His other reforms, however, would be a lot harder to pass as they would threaten most existing members of parliament.
Failure
After successfully passing the Six-Year Act the Reform League had become well-known to the country. As they gained more members and support, the rest of the ruling coalition had grown weary of Valten. Fearing that he would pass more radical reforms in the future, the Peasants' Party and Silver Alliance plotted to keep Valten down. A vicious smear campaign was launched, claiming that Valten would destroy the country with his radical reforms and that he was an Alminthian agent.In the end, the smear campaign had fulfilled its purpose, but it had forced the Peasants' Party to form a government with the Silver Alliance. The two rival factions weren't happy to work together, but Valten threatened them all, so something had to be done.
Chancellor of the Peasants
Working with their rivals had alienated the coalition parties from their voters. Valten had used that do his advantage. He held rallies where he would tell people of how the Peasants' Party of Aussel was willing to work with a pro-merchant party to keep them from bringing much-needed reforms. A massive anti-corruption demonstration was organised in 1557 by Valten and a few other higher-ups in the faction. He used the opportunity to promote his Competence and Anti-Corruption Act that the parliament had rejected before.When the next elections came, the established parties had failed. Valten's reforms had become too popular with the masses, leading to his party winning the most seats. As Chancellor of Aussel, he pushed through the rest of his reforms, destroying the old system that made it easy for incompetent and corrupt people to gain power. With Valten as Chancellor, the long period known as the Unstable Years had ended.
1. I dont know why but I love the placeholder images. Made me chuckle. 2. There was a good abstract at the start. Gives a good overview of the rest of the article. 3. I'm a sucker for humble beginnings. Having to help out his parents in a time of economic strain and difficulty that he would have no way of understanding as a child. I really like that his interest in political matters came as a result of something as simple as a field trip. It's very plausible, but still very interesting. 4. I think I would love to see more detail on how he formed the reform league. Why did people rally behind him? 5. Overall a solid piece, especially nicely handling his time in power and the struggles that came with it.
Thank you for the comment! There are so many things I still need to add. As you may have noticed I didn't even get to mention anything about his personal life other than his childhood. Once the challenge is over and I can edit again without the word limit in the way I will add all of that.
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