King Baldwin
King of Eniria Baldwin Enirius dey Guiscarn (a.k.a. The Gullible and The King of the Dirt)
Baldwin II (2nd of Winter 1393 - 36th of Summer), also known as Baldwin the Gullible and The King of the Dirt, was king of Kingdom of Eniria from 1415 to 1428. Prior to ascending the throne, Baldwin was known as a good man, who treated everyone kindly. He was easy to forgive people, and would often drink and sing with his soldiers. Because of his tendency to forgive his opponents, he was known as a gullible person.
Out of his 13 years as a king, he was only at peace for 5, before the The Nine Years War (8 years war, as it’s called in Eniria) broke out. In the five years, he didn’t do much for the prosperity of Eniria. He was simply a happy man, who enjoyed his luxurious life as a king. He did once attempt to remove The Sumptuary Law of Eniria , but the Oracles were outraged, as were many religious nobles. From then on, he simply relaxed, and stayed out of the political game, until his death. He is most known for his disastrous participation in the Nine Years War, and he is usually only mentioned when people talk about Emperor Arkan's victories over him.
Early Years, 1393-1411
Childhood and Marriage
Baldwin was born at The Palace of Enir Bas on the evening of the 2nd of Winter 1393, To King Geofrey and Queen Constance . Breaking common tradition, Baldwin was not named something similar to his father, but was instead named after his uncle, the famous knight Baldwin the Brave. Baldwin counted Lord Edwin the Uncrowned amongst his friends, the man who would later rebel against Baldwin's son, Poros. There were concerns about his intelligence amongst his family, leading to his father famously uttering "This must be a cruel divine joke. My 8 year old son and heir eating dirt...", a quote that created his first nickname "The king of the dirt", a cruel joke, which everyone knew the meaning of, even Baldwin. Nevertheless, he couldn't do anything about this, as they claimed that it simply meant that he owned the Enirian land. This led to Geofrey mostly focusing on his second son Lord Alexander , and raising him to become a proper heir. Baldwin obviously noticed this, resulting in the deterioration of Baldwin's relationship with both his neglecting father, and his brother whom he was of course jealous of. Nevertheless, despite his famous dirt eating habit, he grew up to be a healthy and happy young man, although he did have some ambitions for his future. He met Queen Eleos as a 17 year old, when she was 14. He was introduced to her, through her cousin and his best friend, Edwin Khudia. He was very fond of her, and she liked him because he was not as serious as all the other young men that had proposed to her. They got married, and 2 years later, they had a son, Prince Leofwin .Powerful Allies
Despite his rumoured lack of intelligence, the Barons were eager to support his claim. They knew that if an unintelligent and gullible man such as Baldwin rulled Eniria, they could use him for their own gain. Baldwin didn't notice this, and was just delighted that other people recognized him as a capable ruler. Furthermore, he knew this would give him an edge over his brother, in the case of a succesion crisis. This is how the 17 year old prince came to spend the majority of his time alongside the barons and the soldiers. He made plenty of friends in the army, as they all were motivated by his joy.Succesion Crisis, 1415
King Geofrey's Health Falters
The year 1414-1415 saw King Geofrey's health worsen, as he approached 50 years. By this time, baldwin was 21, and Alexander was 19, and Baldwin had yet to name an heir. For the next year, Geofrey kept postponing his choice. He knew Alexander would be best, but the barons might revolve if their candidate was skipped. Furthermore, despite the king being able to choose whomever he wanted to as his heir, it was very uncommon to not choose your firstborn. When the day came, and Geofrey called his sons to his deathbed, Baldwin made sure that Alexander was sent away on a mission, which he claimed was from their father. Alexander left the capital, and Geofrey named Alexander his heir. Conveniently, Baldwin could not hear what he said, as he later claimed. He told the nobles, that Geofrey died without naming an heir. Immediately, the barons who supported him jumped up, and declared the oldest son the rightful heir to the throne. Without Alexander even in the capital, no one dared go against them. Baldwin told alexander of their father's death, and, as the king, ordered him to go build a fort in the mountain range between Eniria and Stirtin . He would let Alexander rule as lord of it, and become Borderlord. Alexander held a meeting with his few advisors that he took with him. After hours of discussing and planning, they came to the conclusion that they couldn't oppose Baldwin, who controlled nearly the entire Enirian army. Eventually, Alexander decided that they could do nothing, and followed Baldwin's orders to create fort. He wouldn't be a threat to Baldwin anymore. The 22 year old Baldwin was crowned by the Stratego , who were beginning to get nervous. The young king had proved him quite politically capable in climbing the throne, and was perhaps not as dumb as they had hoped. To their surprise, he turned out to be just as gullible and easy to manipulate as they had originally hoped. During his reign, Baldwin had one more son, King Poros of Eniria . The barons expected decades of control over Eniria, but after only 5 short years, the Nine Years War broke out.The Nine Years War, 1420-1429
Main Article: The Nine Years War (Read the main article for more information) The Nine Years War was a major war between the powers of Thiva. Baldwin was one of the main players, and fought in many major battles, before he was eventually defeated in 1428. The Nine Years War changed the political landscape of all of Thiva, and reduced the power of Eniria. Baldwin and his son Leofwin were both slain in the final battle of Rosouro. Baldwin's wife, Eleos, took power of Eniria after his death, as the heir Poros was taken as a hostage to Ethraia.Social
Religious Views
Baldwin was a public atheist, and made no attempt to hide it. The oracles despised him for it, as did the people and the nobility. No matter how many battles he lost, and how many men were killed, nothing could truly disgust them as much as a man who had no respect for the gods.
Relationships
Ethnicity
Honorary & Occupational Titles
King of Eniria, Lord of House Rex, Supreme Commander of the Enirian Army,
Date of Birth
2nd of Winter
Life
1393 AM
1428 AM
35 years old
Circumstances of Death
Killed in battle
Birthplace
The Palace of Enir Bas
Spouses
Queen Eleos
(spouse)
Siblings
Lord Alexander
(Brother)
Children
Gender
Male
Eyes
Hazel, warm
Hair
Short, obsidian
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Slightly tanned
Height
1.82 m
Weight
75 kg
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
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