Emperor / Empress

The Emperor or Empress of the Old Pale Empire was the title given to the civil and military ruler, under whom the Empire was united. In the early days of the Empire, the role was very much a military one, but over the many long years of relative peace which characterised the last three thousand years or so of the Empire's existence, it was the political and civic skills of the office holder that became much more important. Eventually, the position evolved into a largely ceremonial function with most of the real power of government excercised within the Ecclesia.

Appointment

An Emperor or Empress ruled for life but the position was not invariably hereditary, although there were times when people seemed to behave as if it were. Technically, the ruler was expected to declare a successor in public before the Ecclesia. They could do this at any time and they could change their mind whenever they wanted. It was customary for the line of descent to follow from generation to generation but sometimes there were breaks, for example if the ruler was childless. The system was meant to ensure that the clear will of the Emperor could always be followed to find their successor but it was not entirely without problems. For example, the Emperor Felix II died before he could announce a successor. In this case, the Lightstaff ruled that traditional royal succession rules should apply. The most famous case of ambiguity, arose when the Emperor Myrold II's wife, the Lady Pelle, declared that he had told her on this death bed of a change of heart in the succession, in favour of her daughter. This was strictly not admissible, because it was not public but it gave rise to the War of the Three Sisters, a civil war which came close to destroying the Empire altogether.

Notable Holders

The following table lists a few of the holders of the highest office in the Empire, in chronological order. This is not a complete list, just a cross reference of the ones named in other articles and some of the more significant leaders.

Reign	Office Holder	Image	Remarks
14th Authon 4542 BPC to 18th Kerax 4518 BPC	Emperor Hanrith I	Old Pale Empire - Emperor Hanrith I by DMFW with Midjourney	The first Emperor of the Old Pale Empire
19th Kerax 4518 BPC to 11th Mald 4496 BPC	Emperor Malgern		The second Emperor of the Old Pale Empire. Conquered the Jebbin League
12th Mald 4496 BPC to 3rd Tuzlle 4482 BPC	Emperor Ingrald I		The third Emperor of the Old Pale Empire. Began the Northern Punjuki Campaign.
4th Tuzlle 4482 BPC to 8th Chiroth 4455 BPC	Emperor Keldus I		Saw the The Northern Punjuki Campaign brought to a successful conclusion.
9th Chiroth 4455 BPC to 13th Chiroth 4382 BPC	Empress Galea	Old Pale Empire - Empress Galea by DMFW with Stable Diffusion	Her reign saw the conquest of Tinturbean, between 4448 and 4430 BPC
14th Chiroth 4382 BPC to 19th Kerax 4305 BPC	Emperor Dravidik I	Old Pale Empire - Emperor Dravidik I by DMFW with Stable Diffusion	Responsible for founding and formalising the practices of the Imperial Faith.
8th Kerax 3686 BPC to 9th Authon 3670 BPC	Emperor Paul II		Granted the city charter of Vrandakan in 3678 BPC.
2nd Pruth 3323 BPC to 12th Mald 3275 BPC	Empress Kathryne	Old Pale Empire - Empress Kathryne by DMFW with Stable Diffusion	Responsible for the building of the Old Pale Empire Road.
3rd Pruth 3131 BPC to 14th Tivith 3085 BPC	Emperor Dravidik IV		Under his reign, the capital of the Empire was moved from Zalgurim to Honirham in 3120 BPC
10th Tuzlle 2948 BPC to 5th Glim 2915 BPC	Emperor Paul IV
6th Glim 2915 BPC to 20th Mald 2833 BPC	Emperor Myrold II	Old Pale Empire - Emperor Myrold II by DMFW with Stable Diffusion	Myrold II's death precipitated the War of the Three Sisters.
7th Findil 2833 BPC to 15th Kerax 2795 BPC	Empress Acetta	Old Pale Empire - Princess Acetta by DMFW with Stable Diffusion	The Princess was her father's annointed successor but in order to secure her position as Empress after his death, she had to win the War of the Three Sisters.
16th Kerax 2795 to 13th Doloph 2708 BPC	Emperor Caebrin	Old Pale Empire - Emperor Caebrin by DMFW with Midjourney	Empress Acetta's annointed successor, the son of her half sister, executed for treason at the end of the War of the Three Sisters, the boy's upbringing and Acetta's "gift" of the throne of the Empire when she died, were her own peculiar and ambiguous atonement.
3rd Mald 11 BPC to 23rd Tivith 7 APC	Emperor Leonard V	Old Pale Empire - Emperor Leonard V by DMFW with Stable Diffusion & GFPGan	The last Emperor of the Old Pale Empire.