Protectorate of Aegyptus

The Protectorate of Aegyptus is a Roman extra-imperial province that has been a vassal state of the Roman Empire for a thousand years. Located on the banks of the River Nile and along the Nile Delta, the Protectorate is an area rich in natural resources and mineral wealth, including gold, jewels, and other items of value to the Empire.
Since becoming a Protectorate, Aegyptus (formerly known as "Egypt," and still so referenced by its people) has been assigned a Roman Procurator to govern it and ensure the Empire's interests are being served. However, as part of the original agreement between Julius Caesar and Queen Cleopatra VII, Aegyptus retains its royal monarchy, and most local decisions are left up to the head of the ruling family. The Procurator maintains a court adjacent to the palace, and has the authority to overturn the Queen's commands, should they conflict with the Empire's interests. In practice, because the royal family has largely been content under Roman rule, the Procurator has tended to allow the Queen to rule as she wishes. So long as Egypt pays a sufficient portion of its wealth to Rome, the nation has been left mostly to its own devices.
Because Cleopatra VII rose to power by usurping the co-rulership from her brother Theos, and faced resistance from within the royal family at this flouting of tradition, she declared that she had been fated to become the sole Queen of Egypt under Roman rule. Since then, she and her descendants have been officially referred to as the Ordained Queens of Egypt.
The current Queen of Egypt is Cleopatra XXII -- or was, until AUC 2099. Since that time, all communication from within the Protectorate has been severed, and no one knows whether Cleopatra still reigns on the Jackal Throne.

History

Originally tribes of nomads, the River Folk eventually settled in the region of the Nile Valley, where they used the rich alluvial soil to grow abundant food and begin building a civilization. They discovered great wealth in the mountains and deserts surrounding the valley, including gold, silver, and gems. Eventually two kingdoms formed -- one in the Nile Delta, and one in the upper valley of the river. At first these two Kingdoms often fought against one another, as each vied for superiority. But then, Narmer, who ruled the Lower Kingdom, conquered their neighbor and rival in 592 PUC, nearly six centuries before the founding of Rome. Thereafter, Narmer and his descendants ruled all of Egypt.
By tradition, the oldest son and daughter of the king were married, so as to retain the sanctity of royal blood, although there were sometimes exceptional cases of rulers marrying cousins or even non-relatives. This was often seen as scandalous and these rulers frequently faced secret, or even open, rebellion. Throughout the majority of Egyptian history for the next 1600 years, brother-sister dyads ruled as a King-Queen pair, with the Queen seeing primarily to domestic affairs, and the King seeing to military and foreign ones. The rest of the royal family served the King and Queen as members of the Royal Court.
The most famous exception to this occurred in AUC 29, when Amenhotep IV met a commoner woman in the streets of the capital, and fell in love with her. He brought the woman, named Nefertiti, back to the palace and married her. The beautiful new Queen shocked the Court by displaying unprecedented arcane powers. She performed these feats despite having no training, such as a wizard would require. The court members dubbed her a "sorceress" and many feared she had bewitched the King. But he would hear no word against her, and she remained his consort until his death many years later. Together they had six children, all of whom shared Nefertiti's innate magical abilities. Over the years, due to inbreeding, eventually the Egyptian dynasty came to be a kinship of not just royal, but also magical blood. This magical royal court came to be known as the Court of Jackals.
By the time Caesar arrived in Egypt in AUC 1030, the Kings and Queens of Egypt were well known to have magical talents. Cleopatra VII promised to use her powers and wealth to aid Caesar in his campaign against Pompey, if he would put her on the Jackal Throne as Egypt's sole ruler. The two formed an alliance, and Cleopatra usurped power for herself, killing her brother Theos and forcing her younger sister, Arsinoe IV, into exile. To assert her legitimacy as sole monarch, ruling alone instead of with a partner, Cleopatra declared that she had been fated to rule Egypt by herself, and became known as the first Ordained Queen of Egypt. The title "Ordained Queen" has remained to this day.
In the centuries since, the royal line has remained unbroken. Consequently, the current Ordained Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra XXII, can trace her line of descent directly to the first Ordained Queen, Cleopatra VII.

Founding Date

592 PUC

Type

Geopolitical, Protectorate

Alternative Names

Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt

Demonym

Egyptian

Head of Government

Emperor Valerian

Government System

Monarchy, Crowned Republic

Power Structure

Client state / puppet state

Economic System

Traditional

Currency

Uses Roman Currency for official business.

Official State Religion

Roman Pantheon

Related Ethnicities

• River Folk