Hender Saik Duval was the 13th Emperor of the Empire from 3132 to 3182.[1]
Hender Saik ascended to the Imperial throne at the age of 22, making him the youngest Emperor yet crowned. He was almost not crowned at all. Hender's father, Atticus Obellan Duval, wanted to remove him from the line of succession to make way for a stronger candidate, but this demand was overruled by the Imperial Senate and the noble houses, who pointed out that Atticus had no other heirs and seemingly preferred that the Duval bloodline remain tied to the Imperial throne. Atticus, weakened both physically and politically since the onset of an illness in 3122, was powerless to refuse.[2]
Hender Saik was a cautious man, even somewhat paranoid, and his initial actions on the political stage reflected this. In 3136, he ratified the Emerald Treaty with the Federation, agreeing to abolish Imperial Slavery in Cemiess in exchange for the Federation abandoning its claim to the system.[2] He continued the large-scale renewal of the Imperial military that began in 3104 with the establishment of the Facece Military Academy, leading to the development of the Imperial Courier in 3145, the first Imperially-funded ship design to appear in several centuries. With initial trials suggesting the Courier would exceed expectations, more funding was devoted to spaceship design.[3]
In 3163[sic], only a few days before Hender Saik's death at the age of 72, his grandson Hengist Duval was born. Their similarity in looks and manner in Hengist's later years were such that some claim Hender Saik's spirit had already passed to Hengist. After Hender Saik's death, his son Hesketh Duval succeeded him.[4] Hender Saik also had multiple other children, from whom descended Archduke Otto Lombardo-Duval and Lucretia Roche-Duval.[5]
Timeline[]
09 AUG 3301
- In respect of the assassination of Emperor Hengist Duval the planned article for this week has been moved to next week so that historian Sima Kalhana relates some of the key moments from his life. Emperor Hengist Duval was the 15th in the Imperial Duval bloodline to lead the Empire and he saw a great deal of change in his comparatively short reign. He was born in 3163, only a few days before the death of his grandfather Hender Saik Duval. Some claim that the spirit of Hender had already passed to Hengist such were the similarities in looks and manner noted in Hengist's later years. When his father, Hesketh Duval, died in 3233, Hengist assumed his place on the throne. The live broadcast of the coronation created an impression of a serene transition. However lurking beneath this appearance lay significant tensions. Most significant of which was the growing power of the Senate which had developed during the extended period of his father's illness. A parallel with the situation with Hengist's coma can be seen in recent months. At the start of his reign the cold war between the Empire and the Federation was starting to thaw, a process which continued for decades, although friction has recently resumed with the rise of certain powers like President Hudson and Senator Patreus. Hengist's reign witnessed a major technological advancement with the introduction of the new frame shift drive. This sped up travel between stars systems and even inside systems by an incredible margin. It created a more quickly shifting political, military and commercial landscape as reacting or causing changing became much easier. Hengist fell ill early in 3300, and he managed to continue light duties throughout the first half of the year. His sickness worsened as the year progressed and during this time he remained in seclusion with only rare visits to the Senate. At the turn of 3301 he slipped into a coma. Many expected him to not awaken from the coma and it was a great surprise when he recovered several months later. Near the close of 3300, Hengist decreed that his only legitimate child, Harold (who is Aisling Duval's unmarried father), was not of sound mind and so unfit for rule, and in any case had no legitimate children himself. Following this announcement Arissa Lavigny-Duval declared that she was the illegitimate child of Hengist. The Emperor supported this claim by announcing his forthcoming marriage with Arissa's mother, Florence Lavigny, and was expected to formally adopt Arissa and cement her claim to the throne. With his murder and the marriage not completed the succession to the Imperial throne is again not clear cut and many fear the potential instability this could cause to the Empire if not decided quickly after the Emperor's funeral.[4]
References[]
- ↑ Data taken from Tourist Spot Beacon 0159, Achenar system
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Elite Encounters RPG
- ↑ Data taken from Tourist Spot Beacon 0150, Facece system
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 GalNet: The Reign of Emperor Hengist Duval
- ↑ GalNet: Imperial Guard Defends Duvals
| Preceded by | Title | Succeeded by |
| Atticus Obellan Duval | Emperor | Hesketh Duval |