The Old Kingdom[]
The old Kingdom of Neo-Macedonia, as it was called, was the first state to inhabit most of what today is known as Azania. Originally a colony of the now long since lost Empire of Neo-Rome, Neo-Macedonia gained its independence as a Principality. Eventually, the Principality would become a Kingdom as the first and only Prince, Prince Alexander Augustus married a devouted Genesian Catholic of the Irish nobility, Chloe Agnew Donnabháin. The Kingdom flourished under Alexander's leadership but his death was premature, as he never sired an heir to succeed him. This would cause a the First Civil War, a war that embroiled the country in hardship until the support of the Genesian Catholic Church and royal Papacy helped end the war and place Queen Chloe Donnabháin Augustus as heir to the throne of Neo-Macedonia. In exchange for Papal support, Chloe was forced to lead a life in unison with the Virgin Mary, remaining as pure and devout to her husband in his death as she was in his life. This began a long tradition of Queens, with each Queen chosen by the last to succeed in the throne. Candidates were to be of the purest type, virgins, who embodied what they believed to be the devotion that the Virgin Mary had to Christ and God. The necessity of successors helped to form the Sisterhood of Mary, a covenant of nuns whose tasks were to serve the Queen as well as whose training would prepare each to take the throne if chosen. Eventually, the Papacy of Genesis City would bestow the title of Sacred Queen on the rulers of the Kingdom, a title and position that would last in the country until the Kingdoms end. Most of what makes Azania so unique can be traced back to the decision made by the first Dynasty of matriarchal rulers.
The First Ruler[]
| Saint Alexander Augustus | ||||||||||
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Prince Alexander Augustus was the younger brother of Julius Augustus of NeoRome. Both men had been apart of the Roman revival that had taken place in Russia following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. When Julus Augustus took the throne of the newly created NeoRoman Empire, he effectively created the Augustus Dynasty and supported his brother as royalty. The NeoRomans came to South Africa hoping to exploit its rich natural resources to help support their own growing empire. The area became a colony of Paradise City and Alexander was placed as its leader. While Alexander had always been faithful to his older brother, leading his own nation soon helped to change his opinion of both his brother and his brother's ability to lead. Though he could have very well challenged his brother's leadership back within the NeoRoman Empire, he choose instead to seek independence for the colony. Though Julius was deeply hurt by his brother's decision to seek independence, he did not risk war between them just to keep the colony in Africa. South African gained its independence and Alexander declared the nation to be Neo-Macedonia and he took the title of Prince.
The Principality of Neo-Macedonia was a prosperous nation under Alexander's leadership. He was able unite the South African Tribes that had, before Neo-Rome's arrive, been locked in bitter tribal conflict following the dissolution of the South African State. Once again providing civilization to Africa, the people experienced many of the comforts of other civilized nations at the time. New schools and universities helped to created a new generation of entrepreneurs, engineers, politicians, and economists. An industrial revolution began in the country, with many of mines and other mineral quarries becoming modernized. This modernization of the mines helped to greatly increased production and distribution, leading to an economic boom for the Principality. This in turn lead to the development of the nation's own banking system as well as a boom in the expansion of private enterprises, especially in the commercial and industrial sectors of the economy. Indeed, Neo-Macedonia had become very profitable and the Augustus Dynasty within the country, namely Alexander, became very rich as a result. However, it was soon evident that Alexander would need to take on a wife if he was to secure his dynasty's legacy by siring an heir. This particular fact that Alexander had no heir became a great concern for him following the Neo-Macedonian/South African War. Though Neo-Macedonia inhabited most of South-western South Africa, a second state known simply as South Africa inhabited the eastern region. After it became international knowledge that the South Africans harbored slaves and were involved in a slavery system, Prince Alexander publicly denounced South Africa. Angered by Prince Alexander's actions, the South African government launched an invasion of Neo-Macedonia. Neo-Macedonia had for sometime neglected its military forces, in fact what forces it had were the units that formally made-up the colonial guard. Out-numbered in terms of men and military technology, Neo-Macedonia had to seek help from foreign powers to defend itself. Patrua was one of the nations that came to the aid of Neo-Macedonia. With their help, the Neo-Macedonians survived the war and a DMZ was effectively created between the two nations. Neo-Macedonia would also come to the aid of Mwanza Jamhuriduring their civil war, helping to restore the rightful government to power and ensuring stability of the Jamhuri people for many years after.
The was with South Africa helped to spark a military buildup in Neo-Macedonia. In only a few short years Prince Alexander saw to the expansion of his forces from a small colonial defense force to a modernized fighting military. A military that could not only defend the Principality's own borders but also exert some authority throughout Africa and aid allies that the Principality would create in future years. Though Neo-Macedonia would create a formidable army, navy, and air force; it would do little to solve the problem that Prince Alexander still remained unwed and had no heir to leave the throne of his new nation to. This prompted the Prince to begin a search of suitable nobles and royals to court. Though established, Neo-Macedonia remained a small power at the time and very few of the more powerful monarchies of the era were willing to receive Alexander's offers of marriage to their eligible daughters. Though the Prince become discouraged, his search would eventually prove fruitful as word soon spread throughout the word of his courtship. News eventually made it to Ireland, at the time a region under the kingdom of the British. Though under British rule, some of the old Irish nobles remained loyal to the Genesisian Catholic faith. One such family, the Donnabháin, had a daughter that they greatly wished to marry into a stronger royal family. Many letters about this request were sent to Genesis City, requesting the Pope find a suitor for Chloe Agnew Donnabháin. The Pope saw a marriage between Alexander Augustus and Chloe Agnew Donnabháin as a means of spreading Papal influence into Neo-Macedonia and creating yet another ally to the Royal Papacy. Word was sent to Alexander of the offer, which through stipulations demanded that Alexander convert to the faith and open Neo-Macedonia to the same. Alexander agree, understanding the benefits of being loyal to the Pope. The two were married by Pope Cristiano VII, who also crowned Alexander as King and effectively created the Kingdom of Neo-Macedonia. This marriage would secure Genesisian Catholicism in South Africa for generations to come, as it would be the state religion of Neo-Macedonia and the Kingdoms and states that would follow it. Sadly however, Alexander would not sire an heir with his new Queen before his death. Without an acknowledged heir to the throne, Neo-Macedonia would be face with civil war, as all those wishing for power would rise up after Alexander's death to take what he had created.
- Later, after the civil war, Pope John XXV would make Alexander a Saint.
Sacred Queen Chloe (Mother of Neo-Macedonia)[]
| First Sacred Queen | ||||||||
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Sacred Queen Chloe, once simply known as Queen Chloe Agnew Donnabháin Augustus, is the second ruler of Neo-Macedonia and its first Sacred Queen. She became Queen of Neo-Macedonia upon her marriage to Alexander Augustus, then Prince of the country. Their marriage by Pope Cristiano VII not only crowned them King and Queen, effectively transforming the country from a Principality to a Kingdom, but also brought Genesisian Catholicism to South Africa. Theirs was a true love affair, though they had been given little time to known each other before marriage. It was always said the Alexander adored Chloe for her natural beauty as well as her genuine kindness for others. However, though the marriage secured Catholicism in Neo-Macedonia it failed in securing an heir to the Neo-Macedonian throne. Though they had become deeply in love, King Alexander died before he consummated his marriage with Chloe. The King died in the middle of the night and his death devastated Queen Chloe. The Queen felt embarrassed over the death of her husband, for they had never consummated their marriage. The Queen understood that their marriage was first and foremost a contract to ensure an heir to the throne. She had failed to do this and more over, had failed the Catholic Church in securing a Catholic heir to the throne. For fear that his death would insight Civil War, the Queen attempted to hide Alexander's death from the people until such time as she could secure the throne for a proper heir. Though her actions were intended to keep Neo-Macedonia from fighting itself or worse, from being invaded by those who'd wish to take the throne for themselves, the Queen was forced to deceive the people she cared for the most. Though she had hoped this deception would not be long and that she could secure the throne easily, her efforts were in vain.
General Marcus Hadrianus, a high-ranking military official discovered the Queen's deception. Am ambitious General, Hadrianus saw the opportunity that this situation provided and quickly sought to blackmail the Queen in his attempt to gain power. General Hadrianus used his knowledge of Alexander's death and how the Queen impersonated the King through letters and other official correspondence. He threatened to take this information to the people if Queen Chloe did not agree to give power to the General. Reluctantly Queen Chloe agreed, and the two publicly announced King Alexander's death as well as a fake proclaimation from the King, declaring that General Hadrianus be crowned the new King of Neo-Macedonia. Though fearful of the General and his intentions for the Kingdom, Queen Chloe feared she had no other choice. She firmly believed that had she stood against the General, he'd have incited a civil war and that many would have died for a mistake she believed was solely her own. However, soon the General proved to be the ruthless dictator she feared he would be. Policies that Alexander would have never dreamed of enacting, Hadrianus did and soon the people were being punished for Queen Chloe's decision. Believing this to be a mistake only she could fix, Queen Chloe slipped away from Neo-Macedonia and through the cover of night, traveled far away to Europe. She escaped to Catholic Europe, the seat of power of the Genesisian Catholic Church and the Royal Pope's of Genesis City. She came before Pope John XXV and confessed her sins to his royal papal majesty as well as pleaded with him for guidance and help. Though angered, Pope John XXV understood the great danger that Neo-Macedonia was in under Hadrianus's rule. Instructing Queen Chloe to return, he pledged papal financial support as well as rallying papal allies to help defeat the General. Understanding her role, Queen Chloe returned to Neo-Macedonia and denounced the General for his part in the deception of the people. Confessing her own part in the deception, she called for the people rise against the tyrant General. The people answered the called and many did defect to the Queen's side although most of the military remained loyal to General Hadrainus. For miltiary support, Queen Chloe was given helped from the nations of Syawla, New Medea and South Africa. A brutal and bloody civil war between the Queen and General was fought, with many innocent lives lost along the path to victory. In the end, Queen Chloe and her allies were victorious in defeating and executing General Hadrianus for his crimes against the crown.
With victory won, Queen Chloe was ordered back to Catholic Europe where she again met before the Pope. For his part in financing the war and helping Queen Chloe to defeat the General, Pope John XXV ordered the Queen Chloe never marry. Instead, as punishment for her own part in the deception, Queen Chloe was ordered to live a life of Celibacy. She was to rule Neo-Macedonia as Queen, being re-crowned by the Pope with the title of Sacred Queen. Her life was to be modeled after the virgin Mary and that hence forth only virgin women could take the throne of Neo-Macedonia. It was at this time that Sacred Queen Chloe founded the covenant of the Sisterhood of Mary. Though many of their duties involved assisting the Sacred Queen in her daily life, each sister also received training and education to prepare them to become Queen. From then on all Sacred Queens of the Kingdom of Neo-Macedonia would be chosen from the Sisterhood of Mary. Furthermore Pope John XXV made the late King Alexander a saint, an act celebrated by Neo-Macedonians for generations after. A gift was bestowed upon Sacred Queen Chloe by Pope John XXV, a simple white-gold cross that was placed around her neck at her coronation in Rome. This cross became the symbol of power of the Sacred Queen, as was passed down from Sacred Queen to their successor for many generations. After her coronation, Sacred Queen Chloe returned to her kingdom and began a reign that some believed marked the beginning of the golden age for the Kingdom of Neo-Macedonia. Chloe oversaw the re-construction of that which was damaged by the war as well as an expansion of Neo-Macedonian markets into the Kingdom's new allies such as Syawla and New Medea. It was also during Chloe's reign that Neo-Macedonian and South African relations improved. Now the Empire of South Africa, the country had converted to Catholicism, creating a new shared bond between the two countries at the southern tip of Africa.
Sacred Queen Chloe's reign was one of peace and rebuilding, following a time when the Neo-Macedonians had needed it most. Though she had terribly deceived her people, they grew to forgive Chloe and her popularity grew, making her one of the most beloved monarch's of the Kingdom. Her death was seen as a great tragedy but one that came with an unprecedented miracle, one that would be forever remembered by the people. For it was on her death bed, in the presence of her heir and successor, Sister Claire, that Sacred Queen Chloe revealed to Sister Claire a vision she had had the night before. As if in a dream, Chloe described seeing her late husband King Alexander and through him, she was instructed to give to Claire prophecies given to him by God. Claire wrote these prophecies as told to her by Chloe, finishing the last just before Chloe drifted off into sleep and death. The Prophecies of Alexander,as they came to be called, were seen as divine revelations and became sacred artifacts of the state.
Sacred Queen Claire[]
| Second Sacred Queen | ||||||||
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Claire Mastroianni was the second Sacred Queen of the Kingdom of Neo-Macedonia, though she was the third ruler to sit on the throne. Having been the closest confidant to Sacred Queen Chloe during her life, she had through her friendship and loyalty secured her destiny to become the next ruler upon Chloe's death. However, unlike others within the sisterhood, Claire never desired the throne. In fact, Claire expressed several times to Chloe that she never believed herself to possess the qualities necessary to lead the Kingdom after Chloe's death. Chloe often responded to these remarks with the fact that her very humbleness and kindness was exactly what the kingdom needed and was the necessary qualities of a good leader. Not wishing to disrespect her friend and former mentor, Claire took the throne and was crowned Sacred Queen, the first to be crowned in the Cathedral of the capital city of Acropolis. Her coronation was met with great celebration by the people of the Kingdom, it seemed everyone had great confidence in the new Sacred Queen. Furthermore, her coronation marked the first peaceful transition of power within the Kingdom which was something the people desired for the future as well. Along with the crown of the country, Sacred Queen Claire also became protector of the Prophecies of Alexander.
Much like Chloe before her, Claire spent much of her reign helping to further rebuild the country and expand itself to meet modern demands. Many schools and churches were built under Claire's reign, bring with them new comforts for the people to enjoy. Business and commerce also expanded during this time, many ports became busy with foreign exports that flowed into the country. A strong mild class began to develop, one that help to shrink the lower class. More and more domestic industries began to develop during Claire's reign including automobile manufacturing. Perhaps one of the more profound developments made during the reign of Sacred Queen Claire was the development of the monetary unit of Latinum. The Kingdom had previously used the same units that they had since the time that they were a colony of the NeoRoman Empire. In the end the Kingdom sought to further unify itself under a new form of money, and after some debate among the most influential in the country it was decided that Latinum would become the new monetary unit of the Kingdom. Latinum is composed mostly of iron ore that is lightly coated in a golden shell. Latinum is divided into four units: Slips, Strips, Bars, and Bricks. Within the new system 10 slips = 1 strip, 10 strips = 1 bar, and 10 bars = 1 brick; with the brick being the largest unit that can be obtained within the system. Though it took time for the new system to be completely integrated into the Kingdom, once it was completely adopted it inspired the people in a new sense of nationalism never felt before. The Kingdom grew both in its economy as well as its physical border, with Neo-Macedonia expanding itself into the northern wilderness. One of the most influential moves by Sacred Queen Claire was her hand in the marriage of Princess Juliana Mastroianni to Prince Romulus Dos Santos Aveiro-Medici of New Harumf.
Prince Romulus Dos Santos Aveiro-Medici was the heir to New Harumf, one of the oldest allies of the Catholic Europe and the royal papacy. Indeed, Prince Romulus was among the papal royal bloodline and marriage to Romulus would ensure a connect to the bloodline and the Popes for many generations to come. Sacred Queen Claire hoped that she could provide a spouse for the young Prince that the Pope would supported and in that thought, offered the Papal Authority her younger sister and last heir to the Mastroianni family, Princess Juliana Mastroianni. A minor family once hailing from Italy, the Mastroianni came to Neo-Macedonia during the time of King Alexander following his marriage and conversion to Catholicism. Since that time, they had gained some wealth and influence within the Kingdom and were also among those who aided Queen Chloe during the civil war. Their greatest accomplishment came when Claire was crowned Sacred Queen of the Kingdom, though it did little to increased their overall influence. While Claire was close with her family, she did little to help their influence within the rest of the Kingdom. However, it was believed by Prince Mastroianni that if the marriage between his daughter and Prince Romulus could be arrange, it would secure a legacy for his family far beyond anything Claire could do. With a Papal blessing, the marriage was arranged and soon Juliana Mastroanani became Queen Julianna Dos Santos Aveiro-Medici of New Harumf. Along with the vast wealth of the Papal Royal bloodline, the couple also inherited the entire wealth of the Mastroianni family within the Neo-Macedonian Kingdom. Through the marriage, Juliana and Romulus sired five children: Thomas, Agnes, Romulus, Emmanuel, and Elizabeth Rose. Unfortunately for New Harumf, the country would be attacked and most of the royal family would die. The only to survive was Prince Thomas, who at the time of the attack, was visit the Mastroianni estate in Neo-Macedonia. From that time forward, the Mastroianni noble line was replaced by the New Harumfian line of the House Dos Santos Aveiro-Medici.
Though many would remember Sacred Queen Claire for her many accomplishments both in the Kingdom as well as through the marriage of Julianna And Romulus, many would view Claire as the quiet Queen. Indeed, many found that though they loved their reigning monarch they knew so little about her, aside from her public accomplishments. Claire would die more as an enigmatic ruler than a individual deeply known by her people. Despite this she, much like her predecessor, would die with a great amount of public support and reverence. She would die peacefully in her sleep while on her private jet as she was returning to the Kingdom from a trip abroad. She would be succeeded by a sister of her choosing, Sarah Von Euker-Hogan.
Sacred Queen Sarah (The Blood Queen)[]
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Sacred Queen Sarah is the third Sacred Queen of the Kingdom of Neo-Macedonia, as well as being the fourth ruler of the country since King Alexander. A daughter from the house Von Euker-Hogan, Sarah was German in ancestry with her family having been in the Kingdom since the conversion of King Alexander. Having formerly hailed from the Catholic nation of Saxe-Coburg in Europe, the family was of minor catholic nobility while in Germany. Moving to Neo-Macedonia allowed the family to begin a prosperous arms manufacturing industry that helped armed the Kingdom in its most dire times. When Sarah ascended the throne and became Sacred Queen, the family believed it had finally reached its apex of power. A power that the Von Euker-Hogan's had built through deceit, bribery and, when necessary, assassination. Not much different from her family, Sarah would soon prove to be a Sacred Queen and ruler unlike any the Kingdom had seen before. The early years of Sacred Queen Sarah's rule was not unlike that of her predecessor, Claire, as the Kingdom remained in peace as well as prosperous. Indeed, many felt that Sarah was much like Claire in that Sarah remained mostly silent in her early years, giving few public announcements or appearances after her coronation. It would not be until later that many would realize that the Sacred Queen's silence was due to her own necessity to consolidate power and make preparations to expand both Catholicism and the borders of the Kingdom.
The Sacred Queen's first move towards the new direction of her rule, was the pledge of the Kingdom's forces to the Roman War of Succession. With the last Roman Emperor dead, the throne was in question between one claimant that would continue to Orthodox Christianity of its history and another that was linked to the Royal Papacy of Genesis City, a man who as Emperor would bring Genesisian Catholicism to the Roman Empire. This would bring centuries of Orthodox Christianity within the Roman Empire to an end, something the established Orthodox Christians of the Empire refused to allow. The war was long and many were lost in the fight against Roman forces loyal to the Orthodox claimant. Eventually the Genesisian lost the war, and Neo-Macedonia's forces were recalled back to the Kingdom. Though the loss in the war was a hard one for the people of Neo-Macedonia to bare, the Sacred Queen had other victories in mind to bring morale back to the people. What they did not expect however, was the brutality that Sarah was willing to use in her own designs and conquests. Under Sarah, the Kingdom invaded the islands of St. Helena and Ascesion islands, islands that at one time were under the authority of New Medea. Once a Catholic ally, New Medea and its colonial authority of the Veloryan Empire, had since fallen and the islands were left without direction. Troops from the Kingdom landed on the island and were quickly absorbed into the authority of the Sacred Queen who saw to it that those who resisted, were quickly executed as heretics. A devout Catholic, the Sacred Queen was almost fanatical in her beliefs and was the first Sacred Queen to sanction mass burns of heretics at the stake. There is even some evidence that suggests torture tactics issued by the Sacred Queen to convert those still not apart of the Catholic faith. These included those natives who still practiced the more tribal rituals of Southern Africa. Previously, it had been the position of the Sacred Queen to simply ignore these individuals are they were an extreme minority. Sacred Queen Sarah however, made it her purpose to convert them or destroy them. These tactics began many to refer to Sarah as the Blood Queen due to those natives that lost their lives in the name of faith.
While dealing with what the Sacred Queen believed to be heretics within her Kingdom,trouble in Neo-Macedonia's neighbor and ally South Africa soon occupied the Sacred Queen's attention. A long time ally, South Africa had converted to Catholicism not shortly after Neo-Macedonia had and the Emperor was connected through marriage to some of the more influential Catholic families in the world at the time. However, instability in the country led to a terrorist overthrow of the government and in turn threaten to undo Catholic control in the country all together. This coup d'état greatly worried Sacred Queen Sarah, who feared the heretical ideas of the terrorists would spread in the Neo-Macedonia. In this fear that heretical ideas would spread into Neo-Macedonia and threaten her rule and that of the church, Sarah ordered the borders to South Africa closed. Using the military to effect this lock-down of the country, many South Africans lost their lives in attempts to cross into the Kingdom of Neo-Macedonia. The closing of the border would continue on throughout Sarah's reign and would go to induce a period of isolationism for the Kingdom that would continue until Sarah's death. During this time, Neo-Macedonia would concern itself more with matters of state than with issue of the Church or other international concerns. It was also during this time that Sarah solidified her name as the Blood Queen through the many purges she oversaw. The purges came from the Sacred Queen's growing paranoid over the idea that heretical terrorist could exist in the Kingdom. It was due to this paranoid that many suffered under the blood queen during the rest of their reign. Hundreds were taken into custody during the purges, all suffering through intense and painful interrogations. Many falsely accused others simply to have the torture stopped. Those who were not executed on charges of terrorism and treason are believed to have die as a result of the torture interrogation methods used by the government to gain confessions. In her defense, Sacred Queen Sarah often wrote in personal files and other official documents on the matter that all were in an effort to purify the people and bring everlasting peace.
It is believed that Sacred Queen Sarah made many enemies during her reign, which have led many to believe that the mysterious circumstances surrounding her death may have been the result of fowl play. Officially, reports over her death state that the Sacred Queen died of a heart attack in her sleep. However, many believe that this is not entirely the case and that Sarah was indeed poisoned so as to bring her reign to an end. Though to this day these remain only rumors, the prevalence of these rumors to stand the test of time has led many to believe that in fact there is some truth to them. Yet while the belief the Sacred Queen was murdered remains, to whom the assassin was remains a mystery. Some believe that Sarah was murder by official in the military, those unwilling to do more of her purges. Others believe perhaps it was the Genesisian Church or more specifically, the Primate of Neo-Macedonia who murdered. Still other believe it was the Sisterhood of Mary, perhaps even Sarah's successor, Katherine Rossetto-Cipriani. Despite the mystery surrounding her death, the truth remains that Sarah, the Blood Queen's death marked the end of the great purges as well as an end to the isolationism of the Kingdom. However, the Blood Queen's death would not end the trouble of the Kingdom.
Sacred Queen Katherine (The heretical Queen)[]
| Fourth Sacred Queen/First Reverend Mother | ||||||||
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Katherine Rossetto-Cipriani came to power after the death of Sacred Queen Sarah, known to many within the Kingdom by this time as the Blood Queen. Her death, though my mysterious means, was hoped by many to mean the end of the tyranny and oppression for which arose during her lifetime. Indeed, Katherine made every early indication of her desire to free the Kingdom from the past policies that had oppressed the people. A daughter of the house Rossetto-Cipriani, Katherine's family was the second Italian family to make Neo-Macedonia their home. Less noble in terms of honor than the Mastroianni that had come before them, the Rossetto-Cipriani were accustomed to a lifestyle they refused to give up. Greedy and treacherous, the Rossetto-Cipriani used many deceptive means to get what they wanted. Indeed, it was Katherine's family history that led many to believe that she had been the one to end Sacred Queen Sarah's life. Although those talk was of murder, many felt that ending Sarah's life was more a blessing to the country given her oppressive policies. What many did not know was that Katherine was more like Sarah in many respect, perhaps indeed even more ambitious than Sacred Queen Sarah could ever have hoped to be.
Katherine's first reigning years however, gave little indication of her more sinister personality. Indeed, studying only the first few years of her reign, many at the time believed Katherine to be a woman of great compassion both for her church as well as for the subjects she ruled over. Before her, Katherine faced maybe obstacles left behind by the last to sit on the throne. The Kingdoms isolation had severely crippled its economy as well as diplomatic relations with other nations. Katherine's first acts were to oversea economic reforms designed to not only cut wasteful spending within the government but also to lower taxes and increase productivity within Neo-Macedonia's industrial sectors. Her policies worked, citizens within the Kingdom began earning more money and in turn, began spending more money which allowed the state to once again earn great amounts of revenue. Once economic stability was secured, Katherine moved to secure for the Kingdom better diplomatic relations with the Genesisian Catholic Church and allies that the Kingdom had neglected during its isolation. To better relations, Katherine helped to arrange the marriage of Juliana Mastroianni and Prince Romulus Dos Santos Averio-Mecidi of New Harumf.
of whom became the Kingdom's first Archduke and Archdutchess.
However, as Genesis City fell into civil war the couple would never become the royal family of Neo-Macedonia they were intended to be. Instead, guided by wisdom for which she believed was given to her by god through the virgin Mary, Katherine brought Azania out of communion with the Holy Genesian Catholic Church which was in ruins and established instead the Church of Mary (or The Holy Marinite Church). She positioned herself as head of the church, taking the title Holy Reverend Mother and began to model the country into a Catholic Commonwealth for which it would refer to itself as for many years to come. This event by far left a lasting impression about Katherine on the minds of all the people of the Commonwealth, as it is now seen as the first greatest act of heresy committed by the monarchy since the establishment of the country.
The Marinite Church preached a heretical dogma which placed Mary as the rightful heir to the legacy of Jesus Christ. Believing as such, the Church believed that women and not men, should be within the upper echelons of power within the Catholic Church. The Marinites published the Divinian, their version of the bible and began a long process of converting the masses into Marinite followers. This process was hardly successful as most remained devoted Genesians that rejected the teachings of the Marinite Church. However, their devotion to the one true church came at a dangerious price as the Marinites actively began purging the country of all those who did not submit to the new faith. Eventually the nobility had enough of the Marinite Heresey and a crusade was launched against the Church and the heretical Reverend Mother Katherine. The Nobility desquised their crusade against the heresy as a war of conquest to take the South African Empire. South Africa was once a Catholic ally of what is today Azania but over time fell into disarray and had actually converted to Colognian Catholicism. The armies raised by the nobility quickly took the South African Empire and destroy its Colognian leadership. Katherine arrived in the old capital to celebrate the victory of the armies. She was instead greeted by treachery as she was assassinated on sight. Upon her death the Commonwealth fell into chaos and a civil war ensued between the nobility.
Baron Derek Von Euler-Hogan, the younger brother of Robert Von Euker-Hogan who was not only a veteran of the Crusades but also the current head of the military at the time, proclaimed himself King and used both his political and military connections to wage war against any noble house that opposed him. The House Mabuza and Rossetto-Cipriani support him out of a necessity to stay alive and a hope to grab some power for themselves. The houses Kaczorowski and Vandermeersch opposed Derek and used the armies they raised to conquer South Africa, to fight against him. Both these houses followed a man by the title of Grand Nagus. Little in history is known of this mysterious figure but it is believe it was the Grand Nagus who orchestrated the assassination of Katherine. He would lead to the Houses Kaczorowski and Vandermeersch to victory over their enemies. Mabuza and Rossetto-Cipriani would be punished, but their punishment was light compared to that of the House Von Euler-Hogan. It would also be the Grand Nagus who would appoint the Commonwealth's first Chancellor , Johannes Whitmore.
As for Katherine's legacy, it is mostly scarred and forgotten. Historians see Katherine as the last of the first Dynasty Sacred Queens but also quickly label her a heretic that did not desire the Sacred Queen title.
The Holy Catholic Hegemony[]
Shortly after the Civil War to take Derek Von Euker-Hogan out of power, the Commonwealth quickly began to transform into a state that called itself the Hegemony. The Hegemony was both a blessing and a curse against the people of Azania. Positively, the Hegemony worked diligently to completely wipe all traces of the Marinite Church from the state, burying that heretical past for all time. Negatively, the Hegemony also did nothing to restore the Sacred Queen Monarchy but instead elevated the Chancellery into the supreme leadership position. The Hegemony would eventually fall due to the accidental released of a biological weapon developed by the Hegemon state to be used against heretical nations. The Hegemony would have only one Chancellor during its existence.
Chancellor Johannes Whitemore[]
| First Supreme Chancellor | ||||||||||
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Johannes Whitmore was born in the golden age of the Commonwealth, back when it was a Kingdom of the first Sacred Queen Dynasty. An intelligent youth, Whitmore excelled at each academic challenge he set before himself and continually challenged his mind an abilities. He was in his twenties when the last true Sacred Queen, Sarah, died and Katherine came to power. A devout Genesian, Johannes denounced Katherine's leadership when he converted herself and the Kingdom to the Marinite heresy. He actively participated in several rallies held against Katherine and her Church, causing him to come under persecution several times by Church officials. Luckily Johannes was bright enough to survive the purges against loyalist Catholic such as himself. Eventually, Johannes believed the best road for him and his views was that in local politics. He campaign vigorously and won a seat on his villages council. A leader of his community, Johannes made a name for himself as he used local authorities to stem the tide of purges against loyal Catholics in his area. Though he did this with the greatest amount of secrecy, his deeds did not do unnoticed by the house Vandermeersch, of whom controlled the region where his village was located. When Katherine was assassinated and the war against Derek von Euker-Hogan began, Johannes used his political will to drum up all possible support for the Commonwealth cause. It was his work against the von Euker-Hogan monarchy that perhaps best put Johannes, a man over 30 by this time, as a prime Candidate for national leadership. For it was after the end of the war that Johannes was called to Acropolis where he would meet the mysterious man by the title, Grand Nagus. It was the Grand Nagus that appointed Johannes Whitmore as Chancellor of the new Commonwealth. Originally, the Chancellorship was designed as a position to carry out the decrees made by the Grand Nagus. Johannes however, had different designs for the position and used his new power wisely.
Johannes did not trust the Grand Nagus nor the nobility to have the best interest in mind for the Commonwealth they intended to build. After discussing his views with the Genesian Catholic Church of the Commonwealth he quickly found that clergymen also shared his views, including the Primate Marcus Tulius himself. Furthermore, Johannes secured the loyalty of the military which gave him all the power he needed to work against the nobility and the Grand Nagus. It is unsure exactly how it happened, but what is sure is that Johannes Whitmore assassinated the man whom titled himself Grand Nagus. Indirectly or directly is something that has never been established, but with the Grand Nagus out of the way Johannes quickly took power for himself. He declared himself Supreme Chancellor and used the Church an military to suppress any opposition the nobility could mount. To keep the Nobility happy, he established the Noble Conclave as one of the two major houses of his new legislature. The Hegemony would be the state that Chancellor Whitmore built, a state that completely wiped the Marinite stain from the passages of history and restore a power to the nation not seen for several generations. Democracy was supposedly given to the people, something they had never had at the national level before. However, many soon realized that it was a limited democracy and that their only real choice in leadership was Johannes Whitmore and his National South African Catholic State Party. Furthermore, with the passage of the Enabling Act, Johannes soon gained the power to pass laws without the need for approve from the National Assembly or Noble Conclave. To his credit, Chancellor Whitmore created a well-oil, obedient, and powerful state.
His military successfully invaded the neighboring nation of Ulgania, when certain elements of the Ulganian leadership tried to schism from the Genesian Catholic Church. In all respects it seemed Chancellor Whitmore had created a Hegemony state that would last a thousand years, remaining a powerful bloc within Africa and a serious global player. However, arrogance and egotism would eventually crack the once great foundation of the Hegemony and send the great state crumbling down. Developed as a weapon to be used against heretical states around the world, Chancellor Whitmore and the Hegemon leadership oversaw the development of a powerful biological weapon. So powerful that when they tested it on their own people, it worked far better than they could have ever imagined. In fact the weapon began to spread uncontrollably and before they new it a crisis was upon them. Knowing no other way to stop it, Chancellor Whitmore ordered the military to destroy everything infected by this plague they had unwittingly unleashed upon their precious Hegemon state. These efforts were in vain, especially their diligent work to cover up their mistakes from the unaffected population of the country. News was leaked and soon the Hegemony was embroiled in utter chaos as the plague killed thousands upon thousands of unsuspecting people. Those unaffected began rioting, only to lead to more deaths and the eventual overthrow of the complete Hegemony. Johannes Whitmore would take his own life by way of a single gunshot to the head, before rioters in the capital stormed his Chancellery.
With Whitmore's death, the Hegemon State dissolved and South Africa was left to Chaos. The Dominion Wars only further crushed an already torn people as the Dominion occupied all of Africa. If anything remained of the Hegemony when the Dominion arrived, it was quickly destroyed.