Cephero IV

Cephero IV

Personal details
Birth name	Cephero Maximiliano Federico Alexandros
Birth date	4 Estorun 7537
Birth place	Veneziano Palace, Cedelphia, Auresia
Death date	19 Wintar 7637 (aged 100)
Death place	Portivorno House, Isle of Galinara, Auresia
Burial place	Scarlet Cathedral, Cedelphia
Monuments	several
Nationality	Auresian
Education	Doctor of Law (LL.D.)
Alma mater	University of Gaaze
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Years active	7555-7637
Style	His Imperial Majesty
Height	199.39 cm
Predecessor	Emshandro III
Successor	Toriano I
Spouse	Orosea Eshiala (m. 7555, d. 7633)
Children	6
Mother	Eddara Alexandros
Father	Cassus Alexandros
Relatives	Emthoro Alexandros, Jerec Alexandros, Soontir Alexandros (brothers)

Cephero IV Maximus was the sixty-fifth Dynast Sovereign of the Imperial House of Auresia, reigning from 7567 to 7637.

Early life

Cephero Maximiliano Federico Alexandros was born in the early morning hours of 4 Estorun 7537 to Prince Imperial Cassus (7515-7602) and Princess Imperial Eddara Alexandros (7515-7606). He was delivered in the Imperial Suite of Veneziano Palace by the Imperial physician, Doctor Mario Martinelli. He was baptised three days later and presented to the public one week after his birth according to tradition. As he was third in the line of succession, after his uncle, Prince Aurrus, and his father, he was accorded the style of prince imperial. Likewise owing to his place in the succession, he was the subject of considerable expectations, and his childhood was a combination of intensive education, training in a variety of skills both vital and useful to a future emperor. He studied literature, music, writing, basic and advanced mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, and history. By the time he was sixteen, he knew three languages. Despite this strict regimen, he would fondly remember playing in the Imperial Gardens, going horseback riding with his mother and grandmother on Galinara, and deer and pheasant hunting trips with his father and grandfather in Epoxague Great Park. Early on he developed a deep fondness for books, and quickly amassed a considerable collection of his own which would continue to grow throughout his lifetime. By the time of his death, his private library contained over 85,000 books, divided between his studies at Veneziano, Epoxague, and Portivorno. The collection includes some of the rarest manuscripts and original prints of some of the world's best-known literary works. The collection remains the private property of the monarch and cannot be sold. Throughout his life, Cephero would publish several extensive and highly detailed research papers on astronomy, chemistry, and world history, which became three lifelong passions of his.

Cephero first met his future wife, Orosea Eshiala Filomeno, in mid-7546, when they were both nine years old, when the baron and baroness brought their children to the capital with them during the start of the social season. Becoming fast friends, they would grow closer during their years at the elite Lidonia School, and would court throughout late 7553 and 7554. Shortly before Winterfest of 7554 he asked her to marry him and received the approval of his grandfather and the consent of her father. The engagement was announced on the first day of Winterfest. They were wed in the Exemplar Bartolomeo Cathedral on 9 Suna 7555. Their first child, son Fayando, was born on 6 Herfa 7556. Over the next seven years, they would have five more children: son Elrood (born 7558), twin sons Calo and Galdo (born 7560), son Dominico (born 7562) and daughter Opia (born 7563).

Beginning in mid-7555, Cephero attended the University of Gaaze and opted to study law and jurisprudence. Towards the end of his completion of his first two years, he studied at the Imperial Military Academy in Bellucente, gaining his Army commission in 7557. He would spend the next ten years in military service, while simultaneously continuing his studies. He led troops in several engagements, and ultimately commanded forces involved in the Returner War from 7559-7562. It was in this conflict that he was seriously injured by an artillery blast, breaking both of his legs and suffering serious blood loss before being found by a retrieval team several hours later. It required four surgeries and nearly three months of physical therapy before he was able to walk without the aid of a stick, and he suffered arthritis in both legs in his later life as a result. He left active military service in 7566 at the rank of major general with several commendations and honours to his name. Several of his fellow aristocratic officers, close friends all, likewise served in the conflict and would later be part of his government or privy council. These included Teodoro Lord Humilio (the future Lord Privy Seal), Hieronymus Lord Barsavi (the future long-serving Prime Minister), Varnius Lord Acilida (the future Master Engineer), Erminio Lord Cozzolini (the future Lord Marshal), Gianpetro Lord Rambaldi (the future Lord Chamberlain), and Vincenzo Lord Gervasius (the future Lord Keeper of the Treasury).

While still on active duty but not on an active assignment for the last year and a half of his military service, Cephero took advantage of this to reconnect with his family and spend more time with them. It was around this time that he first instilled in his two oldest sons, Fayando and Elrood, the love for hunting they came to share with their father. He was diagnosed during this time with combat stress reaction (a precursor of what is now post-traumatic stress disorder, which he was also later diagnosed with). While his family all remembered him as a warm, good-humored and loving father and grandfather, they also recall those times when he would become broody and distant, allowing only his wife, his mother, or certain others near him. Like many around him, the family came to understand his difficulties and would, as he later described it, "help him keep his feet on firm ground and his mind focused on what mattered."

Crown Prince

Cephero' father suffered a heart attack on 19 Thrimil 7567 and was confined to hospital for several weeks. While there, he suffered a second, smaller attack and required surgery. When he was released to return home, he was counseled by the Imperial physician that a strict regimen of rest and low stress activities were best for his recovery. In consultation with his father and his ministers, the prince imperial opted to step aside in favour of his own son rather than jeapordise the succession by potentially being in delicate health during the critical period of transition that occurs during that time. Three days later, Cephero was acclaimed as crown prince by the Senate and proclaimed the next day by his grandfather. Throughout the next few months, Cephero would remain close to Emshandro, as was tradition. During this period, he learned more about the duties and expectations of both a crown prince and a future emperor, as he would sit with his grandfather while the emperor was working through his dispatch box every afternoon. Also, during this time, he represented Emshandro at several important functions both when the emperor was unable to attend himself, and when the experience would be invaluable to his education as the nation's future monarch. One of his most prominent roles during this time was when he opened the newly renovated Imperial Exchange in Porto Imperiale on 5 Estorun 7567 and gave a brief speech on the state of the prospering Auresian economy.

Cephero would be at Epoxague with his wife and children when Emshandro passed away on 6 Blots 7567. The prince imperial and princess imperial were out on a picnic in the park when a servant came with word that his grandfather had been found dead at his desk from what was later revealed to be a sudden and massive stroke. Cutting their picnic short, the couple returned to the house where the prince, now emperor, received arriving family and met with the Lord Chamberlain. He was duly recognised as emperor the day after his grandfather's death. Cephero' tenure as crown prince, lasting not quite three months, remains one of the shortest in Auresian history. He later admitted, "I knew my life had changed forever when I came downstairs and was greeted by the sight of my grandmother curtseying to me, when mere hours earlier, I would have been the one bowing to her."

Dynast Emperor

Death

Despite his advanced age, Cephero remained busy in his last years. While he had slowed down and adopted a more sedate pace since his 80th birthday, the emperor maintained a consistent schedule and attended to daily business as he always had, meeting with his council and handling the daily papers and reports. In his last few years the arthritis in his legs had forced him to occasionally make use of a walking stick, and in 7632 he was gifted a handmade acacia cane by his children produced from wood harvested in Negasi.

Following a custom established early in his reign, Cephero traveled to Portivorno House on the Isle of Galinara, on 1 Wintar 7637, where he intended to remain until just after the new year. As always, he kept in contact with his ministers and continued to transact important affairs. Much of the family would arrive throughout the following week. His last official business occurred on 12 Wintar 7637, seven days before his death, when he received the prime minister at Portivorno House for a working lunch, discussing new proposals before the legislature regarding a range of concerns.

Cephero was found dead in his bed at 0730 hours on 19 Wintar 7637 by his valet, Giancarlo Coletti, when coming in to help him get dressed and finding the normally punctual emperor was still in bed. He had passed peacefully in his sleep during the early hours of that morning. The family was quietly informed, and a coded phone call to Veneziano Palace was made to inform them of what had happened. The first minister informed the Senate when it assembled at 0900 that morning, and a public announcement was made at 1130 hours. Shortly prior to the announcement, black fabric was draped over the Golden Lion Throne and the portraits in the Throne Room, and the Tentenal outside the palace donned black ribbons of mourning pinned to their tunics. Flags were lowered to half-mast shortly after the announcement was made.

Crown Prince Toriano, having remained near to his grandfather throughout his last few years, was in residence at Portivorno when Cephero died, and was notified of what had happened before any other member of the family. In keeping with tradition, he was quietly acknowledged as the new Dynast Emperor by the members of staff present. The Lord Chamberlain arrived a few hours later and formally recognised Toriano as emperor and took possession of Cephero' signet ring until preparations for his funeral were complete.

After preparation, the emperor's body was placed in a lead lined oak casket and transported to Bellucente on the mainland, where it lay in state at Exemplar Vincenza Cathedral for three days with the Scarlet Standard over it, and tens of thousands came to pay their respects. On the fourth day his remains were ferried back to Cedelphia aboard the Imperial train, where he laid in state in the Hall of the Great Hunt at Veneziano Palace for two days, during which time his grandsons and great grandsons conducte the Janessari death rites. This consisted of two parts - the first day was the family members standing around his casket chanting the multi-part Call of the Eternal Hunt, and the second day was a vigil of silence and darkness. After this was completed, he laid in state at Exemplar Bartolomeo Grand Cathedral for three days, guarded by two squadrons of Tentenal and members of the Imperial family. During this time another half million Auresians and foreigners passed through paying their respects. On the fourth day, a service of remembrance was held, before the Tentenal escorted the emperor's body across the capital to the Scarlet Cathedral, where it laid in state for another two days before a private family service was held. Following this service, Cephero's casket was placed inside the marble tomb built for him in the north transept of the Scarlet Cathedral - one of only five dynast sovereigns to be so interred and not laid to rest in the Imperial Grotto beneath the cathedral - alongside his beloved wife, who had died four years earlier. With his passing, the Fourth Cephoran Era was ended.

Engraved on the foot of the emperor's tomb are the words, And Death appeared in armour of blackest night, and said, "It is time." And the warrior smiled, replying, "What took you so long, brother?" On the head of the tomb are the words, "Walking the Eternal Path, hand in hand together."

Legacy

Cephero IV is remembered by the people of Auresia as one of the greatest sovereigns in the Empire's history. Raised in a tight-knit and loving family, hardened by war, and tempered by the devotion and affection of his equally loved wife, he is remembered by history as a man capable of both stern action and great compassion, frequently guiding the nation through times both celebratory and difficult with that ever-present Imperial serenity that the people came to depend upon. As he aged, he became the nation's grandfather, with four generations of Auresian citizens being born and five generations living at one point during his long reign. He was hailed, especially during the later years of his rule, as the "one constant in an ever-changing world".

He is especially remembered for his steadfast leadership and guidance during the Great Scourge of 7598-7603, mirroring his great grandfather Willem II during the Pan-Anarian War when he made frequent visits to troops near the front lines, disregarding protests for his safety. While his private feelings against the Wolgos have never been known, he blocked the Curia's proposal to take harsher action against them when the conflict had ended, saying, "The Wolgos already depise us for free. Let's not give them any currency to add to that account."

In the aftermath of the First Coalition War, Cephero resisted various protestations and ultimata from concerned foreign powers regarding the general strike which had gripped Negasi and brought operations on the Ubani Canal grinding to a halt. When the Senate took up discussion on the matter, they were later given (according to the official record), "an Imperial order to take the only sensible step open to the Empire - to grant Negasi independence in order to keep the canal open and avoid the merest consideration of any course of action which might lead to violence." Thus, it was announced less than a week after the strike had begun that the Senate had passed Resolution 2713-7634, declaring that Negasi would be released as a colonial holding of the Empire and granted its full independence. Cephero gave Imperial Assent to the declaration the following day.

Shortly after his accession to the Golden Lion Throne, Cephero received the first ambassador of the Arvorian Democratic Republic, which had been formally inaugurated earlier that same year, to the Court of Elestis. The emperor would make a state visit to Arvor in 7577, which is commemorated with a statue in the Friendship of Peoples Park outside the VDNH in Cherenovsk. Two more state visits would also be made, in 7590 and 7611. On the advent of his Golden Jubilee in 7617, he gifted the republic a hand-built oak desk known as the Amicizia (Amity) Desk as thanks for the nation's gift on the occasion of his fiftieth year on the throne. It has stood ever since in the chief of state's office in Avilov House, the presidential residence in the capital. A second, identical desk was also made, known as the Ricordo (Remembrance) Desk, which is in the emperor's study in Veneziano Palace in Cedelphia to this day.

Monuments

Numerous monuments and memorials to Cephero IV Maximus have been raised, both during and after his long reign. Most prominent of these is the Cephero IV Maximus Memorial, unveiled in 7645 RH, which is located at the foot of Aurelio Hill, just outside the Great Gates of Veneziano on Lionetti Square in Cedelphia. At 45 metres tall, it remains the tallest monument to a monarch in Auresia.

A statue of the emperor shaking hands with Arvorian President Valentin Kolesnikov, commemorating his state visit in 7577, stands in the centre of the Friendship of Peoples Park in Cherenovsk.

Private life trivia

• His Imperial style in full was, "His Most Excellent and Discerning Sovereign Imperial Majesty Cephero IV Maximus, by the Grace of Vind the Highest of Auresia and Her Lands Beyond the Seas, Dynast Emperor, Father of the Nation, Fount of Honour, Upholder of the Law, Defender of the Faith, Custodian of the Five Sacred Shrines."
• His reign of 70 years, 4 months and 22 days is the longest in both Auresian and Anarian history, and one of the longest in world history.
• He is to date the only reigning monarch in world history to celebrate his centenary.
• He was married to Orosea Eshiala Filomeno, the youngest child of the Baron of Angrogna, from 5-9-7555 until her death on 7-4-7633 at the age of 96. Their marriage, lasting 78 years, is one of the longest of any royal couple in history. Empress Orosea is simultaneously the longest-serving empress consort in both Auresian and Anarian history.
• At his passing, Cephero was survived by six children, nineteen grandchildren, twenty-six great grandchildren, and four great great grandchildren.
• He outlived all three of his younger brothers. Prince Emthoro died in 7626 (aged 87), Prince Jerus died in 7629 (aged 88), and Prince Sontaro died in 7633 (aged 90).
• All three of his successors to date were born during his reign.
• He is only the fifth Auresian monarch to be proclaimed "Maximus" and the most recent after Dynast Empress Wensicia Maxima, who was so proclaimed in 7353.
• He is one of only eleven Dynast Sovereigns who, prior to ascending the Golden Lion Throne, saw active combat while serving in the Imperial military, and is the only one of that number to be wounded in battle.
• His eldest cousin, Princess Imperial Avrona Alexandros, was the Empress Consort of Anisora as the wife of Emperor Marius III.
• His brothers would refer to him in private as Grande Gatto ("Big Cat"), owing to his being the tallest of the four sons.