Prince of Elwynn

The Prince of Elwynn is the ruler and head of state of the Elwynn since 1574 (except for 1600–1601, 1613–1618, and 1629–1653).

Prince Thorstein Noah was created King of Elwynn in the year 1629 through the amendment of the Constitution of the Elwynnese Union by the decree of his father the Storjarl Hallbjörn Haraldsson, who at the time was serving as Steward of Elwynn, issued with the advice and consent of the Council of Eliria as required by the constitution. The aforesaid constitutional amendment removed the most visible distinction between the absolutist present and the republican past. Following the promulgation of the Constitution of the Elwynnese Republic, the head of state was restored to the Prince of Elwynn, currently held by Aldin Ayreon-Kalirion.

History

The Principate (1567-1613) is the name given to the Republican institutions of Government in Elwynn in the period following Independence from Shireroth and continuing past its annexation by the Imperial Republic until the Communist Revolution of 1613.

The Principate was characterised by the rule of a Prince directly elected by the Elwynnese Congress. Prior to independence Elwynn had been ruled, in accordance with House System by the House of Kalir with Daniel Kalirion as ruling Patron. With Elwynn arising from the chaos of secession in 1567 and the destruction of the Elwynnese Congress building by Aurangzeb in 1568, Daniel Kalirion continued as Raes or President until a Congressional held in 1570 saw Lord Erion take his place. However this period is considered to be of fundamental importance in defining the republican character of the Principate as it saw the reconciliation of the trend towards democratisation and egalitarianism with the regal dignity of the Patron and a new vocabulary of Elwynnese statehood that culminated with Daniel Kalirion being elected Prince of Elwynn and Hurmu in 1574.

The title of Prince, "Aran" in the Elw language, is a cognate of Arandur or Steward, an Elw title, itself derived from the language of the Elfinishi, which predated the Conquest of Elwynn by the Kaisers in the 1400's. The arandurs of antiquity had served as stewards for the Elu Verion, or paramount war-leaders of the Elw, the last of whom went on to found the House of Verion. The taking of the title of Aran to mean a ruler in his own right by Daniel Kalirion was a direct and explicit acknowledgement of Elwynn's history, the continuity of Elw culture and the existence of an Elwynnese nationality, predicated in and derived from Elwdom, that predated Shirerithian rule.

Title and styles

The full title of the Prince of Elwynn varied from Prince of Elwynn and Hurmu (Aran Adurellion o Erimoon) (1574–1582) to, following Amokolia's upgrading to equal state of the Union, Prince of Elwynn, Amokolia and Hurmu (Aran Adurellion, Amokoolion o Erimoon) (1582–1590). In 1590, the organization of the Union changed and the final title became Prince of Elwynn (Aran Adurellion), which remained, with the exception of the short-lived provisional post-reunification government under Secretary of State Soreaa Isurui and with the exception of the Democratic People's Republic, until Noah was declared king by his father in 1629.

By law, each prince was awarded the style Serene Highness which often was shortened to Serenity. Daniel Kalirion, however, used Imperial Highness, due to being the son of a Babkhan Shahanshah. Likewise Thorstein Noah used Imperial and Royal Highness from His ascension to the White Orchid Throne in 1623 to the institution of the Elwynnese Kingship in 1629, due to being a Storjarl of Stormark.

Former princes all carried the title Elder of Elwynn (Aruer Adurellion).

Election

Elections for Prince took place in the Senate, and it was the Senators who were the only eligible electors. However, any Elwynnese could be nominated for prince. There were also frequent debates between contenders in the princely elections. These debates were organized in hustings by the People's Academy of Elwynn.

Following the election of the Prince, the Prince-elect would only take office upon swearing the oath as required by the constitution. The last version of the oath for independent Elwynn was as follows:

I, having been elected Prince of Elwynn, solemnly promise and affirm that I will bear full allegiance and fealty to Elwynnese Nation and Union and to the Charter of Elwynn, and that I shall at all times do nothing that is injurious to the People of Elwynn, their rights and freedoms or the Charter

In Elw: Uun ei entegavis um aran Adurellion, nazyrum o ferum hoo aambumi veoi etaaqas Adurellion o naamas Adurellion. Aangani ke-goqnuir ezill ei uunas zihire azaaronde anaieras Adurellion, ailas o auraias kaqon o naamas.

In Hurmu and Farewellish: Eg som gegn vale vart elvynnelendsker fyrste, feste stað dondskt o lovar að eg skal vera h-elvynnelendsku tjooðena o Elvynnelands stemnuskraa troofaster. Eg skal i allom timom gera enkert som hjaa voore vanhelgande mooð h-elvynnelendsku tjooðene, rettendunom o frelusnom sinu, o stemnuskraaene.

In ancient Hurmumol: Toj hat ij ratkexgarn be-Pena w-Elwin, bajbajle la nebiri, tar toj mar-ar-i magum b’-u-Nexb’ Elwin. Toj garn-ar-i b-inuwere tar u-toj-in babelawe morbmajl’-et-i b-w-etka w-Elwin, be-yil- la b-an’eblen-ka w-it, la b-w-ijawij.

In Normark Norse: Jeg som er valgt til Elwynns fyrste, høytidelig bekrefter og lover at jeg skal være den elwynnesiske nasjon og Elwynns grunnlov trufast. Heile tiden skal jeg ingenting gjøre som till meg synes å være krenkende for det elwynnesiske folket, dets rettigheter og friheter, og grunnloven.

Regalia

The Princes of Elwynn favoured - until the ascension of Thorstein Noah to the White Orchid Throne in 1623, which saw, among other, the revival of the use of the Ducalia - quiet dignity over opulent ceremonies and ornamentation. The Princely Regalia consisted therefore of a plain silver diadem worn on at the Prince's inauguration and on significant state occasions and of a silver and gold lapel badge fashioned to resemble a stylised orchid. The traditional preference for a lack of ostentation has resumed in the years after the establishment of the Republic in Elwynn.