The Troubled Demise of Hasan I

The reign of Kaiser Hasan I (Jayatar-Kalir) had proved to be successful, at least compared to negative expectations raised by the troubles with rival claimant Loki II preceeding his ascension. Kaiser Hasan had, following the trend he had set for himself in the reform of Babkha in 2007/1386, been a dynamic and reform minded ruler - instituting a thorough reform of the economy with a view to making it more relevant to the political life of the Imperial Republic by using it to weight the ducal votes of the Landsraad based on the erb accounts of its citizens as distributed by duchy.

However the War of Jeremy's Nose, originally beginning with a triumphal blitzkrieg against the British forces in the Duchy of Gascony, fizzled out into a deeply unpopular occupation and finally a controversial phased withdrawal, it was clear that time was starting to run short for the reign of Kaiser Hasan.

There was widely understood to be a gentleman's agreement between Loki and Hasan that the former would succeed to the throne upon the occasion of Hasan's abdication. It had been this understanding which had brought the preceeding period of civil strife to a close.

Under Shirerithian Custom a Kaiserial reign typically lasts in the region of 90 ASC years (three months). His reign was therefore due to come to an end on or around 3217. However this convention is not a fixed point of constitutional law as it would suppose a limitation on the Kaiser's unbridled sovereignty. It does nonetheless carry a great deal of moral force amongst the wider populace who attach a great deal of sentimental value to notions of honour. The first questioning of the Kaiser's overrunning tenure did not occur until 3252 when the Duke of Straylight began what could be termed as awkward questions in the thread known thereafter as "Scott Can't Count"[1]