#Tancred Williamson

[lepreuxchevalier]

Edward Fitzroy, Titular Duke of Huntington's adolescence as a royal hostage growing up amongst the opulent, extravagant, and baroque trappings and façades of "La Cour Royale de La Monarchie Aquitainienne et de Maison Williamson" at "Maison Williamson du Royaume d'Aquitaine's" primary residence at "Le Palais de Fontainebleau" in "Couronne, Aquitaine" and summer residence at "Chateau Lafleur," before his subsequent, untimely, and tragic expulsion to "Der herzoglich Hof von Conrad Von Buchenauer, Der herrschend Herzog von Solingen, Der momentan Chef von Hohenbuchenauer, weltlich, übertragen Kurfürst Des Selbst Kaiserreich der Menschheit, and above all The Official Defender, Guarantor, and Worldly Champion of Karl Von Luxembourg, Ph.D and His General, Sweeping, and Universal Theological Reformation to The Religious Establishment of, and Institutions of Organized Religion within The Conservative Church of The New Gods Traditionally Seated within The Holy Sept of Romulus, Cosmopoleis" at "Schloss Drakenhof" in "Wörtzburch, Solingen."

[lepreuxchevalier]

An illustration of a boyar cavalryman of "Rod Vojvodin Bol'shogo" or "House Vojvodin of Bolshoi" unhorsing a "legitimate issue" or "a dynastic scion" of "Maison Williamson du Royaume d'Aquitaine" or "House Williamson of The Kingdom of Aquitaine." This illustration officially commemorates Rod Vojvodin Bol'shogo's hard-earned military triumph against Maison Williamson du Royaume d'Aquitaine and it's feudal vassals during "The Second Rus'kayan Errantry War" officially preached and prosecuted against at "La Vallée de Morçeaux" in "Le Duché de Dulac" by Louis-Chrétien Carignan-Cerqui, Archevêque de Carillon on behalf of Archpatriarch Benedin XVI, 256th Bishop of Romulus and Head of The Conservative Church of The New Gods with the intent of the systematic purging of the religious heretics officially subscribed to The Church of The Old Gods in Rus'kaya Tsarstvo in direct retaliation to Rod Vojvodin Bol'shogo's military and political connivance with the southern emirates of "Al-Khalifat Al-Khashabar" against the religiously Conservative "Rod Danielewski z Mazowsza" or "House Danielewski of Mazowsze," the longstanding "Defenders of The Faith" as personally and traditionally proclaimed by "The Archpatriarchs" or "The Bishops of Romulus" as the anointed, undisputed, and universal "Heads of The Conservative Church of The New Gods" until "Edmund IV, 41st and Reigning King of Albion and Current Head of House Lyonheart" drafted and published his written antithesis both critiquing against and questioning the general, sweeping, and universal theological reforms of "Karl Von Luxembourg, Church Doctor of Theology at Die Universität Wörtzburch" to the religious establishment of The Conservative Church of The New Gods officially seated within The Holy Sept of Romulus as the historic capital, civilizational kernel, and titular namesake of The Cosmopolitan, Classical Romulan Republic and "The Empire of Mankind Primus" before it's final collapse marking the end of The Civilized World's historic epoch of "Classical Antiquity." As well as speaking out against both his maternal grandfather "Friedrich I, Der ester und herrschend König von Middenland und Der Gründungschef von Hohenrotbart" and his older cousin "Albrecht Von Biermann, Der herrschend Markgraf von Brannenborg, Der momentan Chef von Hohenbiermann, und Der weltlich, übertragen Kurfürst Des Selbst Kaiserreich der Menschheit" in their systematic persecution, legislative marginalization, and confiscation of the lands, estates, and treasuries of any ecclesiastical and monastic clergy of The Conservative Church of The New Gods who had both openly refused to submit before and openly protested against the formal renunciation of their spiritual, cultural, and moral ties of fealty to The Bishops of Romulus through their legislative decrees to formally convert to Karl Von Luxembourg's theological reforms on behalf of both their dynastic houses and their hereditary subjects. This illustration best contrasts the civilizational friction between the opulence, the extravagance, and the decadence of "La Cour Royale de Maison Williamson du Royaume d'Aquitaine au Palais de Fontainebleau" with the rugged, resilient, and Spartan aesthetic of the princely "great houses" of "boyar" and "dvoryantsvo" aristocrats and nobles officially housed and seated within the provincial "kremlins" of the Gospodar and the Moravian petty principalities within Rus'kaya Tsarstvo.

[lepreuxchevalier]

My fourth illustration of a “landsknecht” pikeman I retouched to feature the colour scheme and coat of arms I designed for House Williamson, the ruling family of The Kingdom of Aquitaine in the setting of my medieval fantasy world. This artwork was designed for a low-fantasy setting of my original conception with technology equivalent to the late medieval and renaissance periods. Where formations of heavily armoured and mounted, aristocratic knights in either suits of full plate armour or heavy coats of chainmail fight alongside professional armies of pikemen and matchlock musketeers. Where medieval-style stone castles are gradually being outsourced in favour of both lavish country estates and devoted military fortifications, or “bastions,” due to the technological advancements made in artillery design. And where fledgling nation-states in the form of kingdoms and empires look beyond the great oceans and the frontiers of the known world in search of even greater wealth and territory. In context to the lore of my low-fantasy setting, House Williamson is the ruling dynasty of The Kingdom of Aquitaine, a fantasy kingdom modelled after The Kingdom of France during the medieval and “Ancien Regime” periods of French and European history, while also taking sources of inspiration from The Kingdom of Bretonnia in Warhammer Fantasy and The Kingdom of The Reach in Game of Thrones. The Kingdom of Aquitaine in the world of my fantasy setting is essentially the “hegemon” or dominant superpower within “The Civilized World,” as strictly and traditionally defined by both the clergy of The Conservative Church of The New Gods as well as the nonconformist preachers of the myriad “Reformed” and “Dissenter” Churches of The New Gods. The Kingdom of Aquitaine under the historic rule of past kings of House Williamson is, without question, the oldest, strongest, and most prestigious example of an absolute monarchy in the setting of my low-fantasy world. Over the course of several centuries, House Williamson as the longtime ruling dynasty of Aquitainian monarchs has managed to create the single greatest, most brilliant example of a strong, powerful, absolute monarchy in the civilized world through their ancient alliance cultivated with The Conservative Church of The New Gods based in The Holy Sept in Romulus, as well as their gradual pacification of the great houses of feudal aristocracy through a combination of the creation and institutionalization of an early example of a national, professional, “royal” army, as well as subjecting the myriad provincial, feudal, aristocratic customs and legal traditions established by the great houses over the course of many centuries to the sweeping jurisdiction of “the parlements,” or national, “royal” law courts charged with the maintenance of secular law and order derived from the preexisting, feudal, aristocratic traditions, the routine taxation of both the noble and commoner classes, and the organization and maintenance of the national, professional “royal” army at the expense of the great houses of feudal aristocracy. In addition to espousing the pinnacle, or otherwise model of a strong, powerful, and prestigious absolute monarchy, The Kingdom of Aquitaine under the historic stewardship and patronage of both past kings born to House Williamson, as well as the myriad aristocratic and clerical lords of the kingdom has become the longtime cultural, religious, and economic superpower of the civilized world with it’s towering, monumental, cathedral churches, it’s venerable, pristine monastic strongholds, it’s extravagant, domineering palaces of marble, gold, and crystal, it’s lush, opulent botanical gardens dotted and lined with exotic and imported cherry blossom trees, and it’s iconic, picturesque castles of white stone and richly dyed, emerald-tiled roofing. The Kingdom of Aquitaine as the hegemon of the civilized world is renowned for it’s world famous industry of winemaking, it’s prolific aesthetic traditions of fine artistry, sculpture, music, poetry, theatre, and fashion, and it’s longtime, overwhelming domination over, and generous representation within the “curia,” or “the college of cardinals,” based in the Holy Sept in Romulus since the mythical epoch of “Classical Antiquity” within The Civilized World. As an established military superpower amongst the nation states of The Civilized World, The Kingdom of Aquitaine is most reputed for it’s venerable and prestigious tradition of professional chivalry. With it’s heavily armoured, mounted, aristocratic knights adorned in either suits of baroque, gilded, full plate armour or artificer-quality coats of chainmail finely edged with gilded burnings, emblazoning their armour with surcoats crafted from the finest cuts of exotic and imported, Khashabarii Silk, while riding atop the finest, premium, thoroughbred warhorses prized and coveted across the breadth and enormity of The Civilized World for their size, strength, speed, and endurance. Even the pike and shotte infantry regiments of The Royal Army of Aquitaine are issued standard issue uniforms crafted from the finest cuts of cloth, with it’s matchlock musketeers wearing tabards finely edged with gold thread over their uniforms, while it’s pikemen sport fashionable, ripped tunics richly coloured with emerald and pearl white dyes. The standard issue uniforms of The Royal Army of Aquitaine are at once an excessive luxury and an objective rarity in a world where most kingdoms and empires would prefer to delegate the outfitting and armouring of their state troops either to their regimental colonels, or directly onto the troops themselves. This luxurious excess and objective rarity available to The Royal Army of Aquitaine is a testament to the exorbitant wealth, industry, and logistical organization of The Kingdom of Aquitaine cultivated under the cabinet of able ministers and councilors in direct service to The Williamson Kings of Aquitaine.

[lepreuxchevalier]

The family tree of the Aquitainain monarchy from the current head of House Williamson and the reigning King of Aquitaine onwards. Artwork for a low-fantasy setting of my original conception with technology equivalent to the late medieval and renaissance periods. Where formations of heavily armoured and mounted, aristocratic knights in either suits of full plate armour and heavy coats of chainmail fight alongside professional armies of pikemen and matchlock musketeers, where medieval-style stone castles are gradually being outsourced in favour of both lavish country estates and devoted military fortifications, or “bastions,” due to the technological advancements made in artillery design, and where fledgling nation-states in the form of kingdoms and empires look beyond the great oceans and the frontiers of the known world in search of even greater wealth and territory. In context to the lore of my low-fantasy setting, House Williamson is the ruling family, of Norscan extraction, to The Kingdom of Aquitaine, or my fantasy setting’s rough equivalent to The Kingdom of France during the medieval and “Ancien Regime” periods of French and European history, while also drawing fantastical sources of inspiration from The Kingdom of Bretonnia in Warhammer Fantasy, as well as The Kingdom of The Reach in Game of Thrones. House Williamson as the current and reigning dynasty of Aquitainian Monarchs directly descend from William I “the Usurper,” the second King of Aquitaine and companion, close friend, son-in-law, and personal champion, and bodyguard to Galloys Lafleur, “Le Roi des Fleurs,” the mythical founder and first King of Aquitaine. According to the holy scriptures of The Canons of The New Gods, or the holy texts as prescribed by both The Conservative Church of The New Gods in The Classical Romulan Language, as well as the myriad “Reformed” and “Dissenter” Churches of The New Gods with their vernacular translations of the holy scriptures, Galloys LaFleur as the mythical founder and first King of Aquitaine was believed to be a fifth generation descendant of Shelyn, the patron goddess of love, beauty, art, music, poetry, drama, gardening, the grape harvest, as the totemic patron goddess of The Aquitainian Monarchy and Kingdom according to The Canons of The New Gods. Both the divine favour and heritage of Galloys Lafleur from The Goddess Shelyn endowed him with a lush and fertile realm where grapes, cattle, and grain grew in overabundance and made the land bloom with flowers and plenty, and blessed all his progeny with strong sons and beautiful daughters. Galloys Lafleur’s divine favour and heritage from The Goddess Shelyn imbued him the strength, wisdom, and means to lead his fledgling kingdom to unite all the lands of his divine birthright as promised to him by his patron goddess and ancestor through the conquest and subjugation of the petty warlords and tribal chieftains who divided and feuded over his promised realm and to drive the myriad Norscan warbands that ravaged and plundered the land to the sea. House Williamson as the current and reigning dynasty of Aquitainan Monarchs can trace their heritage to The Norscan warlord and chieftain William the Usurper, one of the personal companions and the son-in-law of Galloys Lafleur whom he employed and later befriended early on in his reign to aid him in his lifelong quest and ambition to subdue and unite the petty warlords and tribal chieftains of Aquitaine under his sovereign rule and spread both the Faith of The New Gods and the worship of The Goddess Shelyn to all the conquered peoples of his promised realm.

[lepreuxchevalier]

The second illustration of a 16th century “Landsknecht” Pikeman I retouched to feature the colours and coat of arms I designed for House Williamson, the ruling family of The Kingdom of Aquitaine in my low-fantasy setting. This artwork was designed as part of a low-fantasy setting of my original conception with technology equivalent to the late medieval and renaissance periods, where formations of heavily armoured and mounted knights fight alongside armies of pikemen and matchlock musketeers, where medieval-style stone castles are gradually being outsourced in favour of both lavish country estates and devoted military fortifications due to the advancements made in artillery technology, and where rising nation-states in the form of Kingdoms and Empires look beyond the boundaries of the known world in search of greater wealth and territory. In context to the lore of my fantasy setting, House Williamson is the ruling family, of foreign origin, to The Kingdom of Aquitaine, or my fantasy setting’s rough equivalent to The Kingdom of France during the medieval and ancien regime periods of French and European history.

[lepreuxchevalier]

The third illustration of a 16th century “Landsknecht” Pikeman I retouched to feature the colours and coat of arms I designed for House Williamson, the ruling family of The Kingdom of Aquitaine in my low-fantasy setting. This artwork was designed as part of a low-fantasy setting of my original conception with technology equivalent to the late medieval and renaissance periods, where formations of heavily armoured and mounted knights fight alongside armies of pikemen and matchlock musketeers, where medieval-style stone castles are gradually being outsourced in favour of both lavish country estates and devoted military fortifications due to the advancements made in artillery technology, and where rising nation-states in the form of Kingdoms and Empires look beyond the boundaries of the known world in search of greater wealth and territory. In context to the lore of my fantasy setting, House Williamson is the ruling family, of foreign origin, to The Kingdom of Aquitaine, or my fantasy setting’s rough equivalent to The Kingdom of France during the medieval and ancien regime periods of French and European history.

[lepreuxchevalier]

The escutcheons I designed for the other half of House Williamson of Aquitaine’s great vassals. While many kingdoms and empires in my fantasy setting do not have an exact historical equivalent, The Kingdom of Aquitaine is my fantasy world’s rough equivalent to The Kingdom of France during the medieval and ancien regime periods of French and European History.

[lepreuxchevalier]

The escutcheons I designed for House Williamson of Aquitaine and half of its great vassals in my low-fantasy world. While many kingdoms and empires in my fantasy world do not have a historical counterpart. The Kingdom of Aquitaine is the rough equivalent of The Kingdom of France during the medieval and ancien regime periods of French and European History.

[lepreuxchevalier]

Edmund IV, 41st and Reigning King of Albion and Current Head of House Lyonheart. Nicknamed “The Young Lion” or “The Boy King” by his contemporaries, Edmund IV is the firstborn son and second child after Princess Kaitlin Lyonheart, Duchess of Kingswood to Robert III, 40th and Late King of Albion and Former Head of House Lyonheart and Chloe Von Rotbart, Queen Mother of Albion and eldest daughter to Friedrich I, "Der erster und herrschend König von Middenland und Der Gründungschef von Hohenrotbart” from a previous marriage before his subsequent and complimentary anointment and coronation at the conlusion of "The Midlands Crusade" officially preached and prosecuted against the apostate Albic tribes religiously subscribed to the druidic, cult worship of "Erdøk" or "The Great Forest" across the easternmost frontiers of "Das Selbst Kaiserreich der Menschheit" or "The Empire of Mankind Proper" and indigenous to "The Former Kingdom of The Midlands" since long before it's final collapse with the extinction of the legitimate, male bloodline of "The Late House Bartholemew" over a century and a half ago. Born over a year after his father’s crushing defeat and capture at the hands of Prince Tancred Williamson, Duc de Chambord in The Battle of Tourangeau and the subsequent Treaty of Fontainebleau. Edmund IV’s birth as a legitimate male heir to House Lyonheart and The Kingdom of Albion had caused much controversy in the international affairs of the great powers of The Civilized World at the time of his birth. The defining condition of The Treaty of Fontainebleau was to acquire Edward Fitzroy, Duke of Huntington as a royal hostage in place of his father in return for ransoming Robert III back to The Kingdom of Albion at half cost. With the birth of Edmund IV as a legitimate male heir to Robert III and Chloe Rotbart, both House Williamson and The Kingdom of Aquitaine were forced to honour a peace treaty signed on hollow grounds with House Lyonheart and The Kingdom of Albion, as the defining conditions of the treaty had been rendered invalid by the illegitimacy of Edward Fitzroy’s importance as a royal hostage. The formative years of Edmund IV as the legitimate male heir to both House Lyonheart and The Kingdom of Albion was spent receiving the finest scholarly education and military training The Civilized World had to offer, being schooled personally by learned doctors from both The University of Couronne in The Kingdom of Aquitaine and The Imperial Academy at Nymphenburg in The Empire of Mankind, while being drilled in lessons on fencing, jousting, grappling, military strategy, and military technology by quartermasters from Chateau Lefleur, where The Emerald Legionnaires of House Williamson train from birth to be the elite bodyguards to the royal family of Aquitaine. By his 14th birthday, Edmund IV had prematurely inherited the Throne of Albion following Robert III’s untimely death from a severe case of dysentery. By his 16th birthday, Edmund IV had already been betrothed to Lady Amelie Godwinson of Evesham, or the daughter of Sir Æthelred Godwinson, Duke of Evesham, both the preeminent vassal and the former champion to the late Robert III. Preeminent in his ambitions as both the current head of House Lyonheart and the reigning King of Albion are his policies of developing The Kingdom of Albion into the foremost naval and commercial power in The Civilized World, subsidizing the enterprises of his charter companies to explore and claim uncharted territories across the great oceans and establish trade posts and colonies overseas, as well as subsidizing the exploits of trade guilds devoted to the production of maritime industries as a means of bolstering his island kingdom’s effectiveness as a naval power and reallocating The Kingdom of Albion’s military budget in favour of a powerful professional navy as opposed to a strong standing army, contrary to the policy of all historic Kings of Albion before him. Foremost in his foreign policy as King of Albion is avoiding war with House Williamson and The Kingdom of Aquitaine at all costs while entertaining cordial relations with House Rotbart of The Kingdom of Middenland, House Buchenauer of The Duchy of Solingen in The Empire of Mankind Proper, and House Wilkinsen of The Kingdom of Summerset. In regards to the international controversy and religious upheaval caused by the religious reforms of Karl Von Luxembourg, a doctor of theology at The University of Wörtzburch in The Duchy of Solingen and former heir to House Luxembourg of The Kingdom of Schönbrunn. Edmund IV has shown great personal sympathy for the reforms being preached by Karl Von Luxembourg. Granting both religious toleration and political asylum for the followers of his reformation, despite officially remaining fealty to The Conservative Church of The New Gods as the state church of The Kingdom of Albion.

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Grégoire Durand, Duke of Lyonesse. Nicknamed “The Lionhearted” or “The Beast of Lyonesse” by his contemporaries, Grégoire Durand is both the current head of House Durand and the reigning Duke of Lyonesse. One of the great lords of The Kingdom of Aquitaine, Grégoire Durand is the most seasoned general amongst the current vassals of The Kings of Aquitaine. It is said that he has won seventeen of twenty-one battles during his military career, despite his fairly young age. It is said that the only general to have won more battles than he is Prince Tancred Williamson, Duc de Chambord, who has won twenty-four of thirty-one of his battles. It is also said that amongst the current great lords of The Kingdom of Aquitaine, he has beheaded the most enemy generals in single combat, including the older brother of Alexius VI, the current and reigning Emperor of Mankind.

[lepreuxchevalier]

Edward Fitzroy, Titular Duke of Huntington. Nicknamed “The Gold Spun Angel” or “The Sweetest Devil” by his contemporaries, Edward is the illegitimate son of Robert III, 40th and Late King of Albion and Former Head of House Lyonheart through a union with a tanner’s daughter. Half Brother to Edmund IV, 41st and Reigning King of Albion and Current Head of House Lyonheart and Princess Kaitlin Lyonheart, Duchess of Kingswood. Following King Robert’s defeat and subsequent capture at The Battle of Tourangeau at the hands of Prince Tancred Williamson, Duc de Chambord, House Lyonheart and The Kingdom of Albion was pressed into a humiliating and disadvantageous peace treaty with House Williamson and The Kingdom of Aquitaine. As a compromise for ransoming King Robert back to his homeland at half price, King Robert agreed to offer his only son at the time as a lifetime hostage in the hands of House Williamson of Aquitaine. The infant boy taken into their custody would grow up to be Edward Fitzroy, The Titular Duke of Huntington. Edward would grow up as a Royal Hostage in the lavish and prestigious court of William XXI, King of Aquitaine and Current Head of House Williamson. Edward’s education was as militaristic as it was academic, being drilled in lessons on military strategy, fencing, jousting, and grappling while being tutored in more intellectual pursuits such as grammar, statecraft, classics, and theology. Edward was raised and tutored alongside The King of Aquitaine’s granddaughters through his firstborn son and heir, The Dauphin de Viennois: Princess Melaina Williamsdottir, Duchesse d’Orleans, Princess Erika Williamsdottir, Duchesse de Valois, and Princess Emily Williamsdottir, Duchesse de Bourbon. Growing up in the opulence and splendour of The Court of The Kings of Aquitaine, the princesses Melaina and Erika naturally developed an adoration for the handsome young man growing up in their residence. Edward’s heart, however, belonged to the youngest of these princesses, Princess Emily Williamsdottir, Duchesse de Bourbon. Her heart at the time belonged to the young and dashing Jean-Baptiste Lorieux, Duc de Logresse. Upon hearing the news that her first love was betrothed to an older and fairer lady of House Perrault of Caenesse, Princess Emily became devastated that her love was promised to another woman. In the spirit of vengeance and spitefulness, Princess Emily Williamsdottir eloped with Edward into the woods on the outskirts of her family’s favoured country estate of Chateau Lefleur. In the months that followed their return to the primary Williamson residence of Le Palais de Fontainebleau in the capital city of Couronne, Princess Emily Williamsdottir announced that she was pregnant with Edward’s unborn child, and “that it made her a little happy to be pregnant with his child.” This statement of apparent weakness and fragility by the princess only did much to arouse the hatred and disgust of The Great Houses of Aquitainian Nobility against Edward, who saw him as a selfish opportunist who cruelly violated the person of their King’s youngest granddaughter that had barely reached the age of maturity. This atmosphere of bitter disgust and hatred for Edward amongst the nobles at The Court of Fontainebleau was only fueled even more by the invalidation of Edward’s political importance as a royal hostage with the coronation of a legitimate male heir to House Lyonheart and The Crown of Albion. In a show of rare mercy and compassion for the young man raised in his court, King William XXI of Aquitaine exiled Edward to the court of House Buchenauer of Solingen in The Empire of Mankind Proper, where Edward currently spends his days attaining his knighthood as a squire for Duke Conrad Von Buchenauer, or the reigning Duke of Solingen and the current head of House Buchenauer. The suit of armour featured in this artwork was a gift by Emperor Alexius VI to Edward Fitzroy as a present for his 18th Birthday.