The Monarch of Astalore is considered the “font of honours” from which the Astalorian Peerage derives all legitimacy. What follows is a brief and intensely simplified history of the Astalore’s rulership. Multiple complications and disputes have been omitted for brevity, and several inconsistencies and errors have been presented here as reported by local scholars. Students interested in a more detailed account may be encouraged to seek out the writings of Ulrich Dorth of the Conclave University.
Halragoth the Great established the Kingdom of Astalore year in 156 by uniting eleven existing states. Six more would be conquered in the proceeding hundred years with the young kingdom quickly growing to control the majority of Antora. King Halragoth the Great would go on to father four children: Victoria, Harris, Henry, and Robert. He would rule Astalore for twenty seven years, dying in his sleep in year 183.
Harris the Wise would go on to inherit the throne from following his father’s death, however his rule was short lived, and died in battle before siring any children of his own. The crown would then pass to his brother Henry in year 185.
King Henry sired five children: Louis, and four daughters, all of which were named Samantha. King Henry ruled for 11 years before dying of dysentery in year 196. During his life he married four times, though he would outlive each of his wives.
Louis the Child inherited the throne at only five years old, he died suddenly in his sleep only a month later and Samantha I became Astalore’s first ruling queen.
Queen Samantha I otherwise known as Samantha the Ruthless ruled for 22 years. During her reign many of the remaining independent states swore fealty to Astalore. She married Edgar the Gallant in 205 and together they had four children. The oldest of which - Harris II would inherit the throne following his father’s death and mother’s abdication in 218.
King Harris II in contrast with his namesake was renowned for his long rule of 57 years, dying an elderly man in battle in 275. He had three children, Robert, Micah, and Cedric - who he named his successor sparking a five year civil war when his two older brothers challenged him for the throne.
King Cedric the Strong proved victorious and ruled until 303. He established the position of Court Sorcerer and reaffirmed Astalore’s commitment to Valra’s Church. He had only one child, a young daughter named Halsey. Prince Benedict, who had once tried to claim the throne by force, served as regent for eleven years as Queen Halsey came of age. Surprisingly, he willingly passed the crown to her when the time came.
Queen Halsey formally took the throne in 314, ruling until her death in 348. She had six children, of which only one would survive until adulthood. That child was King Robert the Coward who faced the Entadoran Secession in 353.
King Robert had four children, and on his deathbed in year 361 divided the kingdom between his two sons - Uriel and Henrick. Uriel and Henrick fought a bloody civil war for three years which ended with King Uriel’s victory and reunification in 364.
King Uriel worked tirelessly to recapture the massive swaths of territory which had seceded during his father’s reign, though he was unable to conquer Entador, he would go on to recapture most of the smaller territories which had rebelled during the crisis. King Uriel is considered by many to be one of Astalore’s greatest kings. King Uriel married Vivien of Lochsley and fathered four children, the oldest of which - King Uriel II would inherit the throne upon the death of King Uriel in 371.
King Uriel II ruled only a year before abdicating the throne to live as a monk. His brother, Robert II died before his coronation, and his third eldest Prince Harris III yielded the throne to his twin Prince Martin (born three minutes junior)
King Martin ruled for only two years until his sudden death in 374. By this time he had produced no heirs. A brief civil war ensued between factions supporting Harris III, Uriel II, (neither of which reportedly desired the throne) and the elderly Prince Henrick who ultimately proved victorious.
At last successful where he had failed a generation prior, King Henrick ruled until 387 when he died suddenly on a hunt. While he had fathered two children in his lifetime, he had outlived each of them, and thus he named his first grandson Charles heir.
However Prince Harris III had since fathered his own child Harris IV who pressed his claim to the throne despite his young age. A civil war ensued ending in the victory and coronation of King Harris IV in 390 . King Harris IV married Charles' sister Rebecca to quell further conflict. King Harris IV ruled until 411 and passed the throne to his son Albert the Wretched
King Albert the Wretched ruled from 411 to 423, he had many bastards but claimed only one son - Albert II. On his deathbed, the Church of Valra would recognize and legitimize York as his rightful heir. This did not initially prove fortuitous, as Albert II moved swiftly to secure the throne, however York was able to escape with a small retinue of loyal men.
Albert II ruled until 428 when the lords of the realm, exhausted by Albert II’s incompetence, moved to support the exiled York. A civil war ensued, and York proved victorious. King York ruled until 442 when he abdicated the throne to his niece Catherine. His own son was of distured and incompetent mind, and considered by all unfit to rule.
Queen Catherine ruled until 451, upon her death, York returned to serve as regent until her only son Edward came of age. However Edward would never take the throne, as he was murdered in his sleep at only seven years of age, followed swiftly by York in 453.
At this point it wasn’t entirely clear to whom should inherit the throne. Albert II - now long dead, had no eligible children. York had no eligible children. Catherine had no living children. Albert the wretched had dozens of bastards but none the Church recognized. At this point King Halragoth’s closest living descendents were the dozens of Grandchildren of King Harris IV and Rebecca and distant relatives of generations past.
What followed was eleven years of absolute chaos known as the “bloody decade” ending in 464 with the coronation of King Uriel III - grandson of the original King Uriel’s youngest child.
King Uriel III ruled for twenty two years, and had six children, the most notable of which is his successor - King Elrich the defiant.
King Elrich had five children, and ruled until his execution at the hands of the Salvatorian Empire following the incursion.
King Godwin I the wise ascended the throne in the year 500 following the death of his father, the incursion, and the great deception. As the only of his siblings to foresee Entador’s treachery, his anointment as surviving heir was undoubtedly auspicious - a sign of Valra’s favor for all to see.
Godwin I sired two sons and a daughter, Crown Prince Havel, Princess Catherine, and Prince Roderick. Crown Prince Havel himself fathered Godwin II - named in honor of his father, who was well loved by all. Fate would prove cruel however, and Havel died before ascending the throne, followed swiftly by the good King Godwin I in year 525.
The throne fell into contention, as some disputed that the throne should naturally proceed to the eldest surviving son of King Godwin, where others felt it should proceed to the firstborn son’s firstborn son - Godwin II,
King Godwin II claimed the throne following the first of numerous struggles over the matter. Roderick fled to the east, where at time of writing he remains in exile, still pressing his claim to the throne.