Anna I. Beloved
Anna I is among the most popular and prominent monarchs of the empire. She came in as the unexpected successor of Centerikos I and from her first public speech built up the image of an honest, capable and self-confident empress. For the first five years, she avoided private scandals so as not to give opponents an excuse to weaken her position. She later publicly admitted a relationship with her cousin Luis and married him, but never allowed him to take political power. Her reign brought a long period of peace, the development of culture, universities of the humanities, the first regular weekly newspaper, a huge cult of personality, and the aversion of war with the orcs by tribute to Urgior. Her funeral became the biggest imperial event in history.
Dynastic Information
An empress who knew she was being watched
Anna I entered the government fully aware that as a woman on the imperial throne she would be judged more harshly than most male monarchs. From her very first speech, she spoke to people with unusual honesty and was not afraid to say things that could be controversial. It was this openness that helped her build trust. For the first five years, she avoided private events and personal extravagances, knowing that any deviation from expected behavior could be used against her. The only invitation she accepted was from her distant cousin Luis, with whom she began to spend more and more time.
Luis, husband without a crown
Anna finally publicly admitted her romantic relationship with Luis and married him in 1253. This move could have been politically dangerous, as part of the court might have expected that Luis would gain influence and Anna would gradually turn into just the wife of the real ruler. However, the empress kept Luis away from the exercise of state power from the beginning. She loved him, but she wouldn't let him become an instrument to change the government. Her position as the head of the empire suited her and she never intended to hand it over.
A failed question of succession
Anna had three children, two sons and a daughter. For some time she considered whether she should change the succession so that it was not purely male. However, this idea has repeatedly come up at the meetings of the nobility, which since the time of Jakob III. have become an annual institution. It was the question of succession that was one of her less significant failures. Otherwise, her government was extremely successful and was able to diplomatically resolve disputes between clans and threats beyond borders.
Tribute to Urgior and peace with the goblins
During Anna's reign, Orc power grew under the new Durbuluk Urgior. He conquered new territories in the north and posed a danger to the northern provinces that fell under the Youlender family. Anna knew well that war with goblins was cruel, expensive and destabilizing. She therefore decided to prevent war with a tribute in the form of cattle and gold. At that time, the goblins had a particular interest in the former hall of the Dwarven crown, so such an agreement was enough for them. In doing so, Anna spared the realm a bloody conflict and confirmed that her strength lay in reason rather than in the desire for military glory.
Newspapers, the Image and the Cult of the Empress
Anna began to speak publicly about the philosophical issues of the empire. She gained enormous popularity and her exploits began to be regularly chronicled in the first written weekly that circulated throughout the empire. In it, people read about the empress, events, economic forecasts and news from the world of technology. Anna was well aware of the power of information, which is why newspapers were often subject to censorship or propaganda. At the same time, she carefully built her own image. She spent hours with beauticians, hairdressers and trainers, her portraits were sold throughout the empire, and painters often copied her likeness from other paintings because the demand was so great.
Peace, culture and the largest funeral of the empire
Anna supported culture and had universities built focusing on philosophy, history and other humanities. Her rule was a long period of peace for the population, although it concealed some problems rather than actually solving them. However, people often did not know about them, which is why her popularity remained extremely high. In recent years she has withdrawn from public life and enjoyed her holiday villas throughout the empire. She died in her sleep shortly before her eighty-fifth birthday. Her funeral became the largest imperial event in history and, according to the chronicles, up to five million inhabitants came to say goodbye to her.