Kingsguard

The Kingsguard is an elite order of seven knights, the greatest and most skilled warriors in the realm, who serve as the royal bodyguards of the King of Spain. They are tasked with keeping the royal family safe at all times, and are meant to be the quintessential examples of chivalry and proper knightly conduct. To be a part of the Kingsguard to considered one of the greatest honors in the kingdom, and every knight looks to the Kingsguard as an example and aspires to one day join its ranks. Over the years, at the behest of the various Kings of Spain, the Kingsguard has taken on several forms.
== History ==
The Kingsguard was founded by King Alfonso Clemente I of Spain, when he took the throne in the year 1623. He established the guard, and placed his seven greatest knights in its ranks, starting a tradition that would last over a century. He declared that members of the Kingsguard would serve for life, unless the King of Spain decided otherwise due to a dishonorable transgression or a critical or crippling injury. Despite their great commitments to the Throne, members of the Kingsguard would still be allowed to take wives and father children, and their wives often live within the Spanish royal palace, unless they have a previously established residence. After Alfonso's death, his son, King Spartan Clemente I, and his grandson, King Philip Clemente V, would follow his example, establishing Kingsguards of their own. His great-grandson, King Ferdinand Clemente VI, however, would forsake the name "Kingsguard," and declare the Paladins of Santiago to be his royal guard.
== Members of the Kingsguards ==
=== King Alfonso Clemente I's Kingsguard ===
King Alfonso Clemente I's Kingsguard was the first of the five Kingsguards throughout the history of the modern Spanish Empire.
* Sir Rafael Ortez, also known as Sir Rafael the Peaceblade, was the Lord Commander of King Alfonso Clemente I's Kingsguard. His defensive tasks were relatively uneventful, as the reign of his king was a quiet and peaceful one, with only one war, at its end. Rafael Ortez was the grandfather of Duke Guillermo Ortez and Queen Rosabella Ortez-Clemente. He was the only member of King Alfonso's Kingsguard to survive the Spartanic Rebellion, and was allowed to live the rest of his life in peace in the Spanish countryside, though he would opt to travel south into Morocco to fight against oppressive Islamic influence for a long period of time, before settling down once again in Spain. He was known by the moniker "Peaceblade" due to the peaceful years that the nation of Spain had under his watch, and is regarded as one of the greatest Spanish knights of all time.
* Sir Arturo Gutiérrez was a member of King Alfonso Clemente I's Kingsguard. He has few notable achievements, and was killed during the Spartanic Revolution in the year 1658, when Spartan Clemente seized the throne from Alfonso.
* Sir Luz Valerio, also known as Sir Luz the Toymaker, was a member of King Alfonso Clemente I's Kingsguard. His duties included the training of the children of the king in the ways of the blade, and he earned his nickname, "Luz the Toymaker," because he often fashioned toy swords for the children of the royal family. Sir Luz Valerio was killed during the Spartanic Revolution in the year 1658, when Spartan Clemente seized the throne from Alfonso.
* Sir Nicolás Andrade, also known as Sir Nicolás the Reviver, was a member of King Alfonso Clemente I's Kingsguard. He earned his place on the Kingsguard by saving the king's son, Prince Spartan Clemente, from drowning, which also earned him his nickname. Andrade was slain during the Spartanic Revolution in the year 1658, when Spartan Clemente seized the throne from Alfonso.
* Sir Salvador Moruga was a member of King Alfonso Clemente I's Kingsguard. He has few notable achievements, and was killed during the Spartanic Revolution in the year 1658, when Spartan Clemente seized the throne from Alfonso.
* Sir Ian Ureña was a member of King Alfonso Clemente I's Kingsguard. He has few notable achievements, and was killed during the Spartanic Revolution in the year 1658, when Spartan Clemente seized the throne from Alfonso.
* Sir Alan Mancebo, also known as Sir Alan the Defiler, was a member of King Alfonso Clemente I's Kingsguard. He received his nickname due to his vehement hatred of the Islamic faith, and his personal crusades to root out Muslims in Spain and destroy their mosques. Sir Alan was killed during the Spartanic Revolution in the year 1658, when Spartan Clemente seized the throne from Alfonso.
=== King Spartan Clemente I's Kingsguard ===
=== Original Kingsguard ===
King Spartan Clemente I's original Kingsguard was established when he took the throne in 1658, but was wiped out in its entirety in November of 1697, all of them being slain by the exceptionally skilled Sir Lunius Sargento, and causing the need for Spartan to appoint new members of the Kingsguard.
* Sir Maximiliano Águila, also known as Sir Max the Bold and Sir Max the Daft was the original Lord Commander of King Spartan Clemente I's Kingsguard. He received his first nickname due to his bravery in battle, and later his second, more popular nickname posthumously due to his unintelligent order for the Kingsguard to attack Sir Lunius Sargento. He was slain Sargento in a fray that had broken out between Sargento and the Kingsguard due to the former killing Sir Miguel Pousa of the Kingsguard for the attempted rape of a servant girl in King Spartan's palace.
* Sir Juan Pablo Velázquez was a member of King Spartan Clemente I's original Kingsguard. His claim to fame was his great skill in knightly tournaments, which earned him his place upon the Kingsguard. He was slain during the Kingsguard's devastating skirmish with the superior Sir Lunius Sargento of the Caribbean Rangers.
* Sir Miguel Pousa, also known as Sir Miguel the Sadist, was a member of King Spartan Clemente I's original Kingsguard. He was known for torturing prisoners of the Spanish Crown in exceptionally brutal ways, either as punishment or to get information out of them, and mistreating women. He was caught by Sir Lunius Sargento in the act of attempting to assault a young servant girl, and was slain by the honorable Sargento via a blade to the throat, which would be the catalyst for a skirmish in which Sir Lunius killed the rest of King Spartan Clemente I's original Kingsguard.
* Sir Alonso Rodríguez was a member of King Spartan Clemente I's original Kingsguard. He was formerly the head of the group of peace-keeping knights in the city of Madrid known as the Madrid City Watch, and his exceptional service earned him the title of Kingsguard. He was slain during the Kingsguard's infamous skirmish with Sir Lunius Sargento.
* Sir Xavier Amengual, also known as Sir Xavier the Pitiless, was a member of King Spartan Clemente I's original Kingsguard, and the grandfather of Ares Vega, Angela Vega, Guldan Amengual and Mark Amengual. He received his nickname due to his willingness to commit cruel acts for his king. He was slain during the Kingsguard's skirmish with Sir Lunius Sargento.
* Sir Lorenzo Vera, also known as Sir Lorenzo the Undying was a member of King Spartan Clemente I's original Kingsguard. He received his nickname due to encountering a number of near-death situations and suffering many critical wounds that should have killed him. He was finally killed during the Kingsguard's fateful battle with Sir Lunius Sargento.
* Sir Luis Botín, also known as Sir Luis the Hunter, was a member of King Spartan Clemente I's original Kingsguard. He received his nickname due to his remarkable tracking abilities, sent covertly to monitor the activities of Prince Philip Clemente V during the prince's exile. He was slain during the Kingsguard's battle with Sir Lunius Sargento.
=== Second Kingsguard ===
King Spartan Clemente I's second Kingsguard was established after Sir Lunius Sargento slew the entirety of the first one. However, in this iteration of the Kingsguard, the king appointed only four men, rather than the typical and traditional seven.
* Sir Samuel Ironshot became the Lord Commander of King Spartan Clemente I's Kingsguard, after Sir Maximiliano Águila and the rest of the Kingsguard were killed by Sir Lunius Sargento. Ironshot was known for his combat and military prestige, and served as the general of King Spartan Petalbee I's forces during the latter half of the First Spanish Civil War, though he was later defeated at the Battle of León in 1701, and exiled to Tunisia when King Philip Clemente V took the throne, where he died at an unspecified time.
* Sir Brynden was a member of King Spartan Clemente I's second Kingsguard whose surname has been lost to history. He had few great feats in his time as a knight, and was killed by Sir Lunius Sargento in the Battle of León in the year 1701, along with two of his compatriots on the Kingsguard.
* Sir Vicente Velázquez, also known as Sir Vincente the Slayer was a member of King Spartan Clemente I's second Kingsguard, and is regarded as one of the most skilled warriors in the history of the Kingsguard. He received his nickname posthumously after holding out against and killing nearly two dozen men on his own during the Battle of León, before finally being slain by Sir Lunius Sargento.
* Sir Marco Navarro, also known as Sir Marco the Brash was a member of King Spartan Clemente I's second Kingsguard, and received his nickname for his fearlessness and lack of hesitance to charge into battle with no regard for his own safety. He met his end at the hands of Sir Lunius Sargento during the Battle of León in 1701.
=== King Philip Clemente V's Kingsguard ===
King Philip Clemente V's Kingsguard is known as the most skilled and legendary of the five Kingsguards of modern Spanish history, with a number of famous names among its ranks.
* Sir Lunius Sargento, known as the Sword of the Morning and Sir Lunius the Kingmaker, was the Lord Commander of King Philip Clemente V's Kingsguard, and was one of the founding members of the legendary Ranger Order. He is regarded as the most legendary and honorable knight in Spanish history, having defeated both of King Spartan Clemente I and both of his Kingsguards on his own, as well as repelling vast amounts of rebellion soldiers during the Battle of Muerte de Clemente, among a myriad of other achievements. He was called the "Sword of the Morning" and the "Kingmaker" due to his blade being the one that ushered in a new dawn for Spain after he defeated the Kingsguard and the King of Spain during the Battle of León. Sargento trained several sons of King Philip Clemente during their boyhoods, as well as Sir Spadus Ignacio IV, another famed knight. He resigned from the Kingsguard shortly after the Battle of Muerte de Clemente, due to guilt over killing Prince Silus Clemente, one of his former students, and his spot on the Kingsguard was never replaced, meaning there would only be six members of the Kingsguard after his resignation, for no man was worthy to replace the great and fabled Lunius Sargento. It is unknown whether he is currently dead or alive.
* Sir Spadus Ignacio IV, also known as The Sword in the Darkness, The Kraken of Spain, and Spade the Dishonored, was a member of King Philip Clemente V's Kingsguard, and became the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard after the resignation of Sir Lunius Sargento. He was recruited into the legendary Ranger Order at the age of sixteen, and was trained by Sir Lunius Sargento and Sir Hector Wildhayes. Spade earned the nickname, "The Sword in the Darkness" due to his talent for assassinations, executing many enemies of King Philip. He later commanded the Spanish Armada during the Paradoxian Wars, winning many victories for King Philip, earning the nickname "The Kraken of Spain." Years later, after his defeat during the Battle of Gibraltar, Spade abandoned Spain, fearing punishment from Philip. He would return to commit terrorist actions against the nation during the Monarchic Era of Spain, and had his knighthood stripped from him, earning the nickname "Spade the Dishonored."
* Sir Leon Daggerskull, also known as Sir Leon the Hand was a member of King Philip Clemente V's Kingsguard. He began in Philip's service as a Ranger Lord of the Ranger Order, alongside his younger brother, Sir Davy Daggerskull, and was known as one of the deadlier members of the Kingsguard at the time. He earned his nickname due to his eagerness and willingness to carry out Philip's orders, no matter what they were, almost as if he were an extension of Philip's own hand. Sir Leon was killed at the Battle of Muerte de Clemente, by then-Prince Ferdinand Clemente VI. His former position on the Kingsguard was assumed by Sir Ponce de Leon II.
* Sir Davy Daggerskull was a member of King Philip Clemente V's Kingsguard. He served as a Ranger in the Ranger Order, alongside his older brother, Sir Leon Daggerskull. Sir Davy would be cut down by Prince Ezequiel Clemente during the Battle of Muerte de Clemente whilst attempting to defend his king. His spot on the Kingsguard was taken by Sir James Bladebones.
* Sir Hector Raidgrin, also known as Sir Hector the Gambler, was a member of King Philip Clemente V's Kingsguard. He began as a Ranger Lord of the Ranger Order, and received his nickname for his tendency to take extreme risks on the battlefield with little regard for his own safety, that often paid off. His ultimate fate is unknown, but he was likely killed by Lion Coalition forces during the Sacking of Madrid in 1749.
* Sir Edgar Ironcrash, also known as Sir Edgar the Witty, for his intelligence, was a member of King Philip Clemente V's Kingsguard. He began in Philip's service as a Ranger Lord of the Ranger Order, though he would later resign from the Kingsguard when he turned on Philip and joined then-Prince Ferdinand Clemente VI's side during the War of the Triumvirate. He was slain by Sir Lunius Sargento during the Battle of Muerte de Clemente. His former position on the Kingsguard was assumed by Sir Jeffrey Pondbellows.
* Sir Roger Goldhawk was a member of King Philip Clemente V's Kingsguard. Few records exist on him, but it is generally assumed that he was a mercenary from a foreign nation hired by Philip. He was slain during the Battle of Muerte de Clemente by Prince Silus Clemente. His former position on the Kingsguard was assumed by Sir Guillermo Ortez.
* Sir Ponce de Leon II was a member of King Philip Clemente V's Kingsguard, who assumed the position vacated by Sir Leon Daggerskull, and the descendant of the legendary Conquistador Ponce de Leon. He served faithfully on the Kingsguard for years, but was killed by Prince Ezequiel Clemente during the Sacking of Madrid in 1749.
* Sir James Bladebones was a member of King Philip Clemente V's Kingsguard, who assumed the position vacated by Sir Davy Daggerskull, formerly leading a detachment of Spanish forces during the Leonic Wars. His ultimate fate is unknown, but he was likely killed by Lion Coalition forces during the Sacking of Madrid in 1749.
* Sir Jeffrey Pondbellows was a member of King Philip Clemente V's Kingsguard, who assumed the position vacated by Sir Edgar Ironcrash. He was the younger brother of Queen Isabella Pondbellows-Clemente, the wife of Philip. His ultimate fate is unknown, but he was likely killed by Lion Coalition forces during the Sacking of Madrid in 1749.
* Sir Guillermo Ortez was a member of King Philip Clemente V's Kingsguard after the Post-Paradoxian Wars, assuming the position vacated by Sir Roger Goldhawk some time earlier, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Sir Rafael Ortez the Peaceblade. Guillermo is also the brother of Queen Rosabella Clemente of Spain. He was defeated by Prince Ezequiel Clemente during the Sacking of Madrid in 1749, and would later go on to develop a friendship with the prince and eventually was raised to the nobility as the Duke of the Noble House of Ortez during the Monarchic Era of Spain.
=== King Ferdinand Clemente VI's Paladins of Santiago ===
Rather than giving his "Kingsguard" the title of Kingsguard, Ferdinand VI decided that he would break from tradition, ordering for the formation of the Paladins of Santiago, though he followed the tradition of placing his seven best knights upon it.
* Prince Ezequiel Clemente, also known as the Young Lion, the younger brother of King Ferdinand Clemente VI, and the Heir Apparent of the Spanish Throne, is the Lord Commander of the Paladins of Santiago. He has proven himself in a great number of battles, ranging from his time as a pirate, to the Paradoxian Wars, to the War of Spanish Succession of 1749, and has always been at his brother's side, from the moment that they met. He diligently serves as the leader of the Paladins of Santiago, unwavering in his duty to protect his king and his kingdom.
* Sir Lawrence Sargento, also known as Sir Lawrence the Ironhawk, was a Paladin of Santiago. Lawrence the long-lost, legitimized bastard son of Tomas Amengual, and a former pirate. A close friend of Ezequiel Clemente's, Lawrence was chosen for the Paladins of Santiago immediately when the Order of Santiago was founded for his valor and his prior service to the Spanish Empire, and continues to protect and serve the King of Spain.
* Sir Johnny Aveiredes was a Paladin of Santiago, and a member of the Noble House of Aveiredes. He was placed in the higher level of the Order of Santiago at its inception due to his unwavering loyalty to the Spanish Crown, especially during the Restoration of the Spanish Monarchy in 1751, and continues to serve his nation.
=== King Ferdinand Clemente VI's Kingsguard ===
After extensive reforms to the Order of Santiago, King Ferdinand Clemente required a Kingsguard. He made the requirement that joining the Kingsguard would require one to surrender their lands and titles. 
* Sir Guillermo Ortez 
* Sir Kyle Machawk 
* Sir Roger Whalehound 
* Sir Davy Stormhawk 
== Gallery ==
=== King Alfonso Clemente I's Kingsguard ===
=== King Spartan Clemente I's Original Kingsguard ===
=== King Spartan Clemente I's Second Kingsguard ===
=== King Philip Clemente V's Kingsguard ===
=== King Ferdinand Clemente VI's Paladins of Santiago ===
=== King Ferdinand Clemente VI's Kingsguard ===
Category:The Kingdom of Spain