Albert of Dunedyn

"My lord, what are you doing out in such weather and darkness? How many times have I tried to persuade you that midnight travelling will do you no good?" - Duke Albert's personal cook, the night of Albert's death
Duke Albert Hamilton was leader of the Kingdom of Albran and the first duke of the county of Chrichheim. He is best known for creating the Treaty of Fairwood, which united Albran and Stradclod into a unified Chrichheim. His descendants, to this very day, remain in rulership over Chrichheim.
== Life ==
Albert was born at Clearglade, the only son of his family. Albert's father died when he was only 7 years old and subsequently rose to leadership of Albran as it's Toísech (meaning "leader" or "first" in old Chrich).
His childhood was very much defined by a bitter struggle for control between himself and two rival parties - the Dunwalds and the Kelsos. Both of these families held notable political influence and attempted to manipulate the young Toísech. The Dunwald family initially held an advantage but, in an expert ploy, young Albert manipulated both families into fighting amongst each other. Disgraced, Albert was able to assert himself above both families at just the age of 14.
When he was 21, Albert announced his intention to unite his kingdom with the Kingdom of Stradclod. He laid a formal claim before Toísech Rynhart but this was rejected and, the following year, responded with a full-on invasion. Using a small fleet of Lymphad ships, he sailed across Loch Mor and past any expected route of travel. He halted once his men established themselves on the southern shore of the loch, and negotiations began. Albert purposefully prolonged the talks until autumn rain turned the land into boggy, muddy marsh. Eventually Rynhart, weary of prolonged delay, attacked, only for the newly-formed mud to negate the speed and manoeuvrability of his formidable cavalry. The Battle of Loch Mor proved indecisive either way but, even so, Rynhart's position was hopeless. Dumbfounded, he turned home but the remainder of his army was defeated several days into the journey. Unbeknownst to Rynhart, Albert's army had followed him the whole way and captured both him and his army during a drunken feast. With Rynhart's army defeated, Albert concluded the Treaty of Fairwood by which the Kingdoms of Albran and Stradclod were finally united as one formal Imperial county - Chrichheim. As the leader of Alban, Albert became the new county's first duke.
== Death ==
Albert had married Mary, a noblewoman from Isernheim, when he was 10 years old and she was 11. Together, they had 3 children - Mary, Alana, and Darragh. Unfortunately, all of their children would die relatively young (22, 20, and 9 respectively). According to sources of the time, Albert was incredibly loyal to his wife. They never spent too long a time apart and it is said that theirs' was a romance that was written by the gods themselves.
Towards the end of Albert's rule, the death of all three of his children within a few years made the question of succession one of pressing importance. Originally, he implored his parliament to recognise his wife as heir-apparent but when this was met with scepticism, on account of her Isernheim heritage, Albert opted to acknowledge his granddaughter, also called Mary, as heir instead.
Albert died after a fall from his horse while riding in the dark to visit his wife in Stella, because it was her birthday the next day. He had spent the day previous in Dunedyn with the county parliament. He was cautioned against making the journey due to weather conditions but decided to go anyway. On arriving in Two Towers he decided not to stop for the night and insisted on continuing, despite the pleas of the nobles accompanying him as well as his own personal retinue.
Albert ignored the warnings and continued into the stormy night with his retinue and a local guide. At some point, the duke had become separated from his party, and was found dead with a broken neck the following morning. It is assumed that his horse lost its footing in the dark, causing him to plunge into a steep gully. Albert's death was met with mourning across Chrichheim. He was buried in the Mausoleum of Leaders in Dunedyn.
Since his death, Albert has become a deeply respected figure amongst most Chrichheimers. He is admired for his wit and intellect as well as being the primary founder of their county. Poems, songs, and sonnets have been written about the duke and a monument was constructed at the approximate location of his death near Two Towers. Perhaps his greatest legacy, though, comes from his descendants - who rule over Chrichheim to this very day.