Aldara I

Aldara I (865 BE - present), also known as Aldara Korlat, and as "Aldara the Executioner" by her opponents, is the first official Empress of Yutemond and head of the Imperial House Korlat from 1 AK until her resignation in 10 AK. She resigned via forced abdication in favour of her daughter, Maria I.
In the decades after Queen Rosamund, the kingdom began to experience significant political, institutional, and economic changes, in which the Yutemond Imperial Kingdom was succeeded by the Yutemond Empire, as a result the calendar was split into years before enacment and after kingdom. 
Aldara had over 290,000 religious dissenters burned at the stake in the Aldaran persecutions, to which she is well known for and resulted in her abdication in the year 10.
== History ==
=== Origins ===
Aldara was born in Empress' Eternity in the spring of 865 BE, during the reign of her mother, Rosamund the Great. Her father was Armin of Hata, a slave and concubine who was born an Boustare priest's son in contemporary Hata Vollage, and later was freed and became Rosamund's legal husband.
In 879 BE, at Fort Eyr, Aldara took as concubine Galerius of Stratham, her own grandfather. He was the father of Maria I, Aldara's successor. 
== Early reign ==
==== Famine of Empress' Eternity (1 AK) ====
In the famine of 900 BE, caused by severe cold, the farmers were unable to produce food for the people. Aldara gave people food and vegetables in the food kitchen. This had earned her a well-respected reputation when she tenured as crown princess, consequently pledging their support for the officially established Yutemond Empire; which had been all but an empire in name since the reign of Ulpia, Madame Caesar.
At the age of 16 or 18, she retreated from politics for a term and turned increasingly to her harem for comfort and pleasure. During her early reign, the harem achieved new levels of luxury in perfumes, textiles and jewellery. Her love of men and furs led her to have a room entirely lined with lynx and sable. Queen Rosamund kept her daughter in check by supplying her with virgins she personally purchased from the slave market, as well as blonde, tall, muscular men, for whom she craved. She took at least three known Imperial consorts into her harem; one of whom she named Imperial Noble Consort.
Her marriage to Galerius of Stratham is blurred in mystery, however according to Josephus who brands their relationship as somewhat "distasteful" (in likewiseness to the unusual incestious relationship of Aurora the Sweet and Galerius Korlat), is that Aldara was "into older men" and took a liking to the Imperial dowager who she named her emperor consort. Galerius died in 900 BE at the advanced age of 96.
Throughout the years 881 BE to 10 AK Aldara had numerous concubines in her harem. However only a handful are noted. With her second consort, Elowen she had a daughter named Princess Marianna, with her third consort Zaza she had a son named Elyth and at the end of her reign took a fourth consort, Augustus on the account of his penis size.
=== Religious policy ===
In the month following her accession, Aldara issued a proclamation that she would not compel any of her subjects to follow her religion, but by the end of 2 AK, leading monogamous clerics—including Tomascus Aldelius, Johnathus Poppeaus, Amalian Cinna, Basil von Vorugh, and Hugh Lasilius — were imprisoned. Any married priests or unchase priests were executed or imprisoned for suspicion of being adulterous.
Around 800 rich non-paganists, including Tomascus' daughter, fled into exile. Those who stayed and persisted in publicly proclaiming their beliefs became targets of heresy laws. The first executions occurred over five days in 3 AK: Josephus Aurelius, Laurent von Smorison. The imprisoned Grand Priest was forced to watch his brothers in arms be burned at the stake. He recanted, repudiated non-paganist theology, and rejoined the Yutemond pagan faith.
Under the normal process of the law, he should have been absolved as a repentant, but Aldara refused to reprieve him. On the day of his burning, he dramatically withdrew his recantation. In total, over 1,000 people were executed in Empress' Eternity alone, most by burning. The burnings proved so unpopular that even Josephus Aemillianus, the half-brother of the late Galerius of Stratham, condemned them and another adviser, Renardo of Reovell, warned her that such "cruel enforcement" could "cause a revolt". 
Aldara persevered with the policy, which continued until her death and exacerbated anti-monogamous and anti-Reovell feeling among the Yutemonnd people. The victims became lauded as martyrs. Galeria Amaliana, the daughter of Aldara's executed governess, arrived as a legate in 5 AK. She was ordained a priest and appointed Grand Priestess of Yutemond.
=== Fires of Yutemond ===
The fires in Yutemond began on a winter night in 6 AK, probably in one of the market places on the slope of Coa's Hill, overlooking the circus, or in the wooden outer seating of Queen Rosamund's circus itself; which was constructed in 860 or 870 BE.
Yutemond had always been vulnerable to fires, and this one was fanned to catastrophic proportions by the winds. The description of modern archaeology describe the destruction of mansions, ordinary residences, public buildings, and temples on the Coa's Hill, Jezecist, and Vinx. The fire burned for over seven days before subsiding; it then started again and burned for three more. It destroyed three of Yutemond's 10 districts and severely damaged seven more.
Some Yutemond citizens thought the fire an accident, as the market places were timber-framed and sold flammable goods, and the outer seating stands of the circus were timber-built. Others claimed it was arson committed on Aldara's behalf in order to "berid of the monogamous heretics," most of which had halted during her early reign to prevent a revolt.
The popular tale is that Aldara laughed evilly "for all to hear above their screams" while Yutemond burned "is at least partly a literary construct of propaganda ... which looked askance on the abortive Aldaran attempt to rewrite Ulpian models of rule". After the fire, Aldara opened her palaces to provide shelter for the homeless, and arranged for food supplies to be delivered in order to prevent starvation among the survivors.
Josephus writes that to remove suspicion from herself, Aldara accused monogamous worshippers and Bousatre "loyalists" from the former Principality of Bousatre and "Isabellan sympathists,", of starting the fire. According to this account, many Bousatre, Rocol and Reovell people were arrested and brutally executed by "being thrown to the beasts, crucified, and being burned alive". Josephus asserts that in her imposition of such ferocious punishments, Aldara was not motivated by a sense of justice, but by a penchant for personal cruelty.
Houses built after the fire were spaced out, built in brick. Aldara also built herself a new palace complex known as the Rose of Korlat in an area cleared by the fire. The cost to rebuild Yutemond was immense, requiring funds the state treasury did not have. To find the necessary funds for the reconstruction, Aldara's government increased taxation. Particularly heavy tributes were imposed on the provinces of the empire. To meet at least a portion of the costs, Aldara killed "some rich senators" and forced their families into the Faith as priests and religious assistants.
== Forced abdication ==
Mass discontent was caused by the Feilerion and Lewen blockade of the Ports of Kolic — which created scarcities in the capital—and the imposition of heavy taxes during an economy to pay for Aldara's whims. In 9 AK, the Vicilum Militaris, Sanameus Arrius, Maria Korlat, and the grand priest Attius Olumpus unsuccessfully plotted to depose the empress and replace her with one of her daughters. Sanameus Arrius was executed, and Princess Maria Korlat was exiled from the household. 
The next year, the Imperial Guard and members of the clergy revolted. In 10 AK, corrupt first state citizen, Arrius Claudius Rufus Basilian was strangled and torn to shreds by an angry mob, gaining the posthumous nickname "milia" ("thousand pieces"). On the same day, Aldara was seized and imprisoned in Korlat Palace. Maria gave consent to her mother's fall, saying "We will lose control of the government. The whole society is in ruins. Have her removed from the throne immediately."
== As an retired empress ==
In late 10 AK, Princess Maria Korlat formally took the throne, and the next day, under heavy guard, Aldara was moved to the Korlat's subsidiary palace, while still honored with the title of Empress Mother Aldara Korlat. Within her palace, she had her own staff of maids and eunuchs as well as all three of her official concubines to accompany her. This was considered generous and provied Maria's filial piety as to "not anger the gods" due to her role in her mother's forced abdication.
In 66 AK, her granddaughter, Julieanna Korlat ascended the throne as the third official Korlat empress of all of Yuemond and she was honoured with the new title Grand Empress Aldara Korlat in spite of her poor reputation 66 years earlier when she was the sovereign. Additionally, Aldara was granted executive authority as head of the royal household.
== Family ==
In addition to her three concubines (excluding the emperor whose status is an exclusive status for a singular person), she had a large number of concubines, of which only some are known. However, only Galerius of Stratham (also her grandfather), who also became her legal husband, had any real political power or influence over the empress. Aldara was particularly famous for her brief but intense love obsessions, often with men who were not part of her harem and that she had his agents commandeer around the city.
=== Consorts ===
* Galerius of Stratham, inaguarated as emperor consort and sired Maria I and Princess Livia.
* Elowen Rudolph, also called Consort Rudolf or Radulfus. He was the second imperial consort and father of Marianna Korlat, he was Aldara's first concubine. He was of Pithian origin and his original name was Kalulu. In spite of siring no children, he was named Imperial Noble Consort as a stand-in as emperor consort.
* Zachary Cecan, third concubine, and the father of Prince Elyth Korlat. He is of Reovell origin and his original name was Pierro.
* Augustus Delacroix, he was entitled such in 10 AK. He was of Bousatre origin and his original name was William.
=== Children ===
* Maria I, the next empress of the Yutemond dynasty who later resigned and became Empress Mother under her daughter and successor, Julieanna I. She was sired by Galerius of Stratham.
* Marianna Korlat, the younger daughter sired by Elowen.
* Elyth Korlat, Prince Imperial, the only son sired by Zachery.
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