Boleslaw X

Jan II (Father)

Boleslaw X (15 March, 1896 - 27 June, 1947) was the leader of the Commonwealth between 1925 and 1947, when he was executed by his brother and succeeding emperor Jan III

## Life

### Early Life

Boleslaw was nearly removed from the line of succession by his father Jan II in favor of his younger brother Jan III. In 1911 (when the Commonwealth and Byzantium were still on good terms), Jan II expressed in a private meeting with Ioustinianos IV his fear that *"there is something wicked within Boleslaw. He shows a general disinterest and often even disregard for the sanctity of life... He [Jan] is the near opposite of Boleslaw, who is irascible, unkind, and arbitrary at the age of 15... I'm starting to believe I should name him the heir apparent to the thrones. I fear for the realm under Boleslaw."*

However, Boleslaw's mother, Queen Mildred, eased Jan II's fears on his son. She convinced him that Boleslaw was just an especially hormonal and temperamental teenager; that he would outgrow the phase and grow into a fair and just monarch.

### Reign As Emperor

Upon coming to power with the death of his father in 1925, Boleslaw immediately rescinded his father's begrudged recognition of Great Ruthenian independence, and vaguely announced that he planned on containing all revolts "future and ongoing." The line was interpreted as a thinly veiled threat against Great Ruthenia, but ultimately he had plausible deniability and no diplomatic action was taken. This was an intentional power move, to prove to the world that the Commonwealth under his rule would actively seek a policy of restoration.

Queen Mildred passed in 1929, a mere 4 years after her son took the throne. To that point, she believed herself vindicated; Boleslaw, despite some harsh rhetoric, did not outwardly display the same characteristics that his father worried about. 12 years later, however, he approved terror tactics he dubbed "Coercion by Display," and his army committed atrocities and destroyed several historical monuments in a bid to dishearten his foes.

### Downfall and Execution

In 1947, after the surrender of the Hollandish forces and enemy forces quickly converging into the Polish Heartland, Boleslaw was detained by members of the generality, who formed a short lived junta and requested a ceasefire.

The Treaty of Munich in 1947 stipulated that Jan III would take the throne of Poland, but not the other former Commonwealth thrones, and that Boleslaw would be extradited for trial by the ITCAKP, or International Tribunal on the Criminal Actions of the Krakow Pact. Upon learning the full extent of the crimes directly approved by Boleslaw, Jan III instead executed his brother. Though this violated the Treaty of Munich, there were no diplomatic protests against it. In 1950, during the closing stages of the Tribunal, Jan III's execution of his brother was officially declared legal and the treaty was amended to reflect the change.

### Legacy

In the modern age, Boleslaw's reign is seen as rather controversial. Many foreign leaders, even those who were once his closest allies, were recorded as criticizing is acts and policies. Even Alfonso Cusani, an avowed ultranationalist, expressed some discontent with the general attitude and actions of the Commonwealth's army.

However, None were nearly as critical as Franz Ferdinand VI, who went on to say that *"Boleslaw was at best a psychopath, but far more likely a sociopath. These are not the actions of an army commanded by an honorable and just commander-in-chief; these are the actions of an army led by a cold, calculating serial killer who surrounds himself with likeminded individuals. I officially denounce my earlier connections with him, and fully support his execution."*