Guiscard Offoy

* In 3E 298
* In 3E 248

**Guiscard**, often called **Aimery** or **Aimery the Younger**, was a Breton statesman.

Aimery was regarded in the Kingdom of Arian as one of its most accomplished statesmen. He the seniormost minister in the Court of the Phoenix King, holding the office of Grand High Chancellor of Arian. In this role, he was prime minister to three kings: Henri XVII, Henri XVIII, and Henri XIX.

## **Biography**

### **Origin**

Guiscard was born in the fishing town of Tonnau, situated in the north of Arian within the eponymous County of Tonnau. He was the youngest son of five, born to a stonemason and a baler of the Offoy family. Though once wealthy landowners, floods and storms had slowly but surely reduced the Offoys to bankruptcy and by the time of Guiscard's birth his family was utterly impoverished. When he came to an age where he could work, he was sent to find his own means in the capital. There, the court minister Aimery discovered and adopted him.

For some years, Guiscard served as his adoptive father's errand boy and secretary. Aimery spent a great deal in time and money educating him. He was brought to many court meetings, carrying papers and quills for ministers. He eventually entered the Court himself as a lawter. Guiscard was thereafter called *Aimery the Younger*, while his adoptive father came to be known as *Aimery the Elder*.

### **The Court's Confidence**

Aimery adapted quickly to the ceremonies and traditions of the Court, learning its procedures and rituals. He became his father's aide and secretary, and was also tangentially responsible for announcing judicial decrees. Before long, the young minister rose to the rank of Grandmaster of Laws.

### **Political Career**

#### **Agricultural Reform**

During the reign of King Henri the Restorer, much attention was given to the farmer class of the realm. Henri, who came to the throne at the head of an army, enjoyed far greater control of his kingdom than any king had done for centuries. While his grandfather, Arthur XII, had failed to wrestle control of the court back from its ministers at the end of his life, Henri was able to fill the court with his own loyal officials who would do his bidding without question.

The King was quick to replace the aging and increasingly senile Grand High Chancellor Aubrey when he became unwell in 3E 248. He chose the young Aimery as Aubrey's replacement.

Aimery was the youngest Grand High Chancellor in the history of the position, aged thirty and almost two decades junior to the next youngest. He became the King's favourite and launched several agricultural reforms on his behalf. The most successful of these was the implementation of a cropsharing system.

During the reigns of the so-called *Aymarian* kings, the fees exacted on landed knights by their feudal overlords had become exhorbitant. As a result, few could sustain many serfs to farm the land. A further consequence was the freeing and mass migration of these serfs into the towns and cities, where they found little employment. The cropsharing system created by Aimery was intended to abolish many of the rents paid by knights to their lieges, making it possible to support a larger number of serfs on a given stretch of land.

Instead of paying rents to their overlords, the landed knights would surrender a portion of their crop yield. To offset the significant reduction in income for rural lords, the Crown would purchase these crops from at a fixed rate. Knights leased crownland would simply give a portion of their crops directly to the Crown. This system allowed knights to support a greater number of serfs, which in turn resulted in the potential for greater harvests. The population of the Kingdom boomed and in four decades it had as much as tripled in some areas.

#### **Peace of Torlan**

Aimery was not initially enthusiastic concerning the Peace of Torlan, requiring much convincing by Charles FitzRoy on behalf of the Prince of Eirias. He viewed the project with suspicion and skepticism, doubting its proposed intentions. Furthermore, he did not think it right for a High King to meet with various other lords as if their equal. The decision to marry Henri XIX to the Torlanese King's sister assuaged some of the Grand High Chancellor's qualms.

Though he did not support the Peace of Torlan at first, Aimery was impressed with its architect, Engelard of Morfa. He was acutely aware of the Archmagister's career, in particular following his inauguration as Chancellor of Torlan in 3E 292. Aimery shared his lowly origins in common with the Chancellor and was naturally impressed by his rise.

It was Pierre of Hallin, the Grand Secretary, who finally convinced Aimery to give pursuit of the Peace his full support. Pierre, who was the father-in-law of Aimery's son Gautier, was a longtime rival with the Queen Mother Theodolinde and discontent with the Rule of Three Queens. He believed the Peace could be used to unseat the Queen Mother once and for all. Aimery, who disliked Theodolinde and regarded her as *'the corrupter of two kings'*, was convinced of this. The Peace of Torlan would strengthen not only the Kingdom of Arian in High Rock but also the court against the Queen Mother. Thus a league was born between the Grand High Chancellor, the Grand Secretary, and the Prince of Eirias, and thus the Queen Mother fell irrecoverably from influence.

Aimery did not attend the Peace in person, though his King did. He acted as regent in Henri XIX's absence, reorganising the court and replacing what was left of the Queen Mother's coterie.