Bouchard, Duke of Corsen

**Bouchard of Corsen** was a Breton prince, nobleman, and sometime king.

In his lifetime, Bouchard was the son, brother, father and uncle of kings.

## **Appearance and Character**

Active and healthy in his youth, Bouchard succumbed to gluttony in widowhood. By his sixtieth year, Bouchard's corpulence was magnified by the laxity of his skin. His neck was a mass which draped beneath his bloated face. A large nose was set between his brown eyes, a characteristic of the House of Clerjus. Bouchard kept his receding hair cut short, and his face clean-shaven.

Bouchard's attire was befitting a king, fashioned from the finest fabrics, threads and ornaments. He favoured loose tunics to better disguise his grotesque physique. The duke's swollen fingers were bejewelled with golden rings which he was unable to remove.

Bouchard was convinced by the inherent virtue of noble blood, and thus of himself. He cherished the time-hallowed feudalism of High Rock, which placed him at the very pinnacle of society. Bouchard was thus suspicious – even hostile – towards innovation and reform, and reserved a unique contempt for lawyers.

The Duke of Corsen insisted on his own chivalry and honour. These purported qualities were discredited by the duke's barefaced and ruthless ambition, which did not stop short of attempting to usurp his own son's throne. Bouchard was a compulsive intriguer and mischief-maker, though his impatience and indiscretion resulted in many of his schemes coming to naught. To most, even his own family, Bouchard was considered untrustworthy, unreliable, and dangerous.

Bouchard was an avid gambler. He placed wagers on almost anything, including sports, wars, elections and the weather. The sums which the duke staked varied unpredictably, from the contents of his purse to thousands of septims at a time, to the dismay of his treasurer. Famously, Bouchard wagered on outcomes he did *not* wish to happen; thus it was said that the Duke of Corsen was seldom disappointed.

## **Biography**

Bouchard was the second son of King Berenger I of Torlan and his queen, Isabelle of Glastir. He was born on 27th Frost Fall 3E 239, under the sign of the Atronach. Of all his siblings, Bouchard was most favoured by their father. As a child, he cherished hopes that the king would name him heir to the kingdom in place of his elder brother, Berenger.

Whilst he may have been disappointed that he did not succeed his father in 3E 269, Bouchard was well-compensated. In his will, the king bequeathed the county of Corsen (the ancestral home of the Clerjus dynasty) to his second son, with instruction that it should be elevated to a duchy. Bouchard thus became the first Duke of Corsen, in vassalage to his brother King Berenger II. Despite this munificent inheritance, Bouchard still nurtured kingly aspirations. In 3E 271, he left the kingdom to woo Queen Mahaut, the unmarried ruler of Ystrad.

The blandishments and browbeating of Bouchard were successful, for a year later he married the queen. The Duke of Corsen was subsequently crowned King of Ystrad. Though only a consort, Bouchard frequently asserted his rights as the co-ruler of Ystrad. Many royal documents were issued in the name of '*Their Majesties Queen Mahaut and King Bouchard*'. Such presumption was enabled by the queen's docility and indulgence; she lavished her husband with honours and gifts.

By Mahaut, Bouchard sired five children. The queen succumbed to a fever in 3E 295, following which the widower Bouchard schemed to forestall the succession of his own son (also named Bouchard) so to remain King of Ystrad in his own right. This conspiracy quickly failed, and the younger Bouchard was proclaimed king. The elder Bouchard was confined to house arrest, being addressed as *Monseigneur* to mitigate the awkwardness and confusion of there being two kings named Bouchard in the kingdom.

After six months of comfortable captivity in Eastvale Castle, Bouchard the Elder agreed to terms offered to him by his son. This settlement was known as the Treaty of the Two Bouchards. In return for a rich pension, the estwhile consort was to renounce his kingly title and leave Ystrad. In the sping of 3E 296, Bouchard returned to his native kingdom of Torlan after a quarter of a century absence. He was joined by his youngest children, Geoffroy and Marguerite.

As a prince, the pre-eminent nobleman, and the uncle of King Elzear VII, the Duke of Corsen expected influence to be restored to him at once. Queen Regent Adelaide, who ruled Torlan in her son’s name, had no intention of sharing power with her brother-in-law. Though received at court with honour and pomp, Bouchard was soon given leave to return to his duchy.

On learning of the Queen Regent's incapacitation in 3E 297, Bouchard hastened back to the capital to impose himself as King Elzear's new chief advisor. Expecting a private audience with his nephew, the duke was astonished when he was instead received by Archmagister Engelard. The lowborn chancellor greatly offended the erstwhile king by failing to rise from his chair. From this moment, Bouchard was hell-bent on orchestrating the downfall of Engelard. Other malcontents frequented Corsen Palace, the duke's residence in Torlan. At least one plot to murder the archmagister was hatched under Bouchard's roof.

At the second coronation of King Elzear VII in Mid Year 3E 297, the Duke of Corsen proudly carried the royal crown in procession. Bouchard's triumph was short-lived, for his rival Engelard claimed a greater place of honour at the ceremony by crowning the king himself.

## **Marriage and Issue**

In 3E 271, Bouchard married Mahaut, queen regnant of Ystrad. By her he sired five children, all accorded the title of *Prince* or *Princess* from birth:

1. Bouchard (born 3E 273), King of Ystrad following his mother's death in 3E 295. Named for his father.
2. Mahaut (born 3E 275), twin of Isabelle. Named for her mother.
3. Isabelle (born 3E 275), twin of Mahaut. Named for her paternal grandmother, Isabelle of Glastir.
4. Geoffroy (born 3E 279). Named for his maternal grandfather, Geoffroy III of Ystrad.
5. Marguerite (born 3E 280). Named for her paternal great-aunt, Marguerite of Glastir.