Tudhan IV

**Tudhan the IV** (521-570 AGV) or **Tudhan the builder**, **Tudhan the good** was an emperor of the Hadašhim Empire. He was born in 511 AGV as the third son of emperor Rakho VII and Leani Urasilli.

His father was one of the last great conquerors in the empires history, but Tudhan rarely accompanied him to the campaign, first because of his many childhood illnesses, and afterwards as a tacit aggrement, not to embarass himself or the family. Owing to the many diseases he was contaminated with, Tudhan became a man of short stature, cursed with ill healt and weak bones. His face was told to have been pretty, slightly rounded with extremely fair, pale skin, deep-seated brown eyes and brown hair. During his childhood he fell at least twice from the saddle, suffering a broken leg each time. This contributed to his life-long hippophobia. Whenever it was possible he avoided association with horses, travelling in a sedan chair around the Capital. As the lesser son, he was considered an unlikely candidate, so he received inferior military education to that of princes Harko and Rakho respectively.

Despite that, Tudhan proved himself to be a sharp mind, what did not create a single spark of pride in his father. Well-schooled in philosophy, geography, architecture, finances and law, Tudhan was preoccupied in his with the question what the source of imperial greatness is. His theory was based upon inner coherence, strong institutions and infrastructure, answers approved by all of his peers. Once he wanted to present these thought to his father, who was all, but dismissive after the first few sentences. Tudhan was married to wealthy lady, Faile Ittaristaš in 545. The pair enjoyed a happy a loving relations, crowned by five healthy children, among them Kharan II. The weddig itself was a less-happy event, as both older brethen of Tudhan drank themselves to the ground. Harko started to insult Rakho outside, while the latter did not refrain from countering them with slurs at his own. Word after word they escalated the situation until swords were drawn. Every single witness testified that Harko was the first to strike and Rakho only protected himself, but he did mortally wound his brother in the process. Prince Harko died on the spot.

Emperor Rakho only refrained from killing his son because of the intervention of the royal bodyguard and the consistent testimonies from all witnesses without exception. After several days of deliberation, with more than a dozen high authorities, among them the wife of prince Harko begging clemency for the offender, the monarch decided to make Rakho an orhana kulum, the position having been vacated for months that time, with the notion that he and his offsprings are forever banished from the royal family. Soon after, Rakho was found dead in the morning, having spent the entire night with a barrel of wine. Tudhan was crowned emperor at Kings Mountain, by his own brother who was told to have choked on his tears during the entire ceremony.

Tudhans rule was marked by a halt of military operations in the west, alongside considerable economic buildup. Taxes were unified among regions, a faster courrier service was established, roads, aquaducts were constructed, the overall sanitation of the cities improved. New ports, new post served both trade and stability, banditry was eliminated inside the state. A separate Public service was constructed, which rooted out ingrained corruption. Although some measures caused significant aproar in the upper layers of society, the population experienced a significant increase in the quality of life what provided him with the needed robust support. His greatest projects were the new walls of Kartam, alongside the Great Arena and Hadašhim road system. The latter two were completed during his rule, while the walls, later named after him took another four years after he have died.

Tudhan died in a pulmonary infection at fourty nine years of age during the twenty fifth year of his reign. He was a caring father, unlike the one with whom he was cursed, a thoughtful, intelligent man of sensitive feelings. He hated injustice and persecuted it with fire and sword to root out even the notion of it from imperial confines. Four daughters and a son have he left behind alongside a widow. Kharan II became the last great conqueror who enlarged the state to its peak extent, but his inability to father a surviving successor started a process that led to the downfall of the Empire.