View source for Arcaea/Library/History/To what extent can the fall of Ethiala be attributed to the incompetence of its leaders?

"Under the leadership of "King" Jenred and his wet blanket of a wife Edara, the current scenario we find ourselves in does not surprise me a great deal."

This is a rather fateful comment from former King of Arcaea Riar Dynrode Windsoul, during Arcaea's attack upon Ethiala's capital. In the same letter that he claimed to be the rightful King of Arcaea, he insulted the incumbent King's wife. Might, at this late stage, Arcaea have been convinced not to destroy Ethiala? It seems unlikely. However, the comment is indicative of the generally thoughtless attitude of Ethiala's leaders throughout the war, as they insisted upon forgoing all hope of peace by insulting the very people they needed most to befriend. In this essay I will consider the impact of the death of King Septimus, the secession of Lasop, the ascendency of Keffer, the strength of the forces arrayed against Ethiala and the domestic and military leaderships of that troubled nation.

Under Archduke Septimus's chivalrous care, Ethiala's legal and political system went under a series of reforms. The realm was in desperate need of restructuring; it faced the danger of stagnation. There was severe disgruntlement amongst the nobility, as evidenced by Dieter's prompt secession when Septimus died. During Septimus's reign, the realm was held together largely by his force of personality, and it is true that he was well liked - his various contacts, particularly in Cathay, gave the realm much needed international political influence. However, Archduke Septimus foresaw at least some of the problems that were afflicting his realm. If it could not gather enough internal strength, it would be snapped up by a more powerful neighbour. Lasanar's attempt to do just this was largely beaten off by Septimus's own influence, but he hoped that his reforms would give the realm enough of a sense of purpose to survive beyond his death.

Clearly this was not to be. Lasanar was afflicted by a similar danger, only its size meant that it would be eaten from the inside, rather than by foreigners. The turmoil of Lasanar's collapse, Ethiala's long term problems and the questionable election of Keffer were enough to prompt the secession of Duke Dieter of Lasop to form the Kingdom of Kamador. This tiny realm was not large enough in terms of heritage nor size for many records to have survived, and other realms' biased interests have made it even harder to put together a balanced view of it. However, it does appear that Dieter had genuine support from his vassals in the secession; they did not return to Ethiala, at any rate. The matter of Dieter's leadership is another question, but Keffer's failure to resecure Lasop can clearly be seen as a critical error. It may have been a tumultuous period, but in one fell swoop the new Archduke had allowed a third of Ethiala's holdings under Archduke Septimus to be lost.