Constantius

Constantius Thomason Gerard was born July 23, 2246 (846 MY), officially to Theodore Gerard and Natalia Thomason. During his lifetime he would go by simply Constantius, and would act as Prince Regent of the Terran Imperium (2261-2265), Emperor of the Terran Imperium (2265), Princeps of the Remian Republic (2278), and Hilt of the Mykentian Republic (2278-2324).      

Early Life

Constantius was born on the House Thomason held world of Centadi following Theodore Gerard’s unsanctioned marriage to Natalia Thomason. There were questions about his birth from the beginning, as Natalia was 64 and Theodore was 72, suspicion falling on their daughter Constanta as the actual mother. Regardless of his actual parentage, Constantius was raised by Theodore and Natalia as their son.
  Following the Coup of 2249 and the almost complete destruction of House Gerard, Theodore would suddenly find himself the head of House Gerard, and Constantius the heir. The Second Imperial War would last until 2257, ending with the overthrow and execution of Claudius. During this time Constantius was educated in virtual seclusion with a variety of tutors due to fears of assassination.    

Prince Constantius

When the Convention of Houses elected Theodore Gerard as emperor in 2258, the Convention had considered Constantius as emperor. This effort would be opposed by House Thomason, citing his extremely young age. As a compromise, Theodore was elected with the implied understanding that his age would make his reign short, allowing for the easy succession of Constantius to the throne.
    Constantius would spend his first year as prince attending the Imperial Junior Fleet Academy, a place where most Imperial Houses sent their unruly children to learn discipline. Here he would study fleet strategy and tactics under Fleet Academy cadets, as well as the rules of courtly etiquette he would need to know as prince.     Well aware that he was essentially a placeholder emperor, Theodore (as Theodosius IV) would lavish a great deal of public attention on Constantius, in some ways mirroring what Claudius had done with his son Tiberius. This was handled with much greater care and made Prince Constantius extremely popular with the public.   After spending most of his childhood in isolation, Constantius thrived on the attention he suddenly found focused on him. He would spend most of his time touring imperial worlds and personally meeting with the heads of the majority of the Imperial Houses. With his prodigious memory and open displays of compassion, often disregarding rank and precedent, Constantius became known as “the Golden Prince” in the public imagination.      

Prince Regent

By 2261, Theodore was beginning to show signs of either dementia or Alzheimer’s and agreed with Empress Natalia’s request for the appointment of a regent. As the sixteen year old Constantius had just assumed the post of Prime Minister, it was decided to name him regent. This would meet with some initial resistance on the part of the Convention of Houses, which had consented to Constantius’ early assumption of the Premiership with the understanding that Theodore would be overseeing him. Under thorough questioning by the Convention, it was found that Constantius was both well informed of the current situation, and provided reasonable solutions to a variety of theoretical situations presented him.   As Prince Regent, Constantius would maintain his high public visibility, aware that in doing so he was helping to maintain government stability. While concurrently holding the positions of head of government and head of state, as well as the regency, Constantius was required to consult with the Convention of Houses on a regular basis, often taking the additional step of including members of the Convention in his meetings.   The greatest resistance to the Prince Regent would come from the Admiralty, which as a holdover from the reforms of Claudius was at times openly hostile to Constantius. The Prince Regent would respond by requesting the ability to essentially sponsor a number of officers and fast track their promotions. Among these would be Theodore Hood and Anthony Adex, both of whom had been among his instructors at the Junior Fleet Academy. Known as the “Young Heroes,” these officers would prove pivotal in future conflicts for the next century, though the Admiralty would persist in sending them to obscure frontier postings.   The Prince Regent would work around difficulties with the Admiralty and other Imperial agencies by simply ignoring their insults as long as they still did their assigned duties effectively. While some, such as Lord High Admiral Hollister would take this as a sign of weakness, Constantius was well aware that as regent he could not dismiss officers simply because they did not like him.   Constantius as Prince Regent would spend much of his time working on administrative matters. A Convention of Worlds had been called in 2260 to revise the Imperial Charter, and that meeting was consistently delayed by imperial bureaucrats. Constantius would take a direct hand in trying to work around these issues, including personally writing the rules to be used in electing delegates to the Convention. He would also prove to be a strong supporter of greater autonomy for planetary governments, a move many believed would lead to the weakening of the Imperial Houses.    

Monsos War

When the Monsos War started with a surprise attack by Monsos on January 8, 2265, the Prince Regent was inspecting the new periphery fleet command center at Antoska. The Monsos assault began with a full communications blackout over the entire quadrant they had set as their preliminary objective, leading to confusion among the Admiralty about what was actually happening. They chose not to inform the Prince Regent, instead informing Theodosius, who they reported was lucid and comprehending the situation.   Constantius would hear rumors of something happening from members of the crew of the imperial flagship Imperator and would set a course to return to Terra on January 9. He would not travel with much haste, however, believing that the Admiralty would dutifully inform him of any real emergency. It is also believed that the slow nature of his return was in part to allow the Admiralty to mismanage the situation, allowing the Prince Regent to gather ample support among the Convention of Houses to remove them. The jump beacon system was also not as highly developed in that region of space, slowing travel considerably.   The Prince Regent would not receive the full picture of events until January 15, by which time Monsos had already achieved their initial objectives and were holding on the defensive while conducting mopping up operations. Notably, this briefing was not delivered by a member of the imperial administration, but by Mark Thomason as Ambassador of Galatos. By this point the Prince Regent had reached Campania, where he paused to gather additional forces from the Frontier Fleet and a number of Imperial Fleets.      

Emperor

Theodosius IV would die on Terra on January 16, 2265. The Admiralty would outright refuse to acknowledge Constantius as the new emperor, instead naming Lord High Admiral Hollister as High Lord and Protector of the Imperium. Constantius would assume the throne aboard Imperator, immediately declaring Terra and any fleets which refused to accept his ascension as being in rebellion. Consulting with his loyal admirals, Constantius would appoint Anthony Adex Grand Admiral, and place him in overall command of the fleet. House Thomason would show their support of Constantius by declaring that as he was officially the son of Natalia Thomason, they would consider him the legitimate heir of House Thomason. This would place Constantius in the virtually unassailable position of being the head of both House Gerard and House Thomason, with the underage Tiberius Carruthers being the only alternative and living in exile as a ward of House Thomason.   Over the course of the following sixteen days there would be two functioning fleet commands, each launching their own operations against Monsos as well as each other. Front line Admirals of opposing sides would often communicate with each other to coordinate the defense, though Grand Admiral Adex had declared a halt to any offensive operations while the civil war was ongoing. Fleet Admiral Scholz would ultimately defeat Hollister in the Battle of Saturn with a scratch force of loyalist ships on February 7, with Constantius himself arriving the next day.   Constantius would leave the management of the war in the capable hands of Grand Admiral Adex, while he himself focused on the redeployment of forces and reorganizing the post coup government. Modest enthronement and coronation ceremonies were held on February 10, marking the official date of ascension.   The new emperor would immediately dismiss the remaining members of the Admiralty and appoint a new one consisting almost entirely of field commanders. This was coordinated in advance with Grand Admiral Adex, with the announcement of dismissal and the new appointments accomplished nearly simultaneously. The new Admiralty would immediately begin strategic planning using the forces Constantius had managed to redeploy. This planning would eventually lead to the realization that the Imperium lacked the resources or technology to defeat Monsos in a traditional campaign, and ultimately to the imperial edicts which incorporated the fleets of the Imperial Houses directly into the Imperial Fleet. Other imperial edicts declared an emergency tax on all Imperial Houses, to be paid immediately, conscription of all able bodied subjects, citizens, and residents, and authorized the formation of privateering fleets and militias. Price controls were immediately enacted, as well as a freeze on the stock exchanges and limits on bank withdrawals. An additional edict was prepared, but ultimately not issued that would have seized all civilian shipping had them armed as support vessels.   Constantius was initially hesitant to authorize Operation Thunderbolt, as it carried with it the risk of losing the entire Imperial Fleet and leaving the rest of the Imperium utterly defenseless. However, he was also well aware that the rate of losses could not be long sustained, and authorized the preparations for Operation Thunderbolt to commence with the understanding that it could be cancelled if the opportunity for a far less risky campaign presented itself.   The events of March 9th would cause Constantius to rethink this approach. Remembered as “Bloody Ninth,” the day would see five major battles and a raid on Terra itself, making it clear that Monsos was preparing a grand encirclement of Terra spearheaded by assault carriers. By the end of the day, Grand Admiral Adex was informing Constantius that the Imperial Fleet could not withstand another series of battles on that scale and that the front line forces were at the point of collapse. Constantius would immediately authorize Operation Thunderbolt, and chose the date of March 15. It would fall to Constantius to ensure the Monsos fleet arrived.   On March 10, Constantius would transmit a message on all known channels directed towards Monsos, stating “I will not let the galaxy burn again just as it has started to heal. Come to Terra in five days and fight us face to face, one on one, to the death, and let us be done with this." Monsos would obligingly halt all offensive operations in preparation for the battle. Adex would redeploy all available forces to Terra, with Constantius adding that any ships not able to reach Terra in time were to redeploy to Remus and place themselves under the command of Fleet Admiral Anna Thomason.    

Battle of Terra

(See main article for Battle of Terra for more information)   Monsos would deploy their entire offensive battle force for the Battle of Terra, including, as Adex had predicted, their fleet carrier. What Adex had not predicted however, was that the Monsos fleet carrier would be carrying their High Command, including the High Admiral of Monsos. This would ultimately prove pivotal in the outcome of the entire Monsos War. Arriving in orbit of Terra, Monsos would officially demand the surrender of the Terran Imperium in the first communication since the war had begun. Constantius, in personal command of the fleet aboard Imperator, would reply with the terse phrase that has become synonymous with the Battle of Terra: “We stand.”   Constantius would personally lead the forces defending Terra, while Adex commanded a detached force laying in stealth behind the moon. Imperial forces would fall back into the orbital defenses of Terra, at which time the trap of Operation Thunderbolt was struck as Adex emerged from stealth and all forces focused their fire on the Monsos fleet carrier. The destruction of the fleet carrier with their entire High Command caused a momentary disruption in Monsos command and control, which Imperial forces immediately exploited. The decimation of the Monsos fleet would lead to the assertion of their confederation partner Mansos, and the immediate negotiation of an armistice.    

Post War

In the immediate aftermath of the war, it was found that the Imperial Fleet had been reduced to a mere 236 combat worthy ships, out of a total of over ten thousand that the fleet had started the war with. The surviving fleets of the Imperial Houses, still under the command of Grand Admiral Adex, were hastily redeployed to their home territories to defend the Imperium while the fleet repaired and began new construction.   Constantius would authorize a one time emergency “Fleet Reconstruction Tax” to be directly levied on all subjects, citizens, and residents of the Imperium, in addition to those taxes usually paid by the Imperial Houses. This would be the first of several steps taken to bypass the Imperial Houses and govern the Imperium directly, rather than relying on the Houses to minimize imperial bureaucracy.   Looking towards the long term stability of the Imperium, Constantius would meet with Claudia and Tiberius Carruthers, the children of the executed Emperor Claudius, to discuss a potential union of Imperial Houses. As the head of House Gerard and House Thomason, a marriage to Claudia would result in their children being the heirs to all three Royal Houses. However, he stated that he would only pursue such a marriage if both Claudia and Tiberius consented.   The long delayed Convention of Worlds would finally meet on April 18, and authorize the government to directly tax the citizens and residents of the Imperium. As all subjects were members of Imperial Houses, it was decided to leave them exempt from direct taxation on an individual basis.      

Coup and Exile

On May 8, Admiral Otto Rauschning of Fleet Special Operations, supported by Rear Admiral Black and the deposed members of the Admiralty would instigate a palace coup against Constantius. Immediately seizing control of all spaceports and the command ships Imperator and Imperium, the conspirators effectively closed off all escape routes. Constantius would be able to escape Terra with the assistance of Xavier Thomason, who took him to the House Thomason headquarters on Remus. Rumors would persist that Constantius had been assassinated just prior to the coup, or that he had been killed attempting to escape. These rumors turned public opinion strongly against Rauschning, who had declared himself regent.   Upon arriving at Remus, Constantius would officially abdicate the throne in exchange for exile on Remus. Rauschning would accept, and himself be elected emperor by the hostage Convention of Houses on May 18. Constantius would be allowed to keep his title of Prince as the head of House Gerard until the dissolution of the Imperial Houses by Emperor Rauschning in 2267.   During his exile, Constantius would keep a low profile, living on a modest estate on Remus near that of Tiberius Carruthers. The two would frequently visit each other, forming a highly unlikely friendship between two men that had an equal claim to the imperial throne.   This low profile and lack of involvement in political affairs would not last, as the rule of Emperor Rauschning led to intensive taxation and military crackdowns across large regions of the Imperium. The situation would explode with the Imperial bombing of Remus in response for hosting an unsanctioned meeting of the Convention of Worlds. Constantius was unable to sit silently on the sidelines in response to one million civilian casualties on the world and would accept an invitation to attend a new meeting of the Convention of Worlds on May 21, 2278.      

Princeps

Constantius would arrive to the Convention of Worlds bearing the constitution for a new government based on the principles of the Roman Principate. He believed this system would allow for a strong, unified government while also allowing democratic involvement in that government. His proposal would be adopted, and Constantius would be elected Princeps of the new Remian Republic.   As Princeps, Constantius carefully followed the model of Augustus Caesar, maintaining close consultation with the Remian Senate and making clear the limits of power the Princeps held. While the Senate oversaw the sectors of the Republic, the Princeps was granted direct independent rule over those sectors which were involved in the operations of the War of Independence (also known as the Terran Civil War). He would also have full control of the fleet through the Grand Admiral, whose appointment would be confirmed by the Senate.   On June 5, Anthony Adex would defect to the Remian Republic, and be named Grand Admiral of the Remian Republic on June 15.   Constantius would make it clear that the laws of the Imperium no longer applied to the Remian Republic, and applied the Mykentian principle of citizenship to the new Republic where full citizenship was granted upon completion of primary education. He would sponsor laws in the Senate retroactively accepting the educational records of the Sanctuaries and established a Resettlement Commission to allow those who had fled to Sanctuaries during the Fall of the Mykentian Republic to find homes on established worlds.   On September 28, Mark Thomason was able to gain control of the Mykentian planetary defense system, which had been left on automatic fire mode with the evacuation of the world. The subsequent survey by the Remian Republic would draw the attention of the Triad, resulting in a meeting on Mykentia on October 4 including representatives of the Restoration Republic, Remian Republic, and the Triad. Constantius would attend this meeting hoping to gain diplomatic recognition of the Remian Republic and help force an end to the war. He was not expecting the meeting to result in the restoration of the Mykentian Republic. The acting Assembly of the Republic, consisting of the representatives of the Restoration Republic, taking note of Constantius’ prestige and the nature of his administration of the Remian Republic, voted to name him Hilt.      

Hilt of the Mykentian Republic

As Hilt, Constantius would maintain a policy of strict neutrality. As the Remian Republic only granted Mykentia the worlds of the Home Line and nearby Sanctuaries, he had few resources available and the fleet he was able to assemble was little more than a task force for system defense. With so little to work with, Constantius chose to focus his efforts on three areas: Reconstruction, government, and diplomacy.    

Reconstruction

The world of Mykentia had endured an extensive orbital bombardment, followed by a near complete abandonment for over two centuries. Using his limited resources, Constantius focused his reconstruction efforts on the Capital District and the surrounding city of Entani. He would negotiate contracts with outside firms to restore power and sanitation, allowing them to use images and video of their work in advertising as a way to reduce the cost. The work of repairing and restoring buildings was done using citizen labor under the terms of the Great Charter, and would be an ongoing process until the Galatian War in 2370.   Constantius himself would live in temporary housing assembled outside the Capital District for his entire term as Hilt, as the residence of the Hilt was not restored until 2340, sixteen years after his death.    

Government

Constantius is credited with restoring the traditions of the First Republic to the new government. Initially this was a very fluid situation as he quickly studied and consulted records on how the Hilt and government in general behaved. Avoiding the trappings of power common in the Second Republic, he adopted the tradition of simply wearing the insignia of the Hilt on his clothing. He became known for dressing modestly, favoring unadorned business suits in contrast to the elegant uniforms used by other governments. Constantius would also modify the traditional Mykentian military uniform for human physiology, and only wear this for formal or military occasions.    

Diplomacy

It would be on the diplomatic front that Constantius had the most resources, and where he would carefully work to the greatest effect. It was here that he could rely on his own reputation, and the name of the Mykentian Republic to accomplish something meaningful.   With the formation of the Antoskan Pact in 2273, the groundwork was laid for the emergence of blocs of alliances. The expansion of the Pact in June of 2279 to include the newly independent Zifarq Military Alliance only made this more clear. On July 5, Constantius hosted a meeting on Mykentia with the Free Republic of Sonderia, Freehold of Carpathia, and the Zafkarn Alliance to form the Council of Non-Aligned Powers. The purpose of the Council was to state their neutrality in any conflict and their intention to rely on diplomacy to resolve disputes. Members of the Council also agreed not to construct any ship larger than a cruiser, and to devote the majority of their defense spending to planetary and orbital defense.   The formation of the Council proved almost prescient, as two weeks later the Antoskan Pact launched a major, coordinated campaign against multiple powers. Spearheaded by Monsos assault carriers, the surprise attack was so vicious that it simply overwhelmed the Kingdom of Byzantium in under three hours. On July 30, the Remian Republic, Terran Imperium, and Recanan Republic formed the Galactic Alliance for defense.   Constantius would work tirelessly during the Antoskan War to both keep Council members from becoming involved in the war, and to keep sending offers to negotiate a settlement. While successful in keeping Council members from being attacked by the Antoskan offensive, he was not able to arrange negotiations until the bombardment of Monsos by the Terran Imperium in 2280. He was able to get the Galactic Alliance to accept concessions that strengthened the Antoskan Pact in exchange for a twenty year non-aggression agreement.   The Hilt would then maintain close contact with all powers, consistently suggesting cooperation and non-military solutions. This would ultimately result in the formation of the Galactic Council in 2302. Meeting on Mykentia in the State Council chamber built for the Second Republic, the Galactic Council was in some ways modelled on the United Nations. The Mykentian Republic was designated the chair of the Council, charged with maintaining order in meetings. A Security Council was also created, intended to meet periodically to discuss military matters relating to non-Council powers, and to coordinate a joint response in the event of an attack by an outside power.      

Death

Constantius would die of a stroke on April 3, 2324. His state funeral would be an international event, attended by representatives of virtually every power.      

Controversies

Parentage

While many would question whether Theodore and Natalia Gerard were capable of bearing children at their advanced ages, no proof would appear during his lifetime to substantiate any contrary claims. It would not be until 2409 that Assemblywoman Sharon Johansson would present genetic information gained from Constantius’ security access records proving that he was the son of Xavier Thomason and Constanta Gerard. Subsequent investigations would reveal that Constantius became aware of this at the time of his ascension, but chose to keep it secret.    

Co-Conspirator

It is widely speculated that Constantius was a co-conspirator in the coup that removed him from the imperial throne, as well as the subsequent actions taken by Rauschning and Prime Minister Black. Many find it very convenient that Constantius happened to accept exile on the very world that would become the capital of the Remian Republic and be perfectly situated to be named Princeps. The ease of his escape from the completely locked down Terra is also seen as suspicious. No documentary evidence exists to prove Constantius was aware of the conspiracy outside of statements made in confidence by Admiral Black, a less than trustworthy source.    

Preparing for the Enmalex

The arrangement of the Galactic Council, specifically the Security Council and its mandate to coordinate a joint defense against an outside power has been characterized by some to be an attempt to prepare the galaxy for the appearance of the Enmalex. Constantius never suggested anything that would indicate he was aware of the Enmalex in specific but was rather more concerned with known powers that had not joined the Galactic Council, while leaving open the possibility of an unknown threat. Nonetheless, the Galactic Council would form the basis for the full restoration of the Mykentian Republic as a galactic power, leaving open the possibility that Constantius was indeed aware of the nature of Xavier’s mission.    

Offspring

Constantius would ultimately never marry or have children. Numerous rumors have surrounded this, including suggestions of homosexuality. He himself would say in his later life that other than the period he was in exile he “simply never had time.”      

Legacy

Constantius left an extremely complex legacy behind him, oftentimes making it difficult to understand who he actually was.   On the worlds of the Remian Republic he is seen as the forward thinking founder of the Republic, the creator of a functional principate, and a champion of independence. The agreements made under his term include the formation of the Remian Republic, Kingdom of Byzantium, Freehold of Carpathia, Free Republic of Sonderia, Zafkarn Alliance, Zifarq Military Alliance, and the Recanan Republic.   His forty-six year term as Hilt of the Mykentian Republic is largely overlooked, as the Republic was not involved in any of the great events of his time. Yet, he successfully leveraged his own reputation and that of the Republic to settle the Antoskan War, create the Council of Non-Aligned Powers, and the Galactic Council that formed the basis for the full reunification of the Mykentian Republic. He would pick and choose from the wide variety of practices and traditions used by the government during the First and Second Republics to form a new set that would remain in use until after the Enmalex Wars.   It is his legacy as it relates to the Terran Imperium which is the most complex. Taking the throne during the cataclysm of the Monsos War, he has taken on a larger than life persona. Seen as almost single handedly leading the Imperium to victory against hopeless odds, he has been elevated to among the most recognized emperors. Even though his rule only lasted slightly over three months, this period is seen as the “golden age” of the Terran Imperium. Accomplishments of other emperors, including Alexander IV, Trian, and some of the reforms of Claudius have been conflated with those of Constantius. Many have even included the reforms of Rauschning as part of the legacy of Constantius, often claiming that Rauschning was simply carrying out a plan laid out by his predecessor. Historical dramas involving the Terran Imperium are almost always portrayed with the culture and court practices of his brief reign. His previous reputation as "the Golden Prince" has led him to be viewed as the "Golden Emperor," ruling over the height of the Terran Imperium.      

Reinterment

In what is often seen as an ironic move, the Terran Republic would agree to join the Mykentian Republic only if the body of Constantius was allowed to be moved to Terra. The glass office of Traian in the center of the imperial gardens was demolished to make way for the construction of a new gold pillared tomb designed by Gavin Thomason. The body of Constantius would be reinterred on July 23, 2353, in a grand state funeral in which he was entombed with the full imperial regalia. This event would be attended by over one hundred thousand spectators and be broadcast throughout the Republic.   The tomb includes four statues of Constantius, depicting him as Prince Regent, Emperor, Princeps of the Remian Republic, and Hilt of the Mykentian Republic, all looking down at the gilded white marble sarcophagus. Two Imperial Lichtors stand guard over the sarcophagus, with two more guarding the doors at all times. The tomb is open to the public every February 10th in commemoration of Constantius officially taking the throne. By custom all visitors, regardless of rank, are required to bow when entering.      

Full Title

The full imperial title used at the time of Constantius’ reinterment and inscribed on his tomb was as follows (click to expand):