Mazkwat

Mazkwat, known as Emperor Mazkwat, as well as Mazkwat the Great, was the (?th) Emperor of Gemurtrak and the first of the House of Ramizna, reigning from 25 April 1838 (officially from 19 May 1846) until his death on 6 June 1874. He is commonly noted for reestablishing the Empire of Gemurtrak and for his aggressive control over the nation (collectively termed the Decades of Iron). He was a major factor for the restoration of an independent Gemurtrak.

Born in a tumultuous period for Gemurtrak, who was under colonial control by Salia prior to his reign, Mazkwat quickly became a popular figure for local revolutionary elements. His activities brought the ire of the colonial government which imprisoned him before escaping with a larger following and subsequently restoring control over north-western Osamia to an independent nation. Being one of the only members of royalty with a large backing, he promptly declared himself emperor of Gemurtrak and began a massive effort of reconstruction of the Gemurtrak political system after over a century of subordination.

Famously regarded as a visionary and supporter of progressive ideas, he introduced sweeping reforms that drastically changed the structure of the government and nation as a whole as well as modernizing all parts of Gemurtrak society, defining its position on the world stage from the 19th century onward.

Background
Gemurtrak was, at the time, in complete shambles of its former self. Occupied almost entirely by colonial authority from Salia for the past century, much of the semblance of imperial power was minimized, the noble families held little to no control over the functions of the state acting more as figure heads then legitimate heads of state. Much of the actual power was handed to lesser nobles who cooperated with Salian authority, many coming from feuding rival families of the Imperial family. The general hostility of the lesser nobles towards the Imperial family granted peace of mind to the Salian authority of the reduction of cooperation between elements within the colony of those who had legitimate power. Functionally, the Imperial family was placed into house arrest, banned from enacting any power onto the lesser nobility and generally forced to remain home unless for ceremonial purposes in the effort to keep face. By the time of Mazkwat's birth in 1792, two generation of the Imperial family had stayed in the imperial palace for almost their whole lives.

Members of the Imperial family were still highly educated however, reading many noteworthy Gemurtrak literature and basics of governing in the realm of economics and law. They still remained some of the most educated native individuals within Gemurtrak, many pieces of poetry, music, and other forms of high art were very popular with the Imperial family at the time, spending their days as they can, unable to leave the premises of their (quite large) palace.

Early Life
Born on 12 June 1792, then named Prince Sbatnu was a greatly unwelcome individual in the Imperial family as he had been the product of one of then emperor [Emperor]'s affairs committed away from the Imperial family and palace during his trips to [Mainland] for ceremonial purposes. He would return with an unnamed male bastard, likely due to the fact it was his only male heir at the time, to the grand displeasure of his wife and numerous members of the court. Naming of the child is limited to only the wife of the Imperial family (a leftover tradition from Daysikya I), leaving the child to be named Sbatnu, literally meaning last blood. His early treatment was typically negative, many writings noting the care of the child was for the most part, handled by various servants of the house, a stark contrast from the tradition of the Empress caring for children for most of their early lives, an action upheld for Sbatnu's two sisters.

His matter of legitimacy was placed into question due to his unknown mother. He was granted full legitimacy by his father after he had returned but many members of the court were against the idea, favoring the eldest of the emperor's daughters, [Princess], Who had up to this point been in the process of education for her eventual reign due to [Emperor]s previous failings to bear a son. Reluctantly, the court granted Sbatnu legitimacy to the throne and was to be educated as he turned 6. Sbatnu was noted as being initially slow to pick up topics but showed great interest in discussing topics he did pick up, a contrast to his typically more reserved sister who excelled in numerous topics. He was also a fan of many outdoor activities, notably Archery which himself noted was "the few places where I could relax in my early years". His treatment still remained negative, much of the Imperial family were cold or even hostile to him, the Empress in particular not interacting with him for years at a time. He spent most of his time with the servants of the palace who enjoyed the company of the young prince, a grand contrast to the rest of the family and higher court who would avoid conversation with servants. Matni Kmazik, former servant of the palace and writer of Behind the Emperors shadow, wrote concerning Sbatnu noting "he held many conversations with me and many other members of the working staff. He'd ask a lot of questions, ask to play a game with us, he even regularly aided in menial tasks. He was so unlike the rest of the upper family... He looked so much more at peace around us than with his siblings. It was a shocking contrast".

Following Emperor [Emperor]'s death in 1812, plans shifted heavily from what was initially expected immediately after his passing. A soft coup was pulled within the house demanding the change of inheritance from Sbatnu to [Princess]. There was little to no struggle on the matter by other nobles, nor did Sbatnu come into conflict with his sister, noting "At the time, I simply saw it as just a chair. It may have had the look of power, but it didn't possess it. Quite frankly, I am most glad [Princess] took that responsibility from me". With his right of inheritance revoked and his only direct relative dead, Sbatnu formally requested the Salian Authority to release him from house arrest and integrate with larger society. The request was granted, and Sbatnu, aged 20 at the time, left the Imperial palace on 10 April 1813.

Revolutionary activity and imprisonment
Following his leave from the imperial palace, Sbatnu was notably stunned by the conditions beyond the walls of the palace. In his autobiography he noted believing the conditions the servants of the palace lived in "were indicative of those beyond my old home. How foolish was I to never realize that only until I had walked on this world for 20 years... It had felt like a dream, and that day was my first day of living in the truth". Unlike the majority of the population, Sbatnu was well educated and within short time found himself within the politics of the colonial government, part of the management board for the Pnekza House region. He however kept a low profile on the board, wanting to avoid recognition. Instead, his energy went towards his time studying, obtaining a degree in Law at Maguste University. At the time, Sbatnu adopted a separate name, Tazik, both to further distance himself from his former family, and to stop any realization of his royalty. It succeeded, staying hidden from the public eye. After 7 years acting on the board, his opinions were slowly growing negative of his activity on the committee. Despite his increased presence on the board, even being acting president of the board for 2 years, he noticed most, if not all of the decisions made by the board were overturned by the Pnekza family. This frustration of the slow rate of progress would see Sbatnu resign from the board in 1823.

Wanting rapid change, Sbatnu acknowledged the need for the removal of the Salian colonial government, who he believed, were the ones overruling the ideas his board had developed. He began to voice his dissatisfaction towards the Salian government, often attributing their presence as a ball and chain to the progression of Trakian society. His opinions were very often agreed upon by the crowds he'd call to but were more often than not quickly dispersed by authorities for their salacious words against the government. He would soon develop a large enough following and founded the Trakian Independence League, performing numerous underground activities, causing turmoil within the colony. Sbatnu quickly showed his capabilities as both a leader and tactician, organizing and successfully executing numerous attacks on Salian aligned noble houses and buildings of administration. His name grew to prominence and was soon discovered to have been a former member of the Imperial family. Slanderous actions were carried out by the Salian government towards his former imperial origins, often calling him the king of fools or The fool's king. Alongside this was the aggravation of the populace to see his actions as ones against the common interest of the general people, attempting to make it seem like a power grab by the Imperial family and nothing else.

on 27 July 1828, Authorities loyal to the Salian government assaulted a home housing Sbatnu at the time off of an anonymous tip they received. He, along with 8 other members within the house, were arrested and promptly jailed at the [Location] Prison on the island of Nyiki swe. Sbatnu would experience constant beatings and suffer abysmal conditions during his time at the prison. He would develop a permanent limp, caused by numerous fractures to his left femur, due to the conditions he was exposed to. His time in the prison, totaling 7 years, were a major period of his development, noting that he was surrounded by numerous people, commonly well educated professors or would be politicians who at one point or another voiced their distaste towards the colonial occupation. Sbatnu would talk to his fellow prisoners, going on about various topics, on some occasions mentioning their views of what a free Gemurtrak would look like. He denotes much of his future policies as having some origin from these conversations. on 8 August 1835, a breakout was arranged and performed by a large percentage of the prison, Sbatnu being one of them. His escape was thwarted by his injured leg and was captured by prison guards and sent back to be punished. A week later, an explosion was set off orchestrated by the previous escapees who were hiding across the island to rescue additional people from the prison. Sbatnu was rescued alongside the rest and successfully escaped the island with the help of members from the Trakian Independence League.

Sbatnu's return at the command of the insurgency group bolstered the motivation of the organization, sure that the day of liberation was within their sight. The group reengaged in more aggressive actions unseen since before Sbatnu's imprisonment. Sbatnu himself was notably a different person according to many members of the insurgency group who would later write memos of their time, one mentioning "Before, he was far more relaxed, he seemed almost aimless in what he did, we organized attacks but they were nothing more than to annoy the [Salian]. Now though... he's frightening, he may be a cripple but he stands taller than any of us. We always see him staring away somewhere, but it never seems aimless like before, it's focused and sure of what must be done next". Attacks were occurring to more vital parts of Salian control, primarily the harbors during times of export of certain high value goods such as sugar. The support for the movement was growing too, dissatisfaction of the conditions and a wave of nationalism had begun to course through the colony and by 1838, Sbatnu was intent on taking advantage of it.