Teodosio de Salamanca

Teodosio Gastón de Salamanca, Duke of Ascara and Montaña (July 22, 908 – December 20, 966), known as Teodosio the Brazen (: Teodosio el Descarado) was a Ventoran noble. As Grandee of the Montañan Confederation (954 – 966), he embroiled the Confederation in subjugating what is eastern Esharat today. This overextended the Confederation and ushered in the conditions that resulted in the formation of the Kingdom of Ventora. As a result, he was the last Grandee of the Montañan Confederation.

Early life
Born July 22, 908, Teodosio was the second son of Leocadio Alberto de Salmanca Herrera, Duke of Ascara and Montaña, and Águeda Evita de Quijano Navarro. He received his early education from a private tutor. As a teen, he was sent to Somozas to broaden his knowledge and experiences.

Rise to power
At 22, he led a military expedition into the Kanakan Steppes, in what is now Sabaray, to quell resistance to the Confederation's rule over the area. His audaciousness, and probably his youth, earned him the nickname "the Brazen" during his service in the region.

Returning home to Ascara, Teodosio served in the government of the duchy and became involved in the politics of the confederation. He became known for his outspokenness, frequently advocating for strong military actions to subdue the "wild northlands" of the steppe.

Accession to the Dukedom
In 952, Teodosio and his brother, René Lucho de Salamanca Quijano (March 4, 905 – October 15, 957) rebelled against their father, coercing Leocadio to abdicate. Then Teodosio forced his brother to become duke of Tauro, carving the region from Montaña’s domain, effectively isolating his brother from politics in the confederation. Teodosio took the dukedom of Ascara and Montaña for himself.

Teodosio continued his overbearing manner as reigning duke. He built up the Montañan military forces, as well. Coupled with his direct manner, Teodosio was able to exert considerable influence over the affairs of the confederation by frequently compelling the Council of Dukes to acquiesce to his desires on many occasions.

Grandeeship
In 954, Teodosio was made Grandee of the confederation, largely because the other dukes on the council felt this was the easier solution and to avoid fracturing the confederation due to Teodosio’s obstinateness.

Expansionist actions
As Grandee, Teodosio immediately began advocating for the confederation to expand its prestige and holdings by seizing land to the west in present-day Esharat. He argued such actions were needed to protect the confederation from Velorenkyan threats and to keep Haksarad from expanding its hold in the region.

On his own volition, without approval from the Council of Dukes, Teodosio led military forces across the Lávar River and began claiming land for the confederation. This forced the other dukes to follow suit and commit their militaries as well. As a result, the confederation lost focus on the rebellious areas in and around the steppe, which began to affect the livelihoods of the northern and northeastern duchies. By 957, the situation had become tenuous and necessitated requesting assistance in the northlands from the Coastal Confederation.

With increased prestige of the Coastal Confederation under its Grandee, Clemente Carres Abarca, the political landscape shifted in favor of the Duke of Plenas. Haksarad moved to contain Teodosio’s territorial aspirations by offering the duchies the ability to form a united kingdom. Clemente, known as a consensus builder, was able to convince a majority of the dukes in both confederations. The Concords of Plenas were signed August 17, 959, creating the Kingdom of Ventora and disbanding the Coastal and Montañan Confederations, thus ending Teodosio’s tenure as Grandee.

Later years
Having risen to prominence rather quickly, Teodosio’s loss of prestige was just as fast. He became less engaged in governance, spending much of his time continuing his efforts to establish dominance over the Eshar holdings. On May 3, 961, he abdicated as reigning duke of Ascara and Montaña in favor of his son, Andrés Miquel de Salamanca Paz.

The creation of a new duchy of Aureilia in the northeast led to widespread disobedience among the Kanakan nomadic tribes. King Clemente asked Teodosio to lead military troops to pacify the territory. Ironically, he died combating the rebelliousness of the region that had caused his fall from power.

Legacy
Montañans honor Teodosio as the founder of Ventora although scholars credit his role as more having created the conditions that facilitated it at the time. Even so, Teodosio is commonly recognized as the main catalyst to engendering a Ventoran consciousness and its subsequent importance in southwest Alutra.