Emiliana of Ventora

Emiliana (Emiliana Poefea Pesanzaro Travio, January 18, 1250 – May 14, 1293, nicknamed the Great) was a queen of Ventora who reigned from 1279 to 1293. She is best known for issuing the Canon of Obligations in 1282, a key component of country's which, along with other key components, is collectively known as the Fundamental Law of Ventora.

Early life
Emiliana was born in Plenas,, on January 18, 1250. She was the fourth child of Frebos Atre Pesanzaro Traquabe and Valomia Dicia Travio Omax. As a young child, she was cared for and tutored by her nurse, Olene Andadó Guajal, and Riubli Ciurón Quinas, a noted philosopher of the day. This gave her a well-rounded education and led to her traveling to several countries around the Abayadi Sea in her mid- to late-teen years. Because she kept journals, historians know she visited Duomo, Esharat, Haksarad, Ovezia, Shemia, Threazari, and Watan. These journals have given historians at least one contemporary perspective of these countries in the mid-13th century.

Her eldest sister, Ficea, died at age 8 of a childhood illness in 1232. Eldest brother Rocte was killed in a battle with Kanakan raiders in in 1243. When King Frebos died of old age in 1265, Sequaerom ascended to the throne as eldest living child. At the same time, Emiliana became in accordance with lines of succession established in the Mandate of Sovereignty since Sequaerom did not have any children. As , this made her a desirable bride among royal families in Alutra at the time. In 1272, she was married to Lando Praxtier Sevirón Paegle, a Tēvijanan prince. The union was intended to benefit Ventora with access to natural resources and minerals in exchange for foodstuffs to offset the growing famine conditions in Krona. Krona's location in central Alutra, away from coasts, hampered the trade, which tended to be limited to overland routes through the Alutran Steppe. As a result, neither party benefited significantly. Although known to be aware of the political significance of his marriage to Emiliana, the prince made no secret about his love for her. In a 1273 letter to his brother, Lando wrote, "My Emiliana is intelligent, quick-witted, well-traveled, learned, and beautiful; she has a great figure which makes me weak with desire."

Queen regnant
When brother Sequaerom died childless on June 14, 1279, Emiliana claimed the throne as the eldest sibling which established her as next in line of succession. Historians consider her brother an ineffectual leader who left his successor a kingdom in disarray. Several dukes questioned her legitimacy as monarch despite the Mandate of Sovereignty but she had enough support to retain the crown. The potential for natural resources from husband Lando's homelands of Krona played at least a small part in Emiliana retaining the throne early on.

Early reign
One of Emiliana's first actions as queen was to cancel all the taxes Sequaerom had instituted to pay for his lavish lifestyle. To underscore this, she visited all of the dukes over the year, traveling with as small an entourage as was practicable, and paid for all expenses to ensure there was no cost to her vassals as an effort to restore goodwill. Although this tour of the land helped her understand the disparate regions of her realm, the relative independence of the dukes remained. In fact, the cancelling of Sequaerom's taxes tended to embolden some of the dukes.

Canon of Obligations
By 1281, it became clear to Emiliana she needed some definitive measures to unify the dukes and solidify the monarchy. With the help of Olsuam Sixia Vupo, Baron of Nielur and an astute legal scholar, she devised a document entitled the Canon of Obligations that addressed some grievances of the nobility while also confirming certain obligations they had to the crown. Although not stated explicitly, it was assumed the Canon's principles would be applied at each level of nobility.

Constitutional scholars consider the Canon an enlightened document that has become the most significant component of in the country as part of the Fundamental Law of Ventora. It addressed a number of the dukes' grievances by ensuring they would all be treated equally by the crown while also reining in some of their powers by placing the courts under the jurisdiction of the crown or establishing rules which the dukes' courts had to follow. In addition to providing for rights of travel, commerce, religious practice, and speech, the Canon also established the Grand Council of the Realm, the beginnings of Ventora's.

Late reign
She spent much of her time during the remainder of her reign ensuring the dukes all felt empowered in their duchies while also securing their allegiance and loyalty to the crown. Having dispensed with the excess taxes imposed by Sequaerom, Emiliana managed the affairs of state frugally, leveraging alliances with some of the dukes when she needed help in various matters. By her death in 1293, she had earned the respect of the dukes.

Legacy
While the Canon of Obligations is her most obvious legacy, Emiliana's efforts to keep the kingdom together cannot be understated. Indeed, her astute governance and ability to show the dukes common cause for their benefit as well as the kingdom's in various matters of interest earned her the moniker "the Great". Some historians have concluded she had to work twice as hard at keeping the kingdom together than she would have had her brother not ruled so poorly before her. As a result of her efforts, the monarchy's position was secured and the confederation of the duchies in the kingdom was strengthened.

Issue
Four children were born from Emiliana's marriage to Lando Sevirón:
 * Seve Lidio (June 16, 1273 – January 10, 1328), succeeded Emiliana as king of Ventora
 * Siovem Ampar (August 27, 1275 – March 3, 1286), died from injuries due to a falling roof tile
 * Erulio Iquas (May 9, 1277 – January 20, 1338), married a Renesian noble
 * Huvara Fliouda (September 25, 1279 – October 29, 1337), married a Haksar noble