Grand Duke Tapani VII
Grand Duke Tapani Ilkitala (a.k.a. The Old)
Grand Duke Tapani VII of Canyndor, known as "the Old" was a revered monarch of the Grand Duchy, reigning for many decades and bringing not only victory in battle but prosperity to his domain. Born in the year 7574 PA within the royal fortress of Pilkala, Tapani had a rough upbringing, spending most of his younger years in the care of his maternal uncle, the Surcount of Sjolund, as his father and mother had fallen ill during the Coughing Plague that befell the southern and eastern lands of Doria. His uncle proved cruel and devoid of sympathy for the young prince, even when news of his two younger brothers' passing reached him, his Uncle refused to allow him to leave and attend the burial. It was even alleged that as his father's health had begun to rapidly declined, his Uncle had attempted to murder the young prince, proving unsuccessful. Whether this is true or not is unknown, however, when Tapani's father eventually passed and he travelled to Canyndor to be crowned, within the first week of his rule, Tapani had his Uncle, Surcount Sampo VIII of Sjolund, executed on charges of treason, having him beheaded in Alter Square, under the eye of The Kirk of Jala.
Though this initial bloodshed had many worried that Tapani's reign would be one of terror and death, he, in fact, proved to be rather adept at stewardship. Having turned to religion to comfort himself while under the guardianship of his Uncle, Tapani continued his close relationship with the gods during his reign and gave generously to the Church of the Hallowed Faith, who in turn, funded much of his projects. The Grand Duchy had been left weakened by the Coughing Plague, the south and eastern lands being heavily affected, while the north was generally unaffected. Despite the north traditionally being the poorer region of the Grand Duchy, the local lords took the opportunity to voice their discontent. Tapani responded by funding industry and infrastructure in the north, enough so to please the northern Surcounts and Provissae, seeing the productivity and rents of their subjects increase. Of course, this angered much of the southern lords, whose lands were now not only ravaged by disease but now ignored in favour of the petty grievances of the northern Surcounties. Tapani decided to take a different tact to quell this discontent. He declared war on Redoria. His claim on the now Surcounty of Randleton stemmed from its then stewards, the Torajoki family. Matias Torajoki, the husband of Tapani's cousin Katariina, whom he was fond of, belonged to a cadet branch of the Ilkitala Dynasty, the house of Torajoki. Matias was displeased with the taxes and restrictions placed upon him by Redoria's king and so reached out to Tapani through his wife. Tapani obliged this call and declared war upon Redoria under the casus belli of restoring justice to the region, claiming all of Redorian land that fell between the Bryn and the Redcrest Mountains. His campaign was successful and he used this opportunity to award many of the new fiefs within this new territory to the disgruntled southern lords, having expelled much of the remaining Redorian nobility, even those who agreed to Dorian rule. This would see a great deal of old Maijalan cadet houses and aligned families gain lands in the northern Surcounty, doing a great deal to cool the ever-present feeling of injustice held by the Maijaln house and their allies.
Tapani was a well-travelled lord, he and his household were well known to travel around Doria, whether it to be to the Grand Duke's other residences or as a guest to other nobles, Tapani would spend as much time in Canyndor as he would on the move elsewhere. He was said to have been particularly fond of foreign nobles from Kingdom of Duramir and Kingdom of Sarbrynia with whom Doria had long histories of allyship, having several such nobles within his travelling court. One of Tapani's favourite destinations to find himself a guest was that of Ashcastle, the old fortified town that sat upon the unification of the Tora river, the lords of Ashcastle being the house of Harnruffen, who Tapani had a great interest in due to their Toranian lineage. On his many visits to Ashcastle, Tapani would become acquainted with one Sohvi Torajoki, heiress to the Province of Cantyara and much-admired beauty amongst the court of Lord Ashcastle. It would be through their continued meetings on the Grand Duke's travels, the historic tradition of intermarrying of the houses of Ilkitala, and pressure from Sohvi's family to secure the good friendship they had with the Grand Duke that Tapani and Sohvi would become bonded to one another.
Later in his reign, Tapani further gave support to the southern Surcounts and counts, by providing them military support against Aelish tribes as well as funding many places of worship to gods commonly worshipped in the local areas. He also continued his reputation as a successful military leader by providing help to his allies in Sarbrynia when they fought against Volnia in the Leviathan War. As his reign went on, his military endeavours dwindled in favour of policymaking and taxes. His most lauded campaign being the reclamation of land for industrial and agricultural use, every available foot of land in Doria being surveyed for potential uses, the northern Surcounties being the most affected.
Though this initial bloodshed had many worried that Tapani's reign would be one of terror and death, he, in fact, proved to be rather adept at stewardship. Having turned to religion to comfort himself while under the guardianship of his Uncle, Tapani continued his close relationship with the gods during his reign and gave generously to the Church of the Hallowed Faith, who in turn, funded much of his projects. The Grand Duchy had been left weakened by the Coughing Plague, the south and eastern lands being heavily affected, while the north was generally unaffected. Despite the north traditionally being the poorer region of the Grand Duchy, the local lords took the opportunity to voice their discontent. Tapani responded by funding industry and infrastructure in the north, enough so to please the northern Surcounts and Provissae, seeing the productivity and rents of their subjects increase. Of course, this angered much of the southern lords, whose lands were now not only ravaged by disease but now ignored in favour of the petty grievances of the northern Surcounties. Tapani decided to take a different tact to quell this discontent. He declared war on Redoria. His claim on the now Surcounty of Randleton stemmed from its then stewards, the Torajoki family. Matias Torajoki, the husband of Tapani's cousin Katariina, whom he was fond of, belonged to a cadet branch of the Ilkitala Dynasty, the house of Torajoki. Matias was displeased with the taxes and restrictions placed upon him by Redoria's king and so reached out to Tapani through his wife. Tapani obliged this call and declared war upon Redoria under the casus belli of restoring justice to the region, claiming all of Redorian land that fell between the Bryn and the Redcrest Mountains. His campaign was successful and he used this opportunity to award many of the new fiefs within this new territory to the disgruntled southern lords, having expelled much of the remaining Redorian nobility, even those who agreed to Dorian rule. This would see a great deal of old Maijalan cadet houses and aligned families gain lands in the northern Surcounty, doing a great deal to cool the ever-present feeling of injustice held by the Maijaln house and their allies.
Tapani was a well-travelled lord, he and his household were well known to travel around Doria, whether it to be to the Grand Duke's other residences or as a guest to other nobles, Tapani would spend as much time in Canyndor as he would on the move elsewhere. He was said to have been particularly fond of foreign nobles from Kingdom of Duramir and Kingdom of Sarbrynia with whom Doria had long histories of allyship, having several such nobles within his travelling court. One of Tapani's favourite destinations to find himself a guest was that of Ashcastle, the old fortified town that sat upon the unification of the Tora river, the lords of Ashcastle being the house of Harnruffen, who Tapani had a great interest in due to their Toranian lineage. On his many visits to Ashcastle, Tapani would become acquainted with one Sohvi Torajoki, heiress to the Province of Cantyara and much-admired beauty amongst the court of Lord Ashcastle. It would be through their continued meetings on the Grand Duke's travels, the historic tradition of intermarrying of the houses of Ilkitala, and pressure from Sohvi's family to secure the good friendship they had with the Grand Duke that Tapani and Sohvi would become bonded to one another.
Later in his reign, Tapani further gave support to the southern Surcounts and counts, by providing them military support against Aelish tribes as well as funding many places of worship to gods commonly worshipped in the local areas. He also continued his reputation as a successful military leader by providing help to his allies in Sarbrynia when they fought against Volnia in the Leviathan War. As his reign went on, his military endeavours dwindled in favour of policymaking and taxes. His most lauded campaign being the reclamation of land for industrial and agricultural use, every available foot of land in Doria being surveyed for potential uses, the northern Surcounties being the most affected.
Relationships
Species
Ethnicity
Life
7574 PA
7649 PA
75 years old
Birthplace
Spouses
Sohvi Torajoki
(spouse)
Siblings
Children
Gender
male
Tarava
Comments