The Statute of Marriage for the Blood Royal Daughter

Faustine Anaise by Brinsmead via ArtBreeder

The Statute of Marriage for the Blood Royal Daughter was the name given to a draft statute drawn up during the reign of Kohnyg Thaddeus I. The contents of the statute were devised in secret by the Kohnyg's legal scribes, before being presented to the Privy Council. The contents of the statute had been crafted to limit the marriage prospects of Thaddeus’s sister, Faustine Anaise. It also attempted to exclude the royal daughter from the upbringing of any of her future children, thereby granting the Kohnyg full control over all potential candidates for royal heir.

The Statute of Marriage for the Blood Royal Daughter

The Kohnyg’s Most Royal Majesty, calling to mind the blessed and most gracious remembrance of his beloved father, Kohnyg Faustus I, and by seeking the advice of his most noble Conscience, does hereby set forth divers and sundry articles relating to the daughter of the Blood Royal, Faustine Anaise Rhaelen. It is with the greatest affection and concern for the happiness and security of our beloved sister, we, Kohnyg Thaddeus I, extend to our sister these provisions to safeguard her from divers dangers and preserve her well-being, providing her the guidance, support and contentment desrving of an orphan of the Crown.
Firstly, that in recognition of our concern for the honour and dignity of our crown, the matter of matrimony involving our beloved sister shall be guided, assessed, and consented to by either the consent of his Majesty, his heirs, or successors, and afterward confirmed before the Privy Council. In the consideration of her marriage, it is deemed most acceptable that a groom be sought from amongst our foreign allies and supporters, in order to strengthen the bonds of fellowship that binds us, and to safeguard against the assumption of royal preferment or preeminence amongst the noble lineage of our kingdom. Any marriage therefore entered into by our beloved sister, without her having first obtaining the full and knowing consent of the Kohnyg, shall be declared null and void, and all issue of such union shall be formally declared bastards and barred from any consideration of the Crown.
Let it be further enacted that any and every person who shall knowingly or wilfully assist, or be present at the celebration of any illicit marriage concerning our beloved sister, shall be duly judged, convicted and penalised by the full powers of the Riot Act of Miron I, the Unlawful Assemblies Act of Miron I and the Tumultous Petitioning Act of Henrik I. Secondly, His Majesty is pleased and contented that it be enacted that, on the joyous occasion of any future marriage, our beloved sister will remain resident within this, the security of our Royal Court and Kingdom of Kredashmi, so that she might continue in her esteemed position of Lady-in-Waiting to our Queen. Any suitor hereby extended the honour of marrying the daughter of the Blood Royal, will be required to dwell alongside her in this our realm, having renounced all claims and loyalty to foreign Crowns, and sworn the Oath of Allegiance to the Kohnyg before the Court and Privy Council.
Thirdly, it is by the Kohnyg’s good grace and affection for his beloved sister, that he extends to her offspring admittance into the Royal Nursery, to abide, grow and learn alongside the heirs of His Majesty’s body, as befitting descendants of an anointed Sovereign. This is enacted to ensure that if, in such time, as the matter of succession shall arise, and there be no living heirs of the Kohnyg’s body, then any suitable Kronpryns or Kronprynsezyn that might be the lawful issue of our beloved sister, shall be chosen in light of the Court’s knowledge of their true intellect and character. It is not the Kohnyg’s wish that this act deprive the children of our beloved sister, reasonable liberty: rather, it is intended to safeguard their impressionable hearts and minds from the great boldness and evil of divers ill-disposed persons that might lure them to embrace malicious intents and enterprises, that might threaten the rule of their gracious uncle, the Kohnyg.

Type

Decree, Royal

Background

The Kredasene title of Kronpryns or Kronprynsez is not hereditary; it can only be bestowed upon a member of the Blood Royal Family by the monarch when the chosen individual is formally instated as heir. Before his sudden and untimely death, Kohnyg Faustus I had not yet announced which of his two children would become the next ruler of Kredashmi. Some factions within the Royal Court believe that the previous Kohnyg was conflicted over his son's suitability to rule; others believe he had fully intended to make his daughter Kronprynsez, but was waiting for her fifteenth birthday to formally instate her. Either way, the night of Faustus's cremation, Thaddeus made a bid for the throne - and won. Faustine Anaise was sent to the Imperial Court to serve as a Lady of the Privy Chamber to Karrena Marya. She remained there for five years, until the Karrena's marriage, when Kohnyg Thaddeus requested his sister's return.
The official reason for Faustine Anaise's repatriation was that she had been appointed a Lady of the Privy Chamber to Thaddeus's own wife. Quietly, the royal court became flooded with rumours of how the Kohnyg had become enraged at seeing Faustine Anaise's performance of a ballad at the imperial reception, accompanied on the pianoforte by Ludwig Dunheuvelin. Some speculated that the Kohnyg feared the apparent closeness had grown between his sister and the young man with whom he had shared a bitter childhood rivalry.

Privy Council's Response

The assembled Privy Council was outraged by the statute that was presented to them for approval. They claimed that the document was too limiting on the lady’s prospects, and risked the Meritocracy. Council members also feared the reaction of the public, and worried that such an unjust statute had the potential of seriously tarnishing the Kohnyg's reputation and his legacy. Ultimately, the Privy Council refused to pass the statute.