Berteram the Slaughterer

Archbisshop of Cascantum Berteram William Mary d'Evourgne, the Slaughterer

Reign

Early years
Berteram became Archbisshop of Cascantum at age 17 by the grace of his stepbrother, king Wulfrun II of Mirans. He immediately started modernising the administration of his archdiocese, he threw himself into this work with full energy and youth, and so the archdiocese became one of the most efficiently taxed areas in Ilandia, providing Berteram with a stable and sufficient income for the rest of his life. Berteram became notoiriously rich. Then Berteram began studying life in his realm, and he was fascinated by how his subjects lived, which was very exceptional for a ruler in his time, as well as the Romasian Republic. He was deeply moved by the state of his subjects, he began to think that perhaps a republic could lift them out of poverty; after all, did not God say that all men are equal? That's when he decided to make his plans. Of course the king wouldn't agree with his stances, no one would, but he didn't care, after all he was richer and wiser than them, he thought, after all no one had his determination to make the world a better place, no one could beat him. And so he went to the king with his plan, knowing well that he wouldn't agree, therefore he brought an enormous army "of a million men" (34,000 men) with him to pressure the king. Against his own wishes the king agreed to give the people a fair share in the government of the Archdiocese, what could he have done against it after all? The Archdiocese of Cascantum became a republic in 619, and to celebrate this Berteram invited all his subjects to his palace, where they saw in what luxury the riches lived. Berteram built schools to educate the masses and made them the most clever peasants in the world and gave them a vioce in the government. After seven years the masses grew apart from Berteram and began questioning his position; did God not say that all men are equal? And they plotted a conspiracy against him, they planned a revolution of the people. On the 6th of June 622 the people rioted against Berteram and a few men tried to kill him, but Berteram was saved by the men of the same king he had threatened earlier. Berteram then ordered his men to kill every peasant they saw, and he too took part in the killing. Approximately 50,000 peasants were killed in the following months, 16% of the population of his Archdiocese. As even the kings who didn't support this democracy thing were shocked by the massacre they gave Berteram the suffix the Slaughterer.

Wealth & Financial state

At his prime in 619 Berteram was one of the richest men in Ilandia, thanks to his sophisticated tax collection, and he also owned numerous castles and strongholds, most importantly Rainwa Castle, which played a major role in the late stages of the late Clerical Wars.
He was known for blaming problems on minorities, expelling them and then claiming all their land and property, which was how he made a large part of his fortune, which wasn't that abnormal at the time. In the years right before the Clerical Wars however his income dropped after several bad harvests and rebellions of local lords, something which plagued the Kingdom of Mirans, which was known for its instability.
After his death his entire fortune was taken by the victorious king Berteram III of Portuzia-Migros.

Current Status

Deceased

Ethnicity

Ilandian

Church/Cult

Catholicism

Age

53

Life

595 AD 649 AD 54 years old

Circumstances of Death

Killed in action

Birthplace

Lenburgh

Belief/Deity

Catholicism (Clericalism)