Francis I of Cattala

King Francis I of House Celestine was the sixth King of Cattala and the oldest son of King David I. His 40-year rivalry with brother Prince Alexander overshadowed his reign and he is now most remembered for the feud within what is known as the "Incestuous Court".

Francis reigned for 32 years, until his death at the age of 75 after many years of illness. His infertility meant that the crown passed to his brother's son, Augustus.

Early Life
Francis was born in 1125, the son of the reigning King and his second cousin, Lady Marie Celestine. The birth of an heir was seen as crucial not only for the succession, but also for the survival of the monarchy itself - many of the principalities and even members of the Celestine dynasty were still angry at the marriage of the cousins. The Queen needed to birth a healthy son or her husband may have faced a public rebellion from other states and within his own court.

Prince Francis was born successfully at Beaurein House, the manor outside the city that was previously home to the dowager Queen Beaurein, his grandmother. He was raised in the house by his mother, governesses and nurses away from court intrigue and outside influences. He was three years older than Prince Alexander, with whom he was known to have got along with very well as a child.

Marriage
In 1149, when he was 24, aristocrat Lady Louisa Esron arrived at court. His brother took an immediate shine to the daughter of a Jennaian lord and was said to have been besotted with her. But the Crown Prince was unmarried and many within his father's inner circle were becoming anxious that the 51-year-old King did not have a strong succession yet. The King refused to lean on his son to marry for political reasons, claiming it would be a hypocrisy. So leading royals from both House Celestine and House Aroe leant upon the heir in order to secure the succession without controversy this time.

Francis proposed to Lady Esron in the summer of 1150 and she accepted after her father was offered a dukedom. Prince Alexander was furious, and left the court for eight months after the wedding was announced. He, in turn, married a childhood confident of David in an effort to anger his brother, but she died in childbirth in 1158.

The Crown Prince remained childless as year after year went by. Rumours abounded that the marriage to Lady Louisa was a sham and that she was infertile. These rumours persisted until the death of King David I in 1168.

Incestuous Court
In a blistering row with his uncle and brother about the succession, it was revealed that Francis himself was infertile. The truth was kept quiet until after both of his parent's deaths, in order that they would not be scandalised once again. Many blamed King David I and Queen Marie for the infertility of their eldest son once the truth was revealed. Marie died in 1169, and the truth was confirmed just days after her funeral.

Taking the crown at 48 meant King Francis was an older King, but also a wiser one. He continued to follow his father's economic philosophy and built up the dynastic wealth. However, he allowed the principalities to do so as well and was less informed about the rise of the Tyrheni in Jennai.

His 32-year reign was characterised by a sharp decline in court power and intrigue. The Celestine's and Aroe's held complete control despite the uncertain succession and outsiders had very little say, influence or knowledge of what was actually happening. To them, it was seen as an "Incestuous Court", controlled by two close families at the top.

Yet within this secretive court, explosive rows and disagreements between King Francis and his brother, now Crown Prince Alexander, were commonplace and the two feuded continuously. Alexander was bitter about his brother stealing his love and continued to mourn his first wife even once he had married his second, Lady Cecilia Duforth, and birthed a son, Augustus.

The rows between the two frequently came close to all-out conflict, with the King holding sway over the Celestinian family and Alexander supported by much of House Aroe and lords in Fieranti and eastern Amosseri. It is reported in documents from the time that there were at least two instances where the two met with armies before agreeing truces.

The internal power struggle was further complicated by rebel members of House Celestine, claiming that incestuous succession was ungodly and therefore that Francis's claim was null and void. It is thought that the uneasy peace between David and Alexander only survived for 40 years because they had to unite against other claimants and rivals.

Death and Legacy
King Francis I died in Celestine after reigning for 38 years. His reign was dominated by internal strife within the establishment and the growing isolation of the Crown from the other principalities. Affluence and maritime trade continued to flourish under his rule and despite having no heir of his own, the succession was resolved cleanly through his recognition of Prince Augustus as his heir after the death of his brother.

It was ironic that after decades of fighting with his brother, that almost led to a civil war, the two brothers did reach an agreement on the succession and ensured the reign of Augustus would not be challenged from within by the shadow of incest committed 80 years prior to his coronation.