House of Rikhus
The House of Rikhus was the second imperial dynasty of the Empire of Athalē, succeeding the House of Mir and reigning for most of the 5th century YP. The first half of the Rikhus era is also known as the Golden Age of Athalē; in this period the empire encompassed the largest land area of its history and enjoyed an economical and cultural flowering. The later years of the dynasty, however, were marked by an endless conflict with Huyfárah over Lasomo, and by the loss of significant amounts of territory. This article summarizes the history of the Rikhus family, and attempts to give an overview on the political achievements and failures of the individual emperors.
The House of Rikhus
- Zāiekātus r. 389-412
- Khepōnon I r. 412-423
- Uremas III r. 423-424
- Mēthes I r. 424-440
- Ōias r. 440-447
- Mēthes II r. 447-451
- Khepōnon II r. 451-453
- Koiunas r. 453-482
- Tēmekas IV r. 482-492
House of Mir
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House of Rikhus Texozonon I Marāla
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Axētus ------- Mēni Diphur ----- Iotirā Texozonon II .
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Zāiekātus ------------------- Aloze .
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Iazūni ----- Khepōnon I Mēthes I --- Ēnuzothi .
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Uremas III Nurīni ------- Ōias House of Sānak
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Mēthes II Khepōnon II Donakātus Koiunas -------- Ilurā Phūres
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Pesas Thukixenon Tēmekas IV Maponon I
- Iazūni was a great-granddaughter of Uremas II by way of Oboni.
- Phūres married a niece of Ōias.
Zāiekātus
| Zāiekātus Emperor of Athalē |
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Born: 351 |
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Children with Aloze (358 - 416):
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Zāiekātus of Rikhus was born in 351 as the heir of one of the most ancient and respected noble families of Athalē. Many of his ancestors had held important offices in the city state or in the administration of the empire, but none of them had come as far as Zāiekātus would. His father Axētus became a leading member of the emperor's Privy Council (khíara) during the early 360s, and was appointed Governor (seanat asu) of Athalē Province by Texozonon II in 368. Zāiekātus himself soon became one of his father's most valuable counselors, despite being not even twenty years old: He had a creative mind, constantly sprouting good ideas for solving problems, and he was a good orator and an extremely talented diplomat as well. In 373 Zāiekātus gained a seat in the khíara in his own right, and three years later he was appointed Imperial Minister of Trade.
While he proved competent in this position, Zāiekātus' further rise to crown prince status was not exclusively a result of his skills. Well, maybe a result of his skills in flirtation. Emperor Texozonon II had no children, and his only sister Iotirā had a single daughter, Aloze. The immediate successor to the throne would have been Aloze's father Diphur, a cousin of Texozonon II, but this would still have left long-term succession an open issue, and in 375 Diphur died anyway. There were a few other male descendants of earlier Mir emperors, but none of these could point to an unbroken male ancestry. It was clear that whoever married Aloze would have the strongest claim to the throne of Athalē.
Both Aloze herself and her uncle Texozonon II were rather hesitant in this matter at first, wanting to make sure to choose the best candidate. Of course, almost every noble family in the empire who had a son of the right age dedicated their efforts to securing this marriage for themselves. Even the young Emperor of Huyfárah, Ŋamíga, proposed to Aloze - but Texozonon II politely refused. He was not prepared to let his realm fall into the hands of its strongest rival. However, the need to ensure succession was pressing, and the constant grooming distracted from other government affairs. Zāiekātus had been one of the most promising contenders from the start, being intelligent, ambitious, charismatic, of noble descent, and the son of one of the most influential advisors to the emperor on top of all that. When, on the occasion of a banquet with trade envoys from Ziphē early in 377, Zāiekātus got the rare opportunity to talk to Aloze in private, the pieces fell into place. The nineteen-year-old princess was highly impressed with the talented young minister, and it did not take her long to convince her uncle that she would marry noone else but this man. The wedding of Aloze and Zāiekātus took place in the summer of the same year.
The marriage proved a good choice. Zāiekātus and Aloze remained a happy couple, and they did not wait long to lay the foundations of a new Imperial dynasty: A son called Khepōnon was born in 378, followed by a daughter called Semezēla in 381, and another son, Mēthes, in 383. Also, Texozonon II was very fond of his nephew-in-law and entrusted numerous enterprises to him, most notably the military command of the 385 Tjakori valley campaign. When the old emperor's health began to decline, Zāiekātus was well-prepared to take over imperial duties, and at Texozonon's death in 389 Zāiekātus assumed the position of seathiauk so smoothly that many people did not even notice that a new dynasty had just begun.
The reign of Zāiekātus was rather uneventful, but nonetheless a true Golden Age. The Empire of Athalē had reached its all-time greatest geographical extent, ruling over the entire Eigə watershed above the Milīr confluence except for the Ziphē valley and northern Lasomo, and with the conquest of the upper Tjakori had extended outside of the Eigə sphere for the first time. It was an era of widespread peace. Trade and economy flourished, and great achievements were made in art, architecture, science, and education.
| To Be Continued... Cedh is still working on this article. The contents are incomplete and likely to undergo changes. |
Khepōnon I
| Khepōnon I Emperor of Athalē |
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Born: 378 |
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Children with Iazūni (376 - 461):
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Uremas III and Mēthes I
| Uremas III Emperor of Athalē |
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Born: 399 |
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No issue. |
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| Mēthes I Emperor of Athalē |
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Born: 383 |
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Children with Ēnuzothi (386 - 438):
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Ōias, Mēthes II and Khepōnon II
| Ōias Emperor of Athalē |
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Born: 407 |
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Children with Nurīni (409 - 442):
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| Mēthes II Emperor of Athalē |
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Born: 428 |
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No issue. |
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| Khepōnon II Emperor of Athalē |
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Born: 429 |
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Children with Tēmarā (430 - 502):
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Koiunas and Tēmekas IV
| Koiunas Emperor of Athalē |
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Born: 434 |
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Children with Ilurā (437 - 498):
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| Tēmekas IV Emperor of Athalē |
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Born: 456 |
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No issue. |
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