Johannes and Telyria ruled for 40 years together, but she died of a fever contracted on a trip to Lacerta. That left Johannes without his partner, and his last four years of rule were actually delegated to his son.
Hariberct was already an elderly man when he was crowned. At age 54, his interests were not so much in conquest and expansion, but more along the lines of consolidation. He had grown up the Heir Apparent, but desire to ascend the throne was not high on his life’s goals list. His 25 year old son had far more interest in the Empire than Hariberct did.
Hariberct’s disinterest resulted in the first successful secession from the Rigelian Empire. Hariberct lost the Pyxian holdings. His failure to act strongly and decisively resulted in a mutiny and rejection of Rigelian rule. Unfortunately, Hariberct did not see that as a sign of trouble to come, and he simply let it go.
Dissention once again raised its ugly head, and the ubiquitous spies the peppered Festungsmauer and its Royal Court saw an opportunity to strike a blow for “freedom”. Hariberct was shot during a speech he was giving on the Imperial Palace lawns. His rule was short lived. He was Emperor for only 4 years.
Gairbert was 29 years old, but already had better instincts on ruling the empire than his father had ever had. Immediately after his coronation, he set about regaining Pyxis. There was nothing of huge importance on Pyxis, but it was the fact that they had beaten his father and escaped Rigelian rule.
His invasion turned into a siege, one that lasted for 26 long and brutal months. Nearly half of the residents on Pyxis died of starvation or battle wounds. Another 100,000 were executed at the end of the siege to drive home the point that Pyxis now and in the future a colony of Rigel.
Gairbert put down three other uprisings in the same brutal and bloody manner. He would brook no insurrection, and he believed that writing it in the blood of those guilty of seeking to secede was the surest way of keeping control. Gairbert never wavered during his 42 years as Kaiser.
Gairbert’s contribution to the Imperial Palace was the Terem Wing. It was a tribute to his wife of 16 years at the time of her death. She had produced 6 sons and 2 daughters during her marriage to Gairbert.
(In real life, this is the Terem Palace Cross in the Kremlin, Moscow.)
(This is the Terem Palace Cross, a detail of the exit wall paintings. It can be seen inside the Kremlin, Moscow, Russia.)
Dailus ascended to the throne at the age of 64 Rigelian years. He ruled for another 28 years, making him the oldest Kaiser in Rigelian history. But his longevity was due to the use of biotechnical alterations and modifications. The research at the State University had been into many areas, not just space travel. The biotechnical field was the second strongest discipline at the University, and to this day, Rigel is known for its biotechnical advances.
Dailus sired 9 children, but only one son. Joachim II was a middle child, and to assure that no female issue would challenge his son’s right to the throne, Dailus had the laws of Rigel modified to prohibit any female children from ascending to the throne of Rigel. As decreed by Dailus, women are responsible for producing the heirs, not for running the government. Dailus was not beloved by the women of Rigelian society.
Dailus’ son Joachim II ascended to the throne at the advanced age of 68 years, and he made even further use of the biotechnical developments. Joachim II reigned another 56 years.
Joachim II promoted the incorporation of scientific advancements on the society as a whole, and virtually forced the aristocracy to add or embellish themselves with these enhancements. It was due to his pressure that nearly all of the aristocracy adopted implants and enhancements as part of life, and through these incorporations, discovered longer, healthier lives as well. Since the time of Joachim II, all of the Peers have at least some implanted devices.
Joachim was succeeded by his second son, Joachim III. Joachim III was a prodigious expansionist. He conquered systems and moved forward without spending a great deal of time solidifying his gains. He put the Empire into a precarious situation, and created a plethora of enemies in the Peerage, including his heir.
He was murdered during a public ceremony on Rigel in the 33rd year of his reign. His divisiveness had split the empire into 2 halves rather than uniting people for strength. His son, Wolfgang was opposed to the reckless expansionism.
At Joachim’s death, Wolfgang took the throne at age 42. He has spent the last 3 years consolidating Rigelian holdings, but expanding when an opportunity presents itself. He is a shrewd politician, but there are streaks of ruthlessness beneath his urbane exterior. Only time will determine what kind of Kaiser he will become.