House Cruz

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House Cruz is the ruling family of Leone, inside Esperada. While a duchy of Esperada now, Leone used to be a nation in it's own right.

Table of Contents

Great Lion King Riyan

  • Born: 181 ACE
  • Crowned: 199 ACE
  • Died: 271 ACE

King Riyan vos Cruz is an important figure in Southern Aistoria, both historically and in folklore. Riyan ascended the throne at the age of 18. Riyan fended off the advances of Steier, Esperada, and Connatia for over 30 years before establishing the Papal State and surrendering to the Belarose family of Esperada in 231. From there, Riyan served under the Belarose as Riyan the Uncrowned, until Anais Belarose became of age to marry Riyan's son, Balan.

Riyan is remembered as a mighty warrior, brilliant tactician, and a pious man. While all three of these things are true, the legends around him are quite exaggerated. Riyan was inhumanly fearsome, but he lead more through charisma and surrounding himself with brilliant strategists. He was religious, but in a crude, naive way, finding little time for religious study due to the wars that raged during his rule. Giving the Pope the northern lands of Leone was as much an act of spite as an act of religious devotion, denying, even in defeat, what Esperada and Steier were fighting for.

Riyan never took another title and despite the trickery involved in his surrender, became fast friends with the Esperaidan king. The shadow of Riyan was cast strongly over Balan, who through most of his time as Duke would feel like a paper tiger compared to his far more influential father.

  • Riyan was a legitimate badass. Of the martially gifted Cruz's (Say... Valentina, Hiran, Edward the 1st, Trevor and Naomi ) he's up there, probably succeeded only by Naomi later in her life.
  • That said, Riyan stories are some Romance of the Three Kingdoms type nonsense.
  • Like "Oh yeah he totally wielded two 50 pound spears and killed 300 men. It was so beautiful and moving that the Leonese soldiers cried freely" type stuff.
  • Okay maybe two 50 pound spears doable in Brave Earth idk but like w/e it's just total nonsense stories!! He was cool but not that cool.
  • This was only like 200 years ago. It's like saying Napoleon shot a musket through like 10 dudes or something. Folks just love to gas him up. I think everyone knows the stories are bullshit but it's just a culture thing to treat hm like this impossible hero.

Duke Balan

  • Born: 213 ACE
  • Ascended: 234 ACE
  • Died: 283 ACE
  • Spouse: Anais Belarose

The First Duke of Leone is a more somber sort than his father. Part of an arranged marriage as a child and unable to compete with the legendary image of his father, Balan threw himself at what his father lacked, a proper understanding of religion and service to the Aistorian Church. Balan spent more time working with and appeasing the church than managing Leone. The young Anais spent more time spreading her influence, while Balan mostly existed as a figurehead. In current times, Balan is seen as an important religious figure, eventually achieving sainthood many decades after his death.. In his own time, his inattentitiveness and obsession with religious matters was seen less favorably.

  • The cathedral in Vannaleona is likely the Saint Balan Cathedral, as constructed later by his daughter.

Duke Hiran

  • Born: 245 ACE
  • Ascended: 283 ACE
  • Died: 288 ACE

The ascension of Hiran was hotly contested by Balan's oldest, Valentina vos Cruz, who argued that she was both the eldest and far more capable. Despite the support of her mother, tradition won and Hiran ascended. His time as Duke was competent but unremarkable. He would hold the seat for only 5 years before dying of a sudden illness.

  • This seems like something that would be fowl play, and there was likely rumors of it, but Hiran simply just died.

Duchess Valentina

  • Born: 240 ACE
  • Ascended: 288 ACE
  • Died: 332 ACE

Not wanting to be snubbed twice, Valentina ran a smear campaign against her younger brother, Ashwin, painting him as incompetent and unfit. While this campaign was unfair in its intensity, it wasn't undeserved, as Ashwin was seen by many as lazy and unsophisticated. Upon becoming Duchess and by edict of the Belarose (as helped by her mother), Leone's Fraternal inheritance would be abandoned, bringing it in line with the rest of Esperada.

  • While some history does cover Valentina's cut throat politics, she is called the The Architect of Leone, expanding the infrastructure and further beautifying the already beautiful cities of the region. The modern layout of Vannaleona is almost entirely of her design.
  • The the regional, traditional Leonese names (finding many roots in the remenants of old world bengali culture) used by previous Cruzs fall out of fashion at this point, with Madeiran names becoming more fashionable.
  • Valentina was totally named by her mom.
  • Valentina's decree was a boon for the Ivrea family, who have always given birth to a disproportionate amount of women. There hasn't been a male Count of Galera since.
  • Anais's influence up to this point cannot be understated.

Duke Edward

  • Born: 272 ACE
  • Ascended: 332 ACE
  • Died: 356 ACE
  • Spouse: Wife 1, Wife 2, Indrani vos Roy

Duke Edward is famous for his difficulties in siring an heir. His first son, Edward, died young and further attempts at reproduction ended in miscarriage. His second wife simply never got pregnant. The 3rd wife, daughter of the Duke of Western Esperada (it needs a name), Indrani vos Roy, was able to give him another Edward, who survived.

  • Edward was a reasonable Duke for most of his life but grew increasingly deranged and desperate as he grew older.
  • Edward was 42 when he succeeded in getting Indari pregnant who was... eerggghhh probably like half his age.
  • While divorce isn't as strict in the Aistorian Church as it was in historic times, the way Edward went through his wives was not seen in a good light.
  • I figure his second wife had a kid with someone else like right away. She wasn't the problem

Duke Edward II

  • Born: 314 ACE
  • Ascended: 356 ACE
  • Died: 410 ACE
  • Spouse: Isabella Ivrea

Naomi's Grandfather! Duke Edward II was known for stability both in his adminsitration, and how long he lived. Edward II sat as duke for 50 years and was heavily involved in politics before that, as his father gave in to dementia.

  • Edward II had his children even later in life than Edward and also took a much younger wife but was not nearly as panicked as his father.
  • As is common in Brave Earth, Edward II, more so than his father, aged quite slowly.
  • It's still kinda weird, grandpa.
  • Edward II is of the more modern, peaceful part of Aistorian history, where the influence of the nobility is beginning to wane in comparison to previous eras.
  • Issues with his dad are probably why he didn't go for an Edward III.

Duke Edwin

  • Born: 365 ACE
  • Ascended: 410 ACE
  • Died: 365 ACE (Speculative RP Plot Point)
  • Spouse: Victoria Brandt

Naomi's dad. A seemingly serious man who carries a lot of anxiety and uncertainty. Despite his cautious, serious demeaner, he married a low ranking noble warrior woman from the boonies of Bherigan who manages to bring the best out of him. This was seen as, at best, impulsive at the time.

Caring father, but has one hell of a time expressing himself to his children, who both take on the same type of anxiety and ennui he battles with. None of the three know that about each other until much later in life, each masking their problems from the others all in the sake of keeping up a brave face.

  • Marrying Victoria really ticked off his dad, even if in the end he fully accepted her.
  • Victoria became popular around Vannaleona pretty fast I mean she's just so cool.
  • Tall, handsome, lionesque figure, yet not at all a fighter beyond some simple training. His kids and wife could all beat him up.
  • The jet black hair of the Cruz's at this point get overpowered by the Brandt magic gene that gives them protagonistPurple hair.
  • Not every Brandt has purple hair, but both of the Cruz kids do.
  • Very well liked by the Leonese people, especially in the city of Vannaleona. Almost seen as a symbol of stability.
  • Him and the previous two generations were the ones that instilled the Cruz reputation for tasteful, restrained shows of wealth, and simple yet sophisticated taste. Cruz's like Valentina and Riyan were much more flamboyant in their opulence.
  • Despite being good at administrating Leone, he is mostly going to be remembered for being yeeted off a cliff by the Royal Twins, if such events ever become canonized outside of RP.

Queen Naomi

The possible end game for Naomi. Lose her brother and father, overthrow the deranged royalty, marry a woman, become the Queen of Esperada. Perhaps even being seen as a Lion in her own right, like Riyan?

Origins of "vos Cruz"

The Church Lands were originally a holding of Golgia and were the budding lands of the new Aistorian Church. The Kreuzenlands or Cross Lands were ruled by a von Kreuz. When the lands were taken by what would become Leone, the title mutated in translation to vos Cruz, leading to a unique particle that only exists in Leonese families.`

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Categories: History