Richard I

His Majesty King Richard I (Richard Christian Duncan Isherwood), styled HM The King (born 31 July 2811) is the King of Sivad and head of state of the Kingdom of Sivad. Over one billion people live on planets which fall under his rule. He is the tenth King of Sivad since Franklin I established the monarchy in 2810, and is the first King following the 23-year interregnum which began with the abdication of Queen Paulette II in 2978.

He is also ruler of the Sivadian colonies, Supreme Governor of the Church of Sivad, commander-in-chief of the Sivadian Armed Forces, and Duke of Morrigan. He has reigned since the Abdication Act of 2978 was repealed by the Council of Equals on June 25, 3002, and was officially crowned King on June 27, 3002.

Early life
Richard was born at Isherwood House in Enaj, Sivad on 31 July 2811. His father was King Franklin I (Franklin Charles Isherwood), the first King of Sivad, who had unified the majority of the planet only the year before. His mother was Queen Margaret (Margaret Anne Isherwood nee Prestwick), who had married the King shortly before the end of the war in 2808. He was named after his paternal and maternal grandfathers.

At his birth, Richard was heir apparent to the throne of Sivad, and held the style His Royal Highness. His full style was HRH The Prince Richard. He was created Duke of Enaj in 2829, upon his eighteenth birthday.

Education
The Prince was educated mainly at home by a series of governesses. He was tutored in interstellar languages, as well as the theology of the Church of Sivad. In addition to academic studies, he was trained in a variety of martial pursuits including horseback riding, fencing, and shooting.

Naval service
Prince Richard entered the Sivadian Royal Fleet Academy in 2826, and graduated in 2830. At the time, the Royal Sivadian Navy, as it was known, was a completely watergoing force. He served as a Midshipman and Lieutenant during the final major battles of the Wars of Unification, earning decorations for valor in action. He became a member of the spacegoing arm of the Royal Navy in 2936, three years after it was founded.

Loss in space and rescue
In 2842, Commander Richard Isherwood, as he was known then, was tasked by the Admiralty and his father to lead a colony mission to a nearby star system, now known as Nialesia. He and a party of close advisors, along with colonists, traveled on the HMS Invictive, a sleeper ship. However, the ship was believed lost with all hands in 2843, when it failed to arrive at its destination. Richard was declared dead, and a funeral held, in 2844. As a result, when Franklin I died in 2845, Richard's brother, King Franklin II, assumed the throne. History recorded HRH Prince Richard as missing, presumed dead and the HMS Invictive as lost with all hands.

In April of 3002, the HNS Formdiable of the Homeland Naval Service was stranded on Nialesia by the failure of the Otherspace Drive Technology. As a result, they were forced to make the trip back to Sivad at sublight - a trip which would take almost three weeks. During the trip, they detected a faint distress call, and, upon investigating, discovered the Invictive, as well as it's few surviving crew, who had been in statis for 160 years. Richard was among them, and was awakened and brought to Sivad by the Formidable.

Isherwood Restoration
The Isherwood Restoration is a term commonly applied by Sivadian politicial scientists to the return of the Sivadian monarchy and the ascension to the throne of King Richard. It also marks a change in the nature of Sivadian politics, as The King has exercised a much more active roll in politics than the most recent pre-interregnum monarchs.

Following his rescue from the HMS Invictive, Prince Richard returned to Sivad amongst great fanfare, including a personal welcome by the then head of the Homeland Navy, Fleet Admiral Thelonious Cobb. However, he publically disclaimed any intent to seek the throne, declaring that the people of Sivad had chosen to end the monarchy and he would not thwart their will.

At the same time, the province of Ynos was in the midst of a secession movement prompted by the plummeting value of Sivad's currency, the Yojj, and the martial law which followed the death of Paul Truffaut. Ynos was blockaded by the Homeland Navy, and civil war seemed iminent.

Richard stepped in, holding a ball at which First Councillor Amanda Ramlan and Ynosian Premier Kathryn Lindsay were both invited. He also facilitated a meeting to work out the differences which were most important to the Ynosian people. Eventually, he brokered a deal that would prevent war and bring Ynos peacefully back into the Sivadian government - only the Yonisians insisted as a condition that Richard become King. The Council of Equals agreed, and Richard acceeded to the throne on June 25, 3002, and was crowned two days later.

Royal tour and stasidenum crisis
Soon after The King was crowned, he opened his first Parliament, with Amanda Ramlan as First Councillor. His rocky relationship with Dame Amanda were the stuff of legend, and they reportedly butted heads on almost every subject, including several orders by the King that cabinet ministers be fired.

Believed dead
On 8 September 3004, King Richard was gravely injured during a tour of Isherwood House which had been destroyed during the rebellion. He suddenly emerged from the coma on 13 December 3004, only to be murdered by a Nall warrior on 19 January 3005, an incident that touched off the Birthright War between the Orion Arm Treaty Organization and the Parallax Empire. The King was buried in a state funeral and Queen Ashley took the throne of Sivad.

On 25 February 3005, vandals broke into the Royal Crypt below St. Thomas Cathedral in Enaj and stole the King's body. During February and March, the Queen was contacted with messages that indicated Richard might still be alive. As a result, she lead a mission to a previously uncharted world, returning on 25 March 3005.

At an emergency meeting of the Council of Equals on 30 March 3005, it was revealed that Richard's coma was instead a ploy to disguise an attempt by Paul Moncrief and unknown co-conspirators to use advanced computers to remove information about Sivad's defenses directly from the King's mind. The King, who had survived the Nall attack, had been placed alive in his coffin and removed shortly thereafter, and the theft of the sarcophagus was merely part of the ruse to lure Queen Ashley into Moncrief's trap. This technology, alien and ancient in origin, was destroyed along with the world on which it was found shortly after the King's rescue from captivity.

As a result of this incident, the Council of Equals passed the Act of Settlement, which ratified all acts taken during Queen Ashley's reign, which was officially declared a regency. The Act also declared that the crown would decend in line from Richard to his heirs by the Queen, and if there were no heirs, to the Queen and her heirs, and failing that, to the lineal decendants of King Franklin I.

Recent events
In a speech upon the re-opening of the Council Building on 20 June 3006, King Richard announced that Waldeim would be allowed to elect representatives to the Council of Equals.

Marriage and family
The King is married to Queen Ashley, (Ashley Emilia Isherwood nee Isherwood-Sutherland). They were married in a state wedding at St. Thomas Cathedral on 6 March 3004. On 16 January 3006, their twin children were born: the heir, his Royal Highness Prince Albert John Franklin Arthur Isherwood, and Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth Mary Paulette Victoria Isherwood.

Coat of Arms
The Sivadian royal arms are a combination of several symbols. The four stars represent the three colonial systems of the Kingdom of Sivad and the Ikeopo System. The three dolphins are the symbol of the Isherwood Dynasty. The blue portion of the shield represents Sivad's oceans, which cover over eighty percent of the world. The Kuda seahorse supporters are a traditional symbol of Sivad, and represent the fusion of the colonists with their new world, as Seahorses brought from Earth flourished in Sivad's oceans. The Crown is a royal symbol, and is backed by Ikeopo rising. The motto, "Quo fas et gloria decunt," translates to "Whither fate or glory lead."

Titles
The King's Official style is Richard the First, by the Grace of God, of Sivad, Ikeopo, Nialesia, and all the Sivadian Dominions among the Stars King, on this world of the Church of Sivad Supreme Head, and Soverign of the Most Noble Order of Sivad. In common practice, he is often referred to simply as "The King", "His Majesty", or in conversation simply as "Sir."

When distinction is required as to The King, he is sometimes referred to as "His Sivadian Majesty."

Properly styled "His Majesty the King", his former styles were:-
 * His Royal Highness The Prince Richard (31 July 2811 - 15 August 2829)
 * His Royal Highness The Prince Richard, Duke of Enaj (15 August 2829 - 1 December 2831)
 * His Royal Highness The Prince Richard, KS, Duke of Enaj (1 December - 15 December 2831)
 * His Royal Highness The Prince Richard, SC, KS, Duke of Enaj (15 December 2831 - 31 July 2844)
 * His Royal Highness The Prince Richard, SC, KS (31 July 2833 - 25 June 3002)