King Mater (lived 1667-1733? (disputed), reigned 1721-present) of the House Chentes is the de jure monarch of the Kingdom of Heghom, though this is widely thought to be a legal fiction supporting the continued rule of the Lords Commissioners in his name, and thereby avoiding a succession controversy - the king is childless and no prospective successor has wide support in the Noble Council.
Early Life
Prince Mater was born in 1667 to King Hulmi V and his wife, the Queen Consort Saila, the second of five children. However, he was the only one of three sons to survive to adulthood: one of his younger brothers died in infancy, and the other died as a teenager in a riding accident. Mater was a capable and relatively popular crown prince for many years. He married the daughter of the Duke of Nisthom, Maris Pilsen. The union produced no children despite several pregnancies, to the distress of the couple and the king.
The Prince was tutored by Speculator Hebeshedi, a Murinali convert to the Old Temple who had risen high in its ranks and made a reputation as a scholar besides. From an early age, members of the court recognized the price's unusual piety; Hebeshedi cultivated the boy's faith and religious knowledge assiduously.
Succession
At the age of 54, Prince Mater became king when King Hulmi V died of a protracted respiratory illness. As the oldest son of the king who had been crown prince for many years, and was popular with the people, the succession was largely without controversy and he was acclaimed by the Noble Council on the day after his father's death. Although some libertines in the court found the shift in customs that followed to be an irritation, King Mater was, for the most part, considered an effective ruler.
Personal and Religious Life
King Mater was preoccupied with his lack of an heir. Although known for his piety, he believed that his childless was a punishment for some sin unknown to him. He was said to have engaged in various acts of penance, purportedly including mortification of the flesh, though never publicly. The king and queen consort also engaged many physicians in an attempt to be cured, but without evident success.
The king financed the building of many new religious buildings during his personal reign, these constituting the majority of his considerable charitable expenditures. He sold over a hundred thousand acres from the crown estate to contribute to the spectacular renovation of the Patriarchal Basilica in Great Veltby, a controversial decision as the monarch had not alienated crown lands in this way for over a century, and his power to do so was contested. The Lords Justices eventually sided with the king in the matter.
War against the Aelian States
In 1728, Desite, the Patriarch of Pustile, claimed Illumination, touching off a continental religious war. King Mater was told by a popular lay preacher (and reputed prophetess), Hemolda, that if he joined the coalition and personally led a campaign against the heretic Desite, his house would reign forever. Believing that God would grant him an heir if he went to war, King Mater promptly set to persuading as much of the Noble Council as possible to support the war. As there also appeared to be favorable strategic and economic reasons to support this - the Noromane ambassador promised a share of the territory to be taken from the Aelian states to the Kingdom - he was successful. Popular religious enthusiasm motivated public financing of the war in the Knights Parliament, though the King and some nobles also contributed substantial private funds.
Unfortunately for the coalition, the early successes of 1728-1730 were turned back, with the allies keenly feeling the improvements in Aelian magical arts that had taken place since the First Aelian War; the Kingdom of Heghom had fallen particularly far behind. In 1733, King Mater and Queen Maris (who had accompanied him on campaign) boarded a ship for the Walserane, with the stated intention of returning with more reinforcements and attempting to recruit more allies to the cause.
Disappearance and Current Situation
King Mater did not arrive back in Heghom, having last been seen alive with certainty boarding the ship that was to return him to Tasfen. The holders of the Royal Commission he left in charge of the country continue to rule in his name. Most people have accepted that King Mater actually perished in a shipwreck - there was known to have been a severe storm on the journey - but the legal fiction of his continued reign prevents an inconvenient succession dispute. There are four major contenders for the crown, all with roughly equal claims to it, and none of them enjoy a majority of support in the Noble Council.