Highprince
Highprince | |
---|---|
Related to | Vorinism |
World of Origin | Roshar |
Universe | Cosmere |
Highprince is the highest title of nobility in the Vorin kingdoms of Alethkar and Jah Keved, being directly subordinate to their respective Kings. Highprinces and their heirs are of the second dahn, while their other children are of the third dahn.
Alethkar
Origins
Alethkar has had ten highprinces throughout its history.[1] In the ancient past, when Alethkar was a united kingdom, the ten Alethi highprinces were specialized and each was charged with governing a certain aspect of the entire kingdom.[1] Gavilar Kholin believes that this system forced the ten highprinces to work together and accept each other's authority.[1] Only four of the ten ancient titles are known:
- The Highprince of Commerce had authority over all merchants and his troops would patrol the roads across all ten princedoms.[1][2]
- The Highprince of Information had authority over criminal investigations and policing across the entire kingdom and appointed judges and magistrates.[3][2] Of particular interest to the Highprince of Information were criminal investigations where the Crown's interest was at stake.[3]
- The Highprince of War had control over the kingdom's combined military forces (implied to only hold this power in a time of actual war).[3][4]
- The Highprince of Works had management of the kingdoms infrastructure, such as sewage disposal, civil services, and potentially stormlight management; with the increase in uses for stormlight since the Battle of Narak.[5]
- An unnamed highprince was tasked with the administering of the judges and magistrates.[1]
History
Upon The Sunmaker's death, his empire did not last long. He had never bothered to choose an heir, and his ten sons could not decide among themselves who they wished to support.[6] His sons quickly turned to infighting and the empire collapsed in less than a generation. These ten sons founded the princedoms in Alethkar, crowning themselves the highprinces of a disunified kingdom made up of ten separate princedoms, each highprince being a de facto king in his own princedom. During this time, Alethkar is effectively a loose coalition of ten separate states, being a unified kingdom in name only.
In approximately 1158, Highprince Gavilar Kholin goes to war against the other princedoms and by approximately 1163, he conquers and unites the ten princedoms once again, establishing himself as King. This reunified kingdom is not as strong as the ancient Alethkar, with the highprinces retaining large amounts of authority and autonomy.[7]
After Gavilar's death, his son Elhokar becomes King of Alethkar while his brother Dalinar becomes Highprince of Kholin.[7] In the year 1173, King Elhokar, at the demand of Highprince Dalinar, reinstates two of the ancient specialized highprince titles—the Highprinces of Information and War—in an effort to once again create a truly unified kingdom of Alethkar.
Members
The current ten Alethi highprinces and their titles are:
Former Alethi highprinces:
Modern day Alethi Highprince Specialization
Since the Battle of Narak the following titles have been established:
Jah Keved
The Veden highprinces include:
Notes
- ↑ a b c d e The Way of Kings chapter 18#
- ↑ a b Words of Radiance chapter 29#
- ↑ a b c The Way of Kings chapter 22#
- ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 24#
- ↑ Oathbringer chapter 104#
- ↑ Oathbringer chapter 19#
- ↑ a b The Way of Kings chapter 12#
- ↑ a b c Words of Radiance chapter 31#
- ↑ Words of Radiance interlude I-14#