Alroy of Gwynedd

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In the fictional universe of the Deryni novels of Katherine Kurtz, Alroy Haldane was the thirteenth King of Gwynedd, reigning from 917 to 921. He was the eighth member of the House of Haldane to sit upon the throne of Gwynedd, and the second Haldane king since the end of the Festillic Interregnum.

Alroy Bearand Brion Haldane was born on May 25, 905, the second son of King Cinhil I Haldane of Gwynedd and his wife, Queen Megan de Cameron, and the elder twin of Prince Javan. He succeeded his father upon the throne of Gwynedd following Cinhil's death in 917, but due to his age (he was 12 years old at the time), the true power of the crown was wielded by a Regency Council who ruled in Alroy's name. Alroy was a weak and sickly child, and he was constantly medicated and sedated by his Regents to maintain his reliance upon them. At the urging of his Regents, Alroy officially supported the ousting of the newly-elected Archbishop of Valoret, Bishop Alister Cullen, in December of 917, and his status as a minor made it impossible for Alroy to moderate or stop the wave of anti-Deryni legislation that his Regents enacted during his reign, most notably the Statutes of Ramos. Though Alroy eventually attained his legal majority on May 25, 919, his constant physical ailments, combined with years of acquiescing to the will of the Regents, prevented him from wielding any real authority, and the true power within the kingdom remained in the control of his lords of state. His continuous health problems finally claimed his life when he died of the consumptive complaint. King Alroy Haldane died on June 23, 921, at the age of 16. He was succeeded by his younger twin brother, Prince Javan Haldane.

Alroy never married, nor did he produce any children. Though his Haldane potential was set by his father just prior to Cinhil's death, his magical abilities never manifested themselves in any significant way, perhaps due to the heavy doses of medication and sedatives that he was forced to ingest.

[edit] Sources

• Katherine Kurtz and Robert Reginald, Codex Derynianus, ISBN 0-89370-011-8

Preceded by: Cinhil Haldane

King of Gwynedd 917 - 921

Succeeded by: Javan Haldane