Imre I of Gwynedd
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In the fictional universe of the Deryni novels of Katherine Kurtz, Imre Festil-Furstán was the eleventh King of Gwynedd, reigning from 900 to 904. Known as "Imre the Last", he was the fifth and final member of the Deryni House of Festil to sit upon the throne of Gwynedd.
Imre Istvan Ingwar Furstán-Festil was born on December 31, 881, the third son of Prince Blaine of Gwynedd and his wife, Contessa Pasqualetta di Barbarico di Torenti. Imre's father ascended to throne upon the death of his grandfather, King Festil III, in 885, and his father's title of Duke of Rhemuth was then bestowed upon Imre. Imre ascended to the throne upon his father's death in 900, and he was officially crowned King of Gwynedd on March 25. The new king's first months upon the throne were a difficult time for many, as Imre replaced many members of his father's council with young sycophants who were inexperienced in governing. He spent a great deal of the royal treasury on lavish celebrations, and levied a new tax on all landowners of Gwynedd in 901 to pay for an opulent new palace to be built in the city of Nyford. He finally traveled to Torenth in 902 to acknowledge King Nimur I as Overlord of Gwynedd, but his insistence that he be treated as Nimur's equal during his visit caused much ill-will amongst the Torenthi nobles.
Upon Imre's return to Gwynedd, he continued to focus his efforts on his personal luxuries and entertainments, much to the detriment of the rest of the kingdom. Relations between his Deryni and human subjects worsened considerably as his policies continually benefited the Deryni nobility at the expense of the human commoners. Social tensions rose steadily, but Imre isolated himself amongst his Deryni supporters at court, continuing to remain concerned only with his personal pleasures.
The last year of Imre's reign began tragically in December of 903. A series of political maneuvers by several power-hungry members of his court succeeded in convincing the king that his close friend, Lord Cathan MacRorie, was guilty of treason. Though Cathan denied the charge, Imre slew his friend, an act which brought on several severe bouts of depression. Shortly thereafter, the entire MacRorie family, led by Cathan's father Earl Camber MacRorie of Culdi, disappeared from public view. This was followed by the disappearance of the Michaelines, a militaristic religious order that had publicly opposed many of Imre's policies. Suspecting further treason, Imre's forces searched for the MacRories and Michaelines for the next year, succeeding in capturing only a single Michaeline monk. During this time, Imre began an incestuous relationship with his sister, Princess Ariella, and rumors began to circulate throughout the kingdom of the existence of a legitimate Haldane heir to the throne.
The cruelty and oppression of Imre's reign resulted in a great deal of quiet public support for a revolution, especially amongst the vast majority of the human commoners throughout the kingdom. In the middle of the night on December 2, 904, Earl Camber MacRorie, supported by a force of Michaeline knights, led a swift coup to overthrow Imre and replace him with Prince Cinhil Haldane. The coup was successful, and Imre was personally defeated by Cinhil in arcane combat. Rather than bear the disgrace of being captured and executed, Imre committed suicide, using his Deryni powers to kill himself. King Imre Furstán-Festil died on December 2, 904, at the age of 22. He was succeeded by the legitimate heir to the throne, Prince Cinhil Haldane.
Despite a previous engagement, Imre never entered into a legal marriage. However, his incestuous relationship with his sister, Princess Ariella, did produce one child. Prince Marek I Furstán-Festil was born on January 31, 905, almost two months after Imre's death.
[edit] Sources
- Katherine Kurtz and Robert Reginald, Codex Derynianus, ISBN 0-89370-011-8
| Preceded by Blaine Furstán-Festil |
King of Gwynedd 900 - 904 |
Succeeded by Cinhil I Haldane |
