Chandra
| Chandra I | |
| In office -2046 to -2029 | |
| Preceded by | Madeline I |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Hideki I |
| In office Unknown to -2046 | |
| Preceded by | Madeline I |
| Succeeded by | Hideki I |
| Born | Chandrasekhar Azaruddhin -2100 |
| Died | -2029 Hub/Ershur |
| Race | Solomani |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Rule of Man |
| Service/branch | Navy |
| Rank | Admiral |
Admiral Chandrasekhar Azaruddhin, emperor of the Rule of Man, born -2100, proclaimed emperor -2046, died -2029.
As Viceroy of the Darmine Totality, Chandra was one of the most powerful provincial leaders in the Rule of Man. Upon hearing of Madeline Trent's stroke in -2046, he travelled to Hub/Ershur, and immediately began to covertly gather support within the Council of Noble Officers. When Madeline died, Chandra led a palace coup that resulted in the arrest and execution of Madeline's named successor (Admiral Kostas Sanjelic, the head of the dreaded Directorate for State Security).
Chandra hastily called the Council into session, and by the simple expedient of excluding members loyal to Sanjelic (most of whom were rounded up and placed under arrest in the coup), he was able to gain the two-thirds majority of sitting members necessary to name him Emperor. His accession was opposed by large numbers of senior naval officers, forcing him to act quickly to cement his power.
In a series of purges beginning in -2046, Chandra removed Sanjelic's supporters from positions of authority. Holdouts in the Trans-Zarushagar province rebelled, but the revolt collapsed when most of their troops and lower level commanders mutinied. The leader of the revolt, Admiral Vance Raman, was executed and his head delivered to Chandra as a sign of loyalty by the mutineers in a grisly act of fealty. The remaining leaders were rounded up and exiled.
The political instability surrounding the succession had a predictable effect on economic confidence, further damaging an already ailing economy. Despite new initiatives by Chandra, which included devolution of many areas of policy to the regional governors, much of the Rule of Man continued to suffer from lingering recession. The economic woes bred a new round of unrest in many areas of the empire, although the regional governors were in most cases able to use their powers to suppress open revolt without having to appeal for imperial aid. Still, the unrest caused a further loss of confidence.
The divisions within the upper echelons of the military created by Chandra's coup remained, albeit hidden below the surface, despite the iron grip on power that the emperor maintained for over fifteen years. The tensions resurfaced in -2029, when a cabal organised and led by Admiral Hideki Morimotu plotted Chandra's overthrow. Admiral Morimotu slew the emperor in a hail of laser fire during an open session of the Imperial Court. While Chandra lay dying in a pool of his own blood on the throne, Hideki's followers seized the palace and detained Chandra's supporters.
- TML post from Michael Bailey
- Mark Seeman's Library Data Website