Stuart IV (Prince of Caledon)
| Stuart IV | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 109 | |
| Preceded by | Colin VII |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Morris I |
| Born | 75 |
| Died | 117 |
Stuart Iain MacArthur, eldest son of Prince Colin VII and Princess Laura (Baroness of Kingsloch).
Stuart, who acceded to the throne at age 34, was a highly experienced politician; he'd served a short stint as a Marine officer and then study at "The Cloisters" at the Royal University of Caledon before joining his father's staff, first as a policy analyst, and eventually on the privy council. He'd also had extensive training in economics, and while not a "businessman" per se, had extensive contacts in the business community When Colin VII was finally ready to retire, Stuart was ready.
He'd been influenced greatly by "liberal" theorists like Duncan Mactavish and Andrew Fitzgordon, and according to some historians had made some headway toward convincing his father that some sort of liberalization, and limits on government, were needed. He'd written his own volume, "On The Government", in 106 laying out a case for a Constitution and a firm demarcation of executive, legislative and judicial power.
Tuiarn of Meirechoiad and the First Constitution[edit]
And Stuart realized that Caledon's chaotic laws and occasionally bumptious and power-hungry nobility did nothing for the economic or moral well-being of the Principality.
After a year on the throne consumbed by furious negotiation, Stuart convened the "Tuiarn of Meirechoiad" - a gathering of key leaders from the nobility, business, the military and the various system parliaments, on Meirechoiad Island on Stirling.
While the nobles objected to the idea of a formally written constitution primarily on grounds of custom - it smacked of a lack of trust in the honor of nobles - Stuart (with help from his regent, Garrick Murdo, as well as Andrew Fitzgordon) painstakingly engineered an agreement over the course of 45 days of meetings.
Those involved agreed to a three-part government:
- The Monarchy, which would wield executive power and enforce the laws.
- The Parliament, consisting of three chambers:
- The House of Delegates, a popularly-elected body that enacts all spending
- The Grand Senate, a deliberative minoritarian body that ratifies all treaties
- The House of Lords, a body of nobles with a veto role.
- A Crown Court, which became the repository of common law that made up the Constitution.
The legal proclamation of the First Constitution took place on 156-111.
The Constitution painstakingly steered away from dictating how individual systems should govern - but it did make all citizens in the Principality voters for the House of Delegates, which in and of itself promoted a wave of (relative) politician liberalism that flourished over the next few decades.
Offspring[edit]
He married Elise, Duchess of Catterick, in 101; they had five children, the fourth of whom, also named Stuart, would accede to the throne himself in 144.
Death[edit]
Stuart was killed in a freak riding accident while attending a clan game in 117. He'd long been contemplating stepping down from the throne after 10 years, and had made his younger brother, Morris}}, aware of this. As Morris had been preparing for the role for some time, the transition was quite seamless.
Legacy[edit]
Stuart has long been considered the father of Caledon's moderately liberal, agile, enlightened constitutional/monarchic system. "On The Government" is still considered a classic of the Caledonian canon.