Markus Meibomius

"Try to let your enemy make the first move, that way you’ll know what they’re capable of."
- Markus Meibomius

Markus Meibomius de Bierhals, perhaps better known as Captain Bierhals, is the first Duke of Meibom, and the first Primus Ductor of the Magna Commonwealth. Known as a strong and capable leader, Markus Meibomius is incredibly popular in the Magna Commonwealth. And thanks to this, and with great help from his awesome ambition and diligence, Markus managed to become the most powerful person in the Magna Commonwealth, after leading an uprising against Augustus VI, and the Lombardo Dynasty. which led to him becoming Primus Ductor under a constitutional monarchy. The Meibom Shield is named after him.

Early Life

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Markus Meibomius was born into a junior branch of a rich commoner family. This family, the Bierhals family, made their fortune by getting into the production of alcohol, under Frederick Bierhals, the great-great-great grandfather of Markus. And instead of his descendants carelessly spending the money he made, they invested it into other markets. So the Bierhals family got involved in banking and the automobile industry as well. As such Markus Meibomius didn’t have to worry about much in his childhood, but he was still incredibly ambitious. And so instead of studying Finance or Economics, so that he could work for his second cousin. Instead he studied to become an Officer of the Red Forces. And at this he excelled. Markus would find himself rising through the ranks very impressively, due to the skills he so very obviously possessed. Not just in war, but in diplomacy and politics as well. Thus he would reach the rank of Captain at the age of just twenty six. And with the War of the Arm having started, Markus would be sent out in a leadership role. He would be in charge at the successful Battle of Sol against the Untecnans, which would be, against believed odds, a grand Magna victory. And so the just twenty six year old Markus would return to the Magna Commonwealth a hero. It is also around this time that he would first be married to Louisa de Cardone, the older widow of Phileas de Claudion-Integrumtraut.

Rise in Politics

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Imperator Nicholaus III would, upon the return of Markus from the War of the Arm, and his great rise in popularity, see much potential in him as a politician. And due to his rivalry with his nephew, the future Imperator Augustus VI, Nicholaus III could use all of the allies that he could get. Thus Markus would be chosen as the right hand man and apprentice of Nicholaus III. And with his time with him, Markus would become an even more skilled diplomat. And even more ambitious. This would be because despite his great victories, Captain Bierhals would find himself unable to become anything else but a Captain. His status as a commoner held him back greatly. But with the death of Nicholaus III, and his rather unpopular nephew, Augustus VI, taking over, Markus could tell that luck was on his side. And he would be right. Three years after becoming Imperator, Augustus VI would pick a side in the slight schism that had been going on in the Kristic Church. And it was the side of the Divinum Posteri. But what he would do would be beyond any Magna Monarch before him, and he would declare the abolition of Orthodox Rule in the Kristic Church, and would order the arrest of Patriarch Lucius VI and his most powerful supporters. They would thus flee to Krazona, where Markus Meibomius would be stationed as the leader of the city, as Augustus Vi had declared martial law in the entire Hyperborean Commonwealth a year before, due to a Finnish uprising that had taken place. Captain Bierhals would protect Patriarch Lucius VI and his supporters, much to the dismay of Augustus VI and the Augustan Patriarch, Zacharias I, who then ordered the arrest of Markus. However the Red Agents that were sending out to arrest Markus would instead join him in his opposition, after Markus having convinced them of the incompetent tyranny of the modern Lombardo Dynasty. And as the movement would grow in the Red Forces, it would do so outside of it as well. With people such as Antonius IV de Quintilius, Leonora de Armani and Emma de Armani, and even Georgios de Tinari joining him and Patriarch Lucius VI. After Augustus VI would find himself in a conflict against the Antecedent Republic on the side of the Ceratans, he would realise that without the support of the Red Forces and Captain Bierhals, the Magna Commonwealth would be destroyed horribly. And so he had no choice but come together with Markus Meibomius de Bierhals, Patriarch Lucius VI and Georgios de Tinari, and discuss the terms of complete and total peace. It would end with the Kristic Church being completely reunified under Orthodox Rule, with Zacharias I fleeing to Aethent. And the Monarch would become completely powerless, with all power over the Magna Commonwealth being vested in a Triumvirate. Markus, Lucius and Georgios. With Markus as Primus Ductor, Lucius as Secundus Ductor, and Georgios as Tertius Ductor. This would in turn make Markus Meibomius the most powerful person in the entire Magna Commonwealth.

Primus Ductor

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As Primus Ductor, Markus would first honour two agreements. The fist would be one that the Magna Commonwealth had made with Cerata long ago, and that was their alliance. He would promise to join Cerata in any possible incursion between them and the Antecedent Republic, which would naturally help strengthen the position of the Quadrumvirate, and make the position between the new Magna Commonwealth under the rule of Markus, and all of old Magna alliances, crystal clear. He hadn’t forgotten them. The second promise would be one with the Hyperborean Prime Minister, Mikhail Gorbachev, to whom he had promised that as soon as Markus took power, the Hyperborean Commonwealth would be disbanded. And this would take place almost immediately, with all of the paperwork already having been readied. So the takeover of Markus would not only be an end to an era of Lombardo Absolutism, but also an end to the rather short lived Hyperborean Commonwealth between the Magna and the Joeanians. Markus would naturally also take the decision to force Augustus VI to finally ennoble him and his family. And King Augustus would do so, unwillingly. He would also ask Patriarch Lucius VI, who would naturally agree, as the two of them had formed a close friendship. And thus he would go from Markus Meibomius-Bierhals to Markus Meibomius de Bierhals. He was also given the title of Duke of Meibom. And his second cousin, the head of the family, the new Hartman de Bierhals, would be given the title of Prince of Bierhals. As Primus Ductor he would also be responsible for defending the Magna Commonwealth in a war against the Quentian Republic, and doing so with mild success, being able to take them to the negotiating table as they had wished. As well as attacking the Untecnan Empire once again, this time joining the Ceratans in the war, and doing so with much greater success than against the Quentians. He would also be responsible for the forced abdication of Augustus VI, after his son had asked him to, since he had gone mad. Then the arrest of his son, the new King, Augustus VII, three years later, after he was believed to have been part of an attempted coup led by his Royal Commander, Cezary Cailius, and then his subsequent execution. And after that, just a few months later, the technically illegal assassination of the new King, Luis XII. This was because Markus Meibomius viewed him to be incompetent, and unreliable. After this, there was no Monarch do the Magna Commonwealth for around four years. However the Monarchy wasn’t abolished. After these four yours Markus Meibomius then finally decided to appoint a new Monarch, and he found the most reliable candidate to be himself. Thus, after convincing Georgios de Tinari and the Parliament of Grandeur, who wouldn’t at first be the biggest fans of the idea, he would be crowned, by of course his dear friend Patriarch Lucius VI of the Orthodox Kristic Church, as the new Grand Caesar of the Magna.

Grand Caesar

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With Markus Meibomius having been declared Grand Caesar, and imperial succession having been taken care of by him and his wife, Alexandra Ivanovich, he had lots of things to do. First of he made peace with the Untecnan Empire, where the Magna Commonwealth was granted the planet of Nova, out of which Markus Meibomius, or Meibomius I which he was now officially known as, created the Kingdom of Anomaurum, with his elder brother, Frederick de Bierhals, as King, and the father-in-law of his sister, Augustus de Lombardo, as Generalissimus. This meant that the new vassal state was ruled by people loyal to him, which was of course necessary. It also justified his title as Grand Caesar, as now he was quite literally a King of Kings. Furthermore Markus Meibomius also managed to make peace with the Quentian Republic, after many years of what was effectively a Cold War. In these terms Markus Meibomius managed to open the Quentian economy up to the Magna market, which was in fact their idea, as well as making sure that the Orthodox Kristic Church was allowed to operate in the Republic. In exchange a bit of land in Xortica was lost, but the Xortican Empire was preserved. Markus would also officially retire from the military, giving up his position as Commander of the Red Forces to his close friend and ally, General Iacobus Salomilius. His military exploits wouldn’t yet end completely, however. As he would also support the realm of his wife against another Demon Invasion, just as the one that he had briefly fought when he was younger. And he would do so successfully once again. The conflict, however, would be a short one. Markus Meibomius would also adopt the Kalckreuthian economic model of working towards a post scarcity society. He would do so by first further industrialising, and beginning to mass-extract the resources of the new Kingdom of Anomaurum, before moving on to colonising new planets, and doing the same. Only more brutally. The first of these planets would be the planet of Colodecae, which, along with its entire solar system of Domusestias, would be first discovered by a new institution of the Magna military founded by Markus Meibomius, named The Explorators. Colodecae would be inhabited by a before unknown and uncivilised Xeno species, which they would name Magnestias. They would begin modernising their smaller cities, into large industrial camps, with them as workers. And would also start converting the culture and religion of the Magnestias. Though only with a modest amount of success, as they could of course never become truly Magna. His colonisation of the galaxy would continue on a huge scale, successfully converting the Magna economy into that of Kalckreuthian economics. Things would be going great for Markus Meibomius, and his reign would be stable. However he would make one final and huge mistake by entering a war on the side of the Ceratans against ONE. The Ceratans would quickly be defeated, and the Magna were left on their own. The Magna would fight well, but not sustainably. And after Markus himself died in battle, his son took over as Grand Caesar, and surrendered the war. Not only was the Bierhals Dynasty forced to give up the throne, but the Magna Commonwealth was disbanded and destroyed.

For & Against

• For: Magna Imperialism, Orthodox Kristusdom, strong Galactic Navy, Red Forces, patriotism, Xenophobia, Crymenthean Cooperation

• Against: Augustan Kristusdom, Xenophilia, atheism, Divinum Posteri, democracy

Personal Information

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Markus Meibomius was married to Louisa de Cardone, the widow of Phileas de Claudion-Integrumtraut, with whom she had two children, Alexander and Anastasia, the step-children of Markus. Markus would actually have great affection for Louisa, and would love her two children as well. He would greatly enjoy going out hunting with Alexander, and playing chess with Anastasia. And he would also fully pay for both of them, and their futures and education. However Markus is Magna, and thus he would need children of his own. And Louisa was simply too old. Thus he would find no option but to get a divorce. Instead he would marry the Yazakh Princess, Alexandra Diana Milton Ivanovich IV. With her he would have two children, a son, Markus, and a daughter, Alexandra. He would also sire an illegitimate son, Richard Balduinus, with a former lover of his, Carolina de Szymanska-Patricius. His wife, Alexandra, would forgive Carolina, and become the godmother of Richard, but the entire situation, among other things, would put a great strain on their marriage. As such Markus would work to fix his mistakes, and hope that Alexandra could forgive him. Alexandra would eventually leave Markus, for supporting the Ceratans in their war, going back to her homeland. The two would thus die apart, having been in an unstable relationship. Not long after his death, only a few months, the lifelong companion of Markus, Patriarch Lucius, would die as well. The two would be buried right next to each other, unified as friends for eternity.

Personal Trivia

• Markus loves going hunting and playing chess

• Markus absolutely loves a good cheese
  

Quotes

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“The Crymentheans took our land, and if it wasn’t for us, the Untecnans would have damn near taken our dignity!”

“The Magna Golden Age is dead and buried. It died with the House of August!”