Esmond III was second in line to the Throne upon the abdication of Terry I. Although unrelated to the Imperial Family, he had been given a place in the Line of Succession by Parliament (in what had been intended to be a purely nominal honour). When his friend Crown Prince Jonathan refused to inherit the Throne so as to remain Prime Minister, the choice fell to Esmond as second in line, who accepted.
This soon led to the declaration of the Austenasian Civil War as Terry’s other child, Princess Caroline, claimed to be the rightful successor. Although many were sympathetic to her position, the principle that Parliament should have ultimate control of the line of succession won out, with Caroline surrendering after Esmond’s forces prevailed militarily and he won a referendum arranged to settle their competing claims.
Esmond chose the regnal number of the Third in reference to the two Anglo-Saxon kings named Edmund who had previously reigned over Austenasia’s land claims, wishing to claim equality with and succession from the monarchs of the past (and controversially reasoning that his own name was “close enough” to justify a continuity of numbering).
It was during Esmond’s reign that Austenasia began to claim a Roman inheritance, with the civil war bringing about much reflection on the significance of the title of “Emperor”. Most notably, Esmond also took proactive leadership of the government, transforming the holder of the Throne from a mostly ceremonial to an actively executive monarch.
Eventually, his ambitions proved too much, and – after much political and diplomatic intrigue – a friendly rival of his, King Declan of Wilcsland, was invited to share the Throne in order to dilute Esmond’s influence. Esmond retained the Throne in a nominal capacity from March 2011 until September of that year, when his title of Emperor was removed. Although his reign came to an end in sorry circumstances, his reputation has been greatly rehabilitated, and he is today remembered mostly for the golden age of court culture that grew up around his reign, as well as for greatly expanding Austenasia’s local influence with the creation of vassal states in the neighbouring British town of Carshalton.
