Imel Herde

Imel Herde
Member of Parliament in Krasnocoria
In office 1666–1717
Monarch	Nikolaj I
Prime Minister	Obrad Bošković
Preceded by	office established
Succeeded by	Pavle R. Vukovic
Born	29.I.1634 Ručečnice, Kunstesku, Krasnarus
Died	13.XXIV.1717 (aged 83) Near Krubnine, Vudin District, Krasnarus
Nationality	Krasnocoria
Political party	Krasnocorian Feudal Party (1666-1717)
Occupation	Politician
Religion	Krasnarusyn Orthodox Church Church of the Bulgarians (former)

Imel Herde (Krasnocorian Cyrillic: Имел Херде; 1634-1717) was a Krasnocorian politician and member of the Skupšteni, who has been the leader of the Krasnocorian Feudal Party from its foundation in 1666 to his death in 1717. He has often been described as far-right or alt-right by some sources, though he rejected these labels, identifying as a traditionalist and off-spectrum. He was known for rejecting the racialist, populist and modern nationalist views commonly associated with those movements. Considered a controversial figure during his life, he advocated for a branch of neo-feudalism of his own invention to be instated as the economic system and social policy of Krasnocoria. He was considered to be the principal figurehead, ideologue and founder of the neo-feudalist movement in the country.

Early life

Herde was an ethnic Slovedk, and was born in the rural village of Ručečnice in Kunstesku, a mountain region of Krasnarus known for its extreme poverty. His mother worked at the local market, and his father worked in an iron mine. When Herde was seven, his father died of injuries sustained on the job, widowing his mother, who continued to raise him. He attended primary school in Ručečnice, but he and his mother moved to Kunstentinupel when he was 13 years old for employment in a textile factory that had opened there. Herde had mostly poor grades in school, but won a place at one of the country's top universities by writing an outstanding essay. However, before he could enroll in university, he was forced to stay at home to help his mother pay for rent and food. Throughout his twenties, he was employed by a Kunstentinupel-based construction company, and became an on-site manager within two years, and within a few months became an executive of the company in 1667, at 31 years old. Though it was a small business, Herde received a comfortable income, and he and his mother were able to buy a house in a nicer area of the city. Now with more time at his disposal, Herde was able to contemplate many of the observations that he had had on society, and started a blog detailing his musings. He began to gather a following over the internet, under the pen name "Merku Termit," or Merku the Termite. Over time, his thoughts began to develop into the neo-feudalist ideology.

Political career

After founding the Feudalist Party in 1666, he remained a relatively minor figure until 1671, when videos explaining his ideology began to circulate on social media, and gained an increasingly large following. At the beginning of 1660s, the Feudalist Party only had 1,000 members, but by the end, it had 15,000, and its popular support had risen to 11% according to polls. By the time of the 1674 election, support for both Herde and the KFS neared a fifth of the population, and ultimately the party garnered 20.5% of the national vote. Herde agreed to coalition with the Krasnocorian Alliance, thus forming a key part of prime minister Obrad Bošković's government. After the collapse of the Krasnocorian government and the subsequent Hasani invasion, Herde embraced the change in government as a "step forward in the abolishment of democracy." This was met with severe criticism by many in the former Krasnocorian federation, who felt that he was betraying his Slavic roots.

Personal life and death

Herde married Bulesleve Hrebuvsku in 1663, and they had six children together. He converted to the Krasnarusyn Orthodox Church from the protestant Church of the Bulgarians in the late 2000s, pointing to the ancient rulings of the Council of Constancia, and "realizing that Orthodoxy is closer to the original Christianity that God intended."

On 13 Muulantooqu 24, 1717, at approximately 11:40 PM, the 83-year-old Herde, an experienced skydiver who was active long into his old age, appeared to suffer a massive heart attack while jumping alone near the Albion coast. He veered off course from the planned route, and parties were assembled to search the area. His body was found two days later, and had been severely damaged by shark activity. There has been speculation among many of his supporters as to the true circumstances of his death. Long-time friend Obrad Bošković, who was living in exile at the time, as well as an account claiming the identity of Florian-Krasnocorian socialite Jessica Smith, paid tribute to Herde with social media posts.

Herde remains a symbol of ethnic Slovedk and Krasnarusyn solidarity for many in Çakaristan. The leaders of an informal coalition of rebel Slavic and Blepian paramilitaries have officially stated without evidence that the skydiving incident was "not an accident," and have vowed to avenge his death.