Investiture of Jack II

From MicrasWiki
Revision as of 15:33, 17 June 2020 by Jack (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigationJump to search

The investiture of Jack II as Prince of the Calbain took place in the year 1630 (33 ÔD) and marked the end of a period in which Calbion was without an official head of state. Duke Jack of Kilkelly, a cousin of prince Jack I, the first from the line of Montfort, was invested as the ceremonial leader of the Calbain nation.

Background

Ceremony

A large crowd gathered in front of the Castle in Pentyre, to witness the investiture of the first Prince of the Calbain in thirty years. Today, the Duke of Kilkelly, will become the Prince in a special ceremony. This ceremony is ancient and has several distinct features that we are going to see played out today. Unlike many monarchs, the Prince of the Calbain is not crowned. Instead, he is invested by a cross section of the population. In the old days of the Calbain kingdoms, representatives of the Church, the Nobility and the Commons gathered in, what was called, the Assembly of the Nation. Although the numbers of these representatives have varied over time (Orwynn I was invested by more than a thousand people, according to legend), the ceremony has remained largely the same. For this modern version of the investiture, three people have been chosen for every societal class. A tenth person, the Governor-General, has been added to the list of "Investitors" to ensure the legitimacy of the Prince is also validated by the current government.

Before the official ceremony, the Duke of Kilkelly will undergo a special rite in the Calbain Catologian tradition. The future Prince of the Calbain will be "cleansed" in a pseudo-baptismal ceremony in St. Julian's Cathedral in Pentyre. After the cleansing rite, Duke Jack will cross the Central Square in procession and enter the Castle again, where the investiture will take place.

When the church bells begin to sound, at around half past one, the massive oak doors of the Castle are opened. A procession, headed by the Magister of the Calbain Catologian Church, leaves the building. The crowds cheer as Duke Jack and his wife, Lady Alwena, enter the square. Following the soon-to-be Princely couple are the members of the High Council, Bishops of the Church and the Royal Investitors. In a solemn procession, they walk towards the Western Entrance of St. Julian's Cathedral.

Cleansing Rite

The procession enters St. Julian's Cathedral, where a small number of invited guests are awaiting the procession. The first ceremony will take place here, away from the crowds. The Cleansing Rite is a ritual that was first recorded as being used in the investiture of Athyl I. After a period of turmoil in the ancient Calbain kingdom, Athyl, the first elected Prince of the Calbain, wanted to cleanse himself in a ritual that would be symbolic for the cleansing of the nation. The ritual has survived the ages and is now a symbol for humility and the acknowledgement of Cato and the Gods.

The Baddon, or the sacred bath, is actually not a bath that is filled with water but an empty baptismal font. Before entering, the coronet of Kilkelly, that the Duke was wearing, is removed by the magister. Then, the green mantle the he was wearing is taken off, leaving Jack in a plain, white robe, emblazoned with the Coat of Arms of Calbion.

This ceremony indicates that the Duke of Kilkelly is stripped of his former titles and is now no longer a noble. He is just a man, like all the others. Only then is he able to become Prince of the Calbain. Jack enters the Baddon, where the Magister reads the ceremonial prayer:

O Cato most high, being in congregation with Gods and ancestors present and guiding us. We exclaim to the world that thou art just and majestic. We pray to you, in humility, knowing that we are not worth thy grace. We ask that thou will bless our nation, that thou will bless this man and that thou will use him as thy servant to lead our nation in justice and righteousness. For this reason, O Cato, will thou cleanse him and prepare him. In the name of all the Gods we pray this.

After the prayer, three priests enter the Baddon, carrying a goblet of silver, filled with water. The Magister then dips his hand in the first of these goblets, and touches the forehead of Jack. Then, he repeats this ritual and touches his right hand. Finally, he dips his finger in the third goblet, touching his right food. The Cleansing ritual has now ended.

After the Cleansing Ritual, a choir starts singing the Hymn of Purity, Calon Lân.

Nid wy'n gofyn bywyd moethus, Aur y byd na'i berlau mân: Gofyn wyf am galon hapus, Calon onest, calon lân.

Calon lân yn llawn daioni, Tecach yw na'r lili dlos: Dim ond calon lân all ganu Canu'r dydd a chanu'r nos.

Investiture

After the Cleansing Rite, the procession leaves the Cathedral. Crowds awaiting outside cheer and sing the Calbain anthem. It is only a short walk from the Cathedral to the Castle. The Central Square is packed with people. Some have climbed the statue of Llywelyn II to see the procession enter the castle. When the procession enters the Throne Room, Calbion, fy Gwlad y Adra is played. The attending guests, many of them foreign officials, rise to sing the anthem.

Wlad lle y dreigiau a duwiau yn byw. Gwlad lle mae fy rhieni, a fy mhobl yn byw. Gwlad y Calbain yw fy nhy a bydd yn parhau. Wlad brydferth yw fy nhy, a bydd yn parhau.

Under these tunes, Jack walks towards the large stone platform at the very end of the room. It is the rock where the Calbain Princes of old were enthroned. On the stone, two wooden seats are placed. When the tunes of the anthem have died out, and the guests are seated again, the Archbishop turns towards the designated Prince, who is standing on the Coronation Rock.

"Today, we have gathered by the grace of Cato, to proclaim a new Prince of the Calbain. A King to rule and guide the Calbain people as has been the sacred tradition of our nation. It is by the good pleasure of the Gods that this man has been chosen to serve as the ruler of the Calbain people and the Calbain nation. To establish that this man has been truly elected by the Calbain people to serve. Let the Investitors come forward."

Ten men stepped forward. They were the Royal Investitors. Three of them were chosen from the Calbain Catologian Church. They were the Bishop of St. Edward, Mickel Moran; a priest from Llysthur, Charles Kieran; and a monk from Adventon, Friar Braine, who was stared at by many of the guests because he was going barefoot.

Three men were representing the nobility. The Duke of Caerathon, the Count of Kilkelly, who was also the brother of the Prince, and the Duke of Camlan.

For the commons, John Faletau, a butcher from Llysthur; Kay Starke, a teacher from Pentyre and Tom Rhys, who served in the city council of Carrick, were chosen as representatives.

Together with Governor-General Llywelyn Lewis, they solemly recited the proclamation formula:

"We, the Calbain People, gathered in unity, do proclaim Jack of Kilkelly to be the rightful Prince of the Calbain. May Cato bless the Prince!"

The attending crowd rose up and shouted "May Cato bless the Prince!", then, the enthronement hymn was played. Whilst the hymn played, the Archbishop clothed the Prince with the Mantle of Righteousness, the Sword of Justice and the Staff of Liberty, the official symbols for the Prince of the Calbain to hold.

When the hymn stopped, the new Prince spoke: "I, Prince of the Calbain, Jack the second of my name, hereby promise that I will fulfill the duties of the Prince to the best of my powers. I will uphold the law, I will strengthen justice and I will protect the Calbain people. This, in the name of Cato, I do swear."

The Magister responded "May Cato bless you and guard you. May Cato make His face shed light upon you and be gracious unto you. May Cato lift up His face unto you and give you peace" The cermony then ended with the singing of Gwahoddiad.

Civil tour

The ceremony had ended, and the Prince had met with citizens and guests who wished him well in his future reign. Several foreign dignitaries had provided the new Prince with gifts, some of them rather intriguing. Prince Jack thanked the guests and ensured him that the relation between Calbion and their nations would always been strong.

Then, the Prince left the hall, flanked by his wife, and entered the balcony. On the Central Square, thousands of people cheered and applauded the new Prince, who held a short speech.

"My dear fellow citizens, today is a great day for the Calbain nation. For the first time in a while, a Prince sits on the throne of Calbion. We do understand that it is not because of us that his is an important moment, but for the historic and symbolic significance. Our proclamation today has shown the world that Calbion is great again and has arisen from the ashes. Not too long ago, Calbain men and women suffered under tyranny. It has been a long process to recover from the injustices against our people. But history will judge all our actions, and history will show that the Calbain nation is not a nation to surrender. We have resisted, we have fought and we have worked hard to regain our pride. And today, all the world has seen the Calbion is great again. We thank you, from our heart, for the love that you have given us today. We thank you for the unity you have shown, and we thank you for your faith in this nation. May Cato bless Calbion. Gwlad y Calbain am byth!"

After the speech, the Prince and his wife left the Castle to enter a carriage that would drive the Royal couple through Pentyre. Most residents had come out to see the new Prince, and everywhere he came, Jack was greeted by cheers and songs.

Foreign dignitaries

The investiture of the Prince was attended by several foreign heads of states and government representatives such as the Kaiseress of Shireroth, Kizzy I; the Emperor of the Natopians, Naian I; the Lord Chancellor of Natopia Erion of Waffel-Paine and the High Priestess of Stormark, Sigrdrífa.