Constantinus I

Constantinus I (Colrin Oscarleo Caepacellio Panther; born 16 Dec 1977) is the current Imperator of the Imperium of Caphiria. His reign began in 2025, after the death of Arieri IV

Born into the Panther Estate, Constantinus has wielded significant power and influence within the Imperium. As a teenager, he became a successful fashion model and first gained mainstream support. He was given the nickname "Princeps Lepore" - or prince charming, due to his attractiveness and charm, and received numerous accolades such as "Sexiest Men Alive in Caphiria", "Most Eligible Bachelor", "Male Model of the Year", and was included on the 500 Most Influential People list, all before he was 21. By 2003, he was one of Caphiria's most popular celebrities and an internationally-recognized sex symbol. He is credited as one of the first popular "aristocratic celebrities", as the citizens of Caphiria saw him as se fecit - or a self made man who they could relate to. His meteoric rise only continued when Constantinus announced an early retirement from the fashion industry to focus on his education.

Constantinus graduated from Fortuna Institute's law program summa cum laude in 2008 and immediately involved himself in the political world. He was credited with helping to stabilize a Caphirian colony, Ehios, during a series of violent protests. As a result of his success, he was granted lordship over Ehios in 2010 and was able to peacefully re-assimilate the colony. Colrin also had an impressive record with local politics, proving to be an essential tool in Donato Mongelli's campaign for City Prefect, helping him to two back-to-back landslide elections. During both terms, Mongelli made Colrin the Chief of Staff of his municipium (city government). After resigning from his Chief of Staff position in 2014 to run for office on his own and lose, but by only 5%, the legendary political kingmaker Jean-Yves Touchard took an interest in the young Constantinus. With Touchard's help, Constantinus won the 2015 election for City Prefect of Galpina in Veleia. In 2020, Touchard assisted Constantinus once more by getting his name nominated and selected to join the Censorial Assembly, one of the most powerful and influential bodies within Caphiria, as they are responsible for upholding public morality, protecting the Constitution and administering the official Public Census every lustrum. At age 37, Constantinus held the highly distinguished title of Quinticeps Censoria (Fifth Censor) and became the youngest person in modern history to join the Censorial Assembly. As a member of the Censorial Assembly, he was known to be vocal about "helping shape Caphiria to be a leader for the people of the future and not a leader of yesterday." He was influential in bringing about topics such as abortion and income inequality and shaping the international perception of Caphiria.

During the last several years of Imperator Arieri IV's reign, his health quickly deteriorated to the point where a succession plan needed to be implemented. Constantinus' name had quickly risen to the top of the list of successors, and several senators and Consuls had already begun using their influence to sway public opinion in his favor. During the summer of 2023, Constantinus and Arieri IV had numerous talks at length, with the Imperator inviting him to stay with him at his summer residence in Escal. After the summer ended, Arieri IV was satisfied with his vetting and proclaimed Constantinus to be his successor upon his death or the next lustrum, whichever occurred first. Coincidentally, Arieri IV lived long enough to surrender the Imperatorship to Constantinus on Jan 1, 2025, though he died six months later. This marked the first time that an abdication occurred in modern history. During his Ascension ceremony and coronation, the regnal name Constantinus was chosen for its meaning of "constant, steadfast."

As Imperator, Constantinus' foreign policy has been striking a balance between projecting a more nationalistic and assertive Caphiria while finding a way to cultivate stronger ties with its long-time ally/foe Urcea as part of a larger plan to become more friendly with Levantia in an effort to shape the international negative perception of Caphiria. His economic policy stresses the privatization of public economic sectors and services. Constantinus stated that his main economic goal was to facilitate free trade and freedom of movement, erode national protectionism, and limit national subsidies. While some privatizations were welcomed, most of them were criticized for not being in the people's best interests.

Early Life
Colrin Oscarleo Caepacellio Panther was born in Venceia, Caphiria into the Panther Estate. His parents were Haladino and Ileana Panther, and he has two elder brothers and a younger sister. At age four, he began music lessons, and under the tutelage of Vetustimusicu Dominus (Grand Musician), Detar Corbajram had shown a passion for a variety of instruments, ranging from the traditional piano, violin, and flute to the more abstract cithara (guitar) and tympanum (drums).

After graduating from primary school three semesters early, he used his free time to travel around the Imperium to explore. During an early stop in Carnuntum at a hotel in Celeia, Constantinus met famed fashion designer Christiana Vaccarella who offered him a modeling job upon meeting him. He eagerly agreed and signed a six-month contract with Vaccarella and her fashion line, Vevame Atelier.

Modeling Career
At age fifteen, Colrin already had the charisma and charm of some of the top pop singers and celebrities. The fact that he was a noble also elevated him further, and publications gave him the moniker Princeps Lepore or the Prince of Charm. His modeling debut at Septimana Modio Caphiria (Caphiria Fashion Week) could not have gone better for the teenage noble; over a half dozen other fashion houses wanted Colrin to model for them as well, in addition to shooting over three dozen magazine and publication photoshoots. Throughout his initial six-month modeling stint, Colrin modeled for: Zecialla Fashion, Disere, Incordo Clothing, Ellitata Atelier, Rigun Fashion, Azal, Resevain, and Adhia.

His breakthrough, though, was with Vevame Atelier for their Vevame Aize line, of which Colrin was the centerpiece of. The ad campaign saw over 22 million unique visitors online and a fifty-foot billboard in downtown Venceia with more miniature fifteen-foot billboards in other cities. Colrin's ability to draw millions of viewers as a successful model and a member of a noble family allowed him to be named in the top five Sexiest Men Alive in Caphiria. It was included on the 500 Most Influential People list, all before he was 21.

After five years of being one of the most sought-after faces in fashion, Colrin announced an early retirement to focus on his education. While his retirement was a shock to those within the fashion industry, he had gained massive mainstream support and popularity as people loved the fact that this young aristocrat wasn't going to simply coast through life like the rest of the wealthy elites. Even in his post-retirement, Colrin is still active in the fashion industry as a brand ambassador (and principal investor) for Vevame Atelier, Azal, and Resevain and occasionally endorses products as a spokesperson for clothing designers, health and fitness specialists, fashion magazines, perfume, and cosmetics manufacturers, hair stylists, exercise promoters, and spa and recreation companies. To date, Colrin has earned an estimated $300 million from product endorsements, product launches, brand deals, and investments since he started when he was 15 years old, not only making him one of the most successful models of all time but also making him one of the wealthiest people under 30 in Caphiria.

Political Career
While modeling may have done wonders for Colrin and his public image as far as making him a fashion icon and public figure, his political career will have cemented his name above others in the House of Panther as one of the greatest politicians in the family, if not in modern Caphiria. From challenging foreign policies from his dorm room at the Fortuna Institute to overhauling local governments and sweeping out corruption, Colrin's positive impact on Caphirian politics cannot be overlooked or dwarfed by his modeling achievements.

After he graduated from the Fortuna Institute, Colrin immediately got involved in local politics and joined the campaign of Donato Mongelli, a politician running for Praefecti Urborum (City Prefect) of Vesunna. Colrin was essential in Mongelli's campaign, as he had run previously and lost in a landslide. With Colrin's help, things were different the second time around as Colrin repackaged Mongelli's campaign into something much more user-friendly and called on the assistance of his fashion industry contacts to turn Vesunna into a textile manufacturing city; Vesunna is now the number one textile manufacturing city in Caphiria, producing over 40% of the Imperium's textiles. With Mongelli as City Prefect and ever grateful for his contributions, Mongelli made Colrin the Chief of Staff of his Municipium (Township Ministry). With Colrin as Mongelli's second in command, Colrin was able to learn firsthand how Caphirian politics worked compared to the dozens of theory classes he took in school. Mongelli became a mentor to Colrin, giving him advice, wisdom, and insight into the complex political process.

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Colrin, during his tenure as Praefecti Urborum

The two became very close, and to this day, Mongelli is one of Colrin's closest friends outside of his noble circle and has Mongelli as his Advisor. Colrin would see that Mongelli would remain Praefecti Urborum for an additional term before resigning as Chief of Staff to run for office on his own. Identifying with the National Advancement Party, Colrin would run against his friend Mongelli and would lose, by only 6% in the polls. His campaign was solid, and the most significant issue voters had with him was that he was untested and unproven as a politician; being an assistant to one was not insurance enough for the people of Vesunna.

Despite not winning the election, Colrin's spirits did not dwindle; in fact, they increased. Weeks before his birthday, he traveled to Valentia in the province of Eryx for a meeting with famed politician Jean-Yves Touchard. Touchard offered to mentor Colrin and helped shape him into a brilliant politician. He enjoyed his zeal and desire to honestly want to make Caphiria better for the people, not just himself. They spent weeks leading up to his birthday perfecting his campaign, prepping speeches, and crafting his persona. And so, during his twenty-third birthday, moments before his cake was cut, he announced he was running for Praefecti Urborum of Valentia, the fashion capital of Caphiria. His announcement was met with universal praise and, within a month, had national coverage and hundreds of thousands of supporters and donations.

With Touchard guiding the ambitious young nobleman, he would dominate the polls and win by a landslide. Colrin Panther entered the history books for the first time as a politician, as the youngest elected Praefecti Urborum in Valentia and the second youngest in Caphiria, only seven months older than the first. As Praefecti Urborum la Valentia, Colrin quickly and effectively ended the political corruption in the city, enacting city memorials and parks in addition to working heavily with the fashion and modeling industries to create international events that would ultimately push Valentia into the spotlight as Sarpedon's foremost fashion haven, with Valentian designers and fashion shows leading the way for the years fashion trends. Colrin was a brilliant orator and was able to get right to the pertinent details of a situation, dissecting it meticulously and analyzing it objectively; the antithesis of what Caphiraian politicians were at the time.

Economic policy
As Imperator, Constantinus' economic policy stresses privatization of public economic sectors or services, the deregulation of private corporations, a sharp increase in government debt, and reduction of spending on public works. Constantinus has dubbed his economic ideology "neoteric-capitalism," which both supports and detractors have commonly referred to as Neotericism. Economists in favor of the policy have said "it is a political philosophy which seeks to liberate the processes of capital accumulation," and detractors of the policy have called it "capitalism with the gloves off." Many economists have likened the approach to neoliberalism. Still, others have pointed out a key differential: Neotericism views the market as the most significant information processor superior to any human being. It is hence considered the arbiter of truth. Neotericism is distinct from liberalism as it does not advocate laissez-faire economic policy but is highly constructivist and advocates a solid state to bring about market-like reforms in every aspect of society.

Constantinus stated that his main economic goal was to facilitate free trade and freedom of movement, erode national protectionism, and limit federal subsidies. While some privatizations were welcomed, most were criticized for not being in the people's best interests. Along with an increased labor market flexibility, the result of this plan so far has been an unemployment rate of 8.3% and 15% of people living under the poverty line.

Foreign Policy
The foreign policy of Caphiria under Imperator Constantinus is characterized by a hard line on security issues and foreign affairs, projecting a more nationalistic and assertive Caphiria on the global stage. Constantinus understands that the global perspective of Caphiria has shifted considerably to the negative side, between human rights accusations and fear of the resurgence of the once hyper-military state that Caphiria was during the Great War, and has taken steps to attempt to change what and how the world reacts to the Imperium.

Constantinus has cultivated stronger ties with its long-time ally/foe Urcea as part of a larger plan to become more friendly with Levantia. Most recently, Constantinus and Michael Witte reached an agreement in August 2034 to settle a centuries-long dispute over territorial boundaries on Ecinis. This agreement effectively ended the Occidental Cold War, a conflict almost a century old. Interestingly, as Urceo-Caphirian relations reach a modern high, the relationship between Caphiria and Burgundie has slowly begun to unravel. There is fear among the global community that a second cold war might erupt. Constantinus sees Burgundie as a direct threat to Caphirian interests, primarily in the Burgundiane dominance of services and knowledge-based activities, its innovations in nuclear energy, and its growing global cultural influence. Constantinus has taken steps to try and keep Burgundie off of the global power table by taking advantage of his close relationship with Quicksilver Industries CEO Alexandus Venio II and assisting in the acquisition of one of Burgundie's most significant naval architecture and standardized container shipping firm, O’Shea Container Shipping as well as most of its assets and sister companies in 2007. This allowed Quicksilver Industries to expand its operations into Levantia quickly and force a pragmatic way to ease tensions. Constantinus has also indirectly spoken out critically on Burgundie's influence on maritime trade and its influence on Punth, a critical component to another part of Constantinus' policy plan.

Personal Life
Known for his outgoing personality and background as a successful model, paired with the weight that his family name carries, Colrin has become a celebrity in his own right. He is frequently partying with other celebrities and noble families, throwing lavish events to cement the Panther name in Caphirian politics further; he has also invested heavily in the technology and energy industries, both domestically and internationally.