Throneswatch
Eyes of the Throne of the Fhainn | |
Sùilean a na Chathairrih Fhainnin | |
| Founder | Cailean Suthar-Màrtainn (disputed) |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 1909 |
| Type | Secret Police |
| Origins | Ardceiternn bodyguard formation |
Membership (1906) | est. 27,900 |
| Owner | Throne of the Kingdom of the Fhainn |
Master of the Throneswatch (First) | Brandt Macgwyn (disputed) |
Master of the Throneswatch (Last) | General Donaghue Wyddin |
| Subsidiaries |
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The Throneswatch (Fhasen: Sùilean a na Chathairrih Fhainnin, shorthand Sùileanrih), abbreviated SANAC, was an organization that existed in the Kingdom of the Fhainn beginning in the 16th Century until the 1910s. While originating as a life guards heavy cavalry formation, the Throneswatch progressively acquired more duties as a force directly loyal to the Suthar-Màrtainn family rather than the Throne as a concept. By the time of its dissolution, the Throneswatch consisted of numerous official and unofficial organizations responsible for the protection of the royal family, protected communication, domestic and foreign intelligence, internal repression, and the general enforcement of the Rih's political agendas. The organization was, at the same time, a military force, secret society, intelligence network, criminal organization, and political club, and operated in parallel and often partially integrated into official power structures and state commissions and ministries which existed for those roles.
Membership in the Throneswatch was, for most of its existence, open to people of any origin, class, religion, and political faction so long as members swore personal loyalty to the person of the Rih. This, in combination with the extralegal actions and legal powers granted to official members, allowed the scope and power of the organization to expand into numerous wings, eventually forming one of the largest political societies in Levantia and dominating Royal politics as a state within a state. The Throneswatch survived the creation of the 1830 Constitution primarily as a secret police and society, and in its final evolution became one of the most powerful forces behind deliberalization efforts made by Fhainnin monarchs in the late 19th Century as well as a globally feared institution.
History
Formation and Early Royal Era
While the earliest surviving historic record places the Throneswatch as already existing by the start of the Second Princes' War, this claim was contested by later historians in favor of the theory it having been founded by Banrih Cailean Suthar-Màrtainn as a bodyguard unit composed of professional Ardceiternn cavalry, placing it as one of the last large units of armored cavalry in Faneria prior to the introduction of the Hobelar. Cailean was known to be a master of propaganda and editorialization, making the true origins of the unit difficult to discern due to sparse early writings on them, and the Throneswatch may simply have been a named mercenary formation which later became uniquely loyal to Cailean or a name applied to Cailean's life guards postwar. Regardless of its origins, the Throneswatch played a significant role in the Great Dunlann Peasant Revolt a decade later, leading raiding troupes across Dunlann and being empowered to pass binding legal judgements on the inhabitants of the region. While brutal in the following crackdowns, Throneswatch agents played a significant role in breaking up the growing system of land-tied serf labor being imported from the eastern Vandarch region, alleviating the primary social issue behind the Revolt to prevent a recurrence.
This excellent performance saw Throneswatch soldiers charged with acting as envoys, couriering sensitive communications, campaign instructions, pardons, Throne warrants, and other correspondence for the Throne across-country. Throneswatch numbers expanded as the formation took on additional roles protecting diplomats and conducting counterespionage operations. The creation of the intelligence wing of the Throneswatch at some point after the Great Revolt acted as a turning point, with the organization hiring non-soldiers and creating networks of informants, wealthy suppliers, and co-opting the Royal Commission of Envoys. The position of Master of the Throneswatch became a guarded secret at around the same time.
Renaissance Era
- Formation of the Burgundine-Fhainnin Naval Academy (1604)
- establishment of cadet branch in Hollona and Diorisia (1805+)
Constitutional Era
The 1830 Constitution came as a severe blow to Royal authority, second only to the crippling of the Throneswatch's legal authority by Rih XXXXXXXXX. XXXXX's reforms forced the Throneswatch to fully transform into a clandestine organization, which came to be of significant benefit to later monarchs, almost none of whom shared XXX's liberal tendencies (in part due to their educators almost universally being affiliated with the Throneswatch). In this form, the Throneswatch consisted of at least tens of thousands of members ranging from bankers to nobles to officers to bureaucrats, and maintained control of state affairs in a more opaque form.
Fhainnin Civil War
Prominent Members
- Name Here - Burgoignesc naval officer. Negotiated the foundation of the Royal Foreign Naval Training Association in 1604 and founded serious political ties between Burgundie and Faneria.
- Name Here - Fiannrian, member of the All-Tyn of the Commonwealth in the 1870s. Campaigned against military spending and lead to a major scandal in Fiannrian politics upon being discovered.
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