Sebastián II: Difference between revisions

Upon reaching ten years of age, Sebastián was enrolled in the Academy for Great Peers, a preporatory school exclusively for members of high nobility. His education there included mathematics, sciences, history, debate, politics, and athletics, while also including courses such as horsemanship, fencing, administration, finances, and marksmanship. The king is noted as considering the curriculem at the Academy to be "the most rigorous and discouraging manner of enstilling good life lessons." He graduated in 1978 with high marks in history, politics, and administration, and chose to attend the Royal Corric University for Social Sciences as his collegiate education. While traditional for members of the royal family to attend the Descarai Combat Academy and then serve time in the military, Sebastiáns decision was a combination of Crown Prince Astolfo already attending the Academy and his own interests in anthropology and history.

 

As a gap year, Sebastián decided to travel Novaris in 1979. Among the places he visited were [[Tretrid]], [[Volscina]], [[Serramal]], [[Aponivia]], and [[Cryria]]. After a stop in Asendavia, he returned to Casilló y Réal in November at began preperations to attend the University during the spring semester. Splitting his time between working with the Royal Corric Heritage Trust and his studies, Sebastián focused his degree on Corric feudal culture and socio-anthropological studies of eastern Novaris. Appointed by his father to the Royal Representativeship for the Heritage Trust, the then-prince spent much of 1980-81 studying the various cultural structures surrounding castles and advocating for increased funding to help restore dilapidated structures across the country.

 

Nevertheless the Crown Prince still acted preoccupied when observed in public. After late July he rarely appeared at any events or visits involving the Royal Family if protocol did not dictate his presence was required. Sebastián has remarked several times in retrospect that his brother appeared to have argued with their father several times over this period, though when asked, Astolfo always replied that the matter was "for the moment, private." The future king noted particularly in his book on the topic, ''The Particulars of Family: Royal Schisms'', that Astolfo appeared to get more agitated when discussions involved his father and especially relations with the Grand Duchy of Catrás, their nation's northern neighbor.

 

In late 1983, the Duke of Liti was killed after a bomb destroyed the front wheels of his chaffeur car. Evidence pointed to Catrás, whose Grand Duke denied involvement. Astolfo and Sebastián both advocated for further investigation and negotiations, but the Catrán Grand Vizier provided documents to the Corric government detailing the Grand Duke had authorized the assassination with the intention to marry his son to the Duke of Liti's orphaned daugther. This divided Sebastián and his brother; Astolfo privately claimed the evidence was a fabrication while issuing no public statements, while Sebastián swore to defend their vassals. This disagreement caused a rift between them that was exacerbated when Benito Ares, using the self-defense clause of the Corric Constitution, invaded Catrás. Sebastián saw this as unfortunate but necessary, while Astolfo, despite his military service, decried the action at every point.

 

The situation came to a head in October of 1984, when, due to the enourmous amount of media attention the scandal had garnered, Princess Gloria Angela publicly divorced Astolfo. This came as a shock to many in the royal family, especially Sebastián, who was very fond of his sister-in-law and godson. Astolfo is known to have had a mental breakdown of a sort in the palace, with yelling between him and the princess being reported and his rooms found the next day. Both Sebastián and Benito Ares publicly expressed support for Gloria Angela and concern for the Crown Prince. Astolfo travelled to the island of Francisco the next day, on the 28th of October. Despite repeated attempts to convince him to return to the mainland, Sebastián was unsuccessful. The Crown Prince would remain on the island for the next two months in the company of old colleagues from the Armada.

 

In light of Astolfo's deriliction of decorum in the face of the invasion of Catrás, and his further humiliation of royal honor by fleeing from divorce instead of addressing it responsibly, Benito Ares issued a proclaimation that he was stripping his son of his position in the line of succession. Sebastián was made the new Crown Prince, and Astolfo would only inherit the throne if every other member of the family, including his son, were to die. Sebastián disagreed with this decision and tried without success to make his father reverse it. Three days after the announcement, Astolfo began making radio broadcasts from Francisco demanding that his status be restored and insulting his father. After several weeks of back-and-forth speeches between Benito Ares and Astolfo, the former Crown Prince threatened amed insurrection if he was not reinstated as heir. Among the targets listed were Sebastián and the rest of the Royal Family.