Verlhanz Rothgerus
The Drightly Verlhanz Rothgerus FP | |
|---|---|
 Photo taken at the State Funeral of Prince Thadeus in 2017 | |
| 22nd High Elderthane | |
| In office 5 May 1998 – 4 May 2005 | |
| Monarch | Lambertus VII |
| Preceded by | Arzhel Dillow |
| Succeeded by | Walter Johannes |
| Leader of the Progress Party | |
| In office 30 March 1987 – 4 May 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Donald Kreitser |
| Succeeded by | Carrolan Flantarnoret |
| Folkspart (FP) for Frithcopse, Kuthernburg | |
| Assumed office 12 August 1956 | |
| Preceded by | Iwan Warding |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Verlhanz Benjamin Rothgerus 26 November 1920 Redford House, Lithebury, Louzaria, Great Morstaybishlia |
| Political party | Progress |
| Spouse | Brevala Birdwell (m. 1942) |
| Residence | Redford House |
| Alma mater | Derventon Imperial College |
| Signature |  |
Verlhanz Benjamin Rothgerus (born 26 November 1920) is a Staynish politician and political activist who served as High Elderthane of Great Morstaybishlia from 1998 to 2005 and as Leader of the Progress Party from 1987 to 2005. As Father of the Hall, he has served as Folkspart for Frithcopse, Kuthernburg for his entire political career from 1956, the longest ever, and became the first 90-year old, and then 100-year old member of the Folk's Hall. Rothgerus was the secondary Leader of the Opposition from 1987 until 1991, and then the primary Leader of the Opposition from 1991 until 1996, the longest serving opposition leader in Morstaybishlian history.
Rothgerus beat Progress veteran Charles Mason-Smith at the 1987 Progress leadership election to replace former High Elderthane Donald Kreitser. As opposed to Mason-Smith, Rothgerus had no government experience, yet won a comfortable majority over Mason-Smith who was too 'soft-left' for the party at the time. Rothgerus campaigned against Morstaybishlian involvement in the Meremaa Civil War, exposed the Delari government for war crimes which led to the collapse of the Delari administration and the 1991 general election, and pushed for a public inquiry and war reparations.
In the buildup to the 1991 general election, Rothgerus led the polls and was set to win a landslide. However, policy stances on green-energy, including replacing coal with nuclear power and renewable energy; as well as his progressive social policies were seen as too radical and outweighed his outlined fiscal and constitutional reforms, which garnered much support. Consquently, Progress made net gains but the election resulted in a hung Samming. The Principles and Liberals formed a coalition, with the Principles and Progress both overtaking the Civics in seats. Here Rothgerus became the primary Opposition Leader. Historians attribute his powerful presence and consisitent pressure at governmental flaws at High Elderthanes's Questions (HEQs) as the primary reason the Principles' single seven year term saw three successive high elderthanes.
Rothgerus won the 1998 general election with a comfortable 59-seat majority, and became the oldest List of high elderthanes of Great Morstaybishlia at 77, beating Wilton Lavel who was 71 when he became high elderthane in 1928. Rothgerus left office at 84 in his 2005 electoral defeat, but became the first and only Progress high elderthane to expend a full seven-year term.
Rothgerus's administration was known for its vast constitutional reforms, including the most famous, the Representation of the People Act 2000, which lowered the voting age of women from 25 to 18, men from 21 to 18, allowed all sentient species the right to vote (where previously the law restricted voting citizens to humans and elves), and removed double-member constituencies and university seats. The Samming Act 2001 saw the removal of the right of veto from the Lord's Hall except on bills to extend the life of the Samming. Rothgerus, through the Life Lordships Act 2002 and the Lordship Act 2003, allowed for women and non-humans the right to sit and vote in the Lord's Hall, and enabled Lords to disclaim their lordships in order to stand for election in the Folk's Hall. Rothgerus championed gay rights and multiculturalism, a theme he persued through the 1980s in opposition and in government. Immigration rose from 1998, and refugee programs saw millions of Vulpines flee from Vekaiyu under the iron-fist dictatorship of Max Venavle. In 2003 he legalised same-sex marriage and inter-species marriage. Rothgerus was instrumental to bolstering nuclear power production, beginning the construction of 48 nuclear power plants in his term, most of which were finished after his term ended between 2013 and 2020. Alongside nuclear power, Rothgerus implemented laws promoting businesses to reduce coal emissions in favour of renewable energies.
Despite these changes, Rothgerus inherited a declining economy, with inflation at a thirty year high. His economic strategies to deal with inflation, the cost of living, and wages saw much mismanagement at a local level and ultimately overlooked the improvement of working and living conditions. Union strikes only worsened the situation. The declaration of independence by way of a successful coup d'etat of the provinces of Dumnness, Kingsford, Kuthernshire and Keffincester, which housed the headquarters of the Imperial Navy, resulted in Morstaybishlia's biggest ever constitutional crisis. Rothgerus successfully oversaw an ACA and IF condemnation of the State of Morstaybishlia. In 2004, Rothgerus authorised an invasionary force into the breakaway provinces in what would be known as the Morstaybishlian Secession War. Despite making territorial and materiel gains near the end of his term (including the mutiny and recapture of the Baltassar-class aircraft carrier MBS Baltassar which drastically swung the war effort), the constitutional crisis greatly damaged his political reputation and led to a Podite landslide victory under Walter Johannes in the 2005 general election.
Rothgerus, despite his very divided popularity, would continue to defend his seat as a Folkspart for Frithcopse, Kuthernburg. Rothgerus rejected an invitation to be elevated to the Lord's Hall in the 2019 Honours List. Rothgerus celebrated his 100th birthday on 26 November 2020 and is the oldest ever living high elderthane, as well as being decorated as the longest continually serving Folkspart in the nations history for a period of 67 years.
Early life and political career
Verlhanz was born into the Rothgerus family in 1920, and descended from a long list of colonial aristocrats in Redford House, near the market town of Lithebury in Louzaria. Whilst Verlhanz is not a common name in Staynish, he was named after his ancestor Earl Verlhanz L. Rothgerus who is considered the grandsire of the Rothgerus family. He attended Twohill's Boarding School and later the Derventon Imperial College, studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). His marriage to Brevala Birdwell was arranged, she was the daughter of the wealthy petroleum magnate Kaour Birdwell.
The third son, Verlhanz was an unlikely heir to the family fortune. He and his wife moved to Kuthernburg in 1946 where he became an accountant for Kuthernshire Accounting Solutions. His wife became an advocate for women's rights, her values and determination had a profound influence on him.
On 29 May 1953, he was selected as the Progress candidate for the Thanesbridge, Kuthernburg by-election after the Podite incumbent Sir Kenley Whitacre died, but did not win the seat. Three years later in the 1956 general election he was fielded as the Frithcopse, Kuthernburg constituency and won.
Verlhanz was unopposed as he became the Progress Party leader in 1987 and won the 1998 general election with a 34 seat majority. He lost the 2005 general election to Walter Johannes and stepped down from the Progress leadership the same day.
Marriage and descendants
Verlhanz married Brevala Birdwell in 1942 at the age of 22 in the Cathedral of Lights in Lithebury. Him and Brevala had their only child, Verlhanz Rothgerus Jr at 30 and 24. In 1956, during his first year as Folkspart, him and his wife had a large argument and Brevala left him with their four year old child to Sani Bursil, but returned a year later. The two renewed their wedding vowels on New Years Day in 2000.
Verlhanz Rothgerus Jr had two children with his fiancé Rose Visteue, Lord Rothgerus and Prince Rothgerus in 1993 and 1996 respectively. Lord Rothgerus, with permission from her father Lambertus VII got engaged to Princess Rosamund in late 2012 but died in a car accident the following year. They had planned to marry in Syllester Abbey in late 2013.