King James
1376-...
James Mallart was born in 1376 in Colishall, Essenlow, South Ticetia. He was born to a noble family, and as his father was Earl Siegfried Mallart of Briddger, James was originally the heir to the County of Briddger; and hence he was well educated during his upbringing. In 1392, Siegfried's opposition to the monarch, King Robert, came to a head, and Siegfried's faction took the crown by force; James was made Prince of Ticetia, and a new Royal house took office.
James grew quickly into his new political role. He was just 16 when he became Prince, and began moving in court, learning the political game well. Siegfried died in 1402, after an illness. There were some eyebrows raised over the kind of illness that befell him, and assassins guilds were unusually quiet about the event. Nobody knew for sure if James had a hand in this, although he denied any involvement in anything that would have resulted in his fathers death.
Before long James demonstrated his ability as a leader and co-ordinator. He raised the standards in his military and among his guards, and made some marked improvements to the quality of life for many Artheans. His approach was not universally popular, however, and he soon built a reputation as a hard-nosed king, a man who was not afraid to upset either his feudal lords, or the peasantry.