Archive:Govegz Rona

Govegz Rona qoveg ɹona
Chief of the Rona
Reign	1298-1354
High Chief of the Norjihanis
Reign	1305-1306
Predecessor	Djerev Szečky
King of All Norjihanis
Reign	1305-1354
Successor	Mahiraz II
Born	(1288-06-15)15 June 1288 Ronyg, Norjihan
Died	23 May 1354(1354-05-23) (aged 65) Hajenired, Norjihan
Issue	Mahiraz II Thuhan Rona
House	Rona
Father	Esullaz Rona
Mother	Janysa Garesav

Govegz Rona, often called Govegz the Great (Native Name: qoveg qonavy, IPA:/goʊviʒ goʊnɛvu/) was the first King of All Norjihanis and the last Grand Chief of the Norjihanis, and is considered of one of the four 'Fathers of Norjihan' along with Mahadras Mahadrin, Mahiraz the Conqueror and Yvas Lordinal as he founded the Kingdom of Norjihan which became the modern state of Norjihan. In his life, Govegz was noted for his brutality and his manipulation in order to achieve greater power, which culminated itself in the Great Coup of 1305, when he murdered all but two members of the Szečky family and seized the title of High Chief.

However, he is today known as 'Govegz the Great' as he is credited with providing the basis for the modern Norjihani state, which some argue has existed since Govegz's coronation in 1306 in Ronyg. He retained many of the powers of the High Chiefs (many of which no longer exist) and ensured that the Rona were dominant in Norjihan until the 1700s when the Lordinals siezed power. Govegz is also partly responsible for the creation of the modern state of Szezkia, which became an independent state after the Battle of Avdjereg in 1306, which was followed by Zagrov Szečky founding the Szezk Monarchy.

Govegz's early reign was fully of conflict, most notably the Battle of Avdjereg, but other events such as The Massacre of the Field of Hanaszh, which resulted in a great loss of life, also reflect his desire to claim and retain power. In foreign studies of Norjihan, and even in contemporary studies within Norjihan, Govegz is often seen as one of the cruelest and most perfidious rulers in Norjihani history, if not the in the history of Sahar. Govegz died aged 65 in 1354 under suspicious circumstances.

Early Life

Govegz Rona was born on 15 June 1288, the son of Chief Esullaz Rona and Janysa Garesav in the Rona copital of Ronyg. Tutored by the great priest and academic [[[Uran Vomeja]], his early life was spent far from his family's court, and yet he still identified strongly with his Rona heritage until he eventually left Vomeja and returned to Rona, aged 14. He had grown up in the court of High Chief Vasan Vomeja, where he became accustomed to the ways of court life and became friends with Urasi Vomeja, with whom he would later seize power. Whilst he was in Vomeja as the Rona Attendant to the High Chief, his father Esullaz died, and so Govegz took over the role of Chief of the Rona aged 24, incredibly young for the time.

Rise to Power

Chiefdom of Rona

Govegz almost instantly saw this as his chance to begin seeking the reins of power, and so with his trusted friend Urasi he begin to conspire to place himself in the position of High Chief when Urasi's father, Vasan, died. However, the other tribes elected Djerev Szečky to the role, a personal enemy of Govegz and seen as a conservative willing to leave things alone, whereas Goregz was firebrand and a reformer. At Djerev's coronation, a series of sources say that Govegz spat on the crown before he crowned Djerev, and he left the Grand Temple with a group of his followers and swiftly returned to Rona.

Not much is known about the time after this, but it is known that Govegz refused to pay the King's Tax and tried to find any way to remove him from the throne. Eventually, in 1302 Govegz reluctantly pledged fealty to Djerev, if only in public. Urasi was still in the court as one of the closest advisors to Djerev beyond the Szezk clique, and he used his position as the King's Steward to get close to him. This allowed Govegz to know almost everything that happened at court. It is around 1303 when the conspiracy to depose Djerev began, Urasi speaking with the other Norjihani members of the court.

The Great Coup

It wasn't until 1306 that the Grand Chief's Army joined Govegz's plot, 5 days before the Great Coup. Govegz arrived in Hajenired, the centre of the Chief's Court, after the death of Renavish Vomeja meant the position of Grand General was up for vote. Govegz was elected as the leader of the Army, much to the protestations of Djerev, and Govegz became the Grand General. With this, Govegz finally had the tool he needed to take control. He instructed Urasi to ensure the loyalty of all of the conspirators, and a letter reveals that Urasi stopped him from instantly seizing power; this saved Zagrov Szečky, who would later beat Govegz at the Battle of Avdjereg.

Govegz dispatched a group of soldiers to Vomen, where Zagrov and Alsja were staying away from court. However, this group were stopped and killed by the garrison at Vomen and the two were able to escape. However, in Hajenired, Goregz marched the army into the city and entered the Great Hall, were he personally (as several sources from the time suggest) killed Djerev as he sat on the throne deliberating the issues of the day (the chief's scrolls for this day are lost, so some historians suggest they were discussing Govegz himself). Meanwhile, Urasi killed Djerev's wife and two sons who were in Hajenired, aged 6 and 9. The Szezk court was assembled, unaware of what had happened, and were sealed into the Great Hall were Govegz and a group of soldiers killed nearly all; several played dead and some had already escaped, sensing what had happened.

A day later, when the High Priest of Genn refused to crown Govegz, he had him slain and the ceromonial crown taken from the temple, and was crowned in the Great Hall by Urasi, who was declared High Priest by Govegz as his first action as king. Hearing that Zagrov and Alsja had survived, he assaulted Vomen, but no trace of the two of them could be found, and so the entire city was burnt to the ground in the 'Rape of Vomen'. Govegz returned to Hajenired and cemented his position on the throne by killing his own brothers and then kept Urasi in control by threatening him with death.

The Battle of Avdjereg

Zagrov and Alsja had fled west, and so Govegz began planning a campaign to destory the Szezk army. He planned to seize the Szezk capital at Avdjereg, and so assembled a Grand Armada so that he could land as close to the city as possible. When the fleet landed, they began pillaging the land around the city and laid it under siege. However, before the siege was complete a force of Szezk soldier lead by Zagrov left the city and routed Goregz's force, forcing him to return to Hajenired. He granted the independence of Szezkia to avoid further conflict, and ordered that all Szezk living in Norjihan assemble at Hanaszh, a town near the Szezk border.

Once there, they overthrew the Norjihani garrison and began harrassing nearby settlements. Enraged, Goregz quickly led his entire army to the town. The Szezk there surrended, and then Goregz took 10,000 women and children and killed them on the fields in front of the town; this would go down in history as the The Massacre of the Field of Hanaszh. He then marched all the men to the Szezk border, killed every 10th one and then handed them over, and the town of Hanaszh was razed to the ground.

King of All Norjihanis

Govegz quickly began consolidating his power as High Chief, and merged the title with that of the Grand General. He was relieved of the Curse of Huad by Urasi, now the Grand Priest, and with his steward Bynad (a close friend and ally) began to ensure that all the powers possible were his. Finally, in 1564 he abolished the title of High Chief and had himself crowned as King of All Norjihanis; he was crowned by Urasi at the Grand Temple, and a new cermononial crown that Govegz wore all the time was created, breaking the ritual of the crown being worn only on the coronation.

After Goregz's coronation, a rebellion broke out in the south, which Goregz brutally disposed of with his customary style, murdering women and children and burning down towns and villages. He even destoryed the entirity of the old city of Uryn, once the centre of Norjihani trade, after a personal disagreement with the local chief. It is believed that Goregz went mad in later life, and he eventually died aged 65 in Hajenired, but was buried in the ancestral tombs as Ronyg. He died under suspicious circumstances, and was replaced by his son Mahiraz II