The Everardines

[Office of the Registry 2323]

 

THE EVERARDINES

 

“By ancient right.”

 

Political position

Centre-right to right-wing

 

Colour

Blue

 

Ideology

Conservatism

Absolute monarchism

Orenian exceptionalism

Traditionalism

Protectionism

 

The Everardines lay claim to a tradition of conservative scholarship stretching back to the first Holy Orenian Empire, and beyond. Taking their name from the luminary St. Everard, Everardines bear witness to a Providential cosmos, emphasizing the role the ‘two swords’ play in the world: the Emperor’s authority over the temporal, and the High Pontiff’s over the spiritual. While the precise tenets of their belief vary between member to member, most Everardines place faith in a strong central government, aggressive, Empire-first foreign policy, and the conservation of the traditional social estates of humanity. They uphold hierarchy, defend Imperial prerogative over all affairs, and emphasize the role of traditional morality in governing society. 

 

Everardines believe in defending the rights and livings of the God-fearing common man against monopolizing burghers whilst defending the legitimacy of those born to rule rather than those who have seized wealth and power through manipulation of markets. The Everardine creed places great faith in the ideals of chivalry and honor amongst men.

 

History and origins

 

The people of humanity have traditionally been a stalwart and conservative folk, and the rise of Josephinism has not truly diminished that. Historically, Orenians placed value in a rigid hierarchy and caste system, where aristocrats and clergy formed an integral part of the estates of the realm. This had been the case largely since the genesis of the first Empire in the 1300s, when Oren transitioned from a more egalitarian, yet primitive and tribal state into a feudal society under the Exalted Godfrey. 

 

It was the 1759 trial of Krisztian Karoly, Bishop of Ves, that brought this collective consciousness to the surface again. The bishop, who was later acquitted of all charges, was widely perceived by many devout Canonists as a victim of political persecution by secular authorities. It was this conflict that reignited a level of conservative scholarship in the Empire, with many proto-Everardines (Who took their name from St. Everard) articulating the idea that the Emperor and the Church were the foundation of human society.

 

The birth of these proto-Everardines was also a natural outcrop from the dogmatically liberal pursuit of equality - their contention being that humans are naturally stratified into estates for a reason, and not every individual is equal in reality, with the Imperial monarch and the High Pontiff standing leagues above other men as the stewards of human unity and civilisation. It is the practical act of preserving and strengthening the union of humanity that sits at the core of Everardine ideology, rather than esoteric Josephite values of liberal rights. 

 

It is the same esotericism of the Josephites that leads in the opinion of the Everardines to disconnect between the legislature and the common people. The working man is not so much concerned with lofty ideals of rights as he is with putting food on his table, or securing his trade from competition. As such, Josephite legislation may often seem toothless, lacking real purpose beyond idle fancy. The Everardine movement calls for a rejuvenation of the political process, returning its focus to practical results.

 

Another factor responsible for the genesis of the Everardine movement was the contemporaneous evolution of the Orenian economy from a rural, agricultural basis to an urban, mercantile one from the 1740s onwards. The ubiquity of the trader’s economy driven by metropolitan burghers now stands in contrast to the fading agrarian practises of the old landholding nobility and gentry. The Everardines advocate for more caution in interpreting this transition, warning against embracing the financial practises of the merchant class in favour of the security and Godliness of the tenant farmer. This resistance to the volatility of trade has led to their adoption of protectionism as a core belief.

 

Human nationalism has been a facet of the Empire since its first formation in the 1300s, and the Everardines cherish these ideals. This often translates to a hawkish, Empire-first foreign policy that staunchly projects Imperial might as a preventative measure. The events of the Seventh Nordling War, where the disciples of the Burning Bush sought to invade the Empire in the name of their graven idols, crystallized this school of thought - for what use was tolerance for a foreign people who want to pillage everything you held dear? 

 

The Everardines are fueled by the belief that Josephite liberalism has gone too far in its pursuit of the perfect society, and aim to bring traditional moral values back to the forefront of political discourse. They resist the rapacious pursuit of wealth in favour of a simple, sober and theologically fulfilling life.