Fidei Defensor - Defender of the Faith

[argonian 12846]

Fidei Defensor - Defender of the Faith

 

An aged Godfrey bearing the Sceptre of Haven

 

The title of Defender of the Faith was only created in actuality in the late 1300s, first granted to Exalted Godfrey[1], but it has existed in some form or another for the entire length of human history. When God founded both the Kingdom of Oren and the Church upon Ex. Horen before the counting of years even began, Church and State were very much one. And when Ex. Owyn reformed the Kingdom, he established the priesthood and placed it under his protection. Whichever of these two you call the first Defender of the Faith, it’s clear that the title is as old as recorded history itself.

 

Yet, despite its age and importance, it has often gone undefined in its meaning. For the first 1,300 or so years of human history, it didn’t even officially exist, and it was just presumed whoever was the foremost Canonist king(usually the King of Oren) was the Defender of the Faith. And even in our time, there seems to be nothing to say what the exact rights and responsibilities of this position are, or how exactly it’s conferred(generally its inheritance by the next Emperor is assumed, but is it always inherited?). To better understand this vitally important role within the Church, and what it means to occupy it, I have conducted the following study of its history:

 

On the Occupation of the Office: 

 

 

One of the only places this title and its occupant are concisely described is in old Imperial Lawbooks, ranging from the Johannian to Pertinaxi era[2]:

 

'DEFENDER OF THE FAITH - Appointed by the High Pontiff, the chief Canonist lord given responsibility for the protection of all faithful, traditionally given to the holder of the office of Holy Orenian Emperor.'

 

This is correct. From all my studies, the only men I found who claimed the title while neither king nor emperor of Oren were Ex. Godfrey[3](then the King of Renatus), Olivier de Savoie[4](then the Duke of Savoy), Marius Barbanov[5](King of Haense) and Stephen Barbanov[6](also King of Haense). All of whom were the foremost Canonist lords of their days.

 

While all three of the former held the title at times when there was no Orenian monarch, the Imperial State did actually exist during Stephen’s reign. Upon its reformation, Emperor John V used the title on occasion[7], but so too did Stephen I. Neither had been officially granted it, but John V presumed it based on his title as Emperor of Oren, and Stephen presumed it on the basis of inheritance from Marius. I don’t believe the Church ever addressed this discrepancy, so the question mark over inheritance remains until a High Pontiff someday clarifies it.

 

On the Symbol of the Office

 

 

As described in a speech given by Emperor Tobias[8], before embarking on a crusade against the Waldenians, the Sword of Ex. Owyn has often been associated with the Defender of the Faith. But as the reader may also be aware, that same holy relic has traditionally been kept by the emperors and used in their coronations[9]. This is because, as it states in the lawbook previously quoted, the Defender of the Faith is traditionally the Holy Orenian Emperor. The Sword is given to him in recognition of this fact. But it only belongs to him by virtue of his simultaneously held position of Defender of the Faith. The Sword is the symbol of the latter office, and its bestowal could be considered what ‘coronates’ one as the Defender of the Faith.

 

Another, lesser known, symbol of the office is the Sceptre of Haven. Wielded by Ex. Godfrey, it represented his title as “Regent Eternal of the Kingdom of Haven”[10]. Haven, of course, referring to the celestial city of the Ascended Sages, who were revered in Aegis as the Aengul Aerial’s chosen vanguards against the Undead threat. Godfrey’s spiritual succession to this title served to represent his commitment to similarly defend humanity and the world against the Denier. 

 

While the Sword of Owyn is an ancient relic that rarely sees light of day outside of coronation, the Sceptre was a much more visible symbol of the office, one that could often be seen at court. Its lack of recognition today is rather ironic, then, and I wonder if the object’s whereabouts are still known at all.

 

On the Duties and Rights of the Office:

 

An Anachronistic Depiction of the Coronation of St. Peter Chivay, Fidei Defensor

 

When the title was granted to St. Peter Chivay[11], upon his accession to the Orenian throne, High Pontiff Paul III listed the following rights and responsibilities of the position:

• The right to ask upon the High Pontiff to declare a Holy Crusade.  

• The right to be granted indulgence.

• The right to ask upon the Church to give financial aid.

• The right to ask upon the Church to give military aid.

• The right to be heard by the High Pontiff as his confessor.

• The right to be granted a hearing seat upon the College of bishops conclave meetings.

 

• The responsibility of protecting the followers of the True Faith.

• The responsibility of protecting the Church of the True Faith.

• The responsibility of protecting the rights of the Church.

• The responsibility of ensuring that the faithful are secure and safe when they are doing their religious duty such as pilgrimage.

 

In the Second[12] and Seventh[13] Golden Bulls of Dibley, when the titles were granted to Ven. Olivier de Savoie and John I respectively, the following were listed:

• The power to be heard by the High Pontiff as his confessor.

• The power to request a holy crusade against those infidel.

 

• The duty to protect the Canonist Church and its faithful.

• The duty to defend any Canonist lord from infidel invasion.

 

I don’t believe either the rights or responsibilities have since been revised, and the coherence between the Second and Seventh Bulls establish a great deal of clarity in what we must expect from the Defender of the Faith today, but only for those who’ve actually seen these ancient documents. I certainly hadn’t.

 

It is important to note that he is the Defender of the Faith, and not merely the Defender of the Faithful. This implies a mission beyond merely defending Canonists from persecution, but also defending the Faith itself. This means defending the Church and Canonism from attacks by heretics, heathens, schismatics, and secularists, both those within the Defender’s realm and without.

 

As such, I suggest a Bull be promulgated to reiterate these points and clarify the other issues raised in this document. That is: the rights and duties of the Defender of the Faith, how he or she is chosen, the symbol of the office, and the inheritance or bestowal thereof.

 

- Ailred Barclay.

 

Spoiler

 

((Funny story about the Haven thing actually. Mog styled himself “Regent Eternal of the Kingdom of Heaven”, but Asulon being Asulon, it got misspelled as “Kingdom of Haven” and the everyone just ran with it and maintained that for future edicts, I think because Haven being a real place on LOTC made them think it was intentional. That or just a mass incapacity to spell. Which would be just like Asulon tbf.

 

Either way, with Dib's suggestion, I decided to just go ahead and run with it myself cuz it’s funnier than just correcting the typo.))