Vincenzo della Rovere
Vincenzo della Rovere (c. 845 - 883 AIC) was an Archon of Archadia and a member of both the Consilium Basileii and Curia of Archadia in the late 800s AIC. He played a pivotal role in the Imperial Civil War, pushing the Curia to accept the Edict of Vissegrad and leading the rebel armies to victory in the Battle of Lake Pontus. He died before the war's conclusion.
Early Life and the Curia
Vincenzo della Rovere was born to Antonio della Rovere, a destitute merchant of Archadia, as a third son. Vincenzo's grandfather, Giovanni, was a curator by census during the Tor Ardwen regime, but he lost most of the family wealth in risky trade deals. As Giovanni was a Sotiran, the family situtation did not improve much after the conquest of István Nagy in 840. Even though Antonio publicly renounced the religion (like many other Archadians), suspicions remained high especially during the last decade, in which Antonio's children were born (Pietro in 840 and Ottavio in 842). As such, young Vincenzo grew up in a period of fear, both of István Nagy's secret agents and St. Kastor inquisition search for heretics, and of the Archadian Omnicans possible retributions. Nevertheless, through skill and determination of Antonio (and later of the Pietro), the family slowly managed to reclaim some of its wealth.
Vincenzo soon realised that he had no skill for business and rather turned to politics. In 859, he became aide to Curator Gaetano Scarpia and following Ottavio Makesini's ascension to the throne, he could start focusing on his carreer in full as the period of fear for Sotirans was over. In 862, he became aedil in the Archontium and finally, in 867, was elected as a curator (as opposed to his grandfater, who was appointed by census). He managed to win every subsequent election and remained a curator until his death. In 872, he was elected as Archon, becoming the youngest Archon of Archadia in recent history. In total, he held the position from 872 to 876 and from 880 until his death. In addition to that, he also served as the member of Consilium Basileii as the representative of Archadia.
Imperial Civil War
Vincenzo della Rovere continued to serve Archadia and the Empire even after the death of emperor Ottavio. In 878, he was appointed as Archon Extraordinarius to represent Archadia on the Council of Vissegrad called by Emperor Baldassare Velisario, due to the sudden death of the the original representative, Archon Lorenzo Toscanini. As such, he attended the fateful event that saw the assassination of Baldassare and became engulfed in the events that culminated in the ceasefire between the Consilium and the Regency of Berenike Garantia. He was reprimanded by the Curia for his actions, as they were deemed too liberal for being merely an extraordinary representative, even though he had the full backing of Archadia's second representative, Archon Pietro Mascagni. It also did not prevent his second election as Archon in 880.
His position was endangered in 882, when he was accused by Empress Berenike of the murder of Emperor Cleon Garantius. When the Curia was asked to release him to Imperial custody, he was protected however, and managed to turn the tide by proposing to legalise the Edict of Vissegrad, created by late Emperor Baldassare, to a great success. This marked the beginning of the short, but bloody Imperial Civil War. He quickly assumed command of the Consilium Forces, allong with Joseph von Wallenstein and Lodovico di Gonzaga. Together, they led their armies to victory in the Battle of Lake Pontus in 883. However, following his return to Archadia after the battle, he died suddenly of a heart attack. Vincenzo never married and died without any children.
Later Rumours
Long after his death, rumours occasionally spread throughout Archadia that Vincenzo della Rovere was behind the assassination of Emperor Baldassare and that he later committed suicide to avoid justice. These rumours have never been proven and are most likely mere urban legends.
