Crisis of the Imperial Succession

The Crisis of the Imperial Succession also referred to as "The Crisis of 1644" was a major Samsonite political crisis which occurred during the later years of the Great Ascension. Following the death of Kaiser Laurentz III, a major dispute arose over which of his sons should inherit the empire. Imperial inheritance typically followed the rules of primogeniture. However, following the reign of Kaiser Samson X, the Imperial succession was chosen by the previous Kaiser's will. Laurentz III left no heir in his will, prompting factions to arise in Samsonia's dwindling nobility over which of his two sons would become the next Kaiser.

Diet of Karolingburg (1644)
In 1644 an Imperial Diet was called for the first time since 1467, in the city of Karolingburg wherein the nobility of the Heartlands and Rothringen deliberated over a preferable heir. Discussions erred on the side of the Kaiser's junior son Laurentz, who was known to be a militarist and less conservative than his brother Willem. The nobility of Samsonia worried that Willem would attempt to consolidate the power of government into the office of the Kaiser. Thus, this diet near-unanimously concluded that they would support Laurentz's ascension to the throne.

Religious officials, however, moved to block this action in the Herrenversammlung, insisting that the most senior heir needed to take the throne in order to maintain the purest lineage of Samson the Great in Imperial politics. This ultimately led to an intense discourse between the two factions, which then spread into the Volksversammlung, as Liberal politicians sided with the nobility while conservatives sided with the clergy.

Regency of Katharine Samsonling
During the period of indecision regarding the Imperial Inheritance, the eldest child of the former Kaiser, his firstborn daughter, was chosen to act as regent until a decision was made by the Assembly. Katharine Samsonling was made "Regent-Protector" in 1644, and held this office for two years. She would oversee a major initiative to expand into the Southisles in competition with private companies from Lycurgia who threatened to shift the balance-of-power between the sister kingdoms. The resulting colonial charter which produced the many of the earliest settlements in the Samsonite Soutisles became known as "The Katharines."

Aside from her colonial exploits, Katharine's regency was relatively uneventful. In 1645 tensions in the Assembly grew to a boiling point which Katharine quickly and effectively subdued through her deployment of the Kaiserwachter in what is known today as "Red Wednesday." This event resulted in the arrest of 6 counts, 7 Barons, 2 Stadtholders, and the Bishop of Eschenwald. The Bishop was released shortly after the event, while the nobles were released under the condition that they did not personally attend any future assemblies regarding the succession.

The arrest of Count Bertold von Fredericksfurt led to a change in the Herrenversammlung which resulted in the rise of the house de Laframboise to prominence within the Imperial Assembly. The de Laframboise family were the inheritors of the March of Schaffmôtier, a territory in Lower Rothringen along one of the major passages through the Elgen Mountains. Their position had made them an influential family in earlier centuries, but their rise to power was quickly snuffed out when the South Outlands were secured in the 1300s. After securing the position of speaker of the Herrenversammlung, the de Laframboise family remained influential in Imperial policy until the dissolution of the Samsonite nobility in 1733 by Kaiser Samson XIII.

Attempted Assassination of Prince Laurentz (1645)
In August of 1645, Prince Laurentz Samsonling was attending a ball in Eisentrenk when one of the partygoers drew a pistol and attempted to fire upon him. The pistol misfired, producing only a small cloud of smoke, which prompted Laurentz's contingent of the Kaiserwachter to apprehend the assailant and confine him into the local prison. Following an intense interrogation, the assassin confessed that he was paid by Willem Samsonling to assassinate Laurentz and put an end to the succession crisis. Laurentz was spirited away to a safehouse in the Duchy of Gelberburg while messengers were dispatched across Rothringen and the Heartlands to announce the misdeeds of Willem Samsonling. When news reached Karolingburg, the various lords of the Laurentine faction collectively dispatched a message to Willem, who was staying at the Kaiserplatz, threatening to march on the Kaiserplatz if he did not immediately recognise his brother as the rightful Kaiser and renounce his claim to the throne publicly. Willem refused, unaware that his plot had been uncovered, which resulted in the seizure of the Kaiserplatz in 1646. The attempt by the nobility to seize the Kaiserplatz was met with resistance by the majority of the Kaiserwachter, who were also unaware of Willem's assassination attempt.

Fighting continued for several hours before the numerically-superior force of the Laurentines successfully took the complex with Willem and his family inside. A messenger was dispatched to Gelberberg to inform Laurentz of his ascension to the throne, and Willem and his family were imprisoned in the South Wall Bastion of Muddah until their execution in 1646 issued by the Grand Archbishop of Muddah prior to Laurentz's coronation. Following their execution, a very sombre coronation ceremony occurred in the Lion's Square. Laurentz forbade the use of instruments during this ceremony out of respect for the loss of his brother, thus resulting in his first moniker, "The Silent."