King Lambert I
of Gallicantu
Through the first king’s descent from Emperor Theobald, the reigning Kings of Gallicantu can trace their lineage back to the dynasty of the Theobaldian Emperors, though Gallicantu itself was never actually part of Theobald’s Empire.
Originally a heartland territory of the Elven Empire, after the Empire’s fall, Gallicantu came to be ruled by numerous Midlandic chieftains related to those who controlled much of central Realmgard in the Post-Imperial Era and eventually gave rise to Theobald’s Empire.
Lambert inherited a strong position from his father Humbert as Duke of Cornaline, one of the most powerful Midlandic chiefdoms at the time – formerly the capital of Gallicantu, Cornaline remains a major city in the kingdom. The early years of Lambert’s reign were devoted largely to his energetic defense of his holdings against his ambitious rivals.
Eventually, Lambert was able to go on the offensive, enlarging his holdings both through peacefully vassalising neighbouring duchies and through wars of conquest. Although his domains did not corresponding exactly to the current borders of Gallicantu, he nevertheless claimed the title of first King of a unified Kingdom of Gallicantu and Lambert is known to history most commonly as “the Conqueror” (le Conquérant) and “the Founder” (le Fondateur).
Primarily renowned as a warrior, Lambert is also famous for his administrative efforts while consolidating his Kingdom. Lambert oversaw the compilation of the first Gallicantien law code, the establishment of its first provinces and feudal fiefs (which are largely unchanged down to the present), and many of its government institutions.
Though not the same extant as the legendary King Caelin, Lambert has long been associated with a royal court that represents a golden age of chivalry and his knights are famous in their own right. Most notable among them is Lambert’s niece the warrior-princess Adelheid, who is directly responsible for episode that gave the Kingdom of Gallicantu its name.
Gallicantu is Elven for “by means of the rooster’s call”, referring to the incident where Adelheid and her army were alerted to an attempted pre-dawn raid by the enemy thanks to a startled rooster.
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