Basil Capet

Prince Basil

His Imperial Highness the Right Honourable Prince Basil (formerly His Imperial Highness the Right Honourable the Imperial Chancellor Prince Basil) is the youngest child of the Emperor Isaac V Capet, and the brother of Emperor Andreus I Capet and Princess Irene Capet. He is married to Princess Jacqueline d'Adrienople, and has two daughters, Princesses Helen Capet and Marie Capet. He is the sitting Member of the Pantocratorian Imperial Parliament for the seat of Christ Pantocrator (which corresponds to the old quarter of New Rome), and is the leader of the Loyal Christian Front.

Prince Basil has been in politics since 1981, when he joined the United Christian Front opposition party. He and his sister Princess Irene Capet rose through the ranks of the United Christian Front throughout the 1980s. Basil was elected party leader in 1989, with Irene as his deputy.

In 1992 the United Christian Front was swept into power, winning every seat in what some would claim was a rigged election. Prince Basil became the new Imperial Chancellor, and set about modernising Pantocratoria's economy. He signed free trade agreements and deregulated the Pantocratorian Ducat. His reforms achieved economic growth and modernisation, which allowed Pantocratoria to rebuild its military in the last few years of his government.

Prince Basil saw his sister as a leadership threat and an unhealthy political extremist. Her agenda in establishing the Ministry of Cultural Development had become all too apparent to Basil in the mid-90s, and as soon as Prince Constantine Capet was old enough, Basil invited him into the United Christian Front, intending to guide him up through the ranks until he reached the point where he could replace Irene in the deputy leadership.

Princess Irene beat him to it, organising a party room coup which formed the Pantocratoria First Party. The remnants of the old United Christian Front rallied around their ousted chancellor to form the Loyal Christian Front. Prince Basil performed admirably as the leader of the opposition throughout 2004, until he brilliantly out-maneouvred the government over the Knootian Boycott Act. Prince Basil's efforts brought on an election in which the Pantocratoria First Party was destroyed. It remains to be seen whether he will be able to form a coalition government.