Olof
| King Olof | ||||||||
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The death of King Sweyn III, following a long illness, came as no surprise to court circles in Citadel Excalbia. Prince Olof, the king's brother, had been acting as the king's regent for two years and his investiture as King Olof had little impact on the government.
King Olof's proved to be a welcomed respite from the drama of his mother's reign and the uncertainty of his brother's short reign.
The reprieve, however, proved to short-lived, as the end of Olof's reign veered into controversy and violence. In January 1714, during the Second War of Insolence, a naval armada from the United Provinces of Knootoss sought refuge in Southport harbour while fleeing the Pantocratorians fleet. On January 28, 1714, the Pantocratorians engaged the Knootians in battle, destroying the Dutch fleet. While the village of Southport, then known as Dienvidu Osta, suffered no damage in the battle, the local barons were enraged that two foreign navies had invaded Excalbian territory and waged war unchallenged by the king as his army.
Disappointment at King Olof's passive response to both the Knootians and the Pantocratorians led to unrest and a threat of rebellion among the barons. Olof, perhaps thinking too much of his mother's experience on the Plains of Turaida, sent his army against the most vocal of the barons. The resulting battle ranged across the southern plains for days and left dozens dead, including three of the king's most notorious critics.
The rest of Olof's reign was marred by an uneasy truce between the king and the barons. The king's unexpected death from a stomach ailment in 1717 raised suspicions of foul play. In the interest of peace, however, the king's son, Olof II, never pursued the allegations.
