House of Steel The Honorverse Companion - By David Weber Page 0,113

by the Imperial Parliament.

It is anticipated that the Silesian territories will officially join the Star Empire on a similar basis and will remain administered provinces until officially incorporated. Sentiment among the general population is highly favorable to inclusion in the Star Empire, due in no small part to the Silesian Confederacy’s chaotic and bloody history and its people’s familiarity with the Royal Manticoran Navy’s longstanding peacekeeping role in Silesia.

House of Winton

The House of Winton can trace an unbroken line to the founder and CEO of the original Manticore colony expedition, and the first ruler of the Star Kingdom, Roger Winton I. Winton was the principal financier of the colony expedition and indisputably held the largest share of the initial land entitlements. However, quite intentionally, he took a large proportion of the least desirable real estate when the aristocracy was formed, in order to provide better lands for the other new aristocrats and additional lands for the new immigrants. From all accounts, this act was in keeping with his general conduct and has set the tone of the relationship between the Winton family and the Star Kingdom ever since.

Although not all monarchs have been equally capable or equally beloved (during the middle years of Roger II’s reign, for example, the Crown’s popularity was extraordinarily low), the Winton dynasty has always taken the long view, and this attitude has been, for the most part successfully, passed down through the generations. They have enshrined the adage that “privilege demands responsibility,” and that philosophy has earned them the deep trust of their subjects. Combined with a deliberate policy of partnering with the House of Commons to balance the power of the Lords (in whose favor the Constitution was originally slanted) and the Constitutional requirement that the heir to the throne wed a commoner, it is a significant reason for the success of the Monarchy over the years.

LINE OF SUCCESSION

The Crown passes with each generation to the eldest child of the monarch upon death. The line of succession goes through the monarch’s children before moving up to any of the monarch’s living siblings.

Perhaps one of the most farsighted provisions of the Star Kingdom’s Constitution was the requirement that the heir marry a commoner rather than a member of the aristocracy. The fact that in every generation “the Crown marries the Commons” is seen as a renewal of the social contract between monarch and subjects and insures that the commoners’ perspective is always represented at the very head of this aristocratic form of government. In addition, this strengthens the Star Kingdom as a whole by the fashion in which it underscores the “open” nature of the Manticoran aristocracy.

The line of Wintons and their reign dates has progressed as follows (note: the symbol to the left of some names indicates those members of the House of Winton who have been adopted by a treecat):

The introduction of prolong into the Star Kingdom in 1829 PD has had—or ought to have had—a profound effect on the royal family, giving them not only longer reigns, but also a greater amount of time to prepare their heirs. In the case of Roger III, the first monarch to have received prolong, however, untimely death prevented him from taking full advantage of those benefits. Fortunately, he had been careful to involve Elizabeth in affairs of state from a remarkably young age despite the fact that he anticipated a far longer reign, and his preparation was strongly tested after her youthful ascension to the throne upon his death. She has now reigned in her own right for thirty-seven T-years, with the expectancy of at least another century on the throne, and she has been training her own heir since his fourteenth birthday.

ROYAL FAMILY

1921 PD

The Winton dynasty has a strong tradition of its young scions going into public service. The normal career choice is military, usually with the RMN, or foreign office. Those with the inclination have joined the clergy. Public service among the young family members is seen as a way of preventing the next generation from becoming royal loafers, instilling in them a sense of duty, and giving them a satisfying personal career rather than condemning them to live solely in the shadow of the throne.

The present head of the Winton family, Queen Elizabeth III, is married to Prince Consort Justin Zyrr-Winton and bonded to the treecat Ariel. Zyrr, a Marine veteran and successful research scientist as well as prince consort, is the human companion of the treecat Monroe, who had originally adopted