The Drake Family
The Drake family has a long history of participating in Court politics.
Along the banks of the Chandler Cowles River lie the home of the original Kings of Drillian: the Drake Family. The Drake family's royal line fell in disgrace with the execution of King William IV -88 SKR. This is when Matriarchal Male Primogeniture became the course of succession in Drillian. Prior to the royal line uniting Drillian's many separate fiefdoms into a unified Kingdom the Drake family was known as great farmers and fisherman. Their estates continued this tradition even after the royal line moved to a more central location in the Kingdom. The River Count was the title bestowed by King William I on his nephew Barnabarabis Drake when King William ceeded the ancestral lands to him. "The Barn Drake" as he was known took seriously his mission to create dikes to clear fields while attempting to control the flooding of the river. His legacy of canal and dike building spread to the rest of the Kingdom in a mostly futile task of attempting to manage the great swamp.
Their ancestor was the key reason that law of Matriarchal Male Primogeniture (see Drillian - Political & Society) was created. The Drake family keeps their members at home, some say hidden, until they take on a role at Court. The family is most proud of Lisba Drake who was the sixth Queen of Drillian. They also have been at odds with the Uklo family for generations.
Old Drillian History
-307 SKR William Drake declares the Kingdom of Drillian, William I
-281 SKR King William Drake ascends his father's throne, William II
-269 SKR King Charles Drake ascends the throne, Charles I
-252 SKR the start of the War of the Kings
-153 SKR King William Drake ascends the throne, William III
-111 SKR King Bartholomule Drake ascends the throne, Bartholomule I
-98 SKR King William Drake ascends the throne, William IV
-97 SKR King William IV marries his first wife
-93 SKR Expulsion of the Kayugan church and royal confiscation of land and assets.
-86 SKR King William IV marries his tenth wife at Midsummer
-88 SKR King William IV executes his twelfth wife and the noble families rise in revolt in the Second Drillian Civil War
-88 SKR Establishment of the Kingdom of Drillian's new succession law of Matriarchal Male Primogeniture (see Drillian - Political & Society)
Recent Royal family history
2-9-135 SKR Queen Melody Cowles declares that Lisba Drake will the Queen Presumptive
27-9-135 SKR the first of 7 assassination attempts on Lisba Drake
1-2-136 SKR Queen Lisba Drake takes the throne when Queen Melody Cowles dies in the 8th assassination attempt on Lisba Drake
141 SKR The southern line of the Drake family establishes the Ghostwood Domain
12-12-148 SKR Queen Lisba Drake's lover Brank Uklo is appointed as successor
28-12-148 SKR Queen Brank Uklo takes the throne as Queen Lisba Drake retires to the Ghostwood Domain
1-1-149 SKR the first public accusation that Queen Brank Uklo is actually a male masquerading as female
2-8-152 SKR Willow Quellcon takes the throne as Queen Brank Uklo retires childless
Although this happened over two centuries ago this is the source of animosity between the two families. Queen Lisba Drake retired to the Ghostwood Domain leaving Queen Brank Uklo to deal with the problems at Court alone.
9-4-167 SKR Maribel Eustace seduces the son of Queen Willow Quellcon, Rinion Uklo into choosing her as Queen rather than Maribel Drake
Recent History
- 5-4-342 SKR - Count Stanley Drake is transformed into a vampire by the Queen Presumptive Willimina Mosskin with assistance by Branwyn and Ilero