Harold II of Aldemar

"I, Harold the Second, do herein renounce my claim to the throne as well as those of my descent; I herein abolish the monarchy of Aldemar and charge Lord Victor Erdest with the restoration of the Huscing."

- Treaty of Abolition Harold II of Aldemar (35 BU—19 AU) was the penultimate King of Aldemar, who ruled from 12 BU until his famous deposition in 6 AU. His reign is regarded as tumultuous and unstable, due to the inherent corruption of the Huscing, and Harold's lack of deference to political tradition.

History
Harold II inherited the throne of Aldemar from his sickly father, Harold I, in 11 BU. His reign was characterised by incessant corruption in the Huscing, whereby laws were passed to benefit the wealthy at the expense of the poor, and bribery was commonplace. It is recorded that Harold had been plotting to disband the Huscing for two years—a prospect which had never been once considered by previous Aldeman kings. In 7 BU, this ambition was actualised when Harold marched into the Hall of the Huscing with 100 armed men and declared it dissolved.

The result was a decade of instability in Aldemar; lords and peasants alike seldom profited from the autocratic absolutism that Harold had imposed. Eventually, when news arrived to the river lords that Somnar the Great had burned Cyngvar and conquered the Kingdom of Cyngvar, it was arranged by Lord Victor Erdest that the monarchy would be gone.

In King's Quill Field, where Harold was enjoying a vivacious hunt, he was approached by an army of disgruntled lords and famously forced to sign his own abdication, the abolition of the monarchy, and the restoration of the Huscing. Harold was thereafter exiled from the country to Lyzentos, where he lived out his days in a marble palace by the River Sassyar.