Sigismund II

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Kaiser Sigismund II (453 UC (144 IC / 3253 CE))
Gender:	Male
Affiliation:	Galactic Empire
Occupation:	Kaiser of the Galactic Empire
Status:	Deceased

Sigismund II (Japanese: ジギスムント2世), born Marquis Sigismund von Braun, was the seventh kaiser of the Galactic Empire who had originally been second in the line of succession before taking the throne.

History

He was the stepson of the previous Kaiser's son, Crown Prince Franz-Otto. However Franz-Otto had died of illness at the age of 74, and Sigismund's cousin, Karl, was designated Crown Prince to the still reigning Julius. Karl feared Julius would outlive him just as he had outlived Franz-Otto so Karl poisoned Julius. One of his accomplices was a concubine of Julius, who had assisted in poisoning the rim of the wineglass that killed Julius. She was forced to commit suicide by Karl, ostensibly for her unsatisfactory behaviour and failing to satisfy the future Kaiser, but in reality to silence her and any other witnesses. She wrote the truth on the inside of her bracelet before she died and this was delivered to her brother, who was one of the Imperial Guard. Taking the bracelet, the guard gained the aid of Sigismund who successfully forced Karl into exile. (LOGH: 'Past, Present, and Future')

During his reign of 16 years, the Empire and Imperial society was at the mercy of powerful families. Although he was not intellectually disabled, he appeared to maliciously make his nation suffer. Sigismund II was known for his ravenous greed and personal extravagance. He treated the national treasury as his own personal wealth and begrudged spending it on national interests for the welfare of the rest of the Empire. Even when he spent on others, it would only be on those in his immediate close circles. The bottoms of garden pools were paved with emeralds. He drank pearls dissolved in vinegar. During his life, he ordered the construction of an immense sarcophagus of platinum and diamond for himself. To establish his harem in the afterlife he ordered the manufacture of 600 golden statues of beautiful women.

In order to pay for his personal expenses, he implemented a system of tax farming whereby taxation rights over parts of the Empire would be sold to wealthy nobles and merchants. In addition he permitted criminals to pay sums of money in return for commutation of their sentences. Finally he executed 300 innocent wealthy merchants, along with their entire families, on false charges and confiscated their assets.

Sigismund was known as posthumously known as "the Foolish". He had inherited a stable financial situation yet within the 15 years of his reign he had nearly bankrupted the Empire. He was finally overthrown and kept under house arrest for the remainder of his life by his son, who took the throne as Otfried II. (Legend of the Galactic Heroes Gaiden: 'Enemy, Friend, Enemy, Enemy, Enemy...', Encyclopaedia Die Legende der Sternhelden)

Appendices

Appearances

v•d•e Monarchs of the Goldenbaum Dynasty

Rudolf • Sigismund I • Richard I • Otfried I • Kasper • Julius • Sigismund II • Otfried II • August I • Erich I • Richard II • Otto Heinz I • Richard III • August II • Erich II • Friedrich I • Leonhard I • Friedrich II • Leonhard II • Friedrich III • Maximilian Josef I • Gustav • Maximilian Josef II • Kornelias I • Manfred I • Helmut • Manfred II • Wilhelm I • Wilhelm II • Kornelias II • Otfried III • Erwin Josef I • Otfried IV • Otto Heinz II • Otfried V • Friedrich IV • Erwin Josef II • Katharin Kätchen