Edward Perenolde I

King Edward Perenolde I, born Lord Edward Perenolde, was one of the most popular kings of Alterac during his reign, matching that of King Nicholas and King Ivan. King Edward was the King that ended the Relative Dynasty, a line of Alteraci monarchs that descended from King Peter Perenolde the Unlikely, who claimed the throne after King Edwin's abdication, despite not technically being the first in line. King Edward's ancestors had been in exile at the time, King Edward being the first Perenolde King closely related to King Nicholas after his death. King Edward's ancestor, Gerald Perenolde was King Nicholas's brother.

Childhood
The son of Lord Thomas Perenolde, Edward was born in Lordaeron City in the year 217 K.A. Young Edward would receive the education of any other prince, but he was the first king to not be born in Alterac. Edward was raised to sit on King Menethil's Court, as his father had. Thus, Edward practically grew up Lordaeronian, although he was heavily educated in his ancestors history. After a tragic hunting accident, Edward became took his father's place in court. Lord Thomas was incapacitated for a few months, before eventually passing. Edward at the young age of sixteen, was representing his family in court and dealing with the politics of the realm. This early exposure led for Edward mastering politics at a remarkably young age. Lord Edward also befriended the Prince of Lordaeron, who would later succeed to his father. This friendship would later prove to be extremely beneficial for Alteraci-Lordaeronian relations.

As word was received of then King Lucas Perenolde's inability to pay the large debt the Kingdom of Alterac had accumulated, various kingdoms, especially Lordaeron sought a remedy to the issue. Through much persuasion, Lord Edward convinced King Menethil that should Lordaeron support him in a quest to end the Relative Dynasty and take Alterac as the rightful heir as well as forgive all standing debt, Alterac would uphold future debts and the Alteraci economy would prosper. King Menethil eventually agreed as did the Lord-Admiral of Kul Tiras, who Alterac too owed a great deal of gold.

Lord Edward gathered the support of many influential Alteraci peerage, who had grown weary of the Relative Dynasty and marched on Alterac City. Upon his arrival Lord Edward demanded that King Lucas abdicate and name him the rightful heir. His distant relative refused and bloodshed filled the streets. Lord Edward and his men quickly suppressed the resistance and established Edward as King.

Reign
Throughout the ousting of the Relative Dynasty, King Edward took few prisoners. He immediately ordered the execution of all advisors and still loyal nobility and imprisoned Lucas Perenolde along with his family. King Edward imprisoned Lucas Perenolde for a fortnight before ordering his public execution by beheading. The rest of his family was spared a life in imprison. King Edward swore he would not tolerate usurpation in later years.

Initially this bloodshed instilled fear in the common people, however as time passed and the condition of Alterac improved, King Edward had become beloved. With the debt being decreased, King Edward was able to pay off what remained and was able to reinvigorate Alteraci commerce, which in turn allowed for the Alteraci economy to redevelop. Within a decade, Alterac's treasury was in a similar condition as it had been before the First Alterac-Stromic War. With this wealth, King Edward began to rebuild the Alteraci military and other important factors.

The Revival
Within two decades, a great revival of the arts and education flooded Alterac. The Alteraci Institution of Knowledge was greatly expanded and was once more regarded as among the finest universities in the Eastern Kingdoms. One of the greatest Alteraci scholars and philosphers, Simon Einhurst, Superintendent of the Alteraci Institution of Knowledge, major contributor to the Perenolde Calendar and friend of King Edward published his greatest works and was active throughout this time. Another important intellectual during this period was famous pianist and painter, Maximilian Fritz. Maximilian Fritz is often considered the greatest of the Alteraci performing artist of all time whereas Dr. Einhurst is regarded as the greatest among the literary arts. Fritz wrote multiple beautiful piano pieces and painted various famous paintings that are regarded with great taste now. Unlike Einhurst, who was revered during his life, Fritz was sold few paintings and his earlier pieces, which are now regarded as his greatest works were not known. Only late into Fritz's life did his work become popular, he did however reach celebrity status during the last year of his life. Popular enough for the royal family to attend one of his concerts.

Later Years of Reign
King Edward returned Alterac to a prosperous age, made possible by his excellent relationship with King Menethil. In fact, King Edward and King Menethil's relationship was so strong that they organized the marriage of their eldest children, Prince Nicholas Perenolde II and Princess Ava Menethil.

King Edward did face some troubles during his reign. Alterac faced a confrontation with Forest Trolls in the eastern domains of the kingdom. King Edward, despite being 60, led a valiant campaign against the Forest Trolls harassing Alteraci merchants, crushing them heroically. King Edward also avoided a potential trade war with the Kingdom of Azeroth through brilliant diplomacy. Both kingdoms competed for the favor of the Kingdom of Kul Tiras, however King Edward managed to appease the concerns of King Wrynn through bribery. A final large trouble of King Edward was the Bastard Revolt. King Edward had reached the ripe of 67, it had been forty-two years since he took the crown. All these years later, a reported descendant of a bastard of King Peter Perenolde led an armed revolt against King Edward, proclaiming him a traitor. The leader of the rebellion, Harold Pierce was a known bandit leader and managed to pay off other bandit organizations in Alterac to aid him in his assault. The Bastard Rebellion as it is called, broke out in the midst of a harsh winter. The rebels had multiple accounts of arson, however the rebellion was quelled by the spring thaw with the capture of Harold Pierce.

King Edward enjoyed a long and successful reign, however he eventually passed away from old age at the age of 73. He left the throne to his son, Prince Nicholas II.