On Emperors (and Rulers, in General)

Using emperors and such has commonly been used in various stories as a villain that needs to be destroyed if there is to be peace and justice throughout the kingdom/empire/the world/etc... However, one thing that writers tend to forget is that an emperor or king cannot rule by himself; he needs supporters both to get power and to keep that power, especially if he usurped political control or is dealing with a rebellion.

Depending on what kingdom or empire you're writing, most power transfers are peaceful. A king or emperor dies or abdicates and leaves the throne to the nearest male relative (though some have transferred power to sons-in-laws or even female relatives), and no one is upset about this. However, sometimes someone rises up to claim the throne. One lone individual cannot fight for this; he or she needs a support base because otherwise they will utterly fail. A few historical examples will suffice:

- Henry Tudor (who later became Henry VII). He had a very weak claim to the throne of England and was only supported by a few people. However, his mother and stepfather were powerful and influential, and he also received aid from France and from Brittany. Because Richard III had lost most of his support, Henry ended up winning the Battle of Bosworth and thus becoming king of England.

-Richard III. Due to a lack of clarity on the party of his brother Edward IV's will regarding his underage heir, turmoil broke out between the queen Elizabeth Woodville's family and supporters and between Richard. However, the Woodvilles were not well-liked by the rest of the nobility, who viewed them as social upstarts, so people switched sides to support Richard's claim to the throne. I will mention more about him later.

-Henry III. Son of King John, he ascended during a period of turmoil when the nobility was rebelling against his father. Because he was underage, he could have easily been tossed aside by the nobility in favor of the French prince, but he got enough support after his regents re-issued the Magna Carta, the document that had started the war in the first place.

So, before your ruler takes the throne, he or she needs support and lots of it. At least enough to get people to turn from another contender or the current ruler or to defeat the enemy army. But that does not end there. Once your ruler has been crowned and is the sole political leader, however, that does not end there. They need to maintain that support if they want to keep their own power. This can be accomplished in a few ways.

First, the ruler needs to keep their supporters happy. Usually through the system of patronage, whereby they give their supporters lands, titles, wealth, etc... in return for their loyalty. If they cannot do this, the supporters will have no desire to be on their side and may switch to another side. This is what happened during the chaos of the late Roman Empire: the military backed generals to take control but, when the generals could not pay their troops' salaries, the troops turned against them and had them killed.

Second, the ruler needs to stay away from major scandals. Rulers have lost their crowns because their support dried up following a scandal of some kind. Richard II of England lost control following scandal regarding how his favourites were managing money. Edward II of England lost control because his wife had a vendetta against him and his suspected male lovers. Edward IV of England lost the throne the first time because he married a commoner and began promoting her family, irritating especially his chief supporter the earl of Warwick. Mary, queen of Scots was forced to abdicate after she married the man who was behind the death of her abusive second husband, though she may have well been involved in that as well. One could even find a contemporary example in the Watergate scandal and President Nixon's departure from the presidency. In short, a ruler of any kind needs to be on their guard about their own activities or those of their supporters because they may lose their popularity and their power.

Third, the ruler must find a happy balance with the other minor rulers. Even an emperor cannot manage every single minor political detail, so he needs loyal men (or women, depending on the story) to handle things for him. Hence the system of patronage. Now, not everyone will agree with the emperor, but the emperor has to keep them from rebelling either through patronage or through threats. In early Medieval history, European kings were very weak, leading to a de-centralized government and a country of knights and nobles running around tormenting each other. Then there were kings like John I, who began infringing on noble power and causing the nobles to revolt. Noble rebellions are a common thread in British history throughout the Middle Ages, but by the time of Henry VIII the nobles were pretty much obedient, probably because it was illegal to speak against the king or because people knew that Henry could easily have them executed. So, if a ruler is in power, he needs to have other men managing some of his affairs, but he needs to keep those men in line through either bribery or through threat of violence. Otherwise, minor political rulers may find support with one another and rebel, or they may blatantly disobey the king (such as when some of Charles I's men did not enforce the collection of a new tax not sanctioned by Parliament, causing him to summon Parliament again).

Having an evil emperor or such is a common plot device, but a writer must also be realistic. Evil rulers also need supporters to keep control, especially if they have a rather long reign, and they need men at the lower levels of society to manage affairs. So if you are writing a story about overthrowing said ruler, you need to make sure that the emperor is not a one-man show but has other followers and supporters that must also be dealt with if you want your rebellion to succeed.

Music Recommendations

Music can be an important part of writing for some people. I have found this to be very true in my own writing endeavors. Even though I can write with any kind of music going on, if I want a particular mood (like my characters traveling through a dark, haunted forest at night), then I go for a specific genra or sound. Music, for me, also provides inspiration for character or story themes or a particular scene. My recent novel series has especially relied quite a bit on music, which has required me to find new stuff via grooveshark or youtube.

For those of us writers who like using music when they get all creative, I now present a list of certain kinds of music that I hope will benefit you too.

Medieval

Most Medieval music, to me, does not very pleasing to the ear, largely because the music sounds off-key or like the instrument is not properly tuned. However, there are some Medieval-esque bands that do actually sound good and have gotten my creative juices going.

Estampie- This band from Germany has quite a bit of talent in their acoustic Medieval pieces. The songs, some of which are instrumental, are mostly vocal, and the tones can differ from a lively dance to a religious chant to a military march, depending on what you are looking for.

Dead Can Dance- the band has quite a variety (as it will show up in different categories), but the following songs have a Medieval or semi-Medieval feel to them: "The Arrival and Reunion," "Saltarello," and "Orbis de Ignis."

The Soil Bleeds Black- I confess that I have only experience with two of their songs. They can sound a bit off-key, but they nonetheless work for me. Their two songs are: "Kyrie Eleison" and "A Song for Thy Lady."

Now for an individual song: "Stella Splendens" by Vox Vulgaris. This is a beautiful, long instrumental piece that I love to use.

Traditional Celtic

I will freely admit that I am a big lover of Celtic music, especially since some of my stories in the past have been Celtic-inspired (like the use of tartans, family clans, etc...). There is quite a lot out there, but here is what I am most familiar with.

The Chieftains- this band has been in existence for several decades, and it has a strong authentic feel as they use acoustic, traditional instruments and play (or sing) traditional Celtic music .They have varied tones, so you can have laments, marches, or dances among the songs. One of their albums also has a Chinese-esque feel, which is quite interesting, and they have also done collaborations with American bluegrass artists.

Altan- I am not as familiar with this band as I am with The Chieftains. They have a mixture of voices and instrumentals, and they have a variation of tones.

Clannad- this band does several other genras, but their stuff between 1973 and 1981 (the albums Clannad, Clannad 2, Dulaman, Cran Ull, and Fuiam) is a traditional with a few modern influences.

Maggie Sansone- as a child, I loved listening to her "Mist and Stone" album. This album is fully instrumental (mostly the hammered dulcimer with other acoustic instruments) and has dances, laments, and marches to name a few.

The Corrs- mostly this Irish band focuses on pop, but they do have a few traditional-sounding songs. For them, try: "The Minstrel Boy," "Toss the Feathers" (the live acoustic version), "Spancil Hill," "Old Hag", "Haste to the Wedding", and "Rebel Heart."

The album "Celtic Fantasy" by David Davidson- this song is not as traditional as the previous offerings, but it is nonetheless a beautiful album with the theme of prehistoric Ireland and Irish legends/mythology.

The album "The Wind That Shakes the Barley" by Loreena McKennitt- McKennitt is generally is varied, but this album is very Celtic-themed. The first five songs, in particular, are stunning.

The album "The Water Is Wide" by Orla Fallon- Fallon is a harpist and singer, and this is her most traditional Irish album out of her work.

Middle Eastern/ Mediterranean

Most Middle Eastern or Mediterranean stuff that I listen to for inspiration is actually either soundtracks or songs done by New Age or World music artists. Even though I know of some beautiful songs from the genra, unfortunately I have yet to find a story to use them for.

Dead Can Dance- the band, as I said, is varied in its musical offerings, but the following have the flavor: "Indus," "Lotus Eaters," and "Towards the Within."

Arcana- the band is also varied in its sound, but the following sound Middle Eastern or Mediterranean to me: "Nemesis," "Inceptus," and "Medea."

Loreena McKennitt- try her songs "Mystic's Dream", "Marco Polo" (either live or her CD version will do), "Santiago" (this one sounds more Spanish in its feel but still fits into the Mediterranean theme), "Kecharitomene", and "Beneath the Phrygian Sky."

Lisa Gerrard- the female half of Dead Can Dance has a strong Mediterranean feel in her solo work as well. Especially on her songs "Elegy" and "Song of Amergin."

Diane Arkenstone/David Arkenstone- try the following: "Across the Sands of Time" (there is a shorter version from the "Best of" album from Diane, which in my opinion sounds better) and "Seduction."

Gothic/Dark

Sometimes, one needs dark-sounding music for a dark story. The following fit the bill.

Dargaard- this band is a man, a woman, and a synthezier with a very dark, creepy feel. Most songs are sung, though there are a few instrumentals among their four albums. Be careful, though; their music is rather dark, and I can't listen to them for a long time before seeking to lighten my mood.

Artesia- this band is two women who mostly vocalize. They have a dark feel to their music, but it is not as dreary and creepy as Dargaard's. Nonetheless, they have some lovely pieces.

Dead Can Dance- the following two songs fit into the genre: "Host of Seraphim" and "Summoning of the Muse."

Arcana- some of their songs have a gothic feel but don't make your skin crawl. Namely the following: "Calm before the Storm", "Like Statues in the Garden of Dreaming", "Chant of the Awakening," "God of the Winds", and "Dreams Are Made of Sand."

Qntal- the band (which is a side project of the previously mentioned Estampie) is largely metal or electronic, but their album "Silver Swan" has a gothic, orchestral feel to it.

I am still learning more about different artists and their music to help me write. Creating radio stations on the website Pandora has been very helpful in introducing me to several of the mentioned artists. If you find an artist you like, you can also use last.fm to find similar artists and see who is considered like them, and it has come in great handy for me.

I hope the following list helps you find more music fitting to your writing, and I will try to post more music lists in the future.