View source for Erhart I

'''Erhart I''' was [[Overking]] of the [[Great Kingdom]] who ruled during its height circa the early [[second century CY]]. He was a member of of House [[Rax]], the ruling noble family since Overking Manshen.

==History==

Erhart was born a member Aerdy nobility during the Great Kingdom's first century. He later married and had at least two sons.

In 98 CY, Erhart allowed his eldest son to handle the Orb of the Hatchling, one of the legendary Suloise [[Orbs of Dragonkind]]. The boy was of insufficiently weak will to resist the will of the dangerous artifact, running from his father and throwing himself over a parapet. He fell eighty feet onto a stone-paved courtyard, and died of his injuries that evening. The orb was locked away beneath the castle until 113 CY, when it was stolen.<ref>Dragon #230, ''The Orbs of Dragonkind'', p.13-14.</ref>

Erhart rose to the position of Overking of the Great Kingdom, where he and his descendants during the [[second century CY]] were known for their ambition.<ref>[[Living Greyhawk Gazetteer]] p.23.</ref> An example is Overking [[Erhart II]], who in 166 CY raised a naval force against the Duxchaners of the Oljatt Sea, defeating them two years later at the [[Battle of Ganode Bay]].<ref>Living Greyhawk Gazetteer p.71.</ref>

==Notes==

Erhart I's exact date of birth is uncertain. According to Dragon #230, he had at least two sons in 98 CY, the eldest of whom was young enough to be affected by an orb that typically affects dragons no older than five years, but old enough to be able to run from his father. This suggests that Erhart married some time between 92 and 94 CY, and is likely to have been born no later than 75 CY, possibly during the reign of Overking Tenmeris.

If we assume Erhart is Manshen's son, it is likely that both married and produced heirs relatively early in their lives. Manshen's mother Yalranda died aged 40, at which point Erhart had probably already been born. Yalranda's tendency of arranging politically beneficial marriages between members of the Aerdy noble houses is attested in [[Ivid the Undying]] p.3.

However, historic rules of sucession in the early Great Kingdom are not well attested, and in at least two cases, the throne passed to someone other than the previous Overking's son (Malev spurning the throne, allowing it to pass to a cousin in the same noble house; and Tenmeris being succeeded by his wife rather than his son, Manshen). It is possible that Erhart was not the son of Manshen, but merely the most eligible candidate of the same noble house, such as if Manshen had no sons.

According to the unofficial ''Canonfire!'' article [https://web.archive.org/web/20171109032738/http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=36 Timeline of Aerdi Grand Princes and Overkings] (2001) by Taras Guarhoth, Erhart ruled from 109 CY to 122 CY, the successor of Overking Manshen. The ''Canonfire'' article also names an Erhart III, who would rule in the early 300s CY. However, these dates are not canonical.

==References==
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