Kalistan

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Lady Ericka Donahue, Countess of Vrassa, has died
Staunch Nationalist led nation during Regency
Senvias, Duchy of Vrassa
October 12, 5731


Lady Donahue, as Chancellor of the Empire in 5678, and at home in 5729

The Countess of Vrassa, Lady Ericka Donahue, has died at her home in Senvias. The Countess was 84. She died of natural causes, linked to heart failure. Countess Donahue outlived her husband of more than 45 years, Lord Brent Kingsly, and is survived by two children, Olivia Donahue-Kingsley and Ingrid Donahue-Kingsley. Her funeral was held at Hillside cemetery in Senvias where she was buried next to her husband, and were attended by more than 1000 people from Senvias and Vrassa County, as well as the Royal Family. The Eulogy was provided by Her Highness, the Princess Melanie Ananto-McLinn of House Ananto.

The Countess first came to the public spotlight representing a young internationalist movement within the Institutional Party. She was the main driver and organizer for Institutionalist Party engagement among her fellow students and then when completing her degree in political theory, joined the Party as a Deputy and quickly rose through the ranks internally due to her drive and dedication. She caught the eye and the endorsement of then Chancellor of the Empire, Lady Jennifer Alvarez-Miller who promoted her to an important position within the secretariat, after which point she was promoted to Party Leader upon the retirement of Lady Alvarez-Miller and therefore became Chancellor as heir to Alvarez-Miller's legacy.

Once in office though, international events eventually catalyzed a hard right turn for the young activist. The turn coincided with the Emperor Fredrick IV Ananto and Empress Jennifer I Ananto's turn away from internationalism. "Internationalism has failed," the Chancellor declared in 5682, and those words quickly became the mantra of the National Government. The declaration following the abandonment of the position ten years after Kalistan had attempted to open to the world. Most believe the reason for the shift was the Kalistani government's sincere desire to be more open to the world being met with indifference by much of the world, or, in some cases, downright hostility, but at any rate, Kalistan, through its openness was being relegated to junior partner in world affairs. It was a situation of: If what other nations mean by Cooperation is that Kalistan supports them without any expectation that they will support Kalistan, we may as well do it alone. From that point on, Donahue was a fierce critic of any other nation who did not put Kalistani interests first.

During her tenure, the Chancellor helped the Emperor and Empress craft a different, more nationalist path. One that was militantly anti-liberal and anti-fascist, but also strongly opposed to communism, and the governments who coddled it. "Communism and fascism are the same because they are both totalist systems of government," she said. "One may claim to be for workers, one may claim to be for Party, but when you put them against each other, in practical terms that the people experience, there is no daylight between them." She publicly trashed communist movements in the press, straining the few relationships Kalistan had left, and openly sabotaged independent efforts to build other relationships with Kalistan's traditional enemies.

The shift took some off guard, but for others it was totally expected. "The Chancellor at the time had long moved away from her early internationalist streak," said biographer Roger Helmen. "She was very quickly convinced that other nations saw their foreign policy, even their foreign policy behavior in our own back yard as completely divorced from Kalistani concern. Their disdain for our empire was demonstrated in their chronic disregard. When the nod came from Eveari to drop efforts to be more internationally engaged, the Chancellor was primed and ready to go, and I think she took some glee in telling people who were trying to either bully or sidestep Kalsitan where to get off. It set a tone which we are still dealing with today."

Domestically, the Chancellor opposed movements to devolve power from the National Government, but acquiesced to the formation of the Ducal Council, a largely advisory cooperative body of the Dukes in Kalistan. She oversaw the establishment of unitary budgeting, and provided continuity of government during the early part of the Regency following the deaths of Emperor Fredrick and Empress Jennifer. In fact, the Chancellor was largely governing the nation herself for the first two years of the regency, after which Princess Regent Nicolette Ananto-Collins began working with her to ensure that Imperial Fiat was reestablished.

Following the loss of the last Emperor and Empress, Lady Ericka took the role of Imperial tutor and began training the then Empress-in-Waiting Carolina II Ananto for office. She imbued her ward with a very strong sense of national interest, and nourished a love of learning and philosophical inquiry that remains with Carolina to this date. The Princess of the Empire cites Lady Donahue as her first and most important teacher. The Chancellor was a very strong influence in Carolina's formative years.

But this influence was not enough to prevent her from being sent into early retirement in 5699, two years ahead of schedule. According to Helmen, "The sacking, as it was reported at the time, was largely due to the Lady Donahue's outspoken criticism of both Kalistan's friends in Valruzia, who at the time the young Empress felt a strong personal affinity for due to their nation being the only nation willing to step up and help Kalistan find the remains of her parents and brothers, her connection to the former Valruzian President, and her study abroad in Valruzia, but also Xsampa, who, at that time was much closer to Kalistan than they are today."

The Chancellor was also well known to personally dislike some of Carolina's favorites, including Sir Thomas Harney, whom history revealed to be a very effective foreign minister despite his personal eccentricities. When Carolina asked the Regent to name socialists to other key roles, and Lady Donahue protested, her time was up. She let Lady Donahue retire with full credit, but it was important to make an example of Lady Donahue, her mentor and personal friend, that in Kalistan, the Empress' fiat was law, in all situations. The Countess took the early retirement gracefully, and held no grudge, remaining close friends with the Anantos, and holding a place of privilege among them--two of Carolina's descendants now bearing Ericka's first name in tribute to her.

Her Highness, Princess Melanie Ananto-McLinn called Lady Ericka Donahue "the most important Chancellor of our age" and when she became Chancellor herself, she was determined to follow not only Donahue's nationalist ideology, but to some lesser degree, also her outspoken style. Her ideas have also filtered to Carolina's daughter and Ananto-McLinn protégé, Her Highness the Princess and Future Director of House Ananto Jennifer Ananto-Rosenfeld, who counts Lady Ericka Donahue as an inspiration and Lady Melanie Ananto-McLinn as a mentor and role model (despite Ananto-McLinn's own trouble with the law).

"History will show that Ericka Donahue was right about everything," said the Princess. "Nations of the world do not particularly care what Kalistan does or says. So why should we spend any time trying to impress them, or do what they think we should. There are two worlds on Terra: there is Kalistan, and there is everywhere else. Lady Ericka understood that to us, Kalistan is and should be the only one of those two that matters. We interact with the other world on our own terms, or we don't at all. It was Mary's belief, it became my Grandfather and Grandmother's belief, it was my mother's belief, it is my brother's belief, and it is my belief. And it was also Lady Ericka's belief too. It continues to unite us through the ages."

Rest in peace, Lady Ericka Donahue, Countess of Vrassa.

@TheRepublic