Museum of the Empire, Eveari, Ananto

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Welcome to the
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
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(Index Under Construction)

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Welcome to the
MILITARY AND DEFENSE
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Welcome to the
FOREIGN RELATIONS OF THE EMPIRE
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(Index Under Construction)

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Welcome to the
KALISTAN AND THE NATURAL WORLD
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(Index Under Construction)

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Welcome to the
FUTURE OF THE EMPIRE
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Early Kalistani History


Anantan Empire, ca. 1830, before Artanian and Majatran Imperialists vivasected the State

Pre-Dynastic Ananto
The Anantan Empire was the first State in what is the modern day Empire of Ananto and Kalistan. It was initially settled by Kemokian raiders voyaging north, who set up a kingdom on the Island of Ananto before the year 466 BCE, when Ananta declared himself "Khan" on the Island of Ananto ("Land of Ananta"). He constructed his first capital at Luxon and from there ruled a thasalocratic empire that stretch south to Vintalli and Gaduridos.

At the same time, various city states in what is now Vrassa united under a single entity which began calling itself the Vrassan Empire. Ananto and Vrassa soon came into competition for territory on the mainland, with Ananto colonizing the area around modern day Gendaris, and Sulari. The Vrassans were successful enough against the Anantans, holding them at bay, but were soon swept away by the arrival of the Jelbo Tukaric hordes which swept into the region from Lodamun, obliterating all semblances of local independent government and wiping out all cultural borders. Ananto held onto a few major outposts on the mainland but were largely relegated to Ananto, Vintalli and Marlingantos in Gaduridos.

The eventual collapse of the Jelbo Tukarics was preceded by a reunification of the Island of Ananto that had been involved in civil war during the period of Jelbo Tukaric domination of the mainland. The Anatans were successful in paying off the Horde, maintaining their independence, though nominally fulfilling the role of a tributary state, though eventually temporarily losing control of their Vintallian territories. A civil war and disunion during the middle ages led to Anantan weakness and nominal independence for the Mainland, while invasions from Kazulian Velreiðar, who eventually established Dulnerstaad as a southern base of operations kept the Island disunited. In the early 1300s, a new King arose on Ananto that united the divided Anantans, kicked the Velreiðar out of the Island, and began conquest in central mainland Kalistan, first wiping out Odoronan Kalistan and then turning his sights on both modern day Suldanor and Vrassa, establishing Yoshimi as a major southern port. He was also the first Anantan ruler to adopt the name Ananto as a surname, thus establishing the first Anantan Dynasty, or I Dynasty "Cacarito".

The First Dynasty, "Cacarito", and the Second Dynasty, "Ananto"
The First Dynasty ruled between 1306 and 1542. During this period, Kalistan also experimented with republicanism, as the Emperor, called the Floob in Ananto, was relegated to a more ceremonial role, while a government representing the interests of the Aristocracy rose to prominence. When the Republic was finally put to bed and co-emperor offices were consolidated, the Cacarito branch finally lost control of the monarchy and the ancient House Ananto finally returned to power. Lodamun was added to the Empire during this period, and by by 1542 the Second Dynasty of Anantos had been founded. This was formally known as II Dynasty "Ananto" as it was founded by David I of House Ananto, which at the time was just one of many competing houses of Nobility.

The 2nd Dynasty saw many major shifts in Kalistani Culture as the period was marked by relative stability. Andalay was formally annexed and remained with the Empire until it was stripped in the late 1800s as a result of the Plateau Wars, and Vintalli, who had rebelled during the Second Dynasty during a period known as the Schizmatic era was ultimately returned to Ananto and formally annexed after a brief interlude under the control of break away Suldanor and Athosia. Kalistan during this period began being influenced by the external world, as more and more expansionistic empires began encountering Ananto where it was. These include first contacts with Luthori and Selucia, who later would prove to be the ultimate nemeses of Ananto.

The Disastrous Third Dynasty, "Seluco-Anantan"
The Third Dynasty, formally known as III Dynasty "Seluco" was founded by a Vintallian named Bruno, who formally reunited Ananto and Vintalli and ruled from Ananto. He also expanded Kalistani influence across the Western Wall into the Lindor Valley of Baltusia, making much of modern day Baltusia into a vassal state. His son completed the job, turning all of Baltusia into an Anantan plantation. These Emperors also completed the incorporation of the rest of modern day Lodamun into the Empire, and stretched the imperial boundaries to Likatonia and Valruzia.

During the 17th Century, Vrassan traders began adopting Luthori as a pidgin to conduct business in Lodamun. Luthori was making moved into the region and had established Likatonia as its primary Seleyan outpost. From there, healthy commerce was conducted for decades, and Kalistani traders had learned Luthorian as the primary language of trade in the region. That language, when spoken in northern Kalistan became known as Vrassan. It was soon adopted as the formal language of the Empire, and it has remained so ever since. Meanwhile, Egelian was also developing in Gaduridos, and filtering into Suldanor, and when it interacted with Vrassan-Luthorian, the latter won out, but was deeply inflected by the former, to form the dialect known as Suldanoran. These changes happened remarkably quickly, beginning in the 17th Century and finding near total completion by the 18th Century. Along with the language came Luthorian religion, which Kalistanis found fairly easy to adopt, as their old religion, based as it was in the ancient traditions of the Kemokians, had run out of steam centuries before and had faded into the background of Kalistani Life. Also influencing the region was Selucian Patriarchalism, but not to the degree that Luthorism did, a process helped by the language conversion.

The 18th Century also saw continued political expansion of the Anantan Empire. Colonies in Dolgaria and Sekowo were added, Athosia, which had long been an integral part of the Empire became the staging ground for deeper integration of the Baltusian hinterlands, and the hold on Andalay and Vintalli was tightened. But all was not well in the Empire: Valruzia attempted to support Baltusia in its bid for independence, with the goal of making Baltusia and Tukarali a puppet of Valruzia. They were supported in this effort by Luthori, who decided that Likatonia was not enough for them and they wanted to take Lodamun for themselves too. The Anantan Empire was being checked in the north by Luthori, who was rapidly and greedily expanding its frontiers across as much of the globe as it could lay hands onto.

Kalistan won the First of the Plateau Wars, incorporating the nominally tributary states in Baltusia into the Anatan Empire as full colonies, along with Southern Athosia in Tukarali. But Luthori moved to seize Lodamun from Kalistan, and Valruzia took this as an excuse to start the Second Plateau War. As Valruzia joined with Baltusian traitors to conquer the Lindor Valley, treacherous republicans in Lodamun, inspired by Luthori, rebelled and were promptly and materially supported by Luthori. The result was a loss of Interior Baltusia to a Valruzian and Luthorian backed puppet regime and the stripping of Rapulia and Golavia from the Anantans.

Selucia at this time smelled blood in the water and backed a Gaduri revolt. Gaduridos won a quick but bloody war of independence agaisnt Ananto, and were just as quickly swallowed up by Selucia, severing Kalistan permanently from its ancient homeland. But the end of this time, Ananto consisted of Ananto Proper, Kalistan Proper, the Jahmaican Duchies of Andalay (Norstavan and Kregon), Athosia, and colonies in Dolgaria, Sekowo, and a barely established colony in the Duchy of Outtanais in Lourenne. Selucia and Luthori worked together to half Anantan territory.

The rest was short lived. Nine years after peace was concluded, Luthori once again moved to swallow more Anantan land, this time focusing its efforts in Lodamun and against Athosia. Initially, Kalistani defenses held in Lodamun, but when Kalistan launched a move to reacapture its lost territory, leaving its fortified positions, the war was immediately joined by Luthorian puppets in Valruzia and Baltusia who supported Luthorian counterattacks and expanded the war to Athosia. Meanwhile naval battles were fierce, bloody and costly, draining Kalistan of manpower and treasure to a relentless Luthorian fleet. The battlefield expanded to Dolgaria and Sekowo, where Luthori captured these colonies, adding them to their empire fairly easily. Meanwhile, the ever opportunistic Selucia, who Kalistan had long considered an ally, refused to send assistance, but instead turned on the Anantan Empire, stabbing it in the back, and seized Outtannais for itself, completing their domination of Lourenne. Kalistan only held Kalistan and Ananto, a small part of Norstavan along the Jah Frontier, a tiny redoubt in Dolgaria, and the northern part of Athosia by the end of the Plateau wars. As quickly as the Empire had been built, it was stolen by opportunistic and treacherous foreign powers.

The abolition of the Empire
With the Anantan Empire on its final legs, revolution broke out in Kalistan. The last Emperor of the Seluco-Anantan Dynasty was Pedro II, who was forced to abdicate at gunpoint on May 2nd 1907 and from then on, the Empire was a thing of the past. The provisional democratic government overthrew the Empire and quickly moved for peace with Luthori, quitting claim to its over seas colonies, delivering up the last of Norstavan along with a small strip of land south of the Jah River to Luthorian Lodamun, and surrendering the remainder of Athosia to Luthori's puppet state in Baltusia. Luckily for Kalistan, the age of imperialist expansion in Seleya was rapidly coming to a close, or there is no doubt Luthori would have demanded the rest of mainland Kalistan as well. But Kalistan itself was wracked by Civil war and revolution.

1917 saw the reignition of war in Lodamun, in an attempt by the Republican Government to regain the Norstavan buffer as protection against repeated Luthorian provocations in Vrassa. The war went well at first, but Lodamun landed soldiers in Ananto, and the government quickly fell to a period of competing warlords made up of Imperial deadenders and local aristocratic types. During the period of 1917-1921, no less than six individuals claimed to be the new Emperor of the Anantan Empire. All failed in their bids, one by one, and in 1921, Pickles Ananto was elected first President of the 2nd Republic. She initially governed from Kalistan, and hence the name of the nation has informally been Kalistan ever since. She made peace with Lodamun, paying reparations, and established the Federal Republic of Kalistan.

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Current House Ananto Family Tree


CLICK HERE to open Image in new Tab and zoom in to read

About this Tree
This is the Chart showing the Royal Family, Ananto, in Kalistan. According to current law, all First and Second Cousins without removal are granted Royal Family Status for life. The inclusion into the Royal Family is determined at birth, based on the sitting monarch. Royal Family Members and are entitled to use the Hyphenated Surname Prefix "Ananto" Children of Royal Family Members who are themselves no longer eligible to claim Royalty, however, may opt to use the Hyphenated Surname Suffix "Alvarez" once they are no longer eligible to claim Royal Status.

All descendants of Duke Mark Ananto-Orleans and Duchess Margaret Alvarez Ellison are entitled to use the Hyphenated Surname Prefix "Alvarez" in perpetuity, as they are descended from Emperor Fredrick I Ananto, founder of the Gaduri Dynasty of House Ananto, but are not descended from Empress Carolina I Ananto, founder of the Kundrati Dynasty of House Ananto.

Hyphenating in Surnames
The Kalistani naming system permits hyphenated last names. For most people, this is purely optional. A Person may opt to take both their father's and mother's last name in any order, or one or the other. The first name in a hyphenated name is called the Surname Prefix and the second name is called the Surname Suffix. Nobody is required to have a hyphenated Surname.

Often times, the descendant of a powerful or influential person will take a hyphenated name so they can highlight relationship to the influential individual. In this case, they will take their mother and father's surnames with a hyphen between them, but the more influential or socially, politically, or culturally important parent will always be in the prefix.

In either case, the Full name may be hyphenated, but using both the Prefix and Suffix together or merely the Prefix alone is purely optional. It is common for those whose official name is hyphenated to simply go by their Surname Prefix in all informal situations: ie. John Bennots-Walters may sign documents with his full hyphenated signature, but may be known to his friends and co-workers as just John Bennots. The use of hyphenation is purely optional in Kalistan, and most people who use it do so to either honor both parents or to highlight their relationship to someone famous.

There is one exception which is displayed in the Chart above. The Surname "Ananto" is reserved exclusively for the Royal Family, and the surname "Alvarez" is reserved for the descendants of the IV Dynasty "Gaduri". No person except an current member of the Royal Family may adopt "Ananto" as a Surname Prefix, and no person but a descendant of Duke Mark Ananto-Orleans may adopt "Alvarez" as a Surname Prefix. They may have Ananto or Alvarez as a surname Suffix, if they are descended from either of those two lines. If Ananto or Alvarez is in the Surname Prefix place, the Surname requires a Surname Suffix, or in other words, it may not go unhyphenated.

All Children of the Sitting Monarch have a couple further rules: They must have a Hyphenated First name as well as a Surname, as well as a Middle name. For all others, a hyphenated first name is incredibly rare in Kalistan and Middle names are entirely optional for parents, though many parents do provide middle names. For Children of Sitting Monarchs, during their majority only, they are referred to by their fully hyphernated first and surnames and their middle name. When they reach their majority, the hyphenated first name drops off completely, while reference to the middle name becomes fully optional. Hence Her Highness, Princess of the Empire Nicolette Ananto-Collins was born Nicolette-Carolina Elizabeth Ananto-Collins. The First name suffix dropped off entirely when she hit her Majority, and is only used in very specific circumstances, while the Middle name is rarely used at all. She is merely known by her title and her name Nicolette Ananto-Collins.

One final exception is the sitting Monarch additionally loses his or her Surname Suffix while in the throne, and gain a number between first and last names. No legal documents may refer to Empress Carolina II Ananto as anything other than that, though she may herself refer to herself informally with her hyphenated last name. The loss of the hyphenation in the surname connotes that the Emperor or Empress is "THE Ananto," not merely "AN Ananto." The Surname is therefore not properly a surname at all for the reigning Monarch, but a title unto itself. Her Imperial Majesty Empress Carolina II Ananto is not the child of the family Ananto, but she is more properly thought of as Her Imperial Majesty, the Second Grand Duchess of Ananto (and therefore also Empress) who happens to be named Carolina. Such a personage does not need a last name at all.

MoE

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Republican Kalistan
1921 CE - 5147 CE


President of the Republic Ana Barajas who died in Statrica while battling Imperialism

Before returning to Empire, Kalistan enjoyed a long and very robust tradition of Republicanism. it can be argued that Kalistan has spent more of its history as a republic than as an Empire, all told. Accordingly, it would be impossible to detail the history of more than 3200 years of Kalistani History in one exhibit, especially since the details of that history can either be covered more effectively elsewhere, or are simply no longer relevant. Who really cares which Party was in control of the Government in 3805? Nobody is asking that question today. More importantly than the electoral minutia which only matters to democracy historians are the general themes of the Republican Period which still very much influence our lives today, because they formed the basis of the Kalistani National Character, and therefore also, the character of its people.

The Kalistani Republic was frequently a multi-party affair. Two defining characteristics of the Republic Period carried throughout the entire period, and more or less still define the Kalistani national Character to this date: Robust Civil Libertarianism and Unflinching anti-fascism. Whatever else the Second Republic was, regardless of the multitude of interruptions and civil disturbances and seizures of government, Kalistan was always defined by these two features.

Civil Libertarianism
Kalistan has always been defiantly staunchly libertarian in its approach to the rights of Kalistani citizens. Kalistan has been counted among the most open nations of Terra in drug laws, sexual liberation, sex and gender equality and freedom from oppressive state apparatuses. This last one if most important because the major source of civil disorder in Kalistani society has almost always come from the corners of political sentiment which sought to impose oppression from above, who sought to use democracy and republican institutions to crush the freedoms of the people, and against whom, while Kalistan remained a democratic republic, the people of the nation were utterly powerless.

An informed and active citizenry is said to be necessary as a safeguard against those who wish to impose a narrow normative view upon the Nation. Bigots who hate foreigners, self-righteous religious types who hate freedom of reproductive choice, or law and order types who hate personal ownership of firearms and use of drugs, not to mention those liberties one normally thinks of as civil in nature, always found lapses in vigilance among the population of Republican Kalistan to be attractive opportunities to enforce their narrow view of the proper relationship of the State to Society upon everyone else. As a result, though Kalistan is defined by its support for Civil Libertarianism, repeatedly over and over, minority political actors were able to exploit flaws in Republicanism to seize control of the Government and use it as a weapon against the very people it was supposed to be legislating for. Consequently a commitment to civil liberties was hard to maintain with the Republic, because the Republic was often the tool used to deny people their civil liberties.

Luckily generations of staunch civil libertarians of countless political parties always rose in response and pushed back against those who wanted to use the state to limit the liberties of Kalistan. The Socialist Party was key in this due to its long history in government, but we cannot forget the world of other libertarian parties in Republican Kalistan's history, like the Rights and Freedom Party, the Agrarian Party, and the Democratic Party who all played vital roles in protecting the civil liberties of Kalistani Citizens. We also have to look at the institutions which arose during the republican period, including the Brethrenist movement, numerous socio-economic organizations, the music industry, Radio Kaliburg, and the print media, led by the still operational Kalistani Republic who served as vital weapons of liberty during the Republican Period.

Anti-Fascism
Hand in Hand with civil libertarianism is the strong anti-fascist, left of center political ideology within Kalistan. It was not merely the constant undermining of any attempts at developing a police state in Kalistan, but also a commitment to ideological, cultural, and socio-economic pluralism that characterized the Republic during this period. More than most nations, Kalistan has long recognized its history as a nation of immigrants. Every single cultural tradition that exists in Kalistan today came from somewhere else: Whether it be the languages we speak (Vrassan from Luthori, Egelian from Gaduridos, and even Redn from Artania and Valruzia that finds its roots in northern Majatra) or our music (the Kalistani Music Industry was patterned after the model developed by Valruzians), our clothes and style and fashion (borrowed largely from Lourenne) to the various communities (discrete communities and traditions hail from every continent in Terra) all of these things go to make Kalistani society about as pluralist as they come, so much so that the idea of Kalistan as a nation-state is almost rendered ridiculous, because in every instance we may ask "Who's Nation?"

This sort of pluralism, added to political pluralism of the Republican period, where Parties could range from revolutionary socialist on the left, to SPoK and agrarian movements in the center left, to moderate conservatives and National parties on the center right, all participated as long as they respected the notion that Kalistan was a nation that was unified not by a specific and exclusive identity, be it political or cultural, but was a nation where tradition and institutions were respected and uplifted. Kalistan is a nation of its institutions, and those institutions were designed to resist the homogenizing force of fascism, where only one thing was acceptable and any deviation represented weakness.

In Republican Kalistan, deviation from the hegemonic thing was seen as a strength. Fascists might temporarily rise through manipulation of the election system: That was a fairly frequent instance in Kalistan, because the mechanism for elections itself was flawed. But there was always a method to push back against the Fascists, to foil the plans of the political entrepreneurs that manipulated Kalistan's Republican institutions, and to utterly frustrate those who selfishly and maliciously sought to transform Kalistan from a free, pluralist society into an authoritarian's paradise. The people themselves played a key role in this, and more than five times, stood with the forces of freedom in armed conflict against fascism during the Republican period.

Ultimately it became clear to everyone that Kalistan was utterly hostile to the very notion of fascism, either at home or internationally, and with the rise of the Empire and the abolition of the Republic, there was no longer any method for fascists to seize the government in Kalistan any longer. One could say that the abolition of the Republic was in fact a reaction to fascist parties and what became termed "ephemeral Parties" who seized the government through electoral manipulation for a short time, deliberately damaged the society and its institutions and then faded back into the population, all because they wanted Kalistan to be a certain way that it was not destined to be: The abolition of the Republic and the institution of the Single Party Law denied them the tools they needed to conduct this sort of destruction in Kalistan. And the people are better off for it because now they do not have to remain on guard for constant and unrelenting fascist incursion into Kalistan's politics.

Today, Kalistan remains as vibrant and pluralistic a nation and society as it has ever been, and fascists are denied the ability to take advantage of that.

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IV.1 and IV.2
ANANTO-GADURI 1 and ANANTO-GADURI 2
Emperor Fredrick I Ananto and Empress Elizabeth I Ananto


Emperor Fredrick I Ananto (5149-5198) and Empress Elizabeth I Ananto (5159-5209)

Emperor Fredrick I Ananto, ANANTO-GADURI IV.1
Emperor Fredrick I Ananto was born Fredrick Guerra, of Dulnerstaad, Ananto, in 5123. He inherited a significant sum of wealth which he use to support various philanthropic efforts, including Orphans' charities in Ananto. He was a staunch supporter of the Institutional Party in its early days. Guerra was selected primarily due to his political affiliation and his notable charitable giving, but the deciding factor for Guerra was that he was one who possessed sufficient independent wealth to found the household. During his reign, he worked closely with the Institutional Majority in the National Assembly to re-found the institutions of the Monarchy which had been entirely abolished and vacated in 4056.

He initially received the title of Grand Duke of Ananto, and was intended to be a co-equal with the Grand Duke of Kalistan, but this federal system was quickly abandoned in favor of subordinating the Grand Duchy of Kalistan to Ananto, making the Grand Duchy of Ananto hereditary and the Grand Duchy of Kalistan nominative, and attaching the title of Emperor to the Grand Duchy of Ananto. Formally Guerra and all subsequent monarchs are Grand Dukes or Grand Duchesses of Ananto, and Emperor or Empress is technically a Courtesy Title that appends to the Grand Duchy. The Grand Duchy of Kalistan is by far the larger of the two Demesnes, but the Grand Duchy of Ananto always holds priority under the imperial system. All of this was worked out during Emperor Fredrick's reign. Many of the aspects of Imperial House Law were not in place during Emperor Fredrick's reign, and ceremonies like the Enthronement, Audiences, or Pronoun usage had not yet been instituted.

Empress Elizabeth I Ananto, ANANTO-GADURI IV.2
Empress Elizabeth I Ananto was born Elizabeth "Libby" Hansen, of Lolla, Kaliburg-Port Davon, Ananto in 5125. Before marrying, she was a musician in the band Speedfreak. She was also educated in technical theater. Upon her marriage, Emperor Fredrick I Ananto named her a Co-Monarch, establishing from the very beginning of the realm the ability to both permit co-rulers and female Monarchs. Over time, Kalistan has five sets of co-rulers, meaning that 62.5% (10 of 16) of Kalistan's Emperors and Empresses have been co-rulers. Her Marriage also established the long standing tradition of Kalistani Monarchs marrying both Kalistani Nationals and Commoners. All but two Royal Marriages were to Commoners and all but three Royal Marriages were to Kalistani Nationals. The pair were married in 5159 and produced three children: the future Emperor David I Ananto, Duchess Margaret Ananto-Hansen of Suldanor, and Count Paul Ananto-Hansen of Dulnerstaad.

The pair ruled together over a very long but very uneventful period of Kalistan's history, mainly consisting of administrative reforms that saw the establishment of the County system for each of the Duchies in the nation. When Emperor Fredrick I Ananto died in 5198, Empress Elizabeth I Ananto ruled alone for the next 11 years. Empress Elizabeth I Ananto laid the foundation for the future House of Peers when she called for an "Advisory Committee" to help her come up with new ideas for reforms. Her popular Reign was seen as perhaps the most reform minded the Institutional Party would ever be again, as it shifted to the Conservative Right following her death.

The title of Grand Duke of Ananto was passed to David Ananto-Hansen in 5204, but losses in the 5204 elections delayed his accession to the throne for 7 years. Upon retirement, she took the title of "Princess Elizabeth," foreshadowing the formation of the title Princess of the Empire for emeritus Monarchs and regents.

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IV.3 and IV.4
ANANTO-GADURI 3 and ANANTO-GADURI 4
Emperor David I Ananto and Empress Katherine I Ananto


Emperor David I Ananto (5209-5247) and Empress Katherine I Ananto (5209-5247)

Emperor David I Ananto, ANANTO-GADURI IV.3
Emperor Fredrick I Ananto, born Fredrick Ananto-Hansen, of Eveari Ananto, was both in 5157. He served as Crown Princess for a very long time before he ran for office as an elected Deputy representing Eveari in the National Assembly in 5194 at the age of 37 years old. He served as a Deputy for 15 years before assuming the monarchy in 5209. His reign was known for Institutional Party weakness, and not much else. He and his wife, Empress Katherine, who was 15 years his junior, had two Children, the Crown Prince David II Ananto-Walters, born in 5204, who refused the throne in favor of his own son, and Lady Brittany Ananto-Walters, the future Duchess of Vrassa.

Empress Katherine I Ananto, ANANTO-GADURI IV.4
Born Katherine Walters, of Kaliburg-Port Davon, Ananto in 5169, Empress Katherine I Ananto served, much like her husband as a placeholder. The Emperors did not have much more than a ceremonial role in the Government at this time, and the last vestiges of constitutionalism and democracy had yet to be swept away. So the Emperor and Empress mostly performed ceremonial functions, and were considered members of the idle rich.

The Reign of Emperor David I Ananto and Empress Katherine I Ananto was primarily known for two main things: The Institution of the Order of the Gray Smoke, which initially possessed a far more open membership, and the refusal of David Ananto-Walters to serve as Emperor. The later is more important in the history of the Empire, as it created some pressure for Kalistani Monarchs to leave office earlier, to give younger successors the opportunity to enter office. David I Ananto was already in his fifties when he entered office, and left office when he was 90 years old. He is, to date, the oldest person to sit in the office of Emperor. His son, who would have been David II Ananto, had already established his life and profession and was already in his own 40s by the time David I was ready to retire. Rather than delay his own retirement in a decade in a half, David Ananto-Walters opted to refuse the succession in favor of his own son. This act of refusal did not create a scandal: in fact, Emperor David I Ananto's grandson, the future Emperor William I Ananto, was already a well known actor, and became a very popular Emperor upon taking office. It was hoped that he would revitalize the monarchy.