Alben III of Valkanren

Alben III of Valkanren (257 AU—303 AU) was the fifteenth High King of Valkanren and the first of the House of Segethard. He achieved power in the Great Election of 293, where he put his claim against Elaine Dornay's claim and asked for the lords of Valkanren to cast their vote. He won by 73 votes over Elaine's 63, and was promptly crowned King of Valkanren by Supreme Pontiff Elerius VII.

He was married to Bertha Huss and fathered three children: Irrwen, Robert, and Eleanor.

History
Alben originated from a family of minor nobility; the House of Segethard had served a grand purpose in the Age of Kings as Lords of the Cyngmarch and Lords of Segethard Hold, however the use of their title had become mainly nominal by the end of Dedric III's reign, who united Valkanren after two-hundred years of internal incivility and iniquity. Alben possessed a claim on Valkanren through his mother, Clarisse Dornay, who was the sole daughter of Dedric II of Valkanren.

Having only secured a marginal victory in the Great Election of 293 AU, Alben quickly made efforts to consolidate his rule by appeasing various lords with patronage. For example, making Luthor Huss the new Lord Chancellor of Valkanren and Alexander Carthidian the Lord Treasurer.

Overall, Alben's rule was highlighted by minor factionalism at court and prosperous peace. He went down in history as a mediocre king who didn't change much about Valkanren. His legitimacy was not particularly questioned much either, as unlike his predecessor, Conrad, he possessed the support of the majority of Valkanren's lords.