Why did Solus (1st Garlean Emperor) have some of the royal family members killed?

[myahele]

I looked around and there doesn't (yet) seem to be much info.

All that I can gather is that Solus tasked Gaius to kill off members of the royal family: 9 aspirants to the crown, to be exact. Some of them might not have been members of the family, but someone with a strong claim.

The only thing I can think of is that they were planning on usurping (killing) him.

Would love more info on this subject for those who know more.

Also, it said that one of the reason why there was a War of Succession was due to Gaius no longer being around to potentially cut down would be aspirants. Despite being ignored by the Emperor, could Gaius have been the true heir to the throne ... or maybe was tasked as the Executor of his Will, assuming he held it?

[Anonymoose]

I think the aspirant part is more important than the heirs part. The longer a sitting monarch lives, the shorter their child's rule will be before it passes to a grandchild. Someone who aspires to a little too much might get a little too impatient with an emperor who rules until almost ninety years of age. Judging by the fact that Solus' heir apparent died under mysterious circumstances, leading the heir apparent's brother and son to destabilize the Empire itself to assume control... I wouldn't rule it unlikely that Solus was faced with little choice in the matter of who to take out... or that, if there was a choice, it wasn't a very difficult one.

Specifics, though... I don't think we have specifics.

Gaius was a guy you could count on to do what's best for business; his loyalties to the crown wouldn't waver so long the crown was acting in its own best interest. Baelsar would be the perfect person to task with rooting out plans against the Emperor (hells, he was the first person to notice Darnus was hiding things from him). He'd also be a great person to act as executioner. Having a loyal general spill royal blood really shows who (at least that legion of) the military is loyal to.

Could Giaus have been an heir?

If this was 1562, maybe. After Silvertear was chalked up as his failure and the Emperor wouldn't even heed his warnings about Darnus or advice against calling down a moon, I doubt he had much standing. And it doesn't look like he earned much of it back if he had to go rogue to try to take Eorzea. However, if he had succeeded, I think he would have had a shot. To a degree, I think that was part of the point (that and his honor). Solus might see him as more worthy than his squabbling family, and if he'd have died by then, waltzing into a war of succession like, "By the way, while you were busy with this, I took the last of the three great continents, as the Emperor wished" would be a hell of a mic drop.

[Frederick22]

That is a part I still not understand quite well.
Why Solus would want to kill his own family members? sons, even grandsons?
I dont know how royalty worked on the garleans, but woulnt his own family had the most loyaly and respect towars the emperor?
Doesnt need to be a king to know that soneer or later you need to put a succesor, man doesnt live forever.

[Dualblade]

Just because they were his family doesn't mean they would be the most loyal, or have the most respect for him. One only needs to look at FFXII with the Archadian Empire to see how that worked out.

For those who have not played XII: Vayne was ordered by his father to kill two of his brothers (who if I remember right were conspiring to kill their father and take the crown). Vayne did so, and then during the course of the game he kills his own father and takes up control of the Empire.

[myahele]

I do think that some members of the family did try to kill him or each other. Killing each other makes sense.

Perhaps the "uprising" that killed Lucia and Livia's parents was actually an attempted coup by one of the family members and their followers?

Still, why would he not have left a Will of some sort to prevent something like this. Assuming what I read was true, then it seems as if Gaius as implemental in deciding who would be the new rule of Garlemald despite his outcast status, since the Succession War would not have occurred had he still been alive. Which was why I though he at least held the Emperor's Will or something

[Enkidoh]

Simply put: power. It's a sad fact of history that monarchs usually desire power so much they will do anything to hold onto that power, even including putting their own family members to the sword in order to stave off any attempts at upsurping them. Even modern-day royal families like the British monarchy have a rather blood-soaked history with historically usurpers and pretenders to the throne all fighting each other for succession rights (or even outright abolishing whole houses and establishing new orders of power - usually republics or pseudo-empires/kingdoms). You only have to look back through classic literature to see that this is a very common narrative in fiction (hint: try Shakespeare and Richard the III).

Hence SE are simply drawing on this common trope for Garlemald and Solus's consolidation of power (and the resultant 'War of Succession' and Varis's bloody rise to the throne - it suits their "might begets right" nature to a tee.

[Theodric]

I think it's a lot more complicated than simply being a case of Varis having a lust for power and influence. Especially when he describes it as 'his solemn charge as Emperor to bring the Eikons to heel'. He's very similar to Vayne Solidor from FFXII - both in terms of wanting to destroy the 'Gods' and for having the blood of members of his family on his hands.

[HikariSavoir]

Still, why would he not have left a Will of some sort to prevent something like this.

Even a will won't stop someone who's conniving enough. Just because you say your oldest son gets the throne doesn't mean he can't die in an "accident" and leave me next in line.

Just look at the history of the English monarchy.

[Anonymoose]

I feel like it deserves a little more highlighting that Solus zos Galvus did name a successor - his son. The crown prince just happened to die before his father perished but after he was bedridden and failing. He might not have been able to name another successor.

Considering the man converted a republic directly into an empire using an iron fist and a brutal military, and considering that a number among the royal family had distinguished themselves assisting him in his rule, things played out pretty much the only way they could have in that situation.

That said, even if he had named another successor at the last moment, where might is right, a paper written by a dead man tends to hold a not unsurprising amount of authority over those who were just one step below him. To butcher a sentiment from A Song of Ice and Fire, when power is a shadow on the wall, sometimes words are wind and paper is just paper.

[myahele]

I was aware that his eldest son (Varis' Father?) was supposed to take his place as the next Emperor, but wasn't aware that Solus became bedridden soon after his son/heir died.

Though I was always thinking that despite being ill he did name an heir, but the Will was subsequently found and destroyed.