Solanal Dofin Korytas

Solanal Dofin Korytas was Sanelik of the Atlass Empire and Elik of Ataya from -1798 until his death in -1769 and Kalik of Okros from -1826 until -1769. He was the 50th in the True Line of Zanelek (the 59th in the Full Line of Zaneleks and the 8th Sanelik of the Atlass Empire) He gained the throne from his 12 year old cousin, Matesu Dofin Korytas II after his sudden death only 3 years into his reign. Because of the lack of direct heirs, the next-most paternal branch was in line for the throne, leading to the founding of the Solanal dynasty, for which he is the namesake.

Heritage
Solanal's father, Aymakuni Korytas was of the Korytas branch of the Dofin dynasty, the son of Izzar Kenin Korytas, the brother of Sanelik Matesu Dofin Izzar, and son of Sanelik Okelikan Korytas Dofin. Okelikan bequeathed the Kalikan of Okros and Solante to Izzar Kenin, who in trun gave one title each to his sons, Aymakuni and Sanrok.

Kalik of Okros
In -1826 Kalik Aymakuni died after a period of illness, and passed on the rule of Okros to Solanal, only 26 (about 19 Earth years) at the time. He had been educated in Ataya and knew his cousin the emperor personally. Okros was at the time a relatively quiet corner of the empire, and Solanal was able to manage the growth and trade of his cities well. Imperial records show exports nearly doubled from the shepherds and orchards which made up the majority of the industry there in the first decade of his rule. Few of the official annals from the period survive after the razing of Ros in -85, so Solanal's daily activities and many major projects are lost to speculation.

The Inheritance Crisis of -1798
In -1801, Sanelik Matesu Dofin Korytas died, and having lost all of his adult sons to a plague in -1810, only his youngest, Matesu, was alive to assume the throne. At only nine years old, he was the youngest Sanelik to date, and was under a joint regency led by his mother, the Sanradinik, and the Chief Priest. The situation was unprecedented, and some of the more disloyal nobles whispered of resuming the Republic, going so far as to lay out a plan for administration based on the current structure of Elikan, Kalikan, and Damikan. Before any of this could be enacted, however, the young Sanelik died suddenly, sending the royal family into chaos. The title Sanelik had yet to pass to another branch of the royal line and there were no official laws to direct the choice.

A council of the Royal Patriarchs, Sanomateke priests and Radinikan was held, in which the royal family tree was dictated and relatives lines were proven and checked. It became a debate over whether the line should pass to the next of Founder Matesu's sons' family (The Isimak Family), or to the closest paternal cousin of the deceased emperor. It appears that as a candidate, Solanal was more charming and astute, and quickly gained the favor of the Radinikan- something the family was keenly aware of as they made their decision. After two months of deliberation, Solanal was chosen to assume the throne as Sanelik, and take on the Dofin dynastic name, hence his official royal title Sanelik Solanal Dofin Korytas.

Impact on the Empire
Solanal's selection as Sanelik led to the codification of the Law of Paternal Succession, which would make sure that upon a lack of heirs a branch could pass the throne to a male cousin of the closest paternal branch without requiring a grand council to be called. He also recognized that his descendants were to be of a new dynasty by his name, to reflect the shift in family line.