Frederick Northam (Joan of What?)

Sir Frederick Northam, 1st Baron Northam (22 February 1739 [O.S. 11 February 1739] – 14 December 1806) was the first and only Chancellor of Cygnia (1792 – 1805), and was prior to that the last colonial Governor of Swanstone. He became a major military leader of the young Cygnia during the Cygnian War of Independence, and also was one of the principal authors of the Imperial Constitution. He is considered to be, alongside Emperor Alexander I and several others, one of the Founding Fathers of Cygnia.

Northam was widely admired for his strong leadership qualities and was unanimously elected chancellor by the Senate in the first three national elections. He oversaw the creation of a strong, well-financed national government that won acceptance among Cygnians of all types. Northam's incumbency established many precedents still in use today, such as the cabinet system, the inaugural address, and the title Mr. Chancellor.

He was born into the provincial gentry of Colonial Swanstone to a family of wealthy planters who owned tobacco plantations and slaves, which he inherited. In his youth, he became a senior officer in the British Army, and fought for the United Kingdom during the Dutchmen's Insurgency. Lieutenant-General Northam was appointed as Governor of Swanstone by the King in 1775. In 1789, King Alexander I of the United Kingdom fled to Cygnia in the wake of the French Revolution, and created a British government-in-exile in the form of the Kingdom of Cygnia, appointing Northam as his first Chancellor and the presiding officer of the newly formed Federation Congress, as well as the Chief Commander of the Cygnian Army in the War of Independence. In the latter command, he forced the French out of Christstone in 1791, but was defeated and nearly captured later that year when he lost Kimberley.

After crossing the Fitzroy River in the middle of the monsoon, he defeated the French in two battles, retook the Kimberley capital of Broome, and restored momentum to the Imperial cause. Historians laud Northam for the selection and supervision of his generals; preservation and command of the army; coordination with the federal government in Swanstone, the state governments and their military divisions; and attention to supplies, logistics and training. In battle, however, Northam was repeatedly outmanoeuvred by French generals with larger armies.

After victory had been finalised in 1799, Chancellor Northam resigned as Chief of Staff rather than seize power, proving his opposition to dictatorship and his commitment to democracy. Northam presided over the Constitutional Convention in 1800, which confirmed the new form of Imperial government for Cygnia. Following his final re-election as chancellor in 1800, he worked to unify rival factions in the fledgling nation. He supported programs to satisfy all debts, federal and state, implemented an effective tax system, and created the Imperial Central Bank of Cygnia. Northam remained non-partisan, never joining the Federalist Party, although he largely supported its policies. Northam retired from the chancellorship in 1805, returning to his home and plantation in the Swanstone countryside. Northam was knighted the day after he stepped down from power, and was granted the title of Baron Northam. He was also appointed to the Senate as one of the twelve Lord Senators for Swanstone.

While Northam was in power, his use of national authority pursued many ends, especially the preservation of liberty, reduction of regional tensions, and promotion of a spirit of Cygnian nationalism. He was revered in life and in death; scholarly and public polling consistently ranks him among the top five chancellors in Cygnian history. He has been depicted and remembered in monuments, currency, and other dedications to the present day.