| Randolph de la Marck | |
|---|---|
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| Portrait of Randolph | |
| Poet Laureate of the Ratian Union | |
| Reign | 1585 - 1638 |
| Predecessor | Title Created |
| Born | 23 July 1556 Löbnitz, Saxony, Holy Roman Empire |
| Died | 31 October 1638 Swiss Confederacy |
| Spouse | Ottoline de le Marck |
| Father | George de la Marck |
| Religion | Jungism |
Randolph de la Marck was a German poet and painter and member of the House of La Marck. He was the illegitimate son of George de la Marck, the Duke of Saxe-Lobnitz. He has been called one of the most well-known figures of the Jungist literary movement. His poems include, "Ode to the Dunnerweisserglied" and "O Herzog Mein Herzog", but his most famous work is "Der Heiligesame", an epic poem intended to be a celebration of the Ratian Union and the House of Jenagotha as well as Randolph's own House of La Marck, along with other prominent dynasties. He was appointed the Poet Laureate of the Ratian Union in 1585.
As a young boy, it seemed Randolph de la Marck was initially destined for priesthood; his father George felt that Randolph, who had a quick, lively and intelligent mind, would do well as a priest and could perhaps spend his life writing sermons. However, on Randolph's sixteenth birthday, Randolph left home. He chose not to pursue a career as a clergyman and instead worked briefly for Ichabod von Chronestein and then joined the court of the Apolistic President of the Ratian Union, Gabriel I. He went on to marry a wealthy heiress - a sister of Shadrach de la Marck V - whose fortune he lived on for many years. This provided him with an opportunity to write poems at his leisure.
Gabriel I, the Apolistic President of the Ratian Union, originally commissioned from Randolph an epic poem to commemorate the completion of New Jerusalem. However, unexpectedly the poem took several years to complete, and became "Der Heiligesame". The finished text is an allegorical work, with allusions to numerous political issues and events at the time and certain contemporary historical figures. Book I features a romanticized depiction of the Lenzburg-Premyslid War, the Reformation and the formation of the Ratian Union. Book II follows later events, including analogies representing the Gunpowder Plot and various wars. Book III, the last part of the poem, is somewhat less joyeous and celebratory, and instead warns of "gathering stormclouds", mirroring the general fear at the time of a religious conflict that threatened to engulf all of Europe - several years after the book was published, the Forty Years War did, indeed, break out.
The depictions of certain personages was controversial: the senile old man King Krachenach encountered by the protaganists was intended to represent Marcus Cranach, while the character "Crazy Man Michael" represented Peter Meise or the Meisid movement as a whole. An uncle and nephew who duel over the dead body of their grandfather briefly appear in the poem, meant to represent Henry IX, Holy Roman Emperor and Hugh the Heir. Randolph also popularized the idea that the House of Jenagotha descended from Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene and that they were a "holy seed". The tale included in the poem of the wealthy man who helps his destitute brother is seen as a gesture of support for the Bankerts - although their champion, Randolph's former employer, Ichabod von Chronestein was depicted less positively, as a shady con man. Randolph's own house, the ruling dynasty of the Duchy of Saxony, makes an appearance: Edmund Alwin is depicted as Edwin the falconer, a humble man who gradually becomes renowned for his many virtues. Randolph's own ancestor, Engelbert II, Duke of Saxony, is portrayed sympathetically as naiive and misled. Competitors in the King of Switzerland Contest were also satirized.
Throughout his life Randolph idolized the Thin White Duke of Thuringia, who he wrote several poems about: "O Herzog Mein Herzog" was a comment on the Duke's death that occurred before Randolph was born. "The Once and Future Duke" foretold of the Duke's return, while "O Superman" was also an ode to him. In later life, Randolph went insane and came to believe he was the Thin White Duke - a common affliction. He was committed to an asylum and died there at the age of 82 years old.
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