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The War of the Hundred Years
When Artur Hawkwing died he left no heirs to take over his vast empire. It was Hawkwing’s death which directly led to the War of the Hundred Years. Some nobles attempted to gain control of the entire empire, while other nobles simply tried to gain control over smaller holdings. Souran Maravaile was Hawkwing’s general who was in command of the siege of Tar Valon. Even after the death of the High King, Souran decided to continue the siege. For several months he continued Hawkwing’s plan, but was eventually convinced to stop by his lover Ishara. Ishara was the daughter of Hawkwing’s governor of Andor. Ishara began to rule Andor as Queen, with the support of Souran and his army. Ishara realized that with the White Tower’s support she would be more likely to continue her rule of Andor. She gained their support by promising that the eldest daughter of Andor’s ruler would go to the White Tower to study. As the War of the Hundred Years continued, many of the royal sons were killed in battle. This led to nine successive queens. After nine consecutive queens, the tradition of a queen ruling Andor was firmly established. Another important event of the War of the Hundred Years was the transformation of the Children of the Light. Initially, this order was an organization of preachers. Over the course of the war, however, they changed into a well organized and disciplined fighting force. The War of the Hundred Years led to the formation of twenty-four nations, which rose either during or soon after the war. Ten of these nations are no longer in existence. One such was Malkier, swallowed by the Blight. After the turmoil of this period, the next thousand years were a welcome period of peace and growth.
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