| Mainardo of Jelgava | |
| Fictional Character | |
| Darkness Fantasy< | |
| Appearance(s): | Into the Darkness through Out of the Darkness |
| Type of Appearance: | Direct |
| Nationality: | Algarve |
| Occupation: | Monarch of Jelgava, Monarch of East Algarve |
| Parents: | King Dudone |
| Relatives: | Mezentio (brother), Raniero (cousin) |
Mainardo was the younger brother of King Mezentio of Algarve. When Algarve overran Jelgava during the Derlavaian War, Mezentio declared that Mainardo was the new king of that country, supplanting the exiled King Donalitu. As Donalitu was a harsh, unpopular king, Mezentio thought the Jelgavans would be glad to see him gone. And so they might have been, had Mezentio chosen one of their own kind to be their new king. Instead, the people rebelled against Mainardo's puppet rule and developed an ironic nostalgia for Donalitu. Mainardo's currency, which depicted his beaky profile, was less full of silver than was proper for legitimate coinage, further alienating the people.
Mainardo was forced out of Jelgava when the Kuusamo-Lagoas alliance launched the Habakkuk invasion. Mainardo formally abdicated the Jelgavan crown, so that he could be reinstated in the royal line of succession in his native land. Back in Jelgava, Donalitu determined to erase all legacy of Mainardo's rule, proclaiming that all Mainardo coins would have to be exchanged at banks for Donalitu coins, under pain of imprisonment.
When Mezentio perished in the Battle of Trapani, the Kuusamans and Lagoans allowed Mainardo to become the ruler of the eastern part of Algarve under their occupation. He signed the Algarvian instrument of surrender at Scansano, his new capital, and ruled under the strict supervision of the occupiers.
Literary comment[]
Mainardo's fractious reign over Jelgava, at the behest of his brother Mezentio, appears to be based on Joseph Bonaparte (1768-1844) and his fractious reign as King of Spain (1808-1813) at the behest of his brother Napoleon I of France. Mainardo's subsequent accession to his brother's throne does not fit into that analogy, nor does it fit the Darkness series' overall World War II metaphor.
| Regnal titles (Darkness) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Donalitu |
King of Jelgava | Succeeded by Donalitu restored |
| Preceded by Mezentio (as King of Algarve) |
King of East Algarve | Succeeded by Incumbent at series' end |
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