Avatar:Heir to the Fire Lord
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Heir to the Fire Lord, also known as the Crown Prince, Crown Princess, Fire Prince, or Fire Princess,[1] is the title normally given to the eldest eligible son or daughter of the Fire Lord and is used to refer to the person who is next in line to the Fire Nation throne.
History
In the Fire Nation, primogeniture, the right of a firstborn to inherit a position, usually determined the appointment of the Crown Prince or Princess. However, the eldest was not necessarily the heir apparent; the title may be conferred and removed according to the reigning Fire Lord's wishes. One way for a royal to reclaim their lost birthright is to challenge the current heir to single combat or Agni Kai.[2][3] Historically, it was not uncommon for siblings to openly fight for the throne, in some cases resulting in outright civil wars.[3][4]
In the late 4th century BG, the succession was initially unclear. Fire Lord Chaeryu's first son, Chaejin, was from his royal mistress Lady Huazo of the Saowon clan, while his second son, Zoryu, was from his wife, Lady Sulan of the Keohso clan. During their childhood, the two half-brothers were playmates. Later, however, the Fire Lord sent his illegitimate son away to the Fire Sages to put him out of the line of succession.[4][5] This eventually resulted in a violent succession dispute known as "Camellia-Peony War".[6]
In the 1st century BG, Fire Lord Taiso had two children, namely Sozin and Zeisan.[7][8] As he was the firstborn and a firebender, Sozin was favored by Taiso and designated as the Crown Prince.[8][9] Conversely, Taiso contemplated naming Zeisan as his heir as he considered her more intelligent and politically skilled than her older brother, but disregarded this option when Zeisan turned out to be a nonbender.[9] Regardless, the early competition between the siblings poisoned their relationship for good, ultimately turning them into rivals.[8] Until his sixteenth birthday, Sozin mostly spent his days as Crown Prince with his best friends, Yasu and Roku.[7][10][11] After Yasu's death and Roku's departure,[7][11] however, Sozin began to covertly increase his power through various research projects and schemes. After the Lambak Island conflict, Sozin created a network and turned a remote island into a private fiefdom to become independent from his father's favors.[12]
Sozin married and had a son, Azulon, who became the Crown Prince as a result and served his father as an illustrious High General during the Hundred Year War. Azulon ascended the throne upon Sozin's eventual death at the age of 102.[13]
Azulon eventually married a woman named Ilah and had two sons, Iroh and Ozai. Iroh became the Crown Prince as the immediate heir to the throne. Both men eventually married, with Iroh having his only son Lu Ten, and Ozai having his first child Zuko. Since his father was expected to succeed Azulon as Fire Lord, Lu Ten was the second legitimate heir to the throne. Crown Prince Iroh, like his father, became a prominent High General of the Fire Nation Army and claimed many victories for his nation, including the near conquest of the Earth Kingdom capital of Ba Sing Se. However, this invasion ended in failure when Prince Lu Ten was killed in battle, breaking Iroh's will to fight.[14]
Fire Lord Azulon was subsequently murdered by his son Ozai who then manipulated his father's testament.[15] As a result, Iroh was stripped his title in favor of Ozai, allowing the latter to usurp power.[14] Zuko became the immediate heir to the throne but was banished after speaking out of turn at a war meeting.[16] He was never Ozai's favorite to inherit the crown, but was promised the return of his birthright if he captured the Avatar.[17] In reality, Ozai never expected Zuko to be successful,[18] but used his potential return as means to keep the new heir, Azula, in line.[19][20]
From Zuko's exile, Azula became the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation, but she always remained insecure in her position due to Zuko's continued efforts to regain his honor. This drove Azula to constantly prove her worth to her father in an attempt to cement her position. The succession issue once again became unclear upon Zuko's return to the Fire Nation after the Coup of Ba Sing Se.[17] Ultimately, this situation remained short-lived, as Zuko was once again stripped of his birthright for betraying the Fire Nation during the Day of Black Sun.[21]
In the final battles of the Hundred Year War, Azula was to succeed Ozai as Fire Lord while he declared himself the new Phoenix King of the earth.[22] However, she was ultimately defeated by Zuko and his ally Katara during the arrival of Sozin's Comet in a vicious duel for the throne.[2] Zuko became Fire Lord after this, declaring the Hundred Year War over.[2] Conversely, Azula continued to see herself as the rightful heir during her brother's early reign.[23]
Years later, his daughter, Izumi, became the heir to the throne, and she was crowned Fire Lord upon Zuko's retirement at the age of eighty-four.[24]
Distinguishing features
The Fire Lord's heir, along with all other members of the Royal Family, has a number of distinctive trappings that distinguishes them. For many generations, the heir wore a headpiece on their top-knot that indicated their position. However, this headpiece was lost after Sozin gave it to Roku.[10] After this, Royal Family members wore small coronets in their top-knots in the shape of flames. These pieces come in either red or gold, apparently depending on the occasion.
Sozin, Zuko, and Azula adorned themselves formal robes and outfits while in certain areas of the palace. These robes are identical, although they appeared shorter in Sozin's generation. They are a deep, blood red, and are trimmed with gold along the sleeves and collars.
For matters involving the Fire Lord such as war meetings and audiences, Zuko and Azula wore formal armor, at least following their return home. This armor is black and deep red, with gold trimmings. Zuko and Azula both wore gold flame pieces on their top-knots while they wore this armor.
Before his return home, Zuko wore normal Fire Navy armor without a headpiece, and Azula wore an all-blood-red armor with a red headpiece, an heirloom which can secretly be used as a weapon.[25]
Life and duties
Due to the Fire Nation's warrior culture, potential rulers are expected to "prove their worth" before taking the throne. From young ages, heirs and potential heirs are trained extensively in combat and academics.[9][14][15] Potential heirs usually master firebending moves far from the standards of normal firebenders their age. They are educated extensively on the history of the Fire Nation, from subjects ranging from the lives of past Fire Lords to the strategies and techniques used by past Generals to defeat districts from other nations. Those who do well are more inclined to become Fire Lord in the future;[9][11][14] conversely, nonbenders were historically regarded as unacceptable heirs.[9]
The heirs to the Fire Nation throne also share the duty of commanding or overseeing their nation's forces overseas when deemed necessary: Crown Prince Sozin took de facto control of Lambak Island to turn it into a private fiefdom;[12] Crown Princes Azulon and Iroh were active generals;[14] Crown Princess Azula acted as military commander and assumed authority over the newly conquered city of Omashu from its governor due to his poor decision-making.[26]
Sometimes, heirs were also allowed to take an active role in political decisions: As prince, Iroh was involved in policy decisions,[27] while Azula and Zuko both advised their father on how to quell the rebellion raging across the conquered Earth Kingdom.[22] Conversely, Fire Lord Taiso initially attempted to keep Sozin's influence to a minimum.[9] Either way, involvement in politics and wartime exposes potential heirs to the political structure and functions of the Fire Nation, and thus gives them insight into their own future policies should they inherit the throne.
Known heirs
This list includes all known Heirs to the Fire Lord, and the period they held said position:
- Chaeryu – c. 4th century BG
- Zoryu – c. 4th century BG ~ c. 297 BG
- Sozin – 82 BG ~ 58 BG
- Azulon – 0 ~ 20 AG
- Iroh – Unknown ~ 95 AG
- Zuko – 95 ~ 97 AG; Spring 100 AG ~ Summer 100 AG
- Azula – 97 ~ Summer 100 AG
- Izumi – Unknown ~ 167 AG
Trivia
- Heir to the Fire Lord is written on Zuko's wanted poster as 火帝儲君
(Huǒ dì chújūn).[28]
References
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See also
de:Erbe des Feuerlords es:Heredero del Señor del Fuego fr:Héritier du Seigneur du Feu pl:Następca Władcy Ognia pt-br:Herdeiro do Senhor do Fogo vi:Người kế vị Hỏa quân