Queen-Mother (Ta'a Chume) was the title used by the female monarchs of the Hapes Consortium during the Age of Queen-Mothers who possessed all the monarchical powers that a Phoenix Age/Golden Age king would have without regard to gender. This is in contrast with a queen consort, who is merely the spouse of a reigning king, and on her own has no official powers of state.
History
The first two monarchs of the Hapes Consortium during the Foundation Era were simply called "Queen of Hapes Prime". It was not until Queen-Mother Nele'serin III came to power in year 56 that the title Queen-Mother (Ta'a Chume) was used. The title was her own creation, named after Ta'a Chume who had led the female revolt against the Lorell Raiders. She bestowed the title upon those who had ruled before her as well, ordering records to be changed. She was the first true Ta'a Chume, and it was under her that the government began to take real form
Succession
Accession of Queen-Mothers occurred as a Consortium's order of succession permitted. The standard succession from the Foundation Era was the primogeniture. If the firstborn was female, she would become Queen-Mother. If the firstborn was male, then whoever the son eventually married would become Queen-Mother. Many Queen-Mothers who had sons went around the primogeniture act and adopted daughters they deemed fit to eventually take their place. In the cases where the firstborn was male, a marriage was often arranged with a female from a noble house closely related to the Royal Family.
The practice of royalty adopting a heir was eventually abolished by Queen-Mother Dal'kuran XXVI in 2873 during the Second Antiquity Era in favour of natural succession. Queen-Mother Pal'durath II reinstated the possibility to adopt heirs in 3651 during the Decline Era and also removed the Royal absolute primogeniture act, making the choice of heir entirely up to the Queen-Mothers.
Naming Conventions
Analysis of a Queen-Mother's full name in the Hapan language:
- Inaq (first name)
- Thian (middle name, paying tribute to someone who came before her (in this case Thian Tini'duran))
- Ta'a Chume (title Queen-Mother)
- Pal'durath (family name)
- Hapesah (of Hapes)
Some Queen-Mothers would also use a numeral at the end of their Hapan name in the cases where several monarchs of the same dynasty had the same name.
