William Lancaster

William Lancaster
Chancellor of Eiria
In office January 30th 2016 – January 29th, 2022
Preceded by	Mariah Ķruminš
Succeeded by	Leah Stendē
Member of the Eirian Senate
In office January 13th, 2014 – January 29th, 2016
Chancellor	Mariah Ķruminš
Preceded by	Recreated
Succeeded by	Anaye Adisa
Minister of the Union of Cašcanan States
In office February 26th, 2022 – February 14th, 2024
Chancellor	Leah Stendē
Preceded by	Position Created
Succeeded by	Renata Kalina
Personal details
Born	William Mathias Lancaster 8/8/1988 Duņceda, Eiria
Nationality	Eirian
Political party	Serso United Moderate Left (Formerly the Eclipse Liberal Party)
Spouse(s)	Jacob Tudeau
Mother	Eliza Hallewell Lancaster
Father	Dr. Andirs Lancaster
Relatives	Alice Lancaster(Twin Sister), James Lancaster(Older Brother)
Education	Political Science
Alma mater	New Riga Research University [B3-P, M3-P] (B.A., M.A.)
Military service
Allegiance	Second Republic
Service/branch	Lunar Guard [in exile]
Years of service	2010-2014
Rank	Squad Commander
Battles/wars	Battle of New Riga, Battle of Lake Haita, Battle of Geminus, etc.
Awards	Silver Star of Resistance, Guard Command Performance Commendation, Star of the Civilians

William Mathias Lancaster (Born 12/9/1987) is an Eirian politician who has formerly served as theChancellor of Eiria and the Minister of the Caxcanan Union.

Early life & Education

Born to a reputable Doctor father and a prominent Senator mother, his family was already subject to the public eye. He and his twin sister Alice Lancaster established themselves early on through their Senior School coursework, with William completing a Gold Class on political identities throughout Eirian history. In 2006, the same year that Neil Darrin overthrew the Rēvs Adminisration, Lancaster started attending New Riga Research University, one of the Universities initially unaffected by the regime change. By 2009, he had completed a B3-P (with Advanced Honors) in Political Science and a Diplōm in French Studies.

Military Career

Wanting no part in the corrupt government of the time, after graduation, Lancaster found himself a position as a translator in a French-speaking suburb of the capital. It was around that time that he started working with the North Geminus band of the Ēklips (Eclipse) Resistance group, a group of freedom fighters wishing for the restoration of the Republic. Membership of a group like Ēklips was strictly forbidden by the Kelin Sedition Law, as it was considered treason. Nevertheless, both him, his sister, and his older brother James had become members of the group by 2011. After his band of dissidents joined a larger network of resistance groups called the Banner, Lancaster and his siblings were scouted by a remnant of TheGuard of the Republic, a military intelligence and security force that originated before the formation of the Eirian Republic and had become incorporated into the Republic's armed forces. After a largely informal military training, the three Lancaster siblings started fighting in skirmishes and armed operations in 2012, starting with a skirmish the Tessari Gardens.

William fought in early battles and skirmishes before the recognized start of the Eirian Civil War, serving as an aide de camp and assistant strategist to higher-ranking Guard fighters, before being promoted to Squad Commander and given a command position. Along with his siblings, Lancaster fought in several battles in the Civil War, such as the Battle of New Riga, which earned him his Star of the Civilians award for risking his life to protect non-combatants . He was recognized and commended as a strong Resistance fighter and strategist after the war ended, as well as helping with the restructure of Eirian Government.

Political Career

Lancaster's reputation as a resistance fighter and strategist boosted him onto the political stage after the end of the Civil War in 2014. With a large number of major politicians having been killed during Darrin's regime, been collaborators, or left politics entirely, the pool of Senatorial candidates was limited, and so he was elected as the second Senator from Nōrdjura's 9th district (representing the Nōrdjura Social Democrats). During this time, he was also studying for his Meistrēta Degree in Public Policy from his undergraduate alma mater, a degree that he finished shortly before his election to the Chancellory.

He quickly rose to prominence as a passionate debater and standard-bearer of the Moderate Left. His resistance career and young age endeared him to the Eirian public, and a wave of Parvalaca Jēun (Young Government) fervor propelled him to the forefront of the election to replace Chancellor Mariah Kruminš, who had become unpopular after a series of attempted reforms proved slow and largely ineffective. Despite the hesitance of party leaders to nominate someone so young for the executive position, a huge wave of student protests on October 17th, 2015 helped win them over.

With a mix of support from the Young Government movement, disheartened voters looking for a change, and voters who approved of his running mate Leah Stendē, Lancaster won the election against conservative Senator Alexander Dukov. His policies of reconstruction and reform gained him popularity among both his coalition and even opposition politicians, however, his tendency to hesitate and over-negotiate bills frequently incensed the stalwarts in his party. Despite various criticism, policy analysts have generally agreed that the full reconstruction of the Eirian Republic to its pre-2006 status was accomplished largely due to the actions of Lancaster and his advisors.

Perhaps the most controversial part of Lancaster's policy plan was his foreign affairs policy, ranging from military interventions in Huenya and Auria to the formation of the Union of Caxcanan States. Under Lancaster, the Eirian military has seen the most casualties since The Great War (not counting casualties sustained from 2006-2014). While the formation of the UCS as a defensive pact was largely seen as a solid strategic move, the inclusion of Milintica in the alliance has continued to generate a large amount of controversy.

Personal Life

Lancaster Married his husband, Jacob Tudeau, in 2014, and the pair have worked on developing the charity Rainbow Bridge, a charity supporting LGBTQ+ recognition and mental health internationally. The pair have also donated and advocated for many other charities and programs around Eiria and beyond. For his administration's work to restore Eirian democratic institutions, Lancaster received the Haven Peace Prize in 2018, like his predecessor had in 2015.