Frederick Augustus Rafale, The Duke of Ferraio

Frederick Augustus Rafale was a general in the First Republican Revolution and the early stages of the Wars of May, as well as the father of Ferdinand Rafale. A skilled military leader, his greatest achieevement would be the reorganizations and training of Ferraio's own famed "Black Coats," reforms that would be influence later armies such as "The New Model Imperial Army" of his son, Ferdinand. A staunch believer in progression by politics rather than violence, his moderate views would nonetheless see him fighting on behalf of the legitimate "Patrician" Republic. His death at the battle of Trantridge would prove a blow to the moderate patricians whilst concurrently hardening the views of his son, who would later be the greatest menace to the Second Republic.

Early Life and Education
Frederick Augustus Rafale was born on the ancestral Rafale estate, the son of Duke Ivan Theodosius Rafale and Carmen Renata de Cervera, not far from Ferraio's administrative capital of Cremona. The oldest of seven children (two brothers and four sisters, all of whom would live to adulthood), Frederick Augustus would be well known at the Court Charles III as one of the King's favorites. Intelligent, forthcoming, and well versed in poetry and music, he would attend the Royal Academy of Military Sciences in Altia. While Frederick Augustus would protest this career path (resulting in an attempt to flee the Kingdom,) he would do exceptionally in his studies, graduating with a post in the Royal Horse Guards.

First Republican Revolution
In spite of his royalist connections and pedigree, Frederick Augustus would be among the nobles to join the republican insurgency of 307. As the House of Rafale had aligned itself with the Nobility's great revolution, Frederick Augustus would abandon his Royal Position and instead command a battalion in his family's famed "Ferraio Black Coats." Popular amongst his soldiers, he would eventually be among the Patrician forces that would seize the capital in 309.

While Frederick Augustus would stand out as a ideologically progressive for his time (Correspondence with his brother Ulrich indicate a favorization towards the universal suffrage that never happened upon the establishment of the Patrician Revolution) he would be horrified by the execution of Charles III and the disjointed federation of noble claims that would constitute the Patrician Republic. Still, Frederick Augustus would remain loyal to the First Republic, fighting both for the rights of the exiled royals and the still disenfranchised popular masses. Notable among these political maneuvers would be his advocacy of clemency towards the "Experimenters of 332," a patronage that no doubt saved many lives in the repression that followed. He would accordingly be a heroic figure to both conservatives and liberals alike prior to the outbreak of new hostilities in 351.

The Wars of May
In spite of his liberal tendencies, the outbreak of violence in May 351 would see Frederick Augustus staunchly on the side of the Restoration forces. Resolute in his convictions of petition by the political process, he viewed the Second Republican Revolution as both illegitimate and an insult to the first. It was such that in 352, he would mobilize the Ferraio Black Coats and elements from the surrounding regions to attack the populist insurrection in Ancona. While not a military leader of any particular genius, his attention to detail and conservatism would see the siege to a successful conclusion with minimal casualties.

Still, while his competent leadership would be crucial in the capture of the city, and the violent suppression of the revolt and mass executions that followed would have a greater impact on his legacy. It was a fact made more apparent with his ignominious service in the successive campaign to liberate the capital. Political maneuvering within the Patrician camp would see Frederick Augustus relegated to command of his Ferraio Black Coats and subordinate to other Patrician leaders.

Death
On 3 October, 352, Frederick Augustus Rafale, the Duke of Ferraio, would be killed in combat during the Battle of Trantridge. Overwhelmed and isolated from the main Patrician line, his body would be lost by the patrician forces and only repatriated to his native Ferraio after the war's conclusions. Still, his death in battle coupled with his lukewarm status among the Patrician families as a result of his moderate views would make him an easy scapegoat for the defeat at Trantridge. After his brother, Ulrich Scipius aligned the Rafale family and surrendered the Duchy of Ferraio with the Altian Republic, Frederick Augustus would be posthumously charged with treason.

The Duke's death would mark a blow for the conciliatory elements within the Patrician forces. In particular, his death would confer upon his son Ferdinand a merciless enmity for the Republican cause, in addition to a contemptuous skepticism for that of the Patrician Republic.