The Khanid Family is an ancient True Amarr royal house. Once one of the Five Heir families, the Khanid Heir rebelled following the election of Heideran VII as Emperor, founding the Khanid Kingdom. The current leader of the family, Khanid II, is the King of the Khanid Kingdom.
Traditionally, the Family ruled over the domains settled by the Khanid people. The Family takes its name from the bloodline, a move that has won them the continued loyalty of the Khanid people for thousands of years.
History
Early Years
The Khanid Family, then known by a different name, was originally a noble house on [[Amarr Island]] during the early years of the Reclaiming. The family was instrumental in bringing the Khanid people to the side of the Amarr. The head of the family acted as a diplomat to the scattered tribes, uniting them against their common foes the Udorians.
The assistance of the Khanid people was a major boon to the Empire, giving them the martial prowess to assault the Udorians relentlessly. For their aide in bringing the Khanid to the Empire's side, the Emperor made the Family the stewards of the Khanid lands and people. In a sense, the Khanid people forced the Empire's hand, as they remained warlike and difficult to control.
The family, seeing the power to be gained by making the Khanid people friends, renamed themselves in honor of the Khanid people. This proved to be a very savvy move, earning the loyalty of the Khanid people and tying the family with the bloodline.
Expansion
When the Empire began its conquest of space, the Khanid Family, with their Khanid troops, were on the forefront. The Khanid Family earned great renown and power, being granted numerous holdings by the Emperor. The Family rose up the echelons of the Empire's ranks, coming to be part of the Council of Apostles.
The Family used its influence to move many of its Khanid followers to their domains, drawing them away from the other noble houses. Though not all of the Khanid people followed the Family into its new domains, a large portion did, and those who came were granted titles and land by the Family to earn their loyalty.
When the Moral Reforms began, the Khanid Family sensed the winds of change blowing. They sided with the Emperor, lending the power of the Khanid people. In the end, the Emperor granted the Khanid Family a position on the new Privy Council, making them one of the five leading families of the Empire.
The Family had several emperors following the Moral Reforms, Damius III the most notable among them.
Rebellion
In early 22760 AD, Garkeh Khanid was made the Heir of the Khanid Family. A young and ambitious man, Garkeh was also the commander-in-chief of the Amarr Navy. When the Emperor died in 22762 AD, Garkeh was widely considered the favorite to take his place.
Stunningly, it was Heideran Kador who was made the Emperor instead. Garkeh was infuriated and refused to commit the ritual suicide Shathol'Syn. Instead, he confiscated one of the Empire's two Titans and took a large portion of the Navy loyal to him, and fled to his family's domains. From there, he sent the Theology Council an inverted Amarr symbol, taken to show his primacy over religious laws.
He then declared that he would not commit suicide or give himself up to the Empire, founding the Khanid Kingdom and taking the name Khanid II (posthumously naming his father Khanid I). Because the Empire was still settling following the ascension of Heideran VII, the Kingdom remained unmolested for the first few months of its life.
Not every member of his family supported his ambitions, however. Dakos Khanid, the younger brother of Khanid II, opposed the rebellion and rebelled himself. He sought the assistance of the Empire, which had by then calmed itself enough to launch a military assault on the Kingdom. The two sides struggled for a few months, but Khanid II proved himself capable of doing anything to preserve himself, having Dakos assassinated.
With Dakos dead, his followers quickly fell to pieces. With no more allies in the Kingdom, the Empire withdrew its forces, preferring instead to harass the Kingdom's border. In order to ensure that no further rebellions were made against him, Khanid II demanded that all women and children belonging to the family spend the majority of their time at the royal palaces, acting as hostages.
Modern Day
The Khanid Family is nominally the ruling family of the Khanid Kingdom, though the majority of their power remains tied directly to Khanid II. No royal heir has been named, though Khanid II remains in good health despite his advancing age. Some say that he has abandoned the concept of Sacred Flesh and has had himself cloned.
In YC 111, the Khanid Kingdom assisted the Empire in the capture of Dochuta Karsoth. For their assistance, and in an effort to find additional allies who would not oppose her on the grounds of having been cloned, Empress Jamyl I offered the Family a seat on her Privy Council. Khanid II accepted her offer, yet remained separate from the Empire.
There are some whispers that Khanid II is not content with simply being the King of his own realm and seeks to reestablish the Khanid Family as a full Heir House. Perhaps, they say, he even wishes to become Emperor outright, though he has made no action to support such rumors.
Family Seal
The Khanid Family has two seals it uses in official matters, both cast in the green-tinged silver that is the family's color. The first, and oldest symbol, is of an ornate eye positioned inside a triangle. This was the original seal of the Family and the one it used for thousands of years.
The second seal was adopted following Khanid II's rebellion. It is an inverted form of the symbol the Amarr Empire uses. Theologically, the half-circle represents God, while the half-circle with attached triangle represents mankind. The symbol has been read to represent the primacy of man's law over God's law, though Khanid II has never declared that as his intent.
In most matters, the Khanid Family uses the newer symbol. However, on Theology Council grounds and in the Privy Council, the Family uses its older symbol, as a concession against conservative elements in the Empire.