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Havelock Vetinari
Although Havelock was born into the powerful Vetinari family (this was approximately in the early 1500's. The dates were not well recorded), he was raised by his aunt, Lady Roberta Meserole. As a youth he was enrolled into the Assassin's Guild, the premier school for the rich. There Havelock excelled, eventually coming away with a total of nine degrees. Whilst at the guild, on one infamous 25th of May, he was implicated in the assassination of Lord Winder, the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork. However, although this occurred during a crowded party, his attendance was not witnessed.
Later he fought alongside the night constabulary against the remnants of the Cable Street Particulars, Lord Winder's secret police. His acquaintance with the night constabulary and the events of the 25th May were to shape his views on how a city should be run. |
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Havelock succeeded Lord Snapcase as Patrician of the city. One of the first things he implemented as the new Patrician was to legalise and organise crime. Citizens were then able to walk the streets safely, knowing that if they had not paid the fee to the Thieves' Guild, they would be robbed or mugged only to a specified level, and were given receipts to prove this. Unlicensed thieves were dealt with severely by the Guild, in a system that quickly became self regulating.
Havelock has maintained his rule on the city, despite numerous assassination attempts, by being a master manipulator. While he realised that what the common man most wants is for things to be the same, dealing with the powerful factions within the city was another matter. He managed to ensure that, while all the factions within the city did not like him, they did not like each other more so, and thus a city without him was worse than a city with him.
Although Havelock was not well liked, his methods of civil administration were certainly successful. It is not surprising that a number of streets and towns have been named after him.
For more, see the Wikipedia article.
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