Fire Lord



The Fire Lord is the ruler of the Fire Nation. The Fire Lord holds absolute power over the Fire Nation, can be male or female and is usually the most powerful Firebender in the world. The current Fire Lord is Zuko. The Royal Palace is the residence of the Fire Lord, located in the Fire Nation Capital.

History


During the distant past, the Fire Nation was ruled as a theocracy lead by the Fire Sages. The Fire Lord position at this time was merely the head sage, but subsequent holders of the position desired it to hold greater power, and so split away from the sages, thus beginning the Fire Nation's Royal Family. It was after this event that when the position of Great Sage was established in the Fire Sages, to replace the Fire Lord's spot as its head. Despite animosity between the Fire Sages and the royal family, the power balance had reached a state of equilibrium by the time of Fire Lord Sozin, who eventually subjugated the Sages to the Fire Lord's rule.



More recently, Fire Lord Ozai established a position for himself known as Phoenix King, with his daughter Princess Azula next in line to become Fire Lord. With this title, Ozai declared himself the ruler of the entire world, and entrusted Azula to lead the Fire Nation. However, during the arrival of Sozin's Comet, Zuko and Katara arrived during Azula's coronation and after hearing Zuko declare he would be becoming Fire Lord, not her, Azula challenged him to an Agni Kai for the right to become Fire Lord. After an intense battle, Zuko and Katara defeated Azula, who had a complete mental breakdown after her defeat. After Ozai was defeated by Aang, Zuko was crowned the new Fire Lord, vowing to restore the Fire Nation's honor and to rebuild the war-torn world. Zuko is also the youngest known Fire Lord.

Position and Powers
The Fire Lord holds absolute power over the policies of the Fire Nation. His orders are to be carried out immediately and without question. Unlike the later Earth Kings, the Fire Lord continues to be a central player in the workings of government and is intimately involved in affairs of state. During the Great War, many Fire Lords took an active part in the military conquests of their nation, either by direct service or by involvement in strategy and planning. Fire Lords Sozin and Azulon were considered to be especially effective tacticians.

Succession
The title of Fire Lord is hereditary, traditionally passed from father to eldest son. In order to prevent wars of succession between rival siblings, many Fire Lords while living designated a son as Crown Prince, thus confirming their choice of successor. However, despite this clear designation, some designated heirs have not become Fire Lord due to intrigues within the royal house, as when Crown Prince Iroh was passed over by Fire Lord Azulon in favor of his younger brother, Ozai. It is also possible for a Fire Lord to be succeeded by a younger brother should he have no children or should his child not be fit to govern, though this has not happened in recent history. The throne could also be given to the Fire Lord's daughter, should he either not have a son, or not find him worthy.

Another key component of a Fire Lord's succession is their bending prowess. The Fire Lord is always a master Firebender, as the holder of the title may be challenged for the position in an Agni Kai - though this rarely happens, it was recently of critical importance when Fire Lord Zuko fought Princess Azula in an Agni Kai for the throne.

Family
The Royal Family has as its head the Fire Lord, his wife, and children. The wife of a Fire Lord is known as the Fire Lady, although the extent of their authority is unknown and most likely limited to that of a Queen Consort. This title is never used for female Fire Lords : Princess Azula refers to herself as 'Fire Lord' when she receives that authority from her father Ozai, even though she is a woman. It is unknown what the husband of a female Fire Lord is referred to, though it is likely Prince Consort. The children of the Fire Lord are referred to as 'prince' or 'princess', as is anyone married to the Fire Lord's children.



Known Fire Lords

 * Sozin's father - Unknown ~ 58 BSC
 * Sozin - 58 BSC ~ 20 ASC
 * Azulon - 20 ~ 95 ASC
 * Ozai - 95 ~ 100 ASC
 * Zuko - 100 ASC~ Current (Defeated would-be Fire Lord Azula for the crown in an Agni Kai before her coronation was completed)

Trivia

 * In official sources, both "Fire Lord" and "Firelord" are used, meaning either spelling is acceptable.
 * Apart from the Elders of the Air Nomads, the Fire Lord appears to be the only bender among the nation leaders. The Earth King and the Water Tribe Chiefs appear to be non-benders.
 * All the known Fire Lords, Sozin, Azulon, Ozai and Zuko, have the letters Z and O in their name. Azula, who was to be crowned Fire Lord, also has Z in her name, but lacks the O. Iroh (who could have been crowned Fire Lord), on the other hand, doesn't have a Z in his name, but has an O. If Iroh's son, Lu Ten, had he lived to be a Fire Lord, would be the first in three generations not to bear either letters in his name.
 * Azula was about to become 'Fire Lord Azula'. This means 'Fire Lord' is the title for the ruler itself, regardless to the sex of the Fire Lord. It is unknown if Azula's husband would have been called 'Fire Lady' if she would have become Fire Lord.