46th Earth King

"earth"

- How dare you defy your King! Guards, arrest Avatar Kyoshi!

The 46th Earth King was the King of Ba Sing Se and ruler of the Earth Kingdom during the time of Avatar Kyoshi. His rule was unpopular with his people, and during his tenure there were several revolts against his leadership, including the War of Chin the Conqueror and the Peasant Uprising in Ba Sing Se.

History
The 46th Earth King ruled about 350 years prior to Fire Lord Sozin's war. Strong-willed and imperious, he has little support from his people, and his reign was marked by many challenges to his rule which severely tested the Earth Kingdom's government. The most serious of these was a rebellion led by Chin the Conqueror, a warlord from the country's far northwest. Chin easily conquered much of the kingdom, excluding Ba Sing Se, and it was only his death at the hands of Avatar Kyoshi that halted his moves to consolidate the empire under himself.

The government's inability to deal with Chin's rebellion did, however, have repercussions. Its massive losses had led the citizenry to realize many of the government's failings, and popular sentiment grew that the monarchy was outdated and did not support the people's interests. In Ba Sing Se, this sentiment led to a peasant uprising which intended to topple the Earth King in favor of a "new government". Thousands of peasants stormed the Upper Ring, destroying anything that represented the "old government" and surrounded the Earth King's Palace, demanding his overthrow.

Realizing he was unable to handle the revolt, the Earth King summoned Kyoshi to his court and ordered her keep the populace in line. Kyoshi refused and told the Earth King he had to listen to his people. In anger, the king ordered her arrest, but she easily defeated his guards. The King eventually agreed to hear the peasant's complaints, but in return demanded that Kyoshi train an elite group of Earthbenders to protect the monarchy's interests. This group later became the Dai Li.