Editing Syldavia (section)

==History==
The region of Syldavia was inhabited by nomadic tribes of unknown origin until the 6th century, when it was overrun by [[Slavs]]. It was conquered in the 10th century by the [[Turkish people|Turks]], who occupied the plains forcing the Slavs into the mountains (in reality, the [[Balkans]] were conquered in the 14th century). The modern Syldavia was formed in 1127 when a tribal chief called Hveghi defeated the Turkish conquerors at the battle of Zileheroum and took the name Muskar, ruling until 1168. Although he was a successful ruler, his son Muskar II was an inferior king as ruler. [[Borduria]] conquered the country during the reign of Muskar II in 1195 until Ottokar I (his real name and title being Baron Almaszout) drove them away in 1275.

King Ottokar IV became King in 1360. He took away the power of many upstart nobles. When an enemy, Baron Staszrvitch, claimed the Throne and attacked him with his sword, Ottokar struck him to the ground with his [[sceptre]]. The King then said the motto and decreed that the ruler of Syldavia must have hold on the sceptre, otherwise he would lose his authority, as it had saved his life. This custom had the power of law as late as 1939.

In 1939 Syldavia was nearly invaded by its neighbor Borduria, part of a plot to oust [[List of The Adventures of Tintin characters#King Muskar XII|King Muskar XII]]. The sceptre was stolen in the hope that the king would abdicate. Tintin had a hand in defusing the situation by returning the sceptre just before St Vladmir's day. The Bordurians then announced they were withdrawing troops 15 miles from the borders. (The situation was very similar to that of [[Anschluss]] in [[Austria]] in 1938 though the conclusion was not the same.)

King Muskar XII is a keen motorist who drives himself with only an aide for escort and carries his own pistol for protection. He appears in elaborate [[hussar]] dress for court and public ceremonies and in a plainer uniform on other occasions. Muskar XII is an actual ruler rather than a [[constitutional monarch]] (see [[enlightened absolutism]]). He himself ordered his ministers and generals to make the moves necessary to prevent the coup and the invasion. King Muskar XII is married, but his queen's name is not known.

The king is notably absent from the other stories set in or involving Syldavia&nbsp;– ''[[The Calculus Affair]]'' and ''[[Explorers on the Moon]]''. Both were set after World War II, at a time when the various Balkan monarchies providing models for the fictional Syldavia had been overthrown and their rulers exiled. It is not clear what form of government is in power in the post-war Syldavia.