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Ionius IX

From Fire Emblem Wiki, your source on Fire Emblem information. By fans, for fans.
Ionius IX

Medium portrait ionius ix fe16.png
Artwork of Emperor Ionius IX from Three Houses.

Gender

Male

Race

Human

Family
  • Edelgard (ninth child)
  • Anselma (consort)
  • Multiple unnamed consorts
  • Five sons (all deceased)
  • Three daughters (all deceased)
  • Two children (both deceased)
Nationality

Adrestian

Title(s)

Adrestian Emperor

Voiced by

Appearance(s)

Emperor Ionius IX (pronounced /⁠aɪˈoʊniəs⁠/[key]; Japanese: イオニアス9世 Ionius IX) is a non-playable character appearing in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. He is the Emperor of the Adrestian Empire and the father of Edelgard.

Biography

Ionius IX is the head of House Hresvelg and the Emperor of the Adrestian Empire. Ionius studied in the Officers Academy during his youth. Due to political reasons, he married as soon he was crowned Emperor and began searching for multiple consorts in order to bear multiple heirs. In an Adrestian tale, it is said that one day, he visited the monastery and snuck up unnoticed to the Goddess Tower out of nostalgia, where he met Anselma from House Arundel, who had just enrolled into the academy. There, they fell in love and eventually, in Imperial Year 1162, had a child together named Edelgard.[2] Anselma then settled into becoming one of Ionius's many consorts for a time, up until she was involved in a political scandal that forced her into exile.[3] At some point during Edelgard's childhood, it's implied Ionius IX shared with her the secret accounts of Wilhelm I's, Adrestia's first emperor, of the War of Heroes, which had been passed through the imperial line through generations.[4]

In 1167, Ionius IX started a series of reforms in Adrestia that would centralize all the power to himself. House Hrym attempted to distance themselves from the Empire in response, while seeking help and support from House Ordelia from the Leicester Alliance, only for both parties to be suppressed by the Imperial Army. House Hrym had all their genetic line wiped out and an adoptee was put in charge of the house, with Duke Aegir being tasked with managing the territory.[5] In the meantime, House Ordelia had many of their personnel slain and replaced with Adrestians and a few members from "those who slither in the dark".[6]

In 1171, the Adrestian Prime Minister Duke Aegir alongside House Bergliez, House Varley, House Hevring, House Gerth and House Vestra attempted to seize power from Ionius IX, in an event that came to be known as the Insurrection of the Seven. Upon seeing this situation, Lord Arundel, Anselma's brother, escaped from the Empire and took Edelgard with him to the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus in order to ensure her safety while concealing her from the public.[7] Ionius IX eventually lost the power struggle and was rendered politically impotent, allowing the Prime Minister to become the de facto ruler of Adrestia. In 1174, Arundel returned with Edelgard to the Empire, and publicly allied himself with Duke Aegir so Ionius IX's scions could be captured and experimented upon in an attempt to infuse them with crests and create a peerless emperor they could manipulate, all while Ionius IX could do nothing to stop them.[8] This led to the deaths of all of them save for Edelgard.

During White Clouds, Edelgard visits the Imperial Palace in secret, reuniting briefly with her father before he officially crowns her the new Emperor of Adrestia. Should Byleth be leading the Black Eagles, Edelgard can invite them to the ceremony, during which Duke Aegir stumbles upon by chance, before he is promptly dismissed and incarcerated by Edelgard on the spot. Before Edelgard and Byleth leave, Ionius IX gives her daughter his blessings for her plans to reunify Fódlan.

Due to his feeble and ill composition, Ionius IX perishes at one point during the timeskip.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Role

Ionius IX is an NPC seen in Chapter 11 of the Black Eagles route, during an optional event required to be seen in order to access the Crimson Flower route.

Choose Your Legends placement history

Round Placement Character Votes
CYL 4
(2020)
629 Portrait emperor ionius ix fe16a cyl.png
Emperor Ionius IX
Three Houses (Academy arc)
94
CYL 5
(2021)
673
(+44)
Portrait emperor ionius ix fe16a cyl.png
Emperor Ionius IX
Three Houses (Academy arc)
52
(−42)
CYL 6
(2022)
610
(−65)
Portrait emperor ionius ix fe16a cyl.png
Emperor Ionius IX
Three Houses (Academy arc)
83
(+31)
CYL 7
(2023)
670
(+60)
Portrait emperor ionius ix fe16a cyl.png
Emperor Ionius IX
Three Houses (Academy arc)
43
(−40)
CYL 8
(2024)
674
(+4)
Portrait emperor ionius ix fe16a cyl.png
Emperor Ionius IX
Three Houses (Academy arc)
46
(+3)
Total results This character has 5 entries across all Choose Your Legends polls. 318

Trivia

  • Hacking the game reveals that Ionius IX's throne is part of his 3D model.[9]

Etymology and other languages

Names, etymology, and in other regions
Language Name Definition, etymology, and notes
English

Emperor Ionius IX

Used in menus; alternately referred to as "Ionius IX" or "Emperor Ionius" in some dialogue. Potentially derived from Ionia, an ancient Greek settlement on the west coast of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey).

Japanese

イオニアス9世

Ionius IX

Spanish

Emperador Ionius IX

Emperor Ionius IX

French

Empereur Ionius IX

Emperor Ionius IX

German

Kaiser Ionius IX.

Emperor Ionius IX

Italian

Imperatore Ionius IX

Emperor Ionius IX

Portuguese

Imperador Ionius IX

Used in the Choose Your Legends polls for Fire Emblem Heroes.

Korean

이오니아스 9세

Ionius IX

Simplified Chinese

伊欧尼亚斯9世

Ionius IX

Traditional Chinese

伊歐尼亞斯9世

Ionius IX

Gallery

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Credits
  2. Edelgard's Goddess Tower scene.
  3. "My stepmother was Edelgard's birth mother. Political turmoil drove my stepmother out of the Empire." — Dimitri in Azure Moon Chapter 19, Fire Emblem: Three Houses
  4. Edelgard in the event "The Truth About Relics".
  5. "The rebellion started when Emperor Ionius IX tried to consolidate power. The Hrym family tried to split off from the Empire and join the Alliance. Working with House Ordelia, they raised an insurrection. The Empire suppressed it. And then a puppet leader was installed in the Hrym territory. House Aegir was tasked with handling the actual governance of the region." — Ferdinand in the paralogue Retribution, Fire Emblem: Three Houses
  6. "As a result, some key officials within the family were killed, and people from the Empire were sent to replace them. Among those people were some mysterious mages. They were...unsettling, in a word. Skin pale as death." — Lysithea in her A-Support with Byleth, Fire Emblem: Three Houses
  7. "As she was seeking asylum from the Empire in the Kingdom, Lord Arundel was obligated to hide the Imperial princess's whereabouts. If her location had gone public, the Empire would have demanded her return. She would undoubtedly have become a political pawn in the Kingdom as well." — Dimitri in his A-support with Hapi, Fire Emblem: Three Houses
  8. "Edelgard: In order to create a peerless emperor to rule Fódlan, they violated our bodies by cutting open our very flesh. Now here I stand, the fruit of that endeavor: Edelgard von Hresvelg! But that came at too high a price... The others were sacrificed. [...]
    Byleth: Who is to blame?
    Edelgard: The prime minister and his gaggle of nobles. They had the Empire under their thumbs. My father, the emperor, tried to stop him, but...it was futile. My father was nothing but a puppet on a string by then. He was powerless to save us.
    " — Edelgard in her C+ - Support with Byleth, Fire Emblem: Three Houses
  9. @Ajw311, [1], Twitter, Published: March 8, 2020, Retrieved: April 2, 2020
Project Characters.png This article is part of Project Characters, a project focused on writing articles for every character present in the Fire Emblem series.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Playable characters Black Eagles BernadettaCasparDorotheaEdelgardFerdinandHubertLinhardtPetra
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Golden Deer ClaudeHildaIgnatzLeonieLorenzLysitheaMarianneRaphael
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Ashen WolvesDLC BalthusConstanceHapiYuri
Non-playable characters AbysskeeperDLCDuke AegirFlecheGatekeeperDuke GerthIonius IXJeraltJudithLadislavaNaderRandolphRheaRodrigueSothis
Bosses AcheronAelfricDLCAloisLord ArundelBiasBlaiddydCasparCatherineCharonChilonClaudeCorneliaDaphnelDedueDeath KnightDimitriDominicBaron DominicEdelgardFelixFerdinandFlame EmperorFlaynFraldariusGautierGloucesterGonerilGwendalHubertIngridThe Immaculate OneThe ImmovableJudithKostasKronyaLadislavaLamineLinhardtLonatoLorenzMercedesMetodeyMiklanMysonNaderNemesisBaron OchsDLCOdessePallardóPittacusRandolphRheaRieganRodrigueSetethShamirSolonSylvainThalesWandering BeastThe Wind Caller
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Chapters Part I
White Clouds
P: An Inevitable Encounter • 1: Three Houses • 2: Familiar Scenery • 3: Mutiny in the Mist • 4: The Goddess's Rite of Rebirth • 5: Tower of Black Winds • 6: Rumors of a Reaper • 7: Field of the Eagle and Lion • 8: The Flame in the Darkness • 9: The Cause of Sorrow • 10: Where the Goddess Dwells • 11: Throne of Knowledge • 12: To War Black Eagles, if Byleth sides against EdelgardBlue LionsGolden Deer / Outset of a Power Struggle Black Eagles, if Byleth sides with Edelgard
Part II Silver Snow
Silver Snow
13: Reunion at Dawn • 14: A King Without a Kingdom • 15: Valley of Torment • 16: The Rose-Colored River • 17: The Impregnable Fortress • 18: The Chaos of War • 19: Conclusion of the Crossing Roads • 20: The City Without Light • 21: Following a Dream
Azure Moon
Azure Moon
13: Reunion at Dawn • 14: The Delusional Prince • 15: Valley of Torment • 16: The Rose-Colored River • 17: Blood of the Eagle and Lion • 18: The King's Triumphant Return • 19: The Golden Deer's Plea • 20: The Impregnable Fortress • 21: Our Chosen Paths • 22: Oath of the Dagger
Verdant Wind
Verdant Wind
13: Reunion at Dawn • 14: The Alliance Leader's Ambitions • 15: Valley of Torment • 16: The Rose-Colored River • 17: Blood of the Eagle and Lion • 18: The Golden Scheme • 19: The Chaos of War • 20: Conclusion of the Crossing Roads • 21: The City Without Light • 22: Fódlan's New Dawn
Crimson Flower
Crimson Flower
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Part II Darkness Beneath the Earth Crimson FlowerDividing the World Silver SnowAzure MoonVerdant WindEternal Guardian Silver SnowAzure MoonVerdant WindThe Face Beneath Silver SnowAzure MoonVerdant WindForeign Land and SkyForgotten HeroInsurmountable Crimson FlowerLegend of the LakeRetribution Silver SnowAzure MoonVerdant WindThe Secret MerchantDLC Crimson FlowerThe Silver Maiden Azure MoonThe Sleeping Sand Legend Verdant WindWeathervanes of Fódlan Azure Moon
Cindered Shadows
Cindered Shadows
1: The Fourth House • 2: What Lies Beneath • 3: The Rite of Rising • 4: Danger in the Dark • 5: Betrayal • 6: Return to Me • 7: Wolf Pack
Locations FódlanAdrestiaFaerghusGarreg Mach Monastery (Abyss) • LeicesterAlmyraBrigidDagdaSrengZahras
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