Tyrone Tyrone I

The first ruler of the Republic of Tyrone, Tyrone Tyrone I, was born in 1141h. Sixteen years later, Tyrone overthrew the Bandburg group and became the leader of a growing, powerful country. By 1210h., the year of his death at 69, the Republic of Tyrone had grown to be a world leader largely due to its control of the Entibrus and Tiberium rivers and the strait of Tiber, but perhaps more tellingly, due to the military might of the Republic. Tyrone's part in the growth of the country is unquestionable. His dictums and rulings have been almost the single force shaping the success of the country. He also left the legacy of a police force and unstoppable military might.

Early Life
Tyrone Tyrone I was born to Jer and Maggie Starph in 1141h in the port city of Gareth Fjord. His early life was remarkable. His father was a grocer in the market and his mother was a housekeeper for affluent households. Through a quirk in the legislation of the Bandburg government, the Starphs were unable to name their son Jer Jr. The regulation stated that all citizens must be identified with a unique moniker to aid in differentiation. Out of frustration, the Starphs attempted fifteen different names, to no avail. The sixteenth, Tyrone Tyrone, was untaken. They quickly registered their infant.

With both of his parents working, young Tyrone had time to roam the city. He was highly charismatic and drew a constant following of other street children. His followers liked to call themselves variously "The Legion of Tyrone," "Tyrone's Minions," the "Tyronians," "Fanatyronics," and simply "Followers." The young Tyrone called his friends by no particular associative title, but instead referred to each by name. Even when his network of street children grew to include several thousand members, Tyrone was said to recall each name, face, and personality. This meaningful connection to his cohorts served him well during the uprising. Tyrone was continually surprising to those who knew him. His societal position would generally lead to resentment and disgust at being pushed so far down the social ladder. However, the young man was continually cheerful. His sunny optimism buoyed up his peers, and one historian has commented on the vast swathes of smiling children walking down the street singing, handing out flowers, and picking up trash. In these ways, Tyrone spread his influence through the city.

Uprising
At the age of fifteen, Tyrone was brought to a corporate court for not paying taxes during his twelve-minute allotted segment on the thirteenth day of the seventh month (immediately after 12:33, but before 45). The prosecuting attorney brought a great deal of excellent evidence against Tyrone, to the sound of booing crowds of his young friends. After the particularly scathing "This child is a menace to society" from the prosecuting attorney, and the accompanying uproar, the judge managed to calm the court. He turned to Tyrone and asked the young man if he had anything to say for himself. Tyrone, baffled by the confusion, reputedly said "Sir, I've never had any money in my life. Just how am I supposed to pay taxes?" The judge had no answer. The children of the 41st Legion of Tyrone were in the courtroom that day, and turned unruly. They battered the walls of the courtroom until the building toppled. From there, runners spread to alert Tyrone's other friend networks, until many thousands of teenagers roared to action. During the course of the next week, Tyrone Tyrone worked tirelessly to insure that his friends would always have the best information about their fights, always be supplied, always have food and water, and always, invariably, come away with as few casualties as possible. Tyrone's mother said that he did this from the kindness of his heart. Historians are quick to point out that these are the sorts of things that generals do for their troops. Whichever is true, Tyrone and his followers soon overthrew the central seat of the vast Bandburg group and established control of the city of Typical and the surrounding country.

As with all violent revolutions, history has debated over the motivations of both sides. However, in the case of Tyrone, things become a bit more interesting. The widely held belief is that Tyrone was not expecting or intending to take over the current Republic of Tyrone. His desires hardly factored in. Instead, the real motivating factor for the rebellion was that the Tyronian street urchin network had not yet found a suitable sixteenth birthday gift for their leader, and they assumed that a country would fit.

Trivia
Tyrone Tyrone I was the only Tyrone Tyrone I in the world, until the collapse of the Bandburg group and the republication of the country. Since that time, a rough quarter of all children born in the Republic are named Tyrone Tyrone. The parents of these children have begun differentiating them by giving them secretive third names, known only to them. To reveal that the child was not, in fact, named Tyrone Tyrone, would besmirch the honor of the title. Therefore, only family know the secretive name of these Tyrones. However, some spouses still don't know their husband's names, and only can call them "my Tyrone" or "the Tyrone of my heart."