Blossoming on All Fronts
Tang Xiao had declared himself king, and the Duchy of Dawn had been reorganized into the Kingdom of Dawn. To the Galactic Empire, this explosive news meant there was no longer any room for reconciliation.
In fact, ten years earlier, when the Duchy of Dawn was founded, there had already been signs that relations were about to completely break down. But Tang Xiao had still left some room for maneuver then, calling himself only a grand duke instead of going any further. Compared with him, Count Dooku, who had attempted to reorganize the Confederacy of Independent Systems into a federation and proclaim himself head of state, had dealt a far heavier blow to the Galactic Republic.
That was why, when the Duchy of Dawn later made a separate peace with the Galactic Empire, the two sides had been able to reach an agreement—because there was one fundamental prerequisite: for them to make peace and for the Duchy of Dawn to submit to the Galactic Empire, the Duchy of Dawn had to remain within the bounds of something that could submit to the Empire.
Put plainly, the Galactic Empire could still pinch its nose and recognize the title of grand duke. But if he had gone further—if he had called himself King of Dawn back then—that would have been impossible. No matter what, the Galactic Empire could not accept the idea of conferring a king. That would have been a challenge to Palpatine's own imperial throne!
This kingship was different from the kings found on countless monarchic planets across the Milky Way Galaxy. This was a king whose title carried significance throughout the entire galaxy, not someone merely calling himself king on his own planet.
For example, on many monarchic planets, there were not merely kings but