Leopold Lap was the first Phezzani Landesherr. A merchant who had been born on Earth, Laap lobbied the Imperial government for Indepence with uncompromising zeal. Ultimately, he was able to establish Phezzan as a semi-autonomous region: the Landesherr was still a subject of the Kaiser and Phezzan still a Dominion of the Empire, but the Phezzani had completely sovereignity in all domestic areas.
As Landesherr, Laap was able to cement the balance of power between the Galactic Empire and Free Planets Alliance perfectly, and then profit from the perpetual war by monopolizing all trade between the two nations.