Difference between revisions of "Georg III"

Latest revision as of 15:38, 17 May 2020

George III (1932-1969) was the ninth King of Brasland. He was the son of King Frederick V and Princess Maria Anna of Brasland.

Early life

His birth in 1932, after the King and Queen had six daughters, was received with much excitement in Brasland. He was immediately proclaimed Crown Prince, and received education at the Royal Palace and later at the Military Academy of Löwenberg.

George was very close to his mother and she was a great influence in his religiosity. However, his relations with his father were more distant, as George resented Frederick V's infidelities, which caused much suffering to Queen Maria Anna.

Reign

In 1960, his father abdicated the throne and George was crowned as the new king. He improved relations with Brasland's neighbors and increased the country's international role. His alliance and close friendship with the President of Solisbury, William J. Statham, was key to obtain King George's goals in the international field.

George III was the first King in decades to call for new legislative elections, although he still kept considerable power for himself. His ties to the Catholic Church were very close, and some criticized his friendship with Cardinal Julius Galbiotti, considering that the latter had a lot of influence in the government's decision-making process.

The King's popularity was extremely high due to his personal charisma and the tragedies he had faced in life (the death of his beloved mother and of his first wife). Despite this, he was disliked by some political groups, especially by the Socialists and by a portion of the Liberal Party.

In 1969, during a confusing incident, a terrorist group linked to the Communist Party assaulted the Royal Palace and took the royal family as hostages. The police and the Army surrounded the palace, and there was a short but violent clash between the two groups. During the confrontation, George was severely wounded.

The terrorists surrendered after a day, and the King was immediately taken to a hospital, but it was too late. He died one day later from the hemorrhages, and was deeply mourned in the country.

He was succeeded as king by his son, Paul II.

Personal life

From 1955 to 1959, George had a long affaire with Marguerite de Soyes, the daughter of Richard de Soyes, a distinguished diplomat and ambassador to Solisbury, who was some sort of political mentor to the then Crown Prince. Their escapades to the countryside raised many eyebrows in Markund, especially due to the fact that George was a very devout Catholic. Marguerite wanted to be Queen (although the laws forbade someone of her social rank to marry the Crown Prince), but George knew it was impossible. However, he kept her as his mistress as he thought it was very difficult to live a celibate life.

By 1959, the King was worried that his son was still unmarried, so he arranged a visit from Princess Constantina of Magnus Valerius, who was escorted by her brother, Crown Prince Ivan. George knew it was time to fulfill his duty, and he liked the princess. He broke his relationship with Miss de Soyes and shortly after announced his engagement to Constantina. The couple married that same year and had a daughter, Maria Olimpia (born 1960). Sadly, Constantina died in childbirth in 1962, leaving George (now king) devastated.

In 1963 George invited the Queen of Zero-One to Markund to meet his daughter. The meeting was unsuccessful, and George then travelled to his late wife's homeland. There, he met and quickly got engaged to Constantina's sister, Charlotte. They married in Magnus Valerius and had three children: Paul II (born 1964), Maria Amelia (born 1965) and Ivan (born 1967).