Connor II of Connuriste

Connor II
Connor II, by Szilvia Fekete c. 2080
Emperor of Connuriste Sovereign Prince of Lichtenstein
Reign	1 May 2061 - Present
Coronation	1 May 2061
Predecessor	Alice I
Prince Consort of Geneva
Reign	14 May 2061 - present
Born	1st May 2043 (age 39)
Spouse	Charlotte, Empress of Connuriste (2061-)
Issue	Crown Princess Emily Princess Alexia Prince George Prince Frederick Princess Adela Prince William Princess Charlotte Prince Julian Prince Connor Princess Augusta Princess Elisabeth Prince Jonathan Prince Valentin Prince Andrae Princess Mary Princess Sofia Prince Gioele Prince Louis
Father	Connor I
Mother	Alice I
Religion	Catholicism

Styles of Emperor Connor II of Connuriste
Reference style	His Imperial Majesty
Spoken style	Your Highness
Alternative style	Sir

Emperor Connor II of Connuriste (born 1 May 2043) is the only child of the late Connor I of Connuriste, and his second wife, Alice I of Connuriste. He currently rules the Empire of Connuriste alongside his wife, Empress Charlotte I of Connuriste.

Early life

Connor was born on the 1st of May 2043 as Crown Prince Connor of Connuriste. His father was killed during the early pregnancy of his mother, and this made her child all the more special to her, making the decision to name him in honour of his father who he would never meet nor know. Alice I had experienced many difficulties with conceiving in the past and these issues made her pregnancy tough. Despite it all, he was born neither prematurely nor late as a healthy baby boy.

On February 27 2045, when Connor was not yet two years old, his mother was shot twice whilst exiting a vehicle in the capital city. Only immediate medical attention saved her life. This in combination with the depression she still suffered from the death of her husband made Alice very protective of her son from a young age as the nation entered civil war for several years.

Connor had an eventful school life. His mother made the choice to have him attend a local public school, with the reasoning that it would be good for a royal to be comfortable and natural around the average citizen. Even from a young age in school, he was recognised as gifted and worked hard to achieve success. He made several friends, notably girls who would later become Princesses of Scotland, particularly Adelaide of Scots and Catherine d'Montrose.

Later childhood

As Connor began to grow up and get older, he developed many interests, namely reading, listening to music, and playing sports. His mother also began to personally educate him in the ways of leadership and the conduct befitting of truly royal Princes.

In 2052, Empress Alice I of Connuriste was able to purchase the territory of Switzerland (and Liechtenstein) from the Kingdom of Derita. Connor was enrolled at Institut Le Rosey, the world's most expensive boarding school, on the shores of Lake Geneva itself, and he quickly came to have an obsession and love everything Swiss. He learnt French and was eager to learn about the European neighbours that the country had. His relationship with his mother, though, began to become slightly strained as she spent time in the company of lovers.

In 2056, at the age of thirteen, Connor accompanied his mother to a party at the Palais du Fontainebleau, kindly hosted by Christopher II of Derita. This was his first outing at such an international event. It was at this very time and place that he not only began his friendship with King Ferdinand II of Romania, but also Charlotte, Princess of England and sovereign Princess of Geneva. He was immediately immensely fond of Charlotte, a year his senior, who was regarded as perhaps the most beautiful Princess in all of the world. He often subsequently made the very short trip to visit her in Geneva and spend time with her at the Chateau in which she lived and very quickly fell in love.

Early adulthood

In 2059, Connor's mother was removed from the throne as she was deemed unfit to rule due to struggles and problems with her mental health. But, as Connor was 16 years of age and not 18, he could not officially take over the duties of the crown. The matter was further complicated because there was no suitable candidate for a regent. Therefore, the Imperial Council, the body of elected officials that form the government and legislature of the Connuriste Empire were all collectively made responsible for the running of the country.

But this did not stop Connor from trying to take on a leadership role. He is considered by many to have technically been Emperor of the country in all but name during this time period. Along with Empress Anna Charlotte of the Dutch, he formed the Amsterdam Entente, an alliance between the two nations aimed at mutual prosperity and a strong respected organisation. He made agreements with the Génoise concerning the usage of ports and he spent this time making plans that could be executed once he would finally be coronated.

He continued to frequently spend time with Charlotte of Geneva, which he enjoyed and continued to grow closer to her. Although not everything was perfect. He was angered and saddened by the so-called 'Massacre of the Princesses' in the Scottish civil war, where a friend of his was murdered. He worried for the welfare of Charlotte after an attempt on her life was made.

Reign

The 2060s

Connor was coronated as Emperor of Connuriste on 1 May 2061, his eighteenth birthday. He hosted an evening of celebration and parties at the Imperial Palace, inviting many important figures from the world over, including Charlotte. He took the opportunity to propose to her, and they were married in a quiet private ceremony less than a fortnight later. Everything appeared to be perfect as they shortly announced that she was expecting, but tragedy struck and she miscarried. Nevertheless they soon became mother and father to a beautiful baby girl, Crown Princess Emily. The couple have had eighteen children. Including the Crown Princess, they have Princess Alexia, Prince George, twins Prince Frederick and Princess Adela, Prince William, Princess Charlotte and younger twins Prince Connor and Princess Augusta. In addition to this, there have been the Princesses Elisabeth, Mary and Sofia, as well as the Princes Jonathan, Valentin, Andrae, Gioele and Louis. Prince Julian was the late twin of Princess Charlotte.

In the early months of his full and official reign, he personally authored the National Languages Act, which made the widely spoken French on equal standing with English as official languages of the Empire. This also meant that old Celtic, as spoken in Connuriste until the start of the 18th century, and High Alemannic Swiss German, traditionally spoken in Switzerland, became protected and preserved languages. He founded the country's first official space agency and repealed legislation which had outlawed the Communist Party and the National Conservative Party. Connor also met with the Pope to see what could be done to help free the captured Princess Adelaide from Espana.

Connor was a nominee for Person of the Year 2062, but narrowly lost out to Sénetra Thaane of the IU and faced close competition from Iravian President Donovan. 2062 also saw the signature of the Treaty of Manchester, which formally entered Great Hyruke into the Amsterdam Entente.

In 2063, alongside Chancelière Évelyne Valen, Connor announced that the famous Swiss policy of neutrality was over, and took the opportunity to condemn both Atmora and Irav for their unwarranted actions against the Dutch. As they continued to unjustly show aggression towards his AE allies, he revoked the Timerian licence to operate an air base on Swiss soil. In 2063 and 2064 he sent forces to assist the Dutch in their war against the Spanish, which was regarded as a victory, for the Dutch Empire remained sovereign and the Spanish surrendered.

In 2065, shortly after the birth of his seventh and eighth children by his wife, their youngest son, Prince Julian was kidnapped by Charles II of Espana, also known as the Mad King. The Mad King kidnapped the child in revenge for the so-called murder of his own son the previous year by the Swiss during the Spanish-Dutch War. Connor II was able to successfully make a deal with Charles over the course of four months for the release of the prince in March of 2066. Regardless, the Mad King did murder Prince Julian anyway in November 2067.

In 2066, Charlotte and Prince Julian were kidnapped in St Petersburg, Russlande. In their absence, the Emperor's behaviour became unusual. Connor II pumped funding into several outlets, namely the arts and sporting projects. No less than twelve individual orchestras had been created with direct funding from the Crown in a period of eighteen months. He conducted more imperial visits and undertaken more official imperial engagements in these two years than all his previous years combined together. This prompted speculation, perhaps justifiably so, that he was distracting himself from more pressing personal matters.

In 2067, Connor was among several delegates injured in a terrorist attack known as the Archeon Bombings. He was attending a peace summit in the capital city of the Kingsom of Andine when a bomb went off in the Diplomat Building, where the summit was going to be held. Three more bombs went off and he had to be taken to a waiting Atmoran Diadem-class heavy cruiser, the UASC Niobe. Connor had been attending the summit with his close friend and Chancellor-Prime Minister, Évelyne Valen, who was tragically killed in the bombing. 2067 also saw Connor provide asylum for Mary III of Scots in Sion, and the reunification of Connor and Charlotte, who had been separated for nineteen months. This was not without complications however, for during her imprisonment, Charlotte had been involved in a mistaken affair with Ferdinand II of Romania, more commonly known as Jean, and the two had a child, Prince Nukai, who Connor subsequently adopted.

In 2069, he and Charlotte attended a dinner at the Palais de Fontainebleau, where they had originally met all those years beforehand. They were hosted by the King-Emperor and the Tsarina. Connor II was not exactly best impressed by the invitation, but it did provide him the opportunity to meet Jean for the first time in years. In November, he removed the unpopular Erwin Müller from the office of Chancellor after a vote of no confidence, prompting the council to hold emergency temporary elections, in which Aurelia MacDonald rose to political prominence. The next day, November 8, whilst preparing a statement on affairs in Gran Gregana, Emperor Connor II collapsed. Despite his swift recovery, there were fears for his health, and also worries that there had been an assassination attempt. By December, there was gossip, which had originated in noble social circles, and spread in magazines and over the internet that Connor and Charlotte were headed towards divorce, mainly on account of her previous relationship with Jean and growing apart as a consequence.

However, if the sixties ended hectically for Emperor Connor II, the seventies were going to start with a bang.

The 2070s

2070 began with the publication of a novel written by Empress Charlotte, titled Imperials in the Garden. It detailed Charlotte and her relationships with Connor and Jean between the years of 2056 and 2061. However, it was written without the knowledge or consent of Connor, and the portrayal of him and his private life can be interpreted as less than favorable in several ways. Whilst he offered no public comment, he was alleged to be displeased with the whole saga. It only served to strengthen rumor that he and Charlotte were headed for divorce. However, in a tragic twist to the tale, Charlotte's plane was lost near Haroa on February 8. In spite of the fact that search parties quickly found wreckage, no-one managed to locate any trace of the missing Empress. Most presumed her dead from the beginning, and the number only increased as time continued to pass. On February 15, Connor II asked the Regency Council to convene. They appointed his good friend and brother-in-law Prince Leopold, who later became the King of Beliany. Leopold acted as regent for five and a half months, for Connor made his return on July 29.

2071 was always going to be a year of major importance for the reign of Emperor Connor II, what with it being the tenth anniversary of his reign. Celebrations were held in Lausanne, and in the summer, he made his eldest, the now ten year old Crown Princess Emily, the first Duchess of Lausanne. However, this was not to be the main reason why 2071 stood out for Connor II. Throughout the summer months, the Emperor spent a lot of time aboard his yacht on Lake Geneva, purchased earlier in the year. It was heavily suggested that Golden Girl was named for his friend and political colleague Aurelia MacDonald, for her name literally means 'golden' in Latin. However, the ten-year anniversary was not even the most interesting event of the year, given that Empress Charlotte finally returned after being missing for a year. This ought to have been a happy reunion for the Imperial Couple and it was briefly, before Charlotte found herself occupied with other duties after being away for so long.

The rest of the decade proved to be far less eventful for Connor than the previous decade had been. Rumours persisted concerning his strained relationship with Charlotte - both of them often spent large amounts of time away from each other, only seeing each other intimately every once in a while. In spite of this, they did have five more children - Prince Valentin was born in 2073, Prince Andrae in 2074, Princesses Mary and Sofia were born in 2076 and 2077, with Prince Gioele born in 2079. In the later half of the decade, the rumours in the press surrounding the relationship of the Emperor and Empress appeared less and less.

The 2080s

In January 2080, Connor's mother, the former Empress Alice of Connuriste passed away in her sleep. Approximately a million people took to the streets of Lausanne during her state funeral on January 21 2080. It was a sombre affair that saw many world leaders invited to the city, including his old friend Jean, the King of Romania, where the two of them were seen on good terms. Later the same year, his eighteenth child and tenth son was born, Prince Louis.

2081 marked the twentieth year of his reign, with official celebrations being held on the 1st of May. There were royal guests from the Netherlands, Spain, Romania, Beliany and Polonge. In the morning, the Emperor personally opened the Empress Alice Memorial Hospital, a project he had began and funded shortly after the death of his mother. After attending to a few minor political affairs in the Imperial Council, he enjoyed a private concert in the afternoon where both his eldest daughter Emily and Archduke Maximilian of Polonge performed. In the evening, a party had been planned, which was spoilt when Crown Princess Emily was near-fatally poisoned in an attack against the royal family of Connuriste. Connor stayed by his daughter's side for several days as she recovered, and ordered the rapid implementation of new defence policies. Two weeks after his anniversary, he and Charlotte travelled to Derita for the King-Emperor's Diamond Jubilee.

In 2082, Princess Alexia became the first of Connor and Charlotte's children to get married, tying the knot with Henry, the Duke of Rothesay. This marriage took the country and indeed the world by surprise, done in secret behind the backs of her own family and the press. Regardless, as part of a joint plan of action with Belians and Polongains an effort was made to place Henry on the throne of Scotland. This plan, known as Operation Scotland Forever, was initially successful, and Alexia became the Queen of Scots, even becoming pregnant with King Henry's child. However this success did not last after Henry was killed and Alexia became imprisoned by Queen Adelaide of Scots, where she suffered a miscarriage, though she was later sent back to Connuriste unharmed. The Emperor was said to be disappointed that he had no knowledge of the wedding before it happened, but he had still wished to support her and her husband in their efforts. In the middle of what had became known as the 'Scottish Situation', Connor and Charlotte, along with his eldest daughter Emily and his Chancellor attended the International Gala For Peace in Selesburge.

Personal Life

Connor, a proud Swiss citizen, used to spend most of his time in Lausanne with his wife and children. He is rumoured to be the anonymous owner of Servette Genève 1890 FC, for he is a known fan of football. Despite some speculation that the real father of his wife's daughters Emily and Alexia, is in fact their close friend Ferdinand II of Romania, there is minimal evidence to suggest that there is any truth in such a statement. In 2067 Ferdinand did father one of Charlotte's children, Prince Nukai, whom Connor adopted as his own. In 2070, Connor's wife Charlotte wrote and published a book without his permission that released much information of their personal lives. Connor has yet to make an official response to the full contents of the book. Rumours have plagued Connor and Charlotte since 2069 that they may divorce, but there is little to suggest it will actually happen and subsequently these rumours have mostly died down since the mid seventies.

Outwardly, it seemed like Connor II struggled to cope with a lot of the events that happened in the late 2060's and the early 2070's. In 2070, when Empress Charlotte was declared dead in absentia, he retreated heavily back into the private sphere, which fuelled plenty of media speculation. Connor also largely lost his taste for politics, being involved much less in it, although he continued to endorse and work with Aurelia MacDonald who has since become Chancellor. He developed a taste for travelling and also for building things such as parks and concert halls.