August-Wilhelm I of Liothidia
| August-William I | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Liothidian Emperor (more...) | |||||
| Reign | 10 May 1846 - 12 December 1858 | ||||
| Coronation | 13 May 1846 | ||||
| Predecessor | monarchy established | ||||
| Successor | Heinrich I | ||||
| Minister-Presidents | See list | ||||
| King of Rahdenburg (more...) | |||||
| Reign | 4 October 1834 - 12 December 1858 | ||||
| Predecessor | August-Heinrich III | ||||
| Lord Minister | See list
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| Born | 22 March 1799 Schloss Engelweg, Rixdorf, Kingdom of Rahdenburg | ||||
| Died | 12 December 1858 Erbswalde Palace, Rahden, Liothidian Empire | ||||
| Spouse | Marie-Sophie of Keuland (m. 1822) | ||||
| Issue |
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| House | Hechenreyt | ||||
| Father | August-Friedrich III | ||||
| Mother | Margarete von Verrenhalle | ||||
| Religion | Fabrian Catholic | ||||
August-William I, or in Liothidian: August-Wilhelm I (full name: August William Frederick of Hechenreyt, Liothidian: August-Wilhelm Friedrich von Hechenreyt, 22 March 1799 – 12 December 1856), of the House of Hechenreyt, was King of Rahdenburg from 4 October 1834 and the first Liothidian Emperor from 10 May 1846 to his death, the first Head of State of a united Liothidia. Under the leadership of August-William and his Minister President Karl Franz von Auerswald, Rahdenburg achieved the unification of Liothidia and the establishment of the Liothidian Empire, following the Glorious Revolution. Following unification, August-William left much of governance to his Minister President Karl-Franz Auerswald.
The death of his wife and new-born son in 1837, denied August-William a male heir and failing to secure changes to the laws of succession, to enable his daughter, Hildegard, to succeed him brought the emperor into a decades-long depression. Toward the end of his life, he withdrew from the public and died of a heart attack within weeks of his daughter's wedding to Ghantish Prince Nathan III. He was succeed by his younger brother, Heinrich, Grand Prince of Stalendorf.
Early life and career
Born to August-Henry III by his wife Queen Margarete, he was the latter's favourite son, well documented in being the resentment of his brother, and successor, Heinrich. August-William was educated by private tutors, many of whom were experienced civil servants, such as Ruprecht-Franz von Voss. He was known to be a quick learner, an astute mathematician and held a keen passion for history.
He also gained military experience by serving in the Rahdener Army during the XXX War against XX in 1818, although he was an indifferent soldier. He preferred studying architecture, botany and had a strong interest in nascent industry emerging in Rahdenburg. Throughout his youth as the heir presumptive to the Kingdom of Rahdenburg, he became a prominent patron of science, arts and music. In 1829, he championed the construction of the Kaiserliches Opernhaus in Rahden and the König August-Heinrich Auditorium in Vechta.
In 1822, he married Marie-Sophie of Keuland. This marriage, though arranged by his father, was solidified by a much lauded love between the two. The marriage would produce two children, Hildegard (b. 1823) and Heinrich-Joachim (b. 1837 d. 1837), the latter died at childbirth, further complications would also see his wife, pass away three days later.
King of Rahdenburg
August-William became King of Rahdenburg on 4 October 1834, following the death of his father. His first act as King was to reconstitute Tag des Königs (Day of the King), a fair held on the grounds of the Erbswalde Palace in Rahden, at the crown's expense. This was followed by the donation of the Uckermark Palace to the city as a hospital for the poor and homeless.
From 1834 until 1837, August-William and his wife were common sights across Rahden, as both were known to thoroughly enjoy communicating and mingling with the city's inhabitants. Both took interest and active roles in improving the health of the Rahdener capital, becoming patrons of numerous schools and guilds.
Although a staunch conservative, August-William did not seek to be a despot, and so he toned down the reactionary policies pursued by his father, easing press censorship and promising to enact a constitution at some point, but he refused to create an elected legislative assembly, preferring to work with the nobility through "united committees" of the provincial estates. A pious man, he did however maintain his father's strict laws against other christian sects in defence of Fabrian Catholicism. He also patronized further construction of Holzminden Cathedral. In 1837, he attended the celebrations marking the completion of the cathedral, this was followed by further constructions of Catholic cathedrals across Rahdenburg.
The death of his first-born son and wife in April 1837 drove the King into a deep depression, leading to him missing numerous public events and the first convention of the United Diet of Rahdenburg. So severe was his depression, that senior members of the Royal Council of the Esteemed reportedly debated removing him from the throne. However, August-William, with the aid of his sister and daughter recovered by June and he slowly resumed his public duties.
Under the advice of his former tutor, Ruprecht-Franz von Voss, the King fought off his depression by focusing his energies on establishing the first elected legislative assembly. On August 4 1841, he convened the first United Diet of Rahdenburg, comprised solely of representatives from the provincial estates. This Diet was provided the means of levying taxes, debating some policy areas and advising the crown on military matters. However, attempts to see the Diet produce a written constitution were defeated by August-William's refusal to allow such a move.
The meeting of the Diet in 1842 brought to prominence, the popular noble, Karl Franz von Auerswald. This enigmatic and nationalistic politician sought to see a constitution, elected legislature and a unified Liothidia. While August-William opposed these moves, he managed to build a friendship with Von Auerswald that would prove pivotal in later years.
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In 1844, he caused controversy within the Liothidian Realm after he gave sanctuary to a group of nationalist intellectuals who fled persecution by the Duke of Rügen, Wilhelm-Gabriel II. During the Council of Talheim in early December 1844, August-William came under-fire from his fellow Liothidian monarchs for his saving of the intellectuals. In a rebuttal, August-William is recorded to have said, "the day Liothidia becomes a barren waste of intellectualism is the day we burn away our mental capacities and talents, through debate, we raise ourselves to be Belisaria's betters."
His rebuttal was widely re-printed by the Rahdener press, with the King lauded for his "defence of the ideas of Liothidian minds." However, his defence also gave fuel to the rapidly growing unification movement within academia. This Council meeting also further alienated the monarchs of the Realm from August-William, with some reportedly feeling he held expansionist ambitions.
The continued decline of public affinity for monarchs outside of Rahdenburg increased in pace throughout 1845, historical documents reveal that many of the future revolutionaries, plotted and planned a nationalist uprising from within Rahdenburg, doing so unimpeded by the authorities. Whether they did so due to the King's apparent support for their cause is still debated to this day.
Glorious Revolution
On February 19 1846, tensions within Dannenburg, the Realm's second greatest state (after Rahdenburg), erupted into mass civil disobedience, when prominent liberal noble, Ludwig von Disentis was executed by hanging for "anti-monarchist agitations." The unrest quickly spread from Dannenburg, with commoners and reformist nobles alike rising up in face of high taxes, censorship and political oppression.
On February 24, revolutionaries overthrew the Duke of Hachenland, forcing his family to exile in Rahdenburg. This was followed by the collapse of the monarchies in Nordenland and Wittenland on March 1 and March 10 respectively. The sudden loss of two major monarchies within the Realm pushed the Dannenburger ruling family to accede to the reformists demands, by introducing a provisional legislature and constitution.
However, on March 20, Dannenburg was further wracked with unrest after it was discovered that King Franz-Joseph II sought to pack the provisional legislature with loyal aristocrats. He and his family were besieged in their summer residence, unable to coordinate with their military forces. Realising the possibility of Dannenburg becoming a republic, August-William with the aid of his Lord-Minister, Karl-Franz von Auerswald vowed to save the Hohenstaffen family and other ruling dynasties of Liothidia by mediating with the revolutionaries.
On April 1, the Council of Idstein was convened with Von Auerswald chairing. During the first few days, Von Auerswald worked to unite the revolutionaries in their demands, initially struggling to overcome the regional nuances that permeated the revolutionaries. On April 6, August-William addressed the Council where he lauded their dream of a united Liothidia, but chastised them for the violence, loss of life and brutishness. August-William also expressed his desire to see a united Liothidia with an elected legislature and where the common-folk would enjoy more rights. His speech was well received by the revolutionaries.
On April 7, Von Auerswald in a vague speech hinted at the possibility of a unified Liothidia, operating through the Liothidian Realms, where an elected legislature would assume most powers from the Great Council of the Realm. This was immediately followed by the Nordenland delegation proposing abolishing the Realm for a unified federal Liothidian kingdom. Von Auerswald replied that such a system would require the maintenance of the current monarchies, subject to a national-level monarch, supported by a powerful elected legislature.
Von Auerswald's proposal was well received, aided by his constant lobbying of delegates in support of a Hechenreyt-ruled Liothidian kingdom. Many of the revolutionaries saw inspiration in Rahdenburg, with August-William's early decision to constitute a United Diet as indication of his liberal and reformist leanings. Von Auerswald, also guaranteed monarchist acquiescence by ensuring the revolutionaries continued besieging the ruling families across Liothidia.
On April 9, the Council voted on Von Auerswald's proposal and agreed 111-43. The decision sent shock waves across Liothidia, as it became clear that House Hechenreyt would now unite Liothidia as its ruling family, while using the revolutionaries as enforcers. On April 11, the Unberstollens of Miesitz-Ravensberg rejected the Idstein Convention, their ancestral home was soon attacked by revolutionaries, forcing the family to flee in exile to Seredinia. The exile of the Unberstollens resulted in the acquiescence of the other families, cementing the Convention and the new Hechenreyt domination.
On April 14, a Provisional National Convention was established to draw up a constitution for the united Liothidia, of which, Von Auerswald played a prominent role.
On April 20, August-William attended a special session of the Convention, where he symbolically thanked the "Liothidian people for the humbling gift of the united crown." There he vowed to establish his name as "first", in recognition of the new realm and would serve as "father of the fatherland."
On May 10, the new constitution was formally adopted by the states of the Realm, officially establishing the new Liothidian Empire. On May 13, August-William was crowned Emperor of Liothidia and Supreme Prince of the Realm, with all state families in attendance.
Emperor of Liothidia
Overnight, August-William came from ruling a country of 21 million to 56 million and becoming one of the most powerful monarchs in Belisaria. However, in comparison to his now Minister-President, Karl-Franz von Auerswald, August-William sought to ensure the loyalty and comfort of the royal families of the former independent Liothidian states.
His first move was to grant seats to every royal family on the Imperial Advisory Council, as well as granting them vetoes through the Council, on matters the Emperor had sole responsibility. This power would be stripped by his successor, Heinrich I in 1888. His second move was to compensate the families' who'd suffered property damage directly from the coffers of House Hechenreyt. His third move was to ensure their dominance within political, military and economic affairs continued with the establishment of the "Right of Preference" (Präferenzrecht), which was a royal decree elevating their interests to that of the imperial crown.
With the families brought into line, August-William returned to his interests in architecture, education and healthcare. However, concern within the Imperial Court over his mental health returned from 1847 onward as August-William would fall into depression more often than previous. Efforts by his close friend and Imperial Chamberlain, Heinrich-Konrad von Hohenstein, to secure a second marriage repeated failed due to the Emperor's refusal to remarry.
A month following his coronation, August-William oversaw the creation of the new Imperial Diet of Liothidia, with two chambers, an aristocratic upper house and an elected lower house. The lower house was elected by all taxpayers, but in a three-tiered system based on the amount of taxes paid, so that true universal suffrage was denied. The constitution also reserved to the emperor the power of appointing all ministers, re-established the conservative district assemblies and provincial diets, and guaranteed that the civil service and the military remained firmly under control of the emperor. This was a more liberal system than had existed in Rahdenburg or Liothidia before 1846, but it was still a conservative system of government in which the monarch, the aristocracy, and the military retained most of the power. This constitution remained in effect until the dissolution of the Liothidian Empire in 1918.
By 1847, August-William withdrew entirely from the political governance of Liothidia, delegating much of his own duties and responsibility to his Minister-President. From 1847 until 1854, he would focus entirely on his patronage of the arts, sciences and education, while still maintaining a public presence. Between 1847 and 1848, his focus would turn to securing his only surviving child, Hildegard, both a suitable husband and as his legal successor.
Liothidian Succession Crisis
On March 11 1847, August-William revealed to the Imperial Advisory Council his intention to alter Liothidia's succession law from Salic law to Absolute primogeniture, to enable Hildegard to succeed him as Empress of Liothidia. This decision sparked deep concern and with some members, outrage. August-William argued that as his only surviving child, Hildegard remains the only viable option, much to the personal insult of his younger brother, Heinrich.
Minister-President Von Auerswald, also urged caution, but was personally ambivalent, owing to his friendship with the emperor. August-William dismissed concerns and conveyed his further intention to present his request personally to the Imperial Diet. Almost immediately, Grand Prince Heinrich began conspiring with allies on the Imperial Advisory Council and in the Imperial Diet to block the emperor's motion.
On March 14, August-William addressed a special session of the Imperial Diet where he requested support for reforming Liothidia's succession law. Though he was received with the respect of parliamentarians, in private, a vast majority expressed dismay and many once again questioned his mental health. However, the request did spark a heated debate across wider Liothidia over the role of women in politics and their rights in society.
The emperor soon found some support among the Diet members, with some influential nobles backing the motion if just to deny the throne to Grand Prince Heinrich, who they saw as a would-be tyrant. One such member, was the highly popular and charismatic Erich Joseph von Rixdorf. The emperor and his opponents soon realised that through his oratory skills and popular appeal among the commoners, he could possibly secure enough support to amend the constitution. In face of Von Rixdorf's potential and the ambivalence of Minister-President Von Auerswald, opponents scrambled to torpedo the motion.
On March 20, opponents to reform demanded that Princess Hildegard be married before any vote take place, it was hoped that by forcing a marriage, the time taken would diminish public interest. However, August-William and his allies countered by arguing that by ensuring her legal recognition as heir-apparent, she would become more valuable and sought-after, this succeeded in breaking the opponent's position. On March 21, the President of the Diet, Maximilian von Ottmarsheim recorded March 25 as date for the vote.
On March 22, a scandal erupted after notes on the emperor's mental health are leaked to the public and members of the Imperial Diet, this was followed on March 23, with the sudden death of Von Rixdorf, who was killed in a carriage accident outside his Rahden residence. Resumed fears that the emperor was acting out from his depression, combined with the loss of his most capable ally, the momentum toward reform rapidly collapsed.
The motion would be defeated 183-78 and August-William accepted the result, later telling a close friend, "I fear my brother not only killed Von Rixdorf, but ensured that no day would pass, without one of my politicians questioning nor respecting my state of mind. He has dashed my hopes and dreams and for that I will never forgive."
Marriage of Princess Hildegard
Later years and death
Following the marriage of Princess Hildegard to Crown Prince Nathan of Ghant, August-William found himself isolated and alone in Rahden. With no immediate family members, beside his brother Heinrich, of whom his relationship had all but collapsed, the emperor's depression returned. The death of his sister, Princess Viktoria-Teresa in 1850 only further exacerbated his loneliness.
In 1851, he withdrew from Rahden to the Engelweg Palace, where he took up painting and botany. Between 1852 and 1855, he took to writing novels and studying Liothidian history, his loneliness broken only by the visits of his nephews and nieces and Minister-President Von Auerswald. In 1854, he suffered a bout of pneumonia from which he recovered. However, the illness weakened him physically and rarely did he venture out from Engelweg.
On 10 December 1858, he returned to the Erbswalde Palace in Rahden, for Christmas. However, on 12 December two days prior to a planned visit by his daughter, the emperor suffered a fatal heart attack and died. His death was marked by tolling bells and a state funeral. As per his wishes, the emperor was laid to rest alongside his wife at Chapel of the Lady of Clemency in Engelweg.
Issue
August-William and Marie-Sophie of Keuland had two children:
| Image | Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [[File:|90px]] | Hildegard, Empress of Ghant | 2 January 1823 | Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day | married (TBD) (XX-XX); XX children. |
| Heinrich-Joachim | 14 July 1837 | 14 July 1837 (aged 0) |
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Full title as Liothidian Emperor
His Imperial and Royal Majesty August-William the First, by the Grace of God, Emperor of Liothidia, King of Rahdenburg and Supreme Prince of the Realm; Margrave of Harrenburg, Burgrave of Meiersberg, Count of Löwenkopf; Sovereign and Supreme Duke of Teringen and of the County of Nieden; Grand Duke of the Upper Schwarzwasser and of Demsten; Duke of Rüdesheim, of Levenkusen, of Subelia, of Jurena, Prenzlau, Hohenland and Blumenthal, of Lehnstedt, of Vechta, of Steffenshagen and Ribnitz; Landgrave of Falstein and Dranske; Margrave of Upper and Lower Lustia; Lord of Talheim, Rastede and Karschau; Master-General of the Imperial Armies, Faithful in Christ, Wise and Learned and Paramount Lord of the North.