King Edward III of Vionna-Frankenlisch
| Edward III | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King of Vionna-Frankenlisch | |||||
 King Edward III in 2008 | |||||
| Commander-in-Chief | |||||
| Reign | 21st March 1980 - 13th January 2012 | ||||
| Coronation | 24th March 1980 | ||||
| Predecessor | King Albert I of Vionna-Frankenlisch | ||||
| Successor | King James I of Vionna-Frankenlisch | ||||
| Born | Albert Frederick George Turrell 13 August 1959 St Kaspar's Hospital, Frankenlisch | ||||
| Died | 10 January 2012 (aged 52) Imperial Palace, Frankenlisch | ||||
| Burial | Turrell Family Mausoleum, Grythshead | ||||
| Spouse | Anna of Germana (1980) | ||||
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| Dynasty | Turrell | ||||
| Father | King Albert I of Vionna-Frankenlisch | ||||
| Mother | Irena Poltov | ||||
| Religion | Frankenlischian Andyism | ||||
King Edward III of Vionna-Frankenlisch | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance | Vionna-Frankenlisch |
| Service/ | Royalist Army of Vionna-Frankenlisch Imperial Vionnan Army |
| Years of service | 1977 - 2012 |
| Rank | Field Marshal Commander-in-Chief |
| Conflicts | Vionna-Frankenlischian War of Restoration Operation Featherweight |
King Edward III was King of Vionna-Frankenlisch and Grand Imperiator from March 1980 to his death on the 13th of January, 2012. He rose to power following the War of Restoration and was succeeded by his nephew, James.
Edward was born in Frankenlisch as the second child of the reigning monarch King Albert and Queen Irena and he was educated at court and later at the University of Issenburg. His father was killed in 1967 during the Imperial Civil War making Edward's older brother, George, the rightful monarch. The remaining members of the royal family lived in exile until 1980 when the monarchy was restored in the War of Restoration. Edward was Earl of Westonland at the time and married to Princess Anna of Germana, he quickly ascended to the throne when his brother, George and his wife were killed in the Poix Palace Massacre.
Edward reigned for almost thirty-two years and saw great change during his reign. He was a leader very much concerned with the economic and social wellbeing of his people but did not hesitate to go to war in defence of, what he saw to be, the interests of Vionna-Frankenlisch and the monarchy. He led Vionna-Frankenlisch into the Prodavan Sovereignty Crisis and took personal command of Vionna-Frankenlischian forces during Operation Featherweight, during which he was wounded in the fighting. Recognised as a well-respected and even loved ruler, Edward still faced Republican sentiment and kept his cool, standing up for the powers of the Vionna-Frankenlischian monarchy. He refused to remarry after the death of his wife, Anna von Luxembourg, and was succeeded by his nephew, James.
Early Life
Edward was born in St Kaspar's Hospital, the infirmary of Frankenlisch Castle, on the 13th of August, 1959. He was the second child of the reigning King Albert and his wife Catherine. Edward's full name was "Edward Arthur Alexander George Turrell" and he was initiated into the Frankenlischian Andyist Church with the blessing of High Archbishop John on the 24th of August.
Edward was a sickly infant and there was some worry that he might not survive his first year. However, the young Prince persevered and soon grew quite strong. Taking much after his father and elder brother, Edward was a competent sportsman and athletic. As a boy, Edward was educated at court and was noted as respectful and smart. He was close to his parents and siblings. He and his younger brother, Arthur, were kept in the dark about the Imperial Civil War when it broke out in early 1966.
Exile
By 1967, the Imperial Civil War had turned very much against the Imperials and the Leftists were closing in on Frankenlisch itself. Fighting in the city itself began on the 15th of January and the Imperial family were prepared to evacuate. King Albert had hopes that the city would hold out and wished to remain, his wife Queen Catherine remained with the King as she was pregnant. The Queen gave birth to twins on the Fifth of February named Anne and Laura. By this time, it had become very clear that the Imperials were going to lose and, after a short initiation ceremony in the Grand Cathedral, the children were evacuated secretly from the city. King Albert and Queen Catherine were moved from Frankenlisch Castle in an armoured convoy and taken to Imperial Palace where the last lines of defence were set up. At the Battle of Parliament Square, the 32nd Grenadier Guards, the Royal Palace Yeomanry, the Royal Palace Regiment and a host of other veteran units were destroyed defending the government and the monarch. King Albert, Queen Catherine and most of the Imperial Government were killed.
George, Edward, Arthur, Anne and Laura were evacuated north, raising a small force of Royalist volunteers on the way. They eventually found sanctuary in the court of Kaiser Ludwig von Luxembourg of Germana. The family were hosted in Poix Palace in Nantebourge, which had belonged to King Albert and passed to George following the King's death. There they spent their childhood in sport, leisure and education. Though his older brother excelled in strength, preferring boxing, staff fighting and swordsmanship, Edward excelled at shooting, archery and fencing. The brothers were extremely close and George even delayed his course at the University of Nantebourg by six years so that they could study together.
Though he knew it was impossible, Edward often expressed a wish to spend his life as a naval officer and was often photographed in naval uniform. He was actually accepted aboard the Germanan battleship SMS Kaiserslacht as a Lieutenant but Prince George recovered his brother before the ship could sail. George granted Edward the rank of Field Marshal in the Royalist Army and named him Earl of Westonland, supposedly saying: "Look, now you've got a stake in the damn country. So there'll be no more of this running off to the circus."