Henri X of Arlyon
| Henri X | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| King of Arlyon | |||||
| Reign | 17 May 1854 - 30 July 1877 | ||||
| Coronation | 24 March 1856 | ||||
| Predecessor | Henri IX | ||||
| Successor | Monarchy abolished | ||||
| Prime Minister | Philippe Artois, comte du Frayssinous André-Philippe Chautemps Jules d'Aubigné, Marquis de d'Aubigné Albert Fauroux | ||||
| Born | 13 June 1812 Champierre, Arlyon | ||||
| Died | 22 February 1878 (aged 65) Liliddinas, Lluthia | ||||
| Burial | 20 April 1920 Notre-Dame de Lacord | ||||
| Spouse | Marie of Finium (m. 1840) | ||||
| Issue | Louise, Duchess of Bouran | ||||
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| House | House of Beaussant-Roaux | ||||
| Father | Henri IX | ||||
| Mother | Josepha Adélaïde | ||||
| Religion | Ditanery | ||||
Henri X or Henri Xavier de Beaussant-Roaux (13 June 1812 - 22 February 1878) was the last king of Arlyon of the House of Beaussant-Roaux, reigning from 17 May 1854 to his overthrow in the General's Revolution with his abdication occurring in 30 July 1877. Henri X was the last Arlyonish king born in the country; the last monarch of the country, Jean IV, was from Lavaria.
Being crowned king after the death of his more liberally-minded father Henri IX, Henri X was an ambitious king who sought to assert Arlyon as the world's foremost great power. He controversially dissolved parliament in 1856 and ruled under the doctrine of enlightened absolutism directing the cabinet personally. His government domestically saw a rationalisation of public finances, the expansion of education, interventionist efforts supporting industrialisation, a mercantile trade policy and a nationalist policy aimed at integrating Arlyon's many non-Arlyonish speakers into a single national identity. Henri also stripped away noble and church privileges in order to strengthen the power of the state.
In foreign affairs Henri promoted an interventionist and imperialist policy, significantly expanding the military. Henri saw Arlyon participate in the Lyonesian War that saw Arlyon launch an unprovoked attack into Lavaria which resulted in victory for the Arlyonish army and the annexation of Lyonesia and the Leaux Country. Less successful was Henri's attempt at creating a stronger navy then Hallania which saw Arlyon diplomatically isolated and cast as a revanchist power.
As part of his enlightened despotism Henri also implemented repressive measures politically. The press was severely curtailed, opposition leaders were often imprisoned or executed and local administration was often bypassed in favour of the central government. In 1870 he transformed the national gendarmerie force into a secret police. Growing increasingly paranoid Henri also ordered the exile of his brother the Duke of Carnot in 1867, the imprisonment of his prime minister the Marquis of d'Aubigné in 1874 and the execution of the Jeançon Eleven in 1875, a group of military generals whom Henri accused of plotting a coup d'état.
By the mid 1870's Henri had become increasingly secluded and paranoid, with only a small cabal of advisers receiving the king. Henri's reign became increasingly unstable as the military began to adopt republican and positivist ideals whilst the bourgeoisie demanded a greater say in governance. The traditional pillars of support for the monarchy, the aristocracy and the clergy, became alienated due to Henri's abolition of their privileges.
In 1877 Henri ordered the army to mobilise to launch a preemptive war with Lavaria, believing an invasion of Arlyon by its neighbour to retake Lyonesia and the Leaux Country was imminent. This action was received with incredulity by the military and much of the population. Protests began in Champierre demanding the abdication of the monarchy; Henri, believing this agitation was orchestrated from Cambra, ordered the military to break up the protests. With the military opposed to an invasion of Lavaria and increasingly embracing some form of republican government instead executed a coup d'état, overthrowing the king, exiling him to Lluthia and declaring a republic. Devastated at the abolition of the monarchy, Henri slipped into depression and alcoholism committing suicide less then a year after his overthrow.
Henri X has been controversial figure in Arlyonish history. His supporters see him as an energetic and farsighted king who embraced modernity and undertook reforms that modernised Arlyon, whilst his foreign policy asserted Arlyon as a great power. Henri's critics meanwhile portray him as paranoid despot who repressed political opponents, pursued a confused foreign policy and stunted Arlyon's political and economic development. Non-Arlyonish groups in Arlyon also see Henri as having undertaken a chauvinist policy regarding national minorities. Historiography since the creation of the Federation of Arlyon tend to portray him in a negative light as arrogant and dictatorial.
Early life
Marriage
Crown prince
Reign
Henri X came to power after his father Henri IX died of kidney disease in 1854. Although his father had been able to skilfully navigate the Arlyonish political system to subtly increase the power of the constitutional monarchy, Henri was less tolerant of political dissent and early on emphasised his desire to rule in a more autocratic fashion. Although Henri maintained the Count of Frayssinous as prime minister he forced him to dismiss his cabinet (considered to liberal to the king) and urged him to appoint a more conservative alternative. The count relented and assembled a new cabinet considered by parliament to be ultraconservative. Although the new cabinet lacked parliamentary support Henri dismissed these concerns as being "unimportant to the national character of the state".
Dissolution of parliament
Despite the installation of a conservative cabinet Henri was still dissatisfied with having to deal with the parliament which was dominated by more moderate conservatives, liberals and a small minority of republicans wary of the kings suspected authoritarian inclinations. The prime minister, who was himself elderly and reluctant to remain in his post, was seen by parliament as a weak figure - whilst this had benefited parliament under Henri IX due to his more hands off approach to government Henri X's more interventionist tendencies and forcible dismissal of liberal ministers made parliament suspect that the new king would direct cabinet policy rather then the legislature or the prime minister.
In January 1856 when the Count of Frayssinous presented the yearly budget to parliament the lower house voted against it, effectively voicing no confidence in his administration. By precedent the prime minister was liable to resign and parliament present the king with a replacement. The count exhausted at the task of governing and wishing to retire went to the royal palace and requested to Henri to accept a resignation. Henri disgusted at the conduct of parliament however did not accept the Count's resignation and refused to dismiss his cabinet and let parliament propose a new prime minister.
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This move outraged parliament with liberal deputy Adolphe, duc de Grousset (considered the man most likely to succeed the Count of Frayssinous as prime minister) threatening to continue votes of confidence in the cabinet and voting against the budget, a process that would paralyse governing. Henri sought the advice of Antoine Sainte-Croix, a close adviser to the court and an expert on legal matters. Sainte-Croix recommended to the king utilise loopholes in the constitution to bypass parliament. According to precedent and law parliament could be dissolved in a letter to the king by the prime minister, who if the dissolution was accepted would then propose a date for an election for a new parliament. Sainte-Croix argued if the prime minister sent a letter recommending parliament's dissolution thenoffered his resignation - both of which the king would accept - then there would be no prime minister to set a date for an election as the post would be left vacant and with parliament dissolved the king could neither appoint a new prime minister nor parliament vote in his confidence.
Henri accepted Sainte-Croix's advice and on the 16 February 1856 called upon the Count of Frayssinous to advise him to dissolve parliament. The prime minister, both a royalist and eager to retire, sent both letters recommending a dissolution and his resignation, both of which Henri approved. Parliament as such dissolved with the military being deployed in order to ensure the government's orders were carried out. The new regime - which gave the king total executive power over the government and legislating - was considered to be legal by the 1815 constitution which was not amended whilst Henri remained king, albeit becoming increasingly discarded as a legal document.
The dissolution of parliament - considered by many unrepresentative and more interested in petty political infighting then governing - was greeted with approval from much of the population who saw politicians as ineffective and corrupt. On the day parliament was dissolved citizens in Champierre lined the streets shouting "Vive le roi! Vive Henri!". Many hoped Henri would end political deadlock and prove to be a decisive leader who would represent most sectors of society. A year later Henri appointed André-Philippe Chautemps as prime minister - the first unconstitutional move Henri legally made, but by this point the judiciary had been so emasculated and constitutionalist politicians so thoroughly repressed that the appointment carried little comment.
Financial policy
Following the first Arlyonish revolution Arlyon had slowly embraced a economic policy based on laissez-faire model which emphasised free trade and encouraged the growth of domestic capitalists. Industrialisation, primarily in the XXX valley, had begun to occur due to abundant coal and iron reserves as well as minimal government intervention and a liberalised trade regime making tools and food from abroad more affordable. Under his father Arlyon had been an early adopter of railways meaning by the time Henri came to power Arlyon had one of the largest and most well developed rail networks in Cardia. However this industrialisation remained disorganised with the economy showing little coherency.
In 1857 Henri assembled a committee of financial experts in order to reassess the state of economy. Taking heavy influence from mercantile economists this committee proposed a partial repeal of the free-trade policies that had been dominant previously, the creation of a more centralised system of taxation and strategic investment into key industries (steelmaking, armaments, textiles, railways, agriculture) that would protected from foreign competition until they were competitive on the global stage. Seeing these policies as being in line with his centralist preferences Henri endorsed them and sought to implement these in order to strengthen the economy and state as a whole.
Under Inspector-General of the Treasury Frédéric d'Geranger a rationalisation of public finances was undertaken. The Treasury was restructured to have greater tax collection powers whilst various provincial level taxes were rationalised and in a few cases made national. Tariffs were substantially increased on industrial and agricultural goods both in order to increase revenue and to protect domestic industry. Subsidies were given to strategic industry in order to increase industrialisation.
In the early years of Henri's rule the government focused on sound public finance, maintaining a gold standard with the livre and reducing public expenditure to maintain balanced budgets and avoid taking out loans, in line with classical economic theory. Spending was increased later with the reform of the taxation system yielding a more stable source of income revenue for the state and a trade surplus emphasised as part of the mercantile policy. However sectors that did not receive the governments investment suffered under greater regulation and higher taxation wiping out a large section of cottage industry whilst the new capitalist class being created by these protectionist policies had little say in the management of the national economy nor political life. Poor factory working conditions - with minimal safety regulation and long working hours - all contributed to discontent with the government's fiscal policy despite in macroeconomic terms the economy underwent consistent growth with sound public finance, stable revenue and increased industrialisation and wealth.
Institutional reforms
Repression
Foreign policy
Henri's foreign policy was based on the principle of asserting Arlyon as the pre-eminent power in Cardia and Dysia. As such Henri aimed to assert political and economic dominance over nations weaker then Arlyon to create a sphere of friendly client states whilst remaining militarily stronger then the two primary regional powers, Hallania and Lavaria. To this latter end Henri supported the maintenance of the largest army in Cardia and to expand the Arlyonish navy to become the largest in in the region.
After his coronation Henri declared that Arlyon would "use the force of arms" if it felt it's interests were threatened. On issues such as popular nationalism and liberalism Henri's policy was opportunistic - with his own government based on Arlyonish nationalism and a form of enlightened absolutism, Henri was hostile to national self-determination on the grounds that it could lead to the breakup of Arlyon, whilst pushing for an expansionist policy to include ethnic Arlyonards under his rule. Henri also supported liberal constitutional regimes insofar he had no interest in upholding reactionary absolute monarchism in other nations whilst aiming to limit the spread of liberalism into Arlyon.
Lyonesian War
The most notable aspect of Henri's foreign policy was the Lyonesian War that was fought for 7 months from 1865 to 1866. Henri like many Arlyonish leaders had long coveted the region of Lyonesia and the Leaux country in Lavaria which had been part of the Archduchy of Montois and Charhône. Henri IX had rigorously pressed these claims but decided against an openly revanchist policy on the grounds it would needlessly trigger a coalition against Arlyon.
On the advice of Prime Minister André-Philippe Chautemps Henri pursued a more peaceful policy, stating like his father that whilst Arlyon claimed the territory it wished to acquire Lyonesia through "negotiated means" albeit recognised that under his strategy annexing it into Arlyon was a remote possibility. A proposal in 1860 to hold a referendum in the territory was rebuffed - Henri demanded that such a referendum be observed sorely by Arlyonish observers, an obvious attempt to rig the vote.
The appointment of the Marquis of d'Aubigné as prime minister in 1862 saw a shift from this more conservative stance to one that was more eagerly expansionist. Henri was still hesitant to pursue an openly belligerent policy over concerns that it would trigger an international response that would constrain Arlyon. As a result Henri and marshal Albert Fauroux devised a plan to ignite a war with Lavaria that would not appear that Arlyon would be the aggressor. After consulting with the spy network built up in Lyonesia marshal Fauroux suggested to Henri that Arlyonish soldiers would commit a false flag operation by dressing in Lavarian uniforms and attacking two outposts on the Arlyonish border. Interpreting this as a declaration of war and taking advantage of the likely nationalist pressure from the population Henri would confirm a "state of hostilities" and declare war on Lavaria allowing it to appear as if Lavaria had attacked first.
The operation was launched in August 1865. After the attacks were committed the press in Arlyon quickly called for a "firm response". Even the exiled republican leader François Boulanger wrote that Lavaria was "intent on oppressing the people of Lyonesia" and "only the Arlyonish state can protect the people of Lyonesia against Lavarian reaction". Two days after the attacks Henri declared that Lavaria had ignored "every warning" and that he would "confirm the reality of a state of hostilities between the two nations".
As part of Henri's belief in "strategic balance" his government aimed a huge reorganisation and expansion of the navy in order to directly compete with Hallania. Supported by admiral Auguste-Frédéric Saint-Cyr Henri believed that Arlyon needed a strong navy in order to ensure Hallania would never constitute a direct threat to Arlyon whilst allowing Arlyon the opportunity to use its navy to show nations in Dysia that it rather then Hallania held the balance of power in the region.
Saint-Cyr, appointed naval minister in the cabinets of Chautemps and the Marquis of d'Aubigné calculated that Arlyon could sustain around five years of rapid naval construction before Hallania would be incentivised to seriously expand their naval reserves. Saint-Cyr recommended that naval buildup should be focused on maintaining a fleet large enough that Hallania would be afraid to confront it (fleet in being) rather then one that would directly compete for naval supremacy, with a state of "strategic ambiguity" existing between Arlyon and Hallania. This contrasted with Henri's desire to preside over a fleet larger with Hallania, which he dismissed as a "nation lacking the material prowess of Arlyon".
Henri and Saint-Cyr between 1858 to 1868 were able to preside over the construction of new ironclads and monitors to replace the ageing wooden warships Arlyon had previously deployed. These naval developments alarmed the Hallanic cabinet of XXX resulting in a new naval bill being passed in Hallania which saw Hallania increase expenditures on the navy in order to retain superiority over Arlyon.
Throughout the naval buildup Prime Minister Chautemps had criticised the policy as needlessly alienating Hallania and increasing tensions between the two countries as well as criticising the inordinate naval costs. Although the Marquis of d'Aubigné initially supported the policy after the Lyonesia war he came to caution the king that the naval buildup combined with the spectacular victory over Lavaria could result in the creation of an anti-Arlyonish coalition that would constrain Arlyon's ambitions. As a result Henri dismissed admiral Saint-Cyr on the grounds he had led to the poor relations between Hallania and Arlyon and ordered the naval expansion programme to be partially scaled back.
Although the naval programme had succeeded in giving Arlyon the second largest navy in the region the huge deterioration of relations with Hallania meant it was heavily criticised, with Arlyonish-Hallanic relations only recovering after Henri was overthrown in 1877. The navy would after 1870 begin to fall behind again being overtaken by the Lavarian navy by the 1880's.