King Raymond I

King Raymond I (Raymond Jameson) was the first Monarch and Leader of the Kingdom of Neutralston from 1891 to 1902. He was previously a Sargent Major in the Neutralstonese Brigade of the British Light Infantry from 1875 to 1889.
Early Years
King Raymond I was born Raymond Huibert Luchtmeijer in Port Benedict in British Neutralston. His family were Dutch Immigrants from the Netherlands who came to Neutralston for work. From a young age he had a keen interest in the military, often going out after school to watch the infantry participate in firing training near to Benningtonshire County. For pocket money he would often help out his father in the family bakery washing up baking trays or rolling dough for bread, however eventually Raymond grew tired of the bakery. At age 16 he got back into the military and eventually this interest would soon become a life goal, as he would volunteer to join the British Army at the age of 17 in 1862. He would soon raise the ranks, going from a mere private to a Sargent Major in the span of 10 years in the Army. He was considered the youngest high ranking member at the time, becoming a Sargent Major at the age of 27.
Crimean War
About 2 years after Raymond would join the British Army, Britain would join the Crimean War against Russia. Raymond would prove himself greatly within his army brigade and he would often be able to sense the location of an enemies cannon merely by listening for cannon shots. He would also prove his leadership skills greatly during a Battle between British and Russian Troops where he would take over from a stressed general and guide his brigade into the battlefield, slaughtering the Russian Troops. When the Crimean War concluded Raymond would be promoted to General Ranks and from there would work his way up.
Disagreements with the British
In the Years leading up to Britain granting Neutralston independence from the Empire, Raymond began to get into frequent disputes with his Superiors in the British Army about worker conditions and the treatment of recruits in the army, as many Neutralstonese recruits would often be mistreated by British recruits within British Neutralston but also in Great Britain. These disagreements would turn hot when a Major General in the British Army would slap Raymond across the face during an annual meeting within Port Benedict, Raymond allegedly picked up his chair and threw it across the room at the General knocking him out. After this Raymond would receive major repercussions, with him being temporarily stripped of his Sergeant Major Rank. During this time Raymond began to hate the British Empire, vowing that he would strike back. When his brigade found out that Raymond had stood up against the Higher-ups in the British Army they praised him,
Rise to Power
When the British Empire granted Neutralston independence, a election was held for the general public to decide who they wanted their Leader to be. Raymond participated in the Elections due to his high status within the now Neutralstonese Army, despite pressure from his superiors who told him not to. Raymond would begin rallying up support for his vote by travelling around Neutralston and giving speeches, during his speeches he would talk about making "Neutralston a safer nation and a nation built for the 20th Century." This in-turn would cause his popularity in Neutralston to sky-rocket, mainly amongst the Working Class population. In 1890 he would win in a landslide vote, becoming the Prime Minister of Neutralston, however immediately after becoming Prime Minister he would change up policies and assume absolute power over Neutralston, reforming the Indepedent Nation into the Kingdom of Neutralston. He would change his title to "King and Lord Protector of Neutralston" in 1891 and become the First Monarch of the Nation, despite the general public initially heavily opposing these policy changes, public support of a Monarchy in Neutralston would increase during the 1900s.