William I

Photo of William I in 1912

Emperor **William I** (*Spanish:* Guillermo I) is the Emperor of Texas and the Texans. He is the only, and longest-reigning monarch of Texas, as well as the second longest reigning monarch in the world behind only king Louis XIV of France.

William I was the younger son of Prince Charles of Prussia and Princess Marie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. His father was the third of four sons born to King Frederick William III (*German*: Friedrich Wilhelm III) of Prussia, and his mother was the eldest daughter of Charles Frederick, the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. He ascended to the throne of Texas on March 1st, 1846 upon his arrival in the country

William I greatly industrialized Texas, building it up from a backwards state in economic debt to the second most powerful nation in the New World. He assumed direct control of his nation’s policies in order to cement Texas' emerging status as a powerful, and successful country. He improved diplomatic relations with surrounding countries and those in Europe, as well as opening trade with countries in Asia.

He remains a peaceful ruler, only partaking in one war during his whole lifetime. That war was the War of American aggression in 1847, which ended in a Texan Victory. He has however, improved both the army and navy to the point where his navy is the most powerful in the Gulf of Mexico, and his army is the second most powerful in the new world behind the United States.

William I is the nephew of 2 Prussian Kings, one later becoming the German Emperor, as well as the cousin of Emperor Friedrich III of Germany, Emperor Alexander II of Prussia, Grand Duke William Ernest of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, and Queen Louise of Sweden. Upon receiving the title of Emperor, he was never forced to give up his position as a Prince of Prussia and later Germany allowing him to remain 11th in line for the German throne, however his decedents were forced to give up the title

## Biography

### Early Life

William I was born Prince Wilhelm Karl Friedrich Albert of Prussia at the Royal Palace in Berlin on February 16th, 1830 to Prince Charles of Prussia and his wife Princess Marie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. He was the second son of his parents, and third oldest grandchild of his maternal grandparents, Charles Frederick, the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and his wife Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia Upon his birth, William was 4th in line to the throne behind his uncle Wilhelm, father Charles, and brother Fredrich. Though he was fourth in line, it was likely that his uncle, and brother would have children which would displace him so no one ever saw him getting the Prussian throne.

As a son of the royal House of Hohenzollern, Wilhelm was deeply immersed in the militaristic society of the Prussian aristocracy from a young age. In 1840 William, now 5th in succession after his elder cousin Fredrich, was enrolled in the army as a second lieutenant and 3 years later he was enrolled Friedrichsgymnasium Kassel.

## Accession

### Dallas Convention of 1845

The Dallas Convention of 1845 was held by President Anson Jones to try and find a "Hereditary Christian Prince" to succeed as a constitutional monarch to not only give legitimacy to the country, but also help unite the people through the challenges they were facing.

Joining the United States was the first idea of President Sam Houston however once Anson Jones took over, he realized that the terms were not in Texas' favor and intended to find another resort. They began looking for several European princes, including Prince Louis of France, Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Henry of the Netherlands, Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Prince Charles of Prussia.

Prince Louis and Prince August both had no interest, and the next to hold interest was Prince Henry of the Netherlands. He was excited about the prospect of becoming King however seeing the situation Texas was in, he gave up the idea. Ernst II was also interested but not willing to leave Europe for America so gave up. In July they began speaking with Prince Charles of Prussia, they younger brother of King Frederick William IV of Prussia about the idea but he believed himself to old so instead, advised his elder son, Prince Friedrich Charles.

Prince Fredrich Charles however showed little interest and the delegates began losing hope. However, his 15 year old brother Wilhelm was extremely interested. He impressed the delegates however they decided his age was a canceling factor so gave up on the idea

#### Arrival in January

On January 17th, the delegates arrived again in Berlin and began speaking to Prince Wilhelm Karl who was still interested in the idea. They agreed that he could be elected to the position, so long as by the moment he arrived in Texas he was 16 years old. Wilhelm quickly signed papers with the men, and began preparing for the journey. He left Prussia on February 1st to the port city Brest, and 9 days later on the 10th he left Europe.

#### Journey to Texas

After leaving France, with a fleet of 3 ships, the Prince, as well as some Texan delegates and Prussian gentlemen crossed the sea. They stopped in the Azores on the 12th, and didn't stop again until they reached Texas. On the 16th, his birthday, the crew celebrated along with the Texan delegates and 12 days later he would arrive in Texas.

### Arrival

Wilhelm Karl arrived in Galveston Texas on March 1st, 1846. He was greeted by the President and Vice President along with their families, as well as former president Sam Houston. There, the prince read out an oath declaring his loyalty to the people and declaring himself, not only Emperor of Texas but also Emperor of the Texans

## Reign

### Appointing a Government

After greeting his people over about two weeks, he soon appointed an Imperial Minister who was their to act as his right-hand-man. This was Anson Jones who was given permission to rule until 1850, before elections could be held. As for elections, he set up two bodies as apart of an "Imperial Diet", similar to those in the United States. These were the upper body, or the Imperial Congress, and the lower body, or the Federal Congress. The Imperial Congress is home to a chamber of elected officials from each state depending on the amount of Imperial counties, while the Federal Congress consisted of representatives from each state to argue for their states.

### Peace with Mexico

*Main Article*: The Treaty of the Rio Grande, 1846

Just over 3 months after his arrival, Wilhelm Charles, now referred to as William I took advantage of the weakened Mexican government and strung out the Treaty of the Rio Grande, which gave all the land claimed by Texas to Texas. This nearly tripled the land size and gave the Emperor immense popularity however there would be later consequences

#### War with the United States

*Main Article*: The War of American Aggression

Exactly a month after signing the Treaty of the Rio Grande, the U.S declared war on Texas on bias because they felt cheated out as they were promised the land of Texas and were not given anything. This is where the Emperor's military education came in handy. He begged his uncle to send advisors to help train his army and while generals were doing that, he used a smaller force to send the much larger American force on a goose chase around Texas.

After slight training, the Americans countered the Texans 5 times however they failed each time and all were Texan victories against outstanding odds. Using this to their advantage, William I began opening trade. Following these battles, more training went on before the final 3 battles. The Texans abandoned the first one, and one the other two and began sending back American Troops which led to chaos in the U.S. Soon after the final battle at Red River, a treaty would be signed on March 1st, exactly a year after the declaration of the empire

### Closing off the United States

After the war and signing of the treaty, trade and talks were all ended with the United States and all previous relations were cut. William I wanted to make it clear that Texas was not a puppet or weaker state than the United States and he made it as clear as possible. From this point onwards, all trade, relations, travel, and political talks directly between the United States and Texas have been banned.

### Trade with Europe

After winning the War of American Aggression, Europe began eyeing down the Texan state. A few weeks later, a fleet of delegates arrived in Texas to meet with the Emperor and Imperial Minister to discuss opening trade with the west. They quickly agreed and a slow trade between the states improved and this is likely the reason Texas has survived. If it hadn't opened up to Europe, it may not have been able to industrialize and would be stuck with Slavery, similar to the C.S.A who at one point was wealthy and successful but is now slowly failing.

### Early Industrialization

By 1850, William I realized the institution of slavery was becoming outdated and began slowly industrializing his nation. It started out with a few factories being built in large cities and grew to railroads being built in-between cities. By the 1860's most countries were abolishing slavery and the USA was engulfed in a civil war over this.

Texas began funding war efforts while in their own country, limiting the slave trade and slavery as a whole in the country. With funds he was earning from trade, he welcomed foreign investors to build up Texas, building large railways across cities and slowly expanding into the rural lands.

### Neo-Absolutist

Following the American Civil War, William I began taking a more head on approach with leading Texas and started making more reforms along with the Imperial Minister. He made sure not to ever go to far with his power because he knew what that could cause and he did not want to seem like an absolute monarch to his people.

#### Militarization

Following the civil war, the Emperor used the majority of his new gained power to fund the military and began building up a powerful navy. Within a decade he controlled nearly all trade in the Gulf of Mexico, and was a force to be reckoned with. The Imperial Army was professional and disciplined, and arguably the most powerful in North America for a few decades. It was only surpassed by America in the 1890s following its economic recovery from the civil war but even with its recovery, the two are still extremely competitive.

### Abolishing Slavery

In 1880, the Emperor officially abolished slavery after several reforms to slow down the dependency on slaves. 11 years prior he abolished the slave trade, and over time he made several reforms and expanded industrialization and railroads across the country, diversifying the economy in preparation for the abolishment. When the economy did drop, it recovered within 5 weeks thanks to the economic reforms made by William I

#### Abandoning the Black Man

William I made, as apart of Act XV, the Banishment of all all men, and children, along with women younger than 60 to surrounding nations starting in June of 1881, 10 months following the passing of Act XV. As the act passed, the European world saw the things he was doing and thought awful of him, however they continued trade but weakened relations. By June of 1884, the Black Man was ridden from Texas, and just a few months later the Europeans began opening trade up again.

#### Late Industrialization

Texas had been keeping up with America but the Emperor also wanted to improve the country to meet European standards so began a series of new innovations and industrial devolopment in the bigger cities, while building railways in the country, and expanding ship yards. Not only did this serve to improve the economy of the country but it also held military value. In case of war, soldiers could use the vast railways to travel to the front lines quicker and the shipyards were prepared to produce more ships than before. Not only were the rails and ship yards put to work but so were factories. They were prepared to switch to military arms factories in case of conflict, which would help soldiers be well equipped in just a couple of weeks in case of conflict were to arise.

### Golden Jubilee

The 1890's were mostly spent continuing industrialization, and recovering relations with Europeans. He spent less on Military Reforms and more on improving the lives of the people as the first ever Liberal Imperial Minister was elected. The most interesting event of the decade though, was his golden jubilee in 1896, marking 50 years on the throne, and 50 years of Texan' existence as an empire.

The festivities were extravagant and lasted nearly 2 weeks. It started off on March 5th, beginning with a tour of the capital, and greeting the people. Several military marches, parades, and festivals took place in the next 3 days. On the 8th he took a train south to San Antonio, and stayed for 2 days until the 10th. There he carried on to Houston, the second largest city and stayed for 5 days. On the 15th he headed north to Dallas, arriving a day later and staying for the completion of the 2 week stay on the 19th. Following this, he left south to Galveston Palace and stayed, ending his ceremony.

#### Thoughts of Abdication

In July of 1896, Emperor William I began thinking of abdicating in favor of his eldest son, however he retracted the idea when his son got injured on his horse outside of Galveston palace, making him stay in the hospital for a few weeks in July, and use a wheelchair for the next two months. Once his son got out of the hospital, he ultimately gave up the plans and chose to continue his reign.

### Turn of the Century

Into the 1900's, William began spending more on the Military as revolutionary ideas begin stirring in the Republic of California, and slave revolts took place in the C.S.A. Not only that, but he also began taking a bigger part in making the lives of the people better. He funded more into public hospitals, and made travel much easier. He also began looking east to Africa, joining in projects with European powers to help explore the few remaining parts of the continent.

He also made several reforms to help those in factories have better lives, banning child labor in 1905, and making mandatory safety checks on industry and all workplaces by 1908. He also began improving public festivities and made it easier for the poor to enjoy life, cinema, and Texan culture.

### Longevity

By 1910, William had been reigning for 64 years, making him the fifth-longest reigning monarch in all of history. His became the fourth longest monarch of all history on May 31st of 1911, when he surpassed King Ferdinand III of the Two Sicilies. He became the third longest reigning monarch 2 years later on July 9th of 1913, when he surpassed king Chan Imix Kʼawiil of Copán. He surpassed Kʼinich Janaabʼ Pakal I of Palenque, the second longest reining monarch in the whole world on April 3rd, 1914. He has since held the title for 89 days, and if he lives to June 20th, 1918 he will have surpassed king Louis XIV of France, which would make him the longest reigning monarch in all of the world.

## Personal Life

### Immediate Family

William I was the eldest child of Prince Charles of Prussia, son of Frederick William III and his wife Princess Marie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, daughter of Charles Frederick, the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. He had an older brother, Fredrich (1828-1885) who was also offered the throne but refused, along with an older sister, Louise (1829-1901). Following his birth, his parents had his sister, Maria Anna who was born in 1836 and currently 78.

### Marriage Prospects

By 1850, William I had been reigning for 4 years and was 20, with no heirs. The government began pressuring him to find a young European wife, who would give him children. His first choice was Princess Elisabeth of Saxony, his third cousin who was the same age as him. Though the two greatly liked each other, he was pressured to find another choice, from a more powerful European family. Another option was Princess Maria Amélia of Brazil, who was a year younger than William and the youngest sister of both Maria II of Portugal, and Pedro II of Brazil. His third option was with Grand Duchess Catherine Mikhailovna of Russia who was 3 years older than William, the niece of Emperor Nicholas I, and offered an alliance with Russia. His fourth and final choice was Princess Eugénie of Sweden, daughter of King Oscar I.

### Marriage

On June 20th, 1850 Emperor William I married the 23 year old Russian, Grand Duchess Catherine Mikhailovna of Russia, daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich of Russia and Princess Charlotte of Wurttemberg in Austin. A large ceremony went on throughout the country and it was a time of great popularity following the American War of Aggression. Even though it was a political match the two seemed to fall deeply in love with another and often spent time in Europe. Following their honeymoon, they spent a 2 month period of time in Russia, where an alliance was figured and the two grew closer. Together they had eight children and remain married after 64 years.

### Children

* Princess **Charlotte** Catherine Marie (b. April 5th, 1851) Married her first cousin-once removed, Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia, having 1 son together.
* Crown Prince **William** Charles Michael (July 15th, 1852-April 4th, 1906) William was heir to his father for his entire lifetime, later marrying Princess Thyra of Denmark and having 4 children.
* Prince **Charles** William Michael (August 18th, 1853) Married Infanta Isabel of Spain, having 3 children together.
* Princess **Catherine** Charlotte Marie (March 4th, 1854) Married her 1st cousin, Frederick William III, the Landgrave of Hesse, having 3 daughters together.
* Princess **Marie** Amalia Charlotte (December 16th, 1856) Married King William III of the Netherlands, having 1 daughter together.
* Princess **Amalia** Marie Charlotte (December 4th, 1858) Married Emperor Maximilian II of Mexico, having 4 children together.
* Princess **Mary** Charlotte Amalia (September 2nd, 1859) Married her second cousin, Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany, having 7 children together.
* Prince **Michael** William Charles (September 2nd, 1859) Married his second cousin, Princess Charlotte of Prussia, having 2 children together.

### Other Activities

Emperor William I lives at *Williamsburg Palace* in the center area of Austin. He spends his summers vacationing on the Texan coast, usually in one of his many private yachts or at Galveston Palace. Being raised in the highly militarized Prussian culture, the Emperor is rarely seen out of uniform, and even visited a zoo in full military regalia. His hobbies include horseback-riding and stag-hunting with his advisors on the estate of his friends, and he is known to keep a saddle in his office.

## Titles and Styles

* **February 16th, 1830-March 1st, 1846:** *His Royal Highness* Prince Wilhelm of Prussia
* **March 1st, 1846-Present** *His Imperial Highness* Emperor William I of Texas and the Texans

### Full Title and Style

*His Imperial Majesty William of Texas, by the Grace of God, Emperor of Texas and the Texans, Imperial Prince of Austin, Imperial Prince of Houston, Imperial Prince of Dallas and of Albuquerque, Supreme Head of the Imperial Diet, Grand Duke of Galveston, Grand Duke of San Antonio and of the County of Corpus Christi, Duke of El Paso, Duke of Lubbock, Prince of Amarillo, Prince of Fort Worth, Prince of San Angelo, Prince of Beaumont, Prince of Abilene, and of Clyde, Prince of Breckenridge and of McAllen, Princely Count of Laredo and Nye, Count of Victoria, Count of Canyon Lake, Count of Marble Falls and of Kings, Count of Richland and of Valley Spring, Lord of Arlington*