Albert I of Spain

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## King

### Reign

8 March 1697-9 January 1699 (Scotland)9 January 1699-present (Spain)

## Info

### Religion

Calvinism

**Albert I** (born September 9th 1679 as Albert James George Dunkeld) was King of Scotland as Albert II until 1699, and present King of Spain and Morocco since 1699. He is the first Scottish monarch of Spain after he fled from Scotland with 57,000 Scottish and Northumbrian citizens, due to the invasion by England.

Albert inherited the Spanish throne with widespread support from all regions of Spain as well as the citizens of Scotland. Albert was raised a calivinist protestant, so when he arrived in Iberia, where most where catholic, a lot had their doubts with him. He stated in a speech however, that freedom of religion across the Kingdom was guaranteed. Many Spaniards peacefully converted to protestantism, save for the regions of Aragon and Palma, which both have been ruled by catholic Viscount Juan Martinez.

## Early life

### Birth

Albert was born, first son of King James II of Scotland-Northumbria in 1679, in Edinburgh Castle. Later that same year, he was baptised as a protestant in the St Giles Cathedral. He was educated in a private school in Glasgow in the protestant way, until the age of 15 when he returned to Edinburgh.

### Education

Albert was educated in Glasgow as a protestant, where he was taught equality between citizens and nobility, as well as being taught mathematics, and the languages English, Scots, Scottish Gaelic, Flemish, Spanish and French. He was taught since the age of 13 how to become a military officer, which he later became.

### Royal Navy

At age 16, Albert became the Commodore of the Eastern Scottish fleet. Because of his education, Albert was able to successfully rid Scottish and Northumbrian waters of pirates. This got him the promotion to Admiral of the Royal Navy.

Albert kept this rank until his accession to the Scottish throne in 1697 after his father's unexpected death.

## Early Reign

Born into the Royal House of Dunkeld, Albert was guaranteed to be the next King of Scotland-Northumbria. In 1697 his father James III died, and thus leaving Albert to become the King of Scotland-Northumbria at the age 18 years old. Prepared he was, and he soon became very popular with the people. In the same year, he passed the law of Freedom of Religion, due to catholics and protestant both living in the kingdom.

At the age of 19, he was believed to have a relationship with his former classmate, Anne Findlay. Parliament disproved this because she was a commoner, and exiled Anne to Belfast, where she still lives to this day. Albert was not allowed to see her since then, and tried to disband Parliament. Unfortunately for him, this Parliament was very popular amongst the people of the kingdom, and thus he never disbanded it.

## War with England

In 1699, the British military invaded Northumbria, and later Scotland. Despite many resistance movements, Scotland-Northumbria was fully occupied by the English, now referred to as the British. 57,000 men (women and children not counted) fled to Iberia, where they believed they would find peace. A lot of citizens were killed or sentenced to jail by the English for trying to flee. The Scottish Royal Family also fled to Iberia, in fear of being imprisoned by the brutal English.

## Accession to the Spanish throne

The Scottish citizens arrived in Northern Spain only 3 weeks after their departure. They were welcomed by the Spanish citizens with open arms, and Scots instantly assimilated in Spain. Fortunately for Albert, the Spanish didn't like their current King. Many citizens voted him to be their new King, despite him being protestant, and the majority of Spain being catholic. The old king of Spain, Ferdinand VII died when Albert entered Madrid.

Albert chose his first name to be referred as, and he became Albert I of Spain as an absolute monarch. On the 29th of May 1700 he reinstated Parliament. Because of his law to pass Freedom of Religion, the Spanish people loved him.

## Marriage and Union with Morocco

King Albert I married the beautiful Queen Lunja IV of the Berbers (Morocco) on the 26th of May 1700. Many believed the marriage to be a political arrangement, but it was actually a marriage of love between the two monarchs. They met when Albert went on a diplomatic state visit to Morocco and they fell in love immediately, sending love letters to each other every now and again. Because of this marriage between the two monarchs, the kingdoms united and Albert became King of Spain and Morocco.

There are rumours saying that Queen Lunja was already pregnant by Albert before their marriage, but that was never proven.

## Gibraltar

Gibraltar was claimed by Spain since the previous Spanish dynasty. Albert I thus claimed it also, but since he was Scottish, the British claimed it to be theirs with no justification nor invasion in 1700. This caused heated debates between the Spanish parties and the British parties, where both made fair points. The matter has not been resolved, but most countries still recognise Gibraltar as part of Spain.