Friederich II of Fengelia

Friederich II in 1050

> *"Give me your absolute obedience, and Fengelia shall have her place under the sun!"*
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**Friederich II** (*Franz Friederich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Hein-Fengelberg;* 1001-1062) was the third Emperor of the Fengelians, King of the Hein, Duke of Straussland and Protector of Fengelberg, reigning from 1035 to 1053. His reign initially saw continued reconciliation and liberalization, such as the unbanning of the Social Democratic Party, but later on increased militarism and poor foreign policies eventually led to the Sixth War breaking out. By 1053, revolutions had broken out and Friederich II fled Fengelia, formally announcing his abdication while in exile. His crown prince, Franz August, took the throne for himself, and after crushing the revolutions, Friederich was not allowed to return to Fengelia. He died in exile in 1062

Friederich is blamed for militarism and expansionism, which dragged Fengelia into the Sixth Fengelo-Aulmierrese War and caused millions of deaths, massive resource shortages, revolutions, instability and the suspension of liberties in response to said revolutions. However, he is also praised for liberalization and the promotion of arts, culture, science and industry

## Biography

### Early life

The Heinese and Kürheimese royal families were closely connected through generations of intermarriages. However, this also meant that their offspring suffered from the effects of inbreeding. This case was particularly severe among the children of Ferdinand I and his wife, Princess Sofia of Kürheim. Friederich suffered from both physical and mental disabilities, which would later affect his reign.

Friederich was born in 1001 to then-Crown Prince Ferdinand. Friederich was the fourth son of Ferdinand I, and his seventh child, and wouldn't have had the opportunity to take the throne. However, However, his eldest brother Prince Wilhelm died of tuberculosis in 1022; the second brother, Prince Karl Ferdinand, renounced his right to the throne and left the country in 1024; the third brother, Alois, died in an airship accident in 1021. Therefore, despite his father not wanting him to take the throne, Friederich became the crown prince under the line of succession in 1024.

### Crown Prince

As crown prince, Friederich married Princess Wilhelmina of Anzir in 1026. As Friederich was not expected to take the throne, he wasn't tutored to be a monarch in his youth, and was instead trained as a military officer, being influenced by the more conservative and militarist old nobles such as Hans Ludwig von Neingardt, and being more interested in grand conquests and victories such as those of Leon I than state affairs.

Struck by the loss of his sons and wife, Emperor Ferdinand's health deteriorated in the 1020s to 30s, and Friederich often took over his monarchial duties. Ferdinand I died in 1035, and Friederich succeeded the throne as Friederich II

### Early reign

#### Domestic policy

Friederich was more interested in military buildup and colonial expansion than state affairs and politics. In his early reign, he largely left the politicians to their own devices and discussed with militarists on things such as expanding the Imperial Air Fleet and overseas colonial expansion. However, as the government and Reichstag opposed these things and would not approve the budgets, Friederich II often butted heads with them, and Chancellors and cabinets were frequently dismissed, and the Reichstag was frequently dissolved. Sensing business opportunities from military buildup, corporations such as Rechtoff Air and Anzir Timber would often support the Emperor. Friederich II became more and more distrustful of democracy, and began undoing his father's liberalizations and empowering the conservative militarist nobles. In 1942, he appointed General Eduard von Mussäu as Chancellor, and then the industrialist Manfred Rechtoff, and finally his friend and associate Slowein von Neingardt. Their policies consisted of military buildup and colonial expansion, which soured relations with neighboring countries like the Lorlands and Kranowska