King Jorge II

Jorge II during a dinner with Pope Gregory

King Jorge II of Spain is the current monarch of the Medieval Spanish Kingdom. He was crowned on December 14th, 1052 at the age of twenty. Jorge is considered one of the oldest living monarchs and also one of the most controversial. He is widely known for his complete overhaul of the Spanish military and navy, to which he used extensively in some of the most brutal crusades. To that end, Jorge II of Spain has been highly rewarded by the Church, but also criticized for his cruelty.

## Early Kingship

After being ordained king upon his father's death, Jorge II promised to bring about "a much more respected Spanish Empire." He called for a meeting with the Spanish Council. The Spanish economy was at the height of its prosperity by the time he assumed the throne. He had the funds to do whatever his leadership desired. He ordered the Council to draft a new military budget, one that would ultimately increase military spending by 17%. He also called for more spending on the Spanish Navy, more money allocated for foreign exploration, and military weaponry. Over the first seven years of rule, he would greatly expand the Spanish military on both land and sea.

## Holy Crusades

Jorge II led the newly developed Spanish military on two successful crusades during his rule. The first being the Crusade of 1061, in which the territory of Jerusalem was invaded by a collective European force. However, selected to lead by the Papal States were some of Jorge's top generals. Upon the successful victory, Jorge II was awarded the "His Holiness" Award by Pope Gregory for his effective contributions to the battle. Many were very critical of Jorge, who claimed he should have dedicated the award to the various generals who went out on the battlefield. He stayed at home in Spain. Nevertheless, the majority of Spaniards were favorable of his leadership.

After a decade long struggle, the Church would lose the holy land yet again. Jorge II immediately organized his military generals. However, a great deal of Spanish citizens were critical of this decision. After the brutality of the last crusade, most people were now reluctant for a second round of bloodshed. A poll taken by the Spanish People's Institute found 64% of Spaniards rejected participating in a second crusade. Despite this, Jorge II pushed for military intervention, citing a need to maintain strong relations with the Church. He did so and the Spanish military was largely destroyed during the event. Spanish generals had lost the crusade for the Church, causing a full retreat. Jorge II was disgraced. Spaniards called for him to step down, but he refused. The embarrassed king promised to keep the nation out of war for a great while in hopes that he could heal the wounds.

## Current Rule

King Jorge II slowly regained the approval of the Spanish public. While not fully supported by all, he is considered a rather productive leader. Despite the failure of the Crusade of 1072, Jorge's military reforms were widely accepted by society. Domestic attacks on the Spanish Kingdom significantly dropped following these measures.

As of recently, Jorge has hinted towards a potential military invasion of the Holy Roman Empire. While doing so would be a gamble on his credibility, it could potentially win him massive support among the anti-Henry European nations (which encompasses just about 97% of Western Europe). However, these are merely speculations.