The American Union

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Oh God, King George IV is now in charge-if he is as much of an idiot in this world as he was in ours, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Jacobites win .

[DKrol]

Augustus, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith

George, Prince of Wales, ascended to the thrones of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland upon his father’s death. Feeling rejected by his now late father, the new King chose to use his second name as his regnal name - Augustus. King Augustus wasted no time differentiating himself from his father. Augustus had never supported the war in the Americas - he saw it as a costly waste. He questioned the value of spending both money and lives to subject a bunch of “unruly farmers” who didn’t want to “experience the glory of the British Empire”. Almost all of his Ministers, especially Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger, were opposed to granting the Provinces independence and they spent many hours attempting to dissuade the new King from his plans. But he would not be persuaded to change his mind - his eyes were set on Africa.

His Majesty Charles, King of the Americas, by the Grace of God, Defender of the Faith

When word reached King Charles , who had recovered from his illness much better than his British counterpart, he was ecstatic but cautious. He had dealt with the Hanoverians many times and knew that there must be some catch on this independence. But, after discussions with Prime Minister Alexander Hamilton and Major General Henry Knox, he determined that there was no attempt at subversion. The Americans had completed a three decades long struggle and were now an independent nation.

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An Artistic Rendition of the Mass of the Coronation of King Charles

King Charles began his reign as King of the Americas on August 3rd, 1786, when he was formally coronated by Archbishop John Carroll. The ceremony was large and full of pomp and circumstance, with many foreign dignitaries traveling to the Kingdom of the Americas for the ceremony. Notably absent from the ceremony, however, was any representative from the British Government. Following his coronation, Charles read his first “Speech from the Throne” which set out the structure of the new government. The King received his right to rule from God, Charles declared, but the consent of the governed was also a God-given right. To balance these two ideologies, there would be a Senate (composed of one elected member from each Province) that would “advise and give consent to” the King’s policies. The leader of the Senate, known as the President, would be the closest advisor to the King, while administrative matters of the Senate would be left up to a President Pro Tempore. Each province would have a Governor, to be appointed by the King, and a Provincial Senate, elected by the people of the province. Thinker Thomas Paine referred to Charles’ government as “the Great Compromise”.

Early Designs for the Royal Residence, Drawn by Sir Thomas Jefferson

With a government set up, Charles now required a seat for that government. The Crown bought a 70 square mile tract of land in Virginia for that purpose. A garrison was to be built there, along with a palace, a court house, and a meeting house for the Senate. A contest was held to grant the rights to design the new city was held. Numerous submissions from famous architects were brought in from across the world, and Charles selected Sir Thomas Jefferson, James Hoban, and John Nash as the final three contestants. Each was tasked with drawing up designs for the Royal Residence and then Charles would selected the winner. Regardless of the what the British thought, the American Kingdom was up and running.

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The Palace of Monticello, Designed by Sir Thomas Jefferson

King Charles and Queen Louise settled on the design by Sir Thomas Jefferson as the final plan for their palace - Monticello. The palace and it’s surrounding structures was to be built in the Piedmont Region of Virginia. Until then, the Royal family lived in, and government met in, Baltimore. The Senate met for the first time on October 3rd, 1786 and elected John Adams as the first President of the Senate and James Madison as President Pro Tempore of the Senate. The Senate passed it’s first bill, “On the Rights of Succession”, which requested that His Majesty formally spell out the laws of succession of the land and sent it to King Charles on October 20th.

Charlotte, Bastard Child of King Charles

King Charles had fretted over the issue of his succession since he made his first claim to the English Throne. He had only one child that had survived infancy - a female bastard from a mistress. He knew that he could have issued a decree and legitimized her, but he worried about how that would impact his relationship with the Roman Catholic Church. After meeting with Adams and Madison, Charles penned the “Laws of Succession to the Throne of the Americas” which decreed: 1) Only males may sit on the throne, 2) Upon his assumption into office, the King, with the Archbishop of Baltimore as witness, must write down the name of his successor in the Book of Kings, 3) Should that person die before assuming the throne, the King and Archbishop must meet again and a new successor be written, 4) Once the person has been named, the book bearing the name is to be kept in a vault in the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Baltimore, 5) Once the King dies, a council composed of the Archbishop, the Queen-consort, the eldest son of the King, and the Senior Officer of the Army must convene at the Cathedral and proclaim the name to the people of the Kingdom, and 6) The name in the book, as certified by the Council, is final and must sit upon the Throne. Charles proclaimed this from the Senate Chamber before making his way to the Cathedral of St. Andrew to inscribe the name of his successor.

[DKrol]

((From this point on, posts will be a summary of the King’s reign.))

King Charles “The Father” of the Americas
(r. 1786-1795)

America’s first king was a short-lived, yet impactful, ruler. King Charles led the charge for Independence and crafted the basis for the American system of a Democratic Monarchy. His reign last only 9 years but saw the rise of three separate Presidents of the Senate: John Adams (1786-1789), George Clinton (1789-1794), and James Monroe (1794-1795), although James Madison remained as President Pro Tempore of the Senate for Charles’ entire reign.

Policy wise, Charles’ reign focused on setting the groundwork and creating a stable government for future rulers. He did, however, establish a permanent, standing army for the realm. When King Louis XVI was put to death in 1793, Charles took a hardline stance against any possible rebels within his own borders. Several thinkers were executed by the Crown to stop ideas of an American rebellion.

The King fell gravely ill in 1790, 1791, and once again in 1795. During those periods his brother, Prince Henry Benedict, Cardinal Duke of Providence, acted as regent. Charles succumed to death on December 3rd, 1795 from an infection of the throat. Unable to speak, his final communication was scratched out on a piece of paper an hour before his death: “Is my father pleased with me?”, written to Prince Henry as Last Rites were being performed.

Archbishop John Carroll, Queen Louise, and Major General Benjamin Lincoln met at the Cathedral of St. Andrew and held a private prayer before opening the vault and removing the Book of Kings. Crowds were so large outside the Cathedral that troops had to be brought in to keep them back. Bishop Carroll stood in the window and proclaimed the new King of the Americas: Prince Henry Benedict.

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King Henry “The Confessor”
(r. 1795-1817)

Henry Benedict spent much of his life in a priestly fashion - one of modesty, humility, and basicness. His reign as King was no different. He refused to live in the Palace of Monticello, instead living out of an apartment near the Cathedral of St. Andrew. Some fretted over Henry’s role as a Cardinal, but he resigned his Holy post to focus on governing his secular realm. Policy wise, Henry focused on expanding his borders. In 1802, President of the Senate James Monroe was sent to France to negotiate the purchase of several French-American holdings. When Napoleon decline the plan, Henry called upon his Vatican associates to force the French Emperor’s hand. After much persuasion and a sum of some £20,000,000, Henry’s realm more than doubled.

Henry’s reign was only advised by one Senate President, James Monroe, while he experienced two Presidents Pro Tempore: James Madison (1795-1806) and John Quincy Adams (1806-1817). Major General Benjamin Lincoln was dismissed as Senior Officer by the King in 1802 when he began advocating aggressive steps towards British Canada. Andrew Jackson, a no-name Colonel, won Henry’s heart and was raised to Major General rank and Senior Officer.

Henry’s health was strong through his entire tenure. He experienced no regencies - but he also experienced no marriages. As a priest-by-training, he declared that he would never have a Queen-consort. Instead, whenever a hostess was needed, he called upon his late brother’s wife. King Henry died suddenly while hunting deer on October 15th, 1817, leading some to question whether it was a natural death or an assassination. A squire reported that the King’s final words were “The Lord is near”, but many claim that that is unlikely - given the suddenness of his death.

Archbishop Ambrose Marechal and Major General Andrew Jackson, as the only two members of the Succession Committee, met at the Cathedral of St. Andrew and held a private prayer before opening the vault and removing the Book of Kings. The crowds were even larger than they had been for Charles’ death. There was no obvious choice for a new King - some thought it would go to Major General Jackson, while others were claiming James Madison was next. Many were shocked when Archbishop Marechal proclaimed former Senate President John Adams as the next King of the Americas. For the first time, the throne was leaving the House of Stuart.

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This TL will no longer be updated.