Joshua II
| Emperor Joshua II | ||||||||
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Emperor Joshua II took the throne after the death of his mother, Empress Mary I in 1942. Thanks to the military build-up ordered by his mother, Joshua II was well positioned to face the challenges of the second great European war. The new Emperor successfully defended the Holy Empire from the threat of enemy attack in early 1942, then joined the Allied war effort towards the end of the year.
After the end of the war, Joshua II reduced the overall size of the military while emphasizing the quality of its training and equipment. He promoted the expansion of civilian economy and encouraged higher levels of consumption in order to drive greater production. This led to a long period of economic growth through out the 1950s and 1960s.
As the new youth culture of the Sixties spread to Excalbia, the Emperor became one of the most outspoken defenders of traditional values. In one surprising incident in 1967 the Emperor left Sweyn Castle to personally confront a group of demonstrators demanding a liberalization of the moral code and challenged the leader of the students to a debate on the spot. Most journalists present gave the victory in the debate that followed to the Emperor, due mostly to lingering shock on the part of the student leader.
When the never married Emperor died in 1969, he left no heir and the throne passed to his sister, Mary II.
