Sarius I of Praetonia
 A painting of the King inspecting His troops at the 1981 Royal Review. | |
|---|---|
| Sucession | 1st King of the Crown Commonwealth of Praetonia, 2nd King of the Democratic Imperium of Praetonia, 68th King of the Praetonians |
| Reign: | 12th January 1941 - 7th Febuary 2007 |
| Predecessor: | Queen Elizabeth I |
| Successor: | King George IV |
| Birthdate | 18th May 1921 |
| Place of Birth: | Uxland Castle, Praetonia |
| Marriages | Queen Margaret |
| Languages spoken | English, Latin, Ancient Greek |
King Sarius I, 18th May 1921 - 7th Febuary 2007;, styled His Majesty Sarius I by the Grace of God of the Crown Commonwealth of Praetonia King, Lord Custodian of Parliament, was the reigning monarch in Praetonia for sixty five years. At 92, he was the oldest reigning monarch in Praetonian history and considered by many to be the greatest, having presided over an unprecedented period of growth in economic, military and cultural power and influence.
Biography
Early Life and Reign
The future King was born at Uxland Castle in 1921 into an unremarkable country where the future of monarchy was in serious doubt following the recent revolution that overthrew the New Monarchy. Succeeding to the throne at just 20 years of age, Sarius was only the second monarch to reign over the newly created Democratic Imperium of Praetonia, following the 12 year reign of Elizabeth I.
Most of his early reign was dedicated to rebuilding the public image of the monarchy in order to fend off perennial calls for a return to the republicanism of the Grand Commonwealth of a century before. To this end, the young King cultivated positive press wherever possible, setting up numerous organisations which carried out charitable work or promoted Praetonian business and tourism abroad, and took a keen interest in the navy.
Marriage
The marriage of King Sarius I to Lady Margaret Farthington in 1949 was the first royal event to be televised and attracted the highest viewing figures ever seen in Praetonia up until that time, with approximately 92% of the population watching the event in total. The new Queen proved charismatic and media-savvy, and Sarius's marriage is widely viewed as the tipping point beyond which republican sentiment ceased to be sufficiently strong to cause any serious worry for the future of his position as King.
The King and Queen have remained happily married ever since, and had 5 children: King George IV (1950), Princess Mary (1952), Princes Thomas and Randolph (1955) and Princess Elizabeth (1956).
Later Life
Following the birth of his fifth child, the King's public life changed as Praetonia began to move outwards into the wider world. The King frequently served as a diplomat and continued to do so to this day, most notably in negotiating the Treaty of Uxland with President Sarzo of Sarzonia. In addition to His new diplomatic roles, the King's ceremonial role took on increased importance as a means of projecting an image of the newly internationalist Praetonia as an old, powerful and proud nation, and also to promote a sense of common identity between those still living on the mainland and those establishing new colonies abroad.
His self-assumed role as a champion of the Imperial Navy also took on increased importance and consumed increasing amounts of his time as the navy budget was drastically increased in line with Praetonia's growing wealth and growing dependence on vulnerable transoceanic supply lines for food and oil. Today the King at the time of his death was viewed by the majority of Praetonians as a truly great statesman, and an embodiment of the Praetonian national character.
