James I of Pacífica
| James I | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
King of Pacífica and Lord Protector of the Realm Grand Duke of the Hawaiian Islands | |||||
 | |||||
 | |||||
| Reign | July 6th, 2001 to Present | ||||
| Coronation | July 20th, 2001 | ||||
| Predecessor | Dayton III of Pacífica | ||||
| Heir apparent | Prince Dayton of Pacífica | ||||
| Grand Duke of the Hawaiian Islands | |||||
| Reign | July 6th, 2001 to Present | ||||
| Coronation | July 20th, 2001 | ||||
| Predecessor | Dayton III of Pacífica | ||||
| Heir apparent | Prince Dayton of Pacífica | ||||
| Consort | Angelica, Queen Consort of Pacífica | ||||
| Issue |
Prince Dayton of Pacífica Prince George of Pacífica Princess Elisabeth of Pacífica | ||||
| |||||
| Royal house | House of Habsburg-Branver | ||||
| Father | Dayton III of Pacífica | ||||
| Mother | Jamie Haynes | ||||
| Religion | Roman Catholic | ||||
James I of Pacífica (James David Charles George;born December 1st, 1978) is the King and Lord Protector of the Kingdom of Pacífica and Grand Duke of the Hawaiian Islands. James ascended the throne on July 6th, 2001 after the death of his father, Dayton III of Pacífica. Under James, the monarchy has seen an increase of support with the Pacífican and Hawaiian people.
James was born at the Branver Palace in Dayton, Pacífica on December 1st, 1978 as the first son and child of Dayton III and Queen Consort Jamie. He was privately educated at Branver Palace, along with the rest of his siblings. After finishing primary education, James attended the University of Pacífica, Los Angeles, becoming the first monarch to attend university. While attending university, he met his future wife, Angelica Monroe whom he married in 2000. After graduating from university, James assumed the title of Crown Prince and represented his father and the royal family at numerous events.
On July 14th, 2001, James became King and Lord Protector of Pacífica and Grand Duke of the Hawaiian Islands after his father passed away due to natural causes. On July 6th, 2006, James became the first monarch in Pacífican history to use royal privileges to repeal a law passed by a legislature, after he repealed the widely unpopular Secondary Language Act. On August 13th, 2014, James became the first Pacífican monarch since Dayton I to step foot in Mexico after attending the Mexico City Summit in Mexico City.
Under James, the monarchy's popularity has increased with Pacífican and Hawaiian citizens, especially with younger generations. Despite his high popularity, James has faced criticism from the press and anti-monarchy public officials, who have both cited his use of royal privileges against a law passed by a democratic government as signs of "secret authoritarianism".
Early Life
James David Charles George Habsburg-Branver was born on December 1st, 1978 to Dayton III of Pacífica and Jamie, Queen Consort at Branver Palace. As the first child of the royal couple, James was immediately proclaimed the future King of Pacífica and designated as the Heir Apparent. Because the title of Crown Prince or Princess was granted once the heir apparent reached the age of 18, James was referred to a Prince of Pacífica. Shortly after his birth and the final medical checks were being finished, the royal family announced his birth to the nation. James's first public appearance was on February 17th, 1979, being carried by his father at a church service at St. Gabriel's Cathedral in Dayton.
Unlike previous royal children, James and his siblings, Prince Conrad, Prince William, and Princess Alexandra, were all raised by their mother, Queen Consort Jamie, rather than a royal nanny or governor.
Education
When James reached the age of 5, he began his private primary schooling at Branver Palace. During his primary schooling, James was given basic lessons on Pacífican History and Culture, Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. Along with primary education, James also learned the Spanish and German languages, as it was a requirement for royal children to learn the official minority languages of Pacífica. After finishing primary education, James enrolled and was accepted at the University of Pacífica, Los Angeles, becoming the first monarch in Pacífican history to receive a university education.
While attending university, James befriended and began dating Angelica Monroe. The two would eventually marry in late 2000 and would go on to have three children. He also refrained from assuming the title of Crown Prince until he was finished with university. In early 2000, James graduated from the University of Pacífica, Los Angeles with a bachelor's degree in world history.
Crown Prince
Immediately after graduating from university, James assumed the title of Crown Prince and became an active member of the royal family. As his father's health deteriorated, James began to assume the role of his father, attending events and ceremonies the King would usually attend. On July 1st, 2000, James founded the Crown Prince Children's Charity Organization in an effort to combat rising child physical and mental health issues. On August 3rd, 2000, James became the Commander of the Order of the Pacific, succeeding his father.
On October 2nd, James became the first Crown Prince to open a military base after he opened Fort Gallagher in East Salt Lake. He also became the first Crown Prince to attend a Mormon church service. On November 1st, 2000, James opened the new session of His Majesty's Parliament, taking the place of his father. He also represented his father at the North American Conference of Heads of States on May 6th, 2001.
Reign
Ascension to the Throne
On the morning of July 6th, 2001, Dayton III passed away in his sleep due to natural causes. Following the constitution, James was instantly proclaimed King and Lord Protector of Pacífica and Grand Duke of Hawaii. After a state funeral and a week of mourning, a coronation was held for James on July 20th, where he was officially proclaimed King. Instead of taking a regnal name like a majority of his predecessors, James kept his birth name, since it was already widely known by the public.
King of Pacífica
As King, James continued the job and traditions of the monarchy. During his first months as King, James held frequent meetings with government officials to recognize himself with the daily proceedings of government. As King, James also continued his father's traditions of giving annual speeches to the nation and parliament.
On July 6th, 2006, on the fifth anniversary of the start of his reign, the Social Democratic-controlled House of Deputies and Senate passed the Secondary Language Act. The Secondary Language Act was a law that required any student attempting to enter college to know the three most spoken minority languages of the country. This caused outrage among many students and parents since a majority of Pacífican student's applications were denied based on their ability to speak a different language. This led to the Student Strike of 2006, which was when over 100,000 students and teachers walked out of their classes to protest the new act. With the House and Senate refusing to repeal the act, James, who was sympathetic towards the student strikers, used the Royal Privilege to Remove an Act of Parliament to remove the Secondary Language Act, claiming it to be discriminatory. James's actions greatly increased the monarchy's popularity with the Pacífican youth.
On August 10th, 2010, James became the first Pacífican monarch to speak to the North American Congress. In his speech, James called for greater North American cooperation, while also calling on the Congress to "respect the numerous cultural differences and national identities that make up the great North American Union". Although officially denying it, many believe this to be the only time James showed his private political views.
On August 13th, 2014, James attended the Mexico City Summit in Mexico City, becoming the first Pacífican monarch since Dayton I to step foot in Mexico. During the summit, James, the Prime Minister of Pacífica at the time, Stephen J. Kennedy, and Texan President Jack Abbott signed the Mexico City Agreement with the Republic of Mexico. The agreement ended the decades-long Pacífican and Texan sanctions on Mexico and allowed Mexico to join the North American Union. In turn, Mexico would drop all its claims to the lands it lost to the two countries in World War II. Despite the agreement benefiting both sides, in 2018, Mexican President Manuel Rodrigo broke the agreement after his government voted in favor of reviving the claims to Pacífican and Texan lands. In response, Pacífica and Texas reinstated their sanctions on Mexico, starting the Mexican Reclaimation Crisis.
Personal Life
Family
On October 1st, 2000, James married his girlfriend, Angelica Monroe. Their marriage was highly publicized and aired live on television, garnering over 1,000,000 viewers. On September 1st, 2004, Angelica gave birth to Prince Dayton of Pacífica. Like his father, Prince Dayton was immediately declared the future King and heir apparent. On October 18th, 2006, Prince George of Pacífica was born and on December 17th, 2011, Princess Elisabeth of Pacífica was born.
Personal Interests
James is a fan of Water Polo, despite never playing the sport. When asked about this in a rare interview with George Harper in 2019, James stated that when his eldest son began playing water polo, he "became very interested" in the sport. In the same interview with George Harper, James also revealed that his relationship with his father was "rocky at first" but greatly improved as time went on. James is a supporter of the arts and student-led organizations, constantly donating to both. James is also a self-proclaimed dog enthusiast, owning two german shepherds.
Rumored Political Views
Despite it being illegal for monarchs to express personal political views, many Pacíficans have speculated and spread rumors of James's personal views. After his speech to the North American Congress, many began speculating that he was secretly against the North American Union. The Royal Family has denied the idea, deeming it a rumor. In 2019, after declaring himself a "loyal Catholic", Pacífican far-right conspiracy theorists began speculated that James was a closeted conservative, but this theory was quickly denied by James, who claimed that "being a religious faithful did not automatically mean [he] was political".
Style and Honors
Style
- December 1st, 1978 to January 5th, 2000: His Highness, Prince James of Pacífica
- January 5th, 2000 to July 6th, 2001: His Royal Highness, James, Crown Prince of Pacífica
- July 6th, 2001 to Present: His Royal Majesty, James I, King and Lord Protector of Pacífica and Grand Duke of the Hawaiian Islands
Unlike most Crown Princes or Princesses, James did not take up an additional title when married, instead preferring to be referred to as just the Crown Prince.
Honors
National
- Sovereign Commander of the Order of the Pacific
- Sovereign Commander of the Order of Sun
- Sovereign Commander of the Order of the Kingdom
- Sovereign Commander of the Order of Dayton I
- Knight Commander of the Knights of the Crown
- 2006 Most Admired Pacífican Award
- 2008 Most Admired Pacífican Award
- 2017 Most Admired Pacífican Award
- 2019 Most Admired Pacífican Award
