Johan II of Mariana

Johan II (born Johan Bart Edward, 1881-1967) was King of Mariana from 23 October 1913 to his death on 15 November 1967. Johan's reign, the longest in Mariana, oversaw a number of changes in the country's history.

Becoming king in a tumultuous period, following his father's assassination in the October Plot, he oversaw the redenomination of the Marianan lira to usher in economic stability, helped push Mariana into the Great War in 1915, oversaw a recession and the Great Depression and was a key figure in the fight against the German Occupation in World War II from abroad. Following the war years, Johan would largely leed a more private and secluded life, with his son, Prince Martin and wife Queen Alexandra of Mariana taking on greater roles in representing the monarchy and nation.

In 1963 the King celebrated his Golden Jubilee, his one major public event in the postwar years, with 1964 seeing his son and daughter-in-law being made official regents in his stead. Johan died on 15 November 1967 at the age of 86.

Birth and early life
Johan was born on 11 October 1881 in the Royal Palace in Palma, son to Pieter II and his German-born wife, Sophie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

Prior to his birth the Liberal Revolution divided the country, as his father and uncle and simultaneously republican elements in the general populace and Royal Guard were pitted against his grandfather, King Johan and conservatives. Johan was deposed and exiled by Pieter and eventually a compromise was reached between royalists and republicans which implemented an updated constitution and an elected congress.

Thus, Johan was born a crown prince, as his parents' first child. According to his father, he was named after the medieval King Juan of Mariana, an able militaryman, and not the crown prince's exiled grandfather. Johan would have four siblings, Princess Caroline Amelie (1882-1905), Prince Louis (1884-1929), Prince Hendrik (1886-1956) and Princess Martina Louisa (1891-1981).

Johan grew up speaking French and German at home, though he studied English to a near-native level. Despite his Dutch name and (admittedly distant) ancestry, his command of the language was not his best.

Education and military career
At the age of 17 Johan entered the navy, commissioned as a 2nd Class Ensign in July 1899. He was attached to the British Royal Navy from 1901-1904, and he became an even stronger anglophile during his time there. Despite that, he grew to dislike the navy and military life in general, seeing him retire from his naval career in March 1904. Johan instead focused his time on studying history, painting, and becoming acquainted with the political sphere in Mariana, which would be of much use in later years.

Relationships and marriage
Johan was initially known as somewhat of a womanizer in his youth. Between 1900 and 1902 he was involved in a relationship with the Michigan-born Eleanor Hull, and later was rumored to have been involved with early radio personality Clarissa Brouwer. His most serious relationship, though, was with the older Liese Van Neyt (1871-1923), daughter of an important nobleman. He and Liese had a country house in Umbria (Italy) where they would summer and for a while contemplated marrying her; rumors persist they were secretly wedded in the summer of 1912. His mother, ever influential in her son's life, drove a wedge between the pair and by early 1913 Johan and Liese moved apart.

Eventually in February 1915 a marriage was arranged with Maria Benedita of Braganza (1896–1971), daughter of Miguel, Duke of Braganza (the Miguelist claimant to the throne of Portugal) and Princess Maria Theresa of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg. Despite the monarchy being deposed in Portugal, a union with their royals was seen as favourable; Johan's mother preferred several German princesses, hoping to use that as leverage for her son to enter the war on Germany's side, or at least lead him to abandon his anglophile views. Johan, though, was steadfast in his opposition to his mother's wishes, not wanting a repeat of the issue with Liese, and upon seeing Maria Benedita became besotted with her, if more for her personality than her looks.

The two were wed in October 1915 at Palma Cathedral, in a fairly lavish ceremony.

1913 assassinations attempts and coup
On 6 August 1913, the Crown Prince was walking in Palma when anarchist Karl Felix Marek attempted an attack on the king; he took out his gun and shot at the prince, but it had jammed. Several onlookers tried to detain him but he stabbed a man. A nearby policeman heard the commotion and was able to arrest Marek. Despite the tense political situation in the country and this attempt coming 5 years after the Lisbon regicide, again in a similarly tumultuous time, the attack was dismissed by the royalists as a single-handed attempt, though the republicans plotting against the king were indeed behind it.

A visit to Brezonde (with his fahter and youngest sister) on 23 October would prove to be even more fateful. They were driven through Brezonde on an open coach and many onlookers lined the streets so see the royals. Traveling down Venice Street one of the horses stopped and it took a while to get it to move again. In that time an onlooker, Jean-Paul Marois pulled out a gun and fired several shots at the king and the crown prince. Marois was quickly apprehended and he was shot and killed trying to escape from the police. Princess Martina Louisa was unharmed but both Pieter and Johan had been hit. They were taken to a nearby house to be treated but Pieter was not likely to survive, having been shot twice in the chest. The king lost a lot of blood and he died a little after 3:00 PM, at the age of 53.

Early news reports suggested Johan had also died, but that was not the case. He was in grave condition but was well and conscious on the 24th, asking for <>.

Early years/Great War
Coming to power after the tumultuous October plot, he quickly moved to have the prime minister replaced, with Liberal Joseph Hertz in January 1914 and Hertz with aging conservative Mark van Liesneck in May, the last instance of the king directly interfering directly in politics in such a way.

From September 1914, a pressing question on Johan's mind were the unfolding events in Europe and the outbreak of war. Being an anglophile, he sympathised with the Entente, and the May 1915 change of sides for Italy proved providential. Van Liesneck and the Whites were able to pass a resolution for war on 4 June.

Together with Princess Martina Louisa, who acted in lieu of a consort while he was single, Johan gave a rousing speech to the troops on 30 July prior to them heading off to Europe. His mother, on the other hand, would not forgive her son and her influence waned even more once he married Maria Benedita in October. His mother would then take up a rather more permanent holiday in the south of Spain, to get away from Mariana. In April 1917 she was shot by an anarchist assailant; Sophie survived but returned to Mariana and spent her days at her country house in the mountains, until her 1924 death.

The last Marianan troops in Europe returned triumphantly after April 1918.