Lewis II of Sierra

Lewis II (Stephen Henry Alexander; June 7, 1888–September 18, 1945) was King of Sierra and Alaska, and Emperor of Hani from June 23, 1927 until his death on September 18, 1945. Through his ancestry, Lewis II was a direct descendant of, the last monarch recognized by the Jacobites to have ruled , , and , and was the third Sierran  to lay claim to the thrones of the aforementioned countries. He is known officially by Jacobites as Henry X, II, & I, each ordinal number corresponding to the number of monarchs that bore the name "Henry" in each of the countries: England and Ireland (X), Scotland (II), and Sierra (I).

Lewis was born in Porciúncula at the Occidental Palace to Crown Prince Lewis, Duke of Newark, later Lewis I of Sierra, and Martha, Duchess of Newark, later Queen Martha of Claremont. As the eldest grandchild of Smith I (the progenitor monarch of Sierra), Lewis II became the in the line of succession to the Sierran throne at the age of five in 1893, following the death of his grandfather, and the subsequent ascension of his father. He was educated at the Saint Vibiana Priory School in Porciúncula, and later in Santa Monica. Like his father, Lewis pursued his secondary education at The Presidio where he earned his bachelor's degree in medicine before serving the Royal Navy from 1906 to 1910. On his 23rd birthday in 1911, Lewis was named the Duke of Newark by his father, and entered the Sierran realm of politics as his father had at his age. In 1913, he married Princess Maylene of Michigan, marking the first time a Sierran royal married with a foreign royal (previously, the members of the Sierran Royal Family married only Sierran nobles or commoners).

He ascended the throne and became the third monarch of the House of Columbia in late 1927 following the death of his father. He inherited a country that prospered under his father's reign, but soon dealt with the economic downturn and political stagnation that came during the. Faced with a nation suffering from low wages and high unemployment, Lewis partook in the expansion of government involvement in Sierran economy and the reforms championed by Prime Minister Job Smit. Among the reforms and programs he oversaw included the abolition of the and the creation of the Interprovincial and K.S. Highway Project. In late 1941, Lewis' reputation and respect as a monarch was damaged when his highly publicized affair with his secretary, Myrtle Riviera, came to light, nearly forcing him to abdicate. Lewis' scandal was inadvertently forgotten when the Japanese launched a surprise attack on the Anglo-American naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, prompting Sierra to enter as a combatant. As a wartime king, he helped maintain public morale, and continued to advance meaningful reforms in a war-oriented economy. The war mobilized the Sierran economy to unprecedented levels, and Lewis enjoyed immense popularity by the time the war had reached its later stage. He controversially backed the then-secretive, and allowed the development of nuclear weapons to occur on Sierran federal lands, which were later revealed only after his death.

On September 18, 1945, more than two weeks after the surrender of Japan and the end of World War II, Lewis was killed in an automobile accident. Riding in the passenger seat of a in, Lewis and his chauffeur, Hank Cranston, were instantly killed at an intersection when a large truck crashed into Lewis' side. His premature death came as a shock to many Sierrans and prompted Parliament to introduce widespread regulations on traffic and transportation safety, many of which continue to be in use today and are collectively known as the King Lewis II Memorial Acts.

Early life
Lewis II was born on June 7, 1888 at Occidental Palace, Porciúncula, during the reign of his grandfather, King Smith I. He was the eldest son of the Duke and Duchess of Newark (later King Lewis I and Queen Martha), and was the eldest grandson of Smith I. His father was the eldest son of King Smith I and Queen Rachel, while his mother was the eldest daughter of James Wellington, 1st Earl of Claremont, and Margaret, Countess of Claremont. At the time of his birth, he was second in line to the succession to the throne, and was styled as His Highness Prince Stephen of Newark. He was as "Stephen Henry Alexander" at the, though he was legally named "Stephen Henry Alexander Miller" in accordance to federal statute and royal convention.

Lewis was raised directly by the Duke and Duchess of Newark at their official residence of the Château Frémont in Santa Monica. Shortly before Lewis reached the schooling age of 5, he became the Crown Prince of Mojave as his father assumed the throne as King and as a result, moved into the Occidental Palace, the place of his birth. As the eldest son of the King, he automatically took the title of Duke of Mojave. Shortly thereafter, he was enrolled at the Saint Vibiana Priory School where he was given non-preferential treatment by the school and his peers. After completing primary education, he attended Santa Monica High School at his father's discretion, against the wishes of Parliament, who wanted the young prince to be educated at a private boarding school as other upper-class students generally did at the time.

Military career and education
Upon graduating in 1906, Lewis attended The Presidio in San Francisco City where he followed his father's footsteps in military training and service in the Royal Navy. He was inducted as a midshipman and joined the Calaveras Platoon where he trained for six-weeks before serving on the HMS Sonoma Bear from 1906 to 1907. Lewis was promoted to sub-lieutenant before he concluded his service with the Navy in 1907 and transferred to the Royal Army at the Fort Irwin Military Royal Training Center near, Inland Empire. From there, he served with the King's Royal Sabers Corps, and the 9th Royal Hussars for a six-month commission. He was made lieutenant during his brief service there and was certified with the Royal Cross-Branch Award following the conclusion of his military service at the age of 20.

Prince of Mojave
Upon his return from military service, Lewis was created Prince of Mojave on January 1, 1908 and an investiture ceremony was held on that same date. Immediately following Lewis' investiture, the Prince of Mojave delivered his first address to Parliament in such capacity, echoing the parallels between himself and his father, and his hope for the continued prosperity and growth of the Kingdom, although the speech itself was notoriously short, concluding only after five minutes. Unlike his father who was known to be quite boisterous and direct, Lewis was soft-spoken and coy, preferring to shy away from public functions. He feared delivering speeches, and never fully overcame the anxiety even after he ascended as King.

Although he was of mature age, his investiture as the Duke of Newark was delayed by his father for another three years. His father wrote frankly on the decision in 1914, "Lewis needed the time to develop the skills necessary to become King one day. A strong country requires an effective, firm leader, not a little worm who slinks away." While Lewis was well-mannered and intelligent, he was easily exhausted by social functions, and his status as a bachelor with no visible private life insinuated rumors that he was. In addition, he suffered from a, which further dampened his confidence. His mother, Queen Martha told the family governess Lisa Harrington, "He is much unlike his father at this age. Rather than being adventurous, bold, and unrestrained, my son is reserved, frightened, and abysmally dull." Nonetheless, despite such personality differences, Lewis was inspired by his father's career as prince, and sought to emulate him.

Engagement and marriage
Lewis first met Princess Maylene of Michigan in 1894 at the age of 6 during the Sierran Royal Family's state visit to the Kingdom of the Great Lakes. The House of Columbia and House of Dubois were steadfast friends, and forged a close alliance between the Kingdoms of Sierra and the Great Lakes. By 1900, there were already talks of a marriage between members of the two royal houses with Lewis as a prospective suitor for one of the Dubois' royal daughters.

Initially, neither of the two considered each other romantically, nor were they particularly close. Although Lewis frequently encountered Maylene in his teenage years, he did not see her again until he finished his military service. Lewis met Maylene again in 1914 when the Dubois family visited the Occidental Palace. The Dubois stayed for two weeks and during this time, Lewis bonded with Maylene, and began to develop interest in her. On one night, they walked along the Palace gardens and spoke deeply about their own lives and experiences. According to Michael Kearney, a prominent Sierran royal biographer, Lewis was "instantaneously besotted by Maylene and yearned to confide with her always as his wife". By the time the Dubois were prepared to leave, Lewis asked for Maylene's hand from her father, shocking many including his own family.

After only three months of engagement, Lewis and Maylene married at the Cathedral of Saint Vibiana in Porciúncula in a move that was criticized by some within the Royal Family as "too sudden and rash", with Lewis I and Martha privately expressing concern on the relatively short period of Lewis and Maylene's engagement. "They have hardly gotten to truly know each other and I fear the flames of infatuation may soon die out sooner than expected," the King complained.

After their wedding, the royal couple celebrated their honeymoon in Alaska, and toured the country where they were received warmly by the Alaskan government and people. Together, Lewis and Maylene fathered two children: Robert (later Lewis III) and Alexandra (later Queen Consort of Mariana) and resided in the Château Frémont, the traditional residence of the Crown Prince, where they remained until Lewis' ascension in 1927.

Pre-regnal years
On June 3, 1916, Lewis was granted the title, Duke of Newark, by his father, signaling his elevated status as the future monarch of Sierra. Having received substantial speech training from Dr. Kenny Livermore, Lewis believed he was qualified enough to start fulfilling more of the duties expected as the Duke of Newark, which was to assist and represent the King. Lewis made his first formal appearance as the Duke of Newark by attending a joint meeting between the Privy Council and the Executive Council on the following day of his investiture. His first major action was to represent the King while the latter was away on a conference meeting with foreign leaders in Chicago in March 1917. On the brink of entering, Lewis was acutely aware of the rapidly changing political environment, and took advantage of the time to demonstrate his newfound public skills. His first radio broadcast speech was well-received, although Lewis later said in a 1920 interview, "To [the] radio's credit, my oral performance was only good because no one was watching me."

During Sierra's participation in World War I, he and the rest of his family served as moral support for the Sierran people. The Duke of Newark made frequent, personal visits to national bases as a fellow serviceman and wrote weekly articles for large papers including the Porciúncula Times on his thoughts of recent developments in Europe, and his appreciation for the ongoing effort of fellow Sierrans deployed overseas, and those helping at home.

Early reign
On June 23, 1927, Lewis I succumbed to a fever after years of deteriorated health, which resulted in Lewis' own ascension as the next King. Per previously established convention, Lewis' coronation was to be held six months following his ascension in order to allocate the time and resources to execute the ceremony. Nonetheless, a weeklong combination mourning the loss of Lewis I and celebration of Lewis II was held nationwide, with it concluding with Lewis I's burial below the Parliament Building Rotunda in the King's Crypt.

Lewis inherited the throne towards the final years of the, a period of sustained economic growth and technological advancement spurred from the post-war economy. Enjoying the height of his father's legacy which came into fruition, Lewis presided over a Sierra that was markedly different from the one ruled under his grandfather, Smith I, less than half a century then. Among the first actions he undertook as King was switching the Sierran line of succession rule of primogeniture from the traditional male-preference to absolute, thereby ensuring that succession from within the Royal Family with by determined by age without regard to sex. The move was a symbolic nod from the King's part to the recent achievement of women's suffrage, which was attained nationally earlier in 1917 under his father's own reign.

Great Depression
As the 1920s came to a draw, the economy slumped, before collapsing entirely after the 1929, originating from Hudson. Suffering from, relief programs were unable to provide adequate services to the tens of thousands of Sierrans who had lost their jobs and assets in the wake of the collapse. The economic downturn of Sierra was a humbling moment for the Kingdom, which had been accustomed to almost unstoppable growth for the past twenty years. Lewis II, sensing the nation was in need of clear-headed leadership, sought to remediate the ills of his own people as his father had before him. He met with newly elected Prime Minister Job Smit, the first Royalist prime minister in office since Joseph Sterling, who left in office in 1901.