Lewis I of Sierra

Lewis I (Lewis William Andrew; December 11, 1858–June 23, 1927) was King of Sierra from August 15, 1893 to February 2, 1946. He was the first King of Alaska, and the first Sierran emperor of Hani. As the direct descendant of, the last monarch, and a member of the House of Columbia (the modern continuation of the Stuart lineage), Lewis was also the second Sierran  to the , , and  thrones (claimed by proxy through pretense of the ), and was known as Charles V & II by the Jacobites. The firstborn son and successor of Smith I, he reigned for nearly 53 years and saw the rise of Sierra through the Sierran Cultural Revolution and before his death in 1927 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Lewis II.

Lewis was born into the Royal Household as the in December 1858, a little less than a month after his father, Smith I, the first king of Sierra, assumed the newly established throne of the Kingdom of Sierra. In his youth, Lewis pursued a generalized education before attending The Presidio and served in the Royal Navy, acquiring a fascination with and. Witnessing much of Sierra's early development while Crown Prince, including the Sierran Civil War, the, and the rise of the Sierran empire, Lewis ascended the throne following his father's death in 1893. Under his reign, Sierra saw a profound change in society and culture, various reforms on civil liberties for minorities and the working class, restricted, rapid urbanization, technology modernized, and the maturation of the Sierran military.

At the time of his death, Lewis had overseen the military victories of Sierra in the Spanish-American War, the Han–Sierran War, and as Sierra emerged as an international power. Domestically, Lewis I saw the expansion of civil rights for minorities, improved labor laws, the development of the modern Sierran welfare system, the modern taxation structure, the rise of the coastal cities, and closer ties with Sierra's Anglo-American neighbors. Lewis has been hailed as a progressive monarch who was open to change and reform, and steered the Kingdom away from chaos, but was criticized for his support of Sierran imperialism in the Pacific, particularly in the nation of Hani.

Early life
Lewis was born on December 11, 1858 at the Palace-by-the-Sea in San Francisco City a little less than a month into the reign of his father, Smith I. The eldest son of Smith I and Rachel, his father was the son of the Duke and Duchess of Napa, both of whom were entrepreneurs from. His great-grandmother,, was a direct descendant of , the last king of Britain, and the daughter of the last head of the now-defunct ,. As the firstborn child, Lewis was the first in the line of succession to the throne as its and was  as His Grace Crown Prince Lewis of Mojave at birth.

He was into the  as "Lewis William Andrew" at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco City about two months after his birth. The baptism caused controversy among many Protestants in Sierra who constituted a majority of the nation. Opposing the entrenchment of a Catholic monarchy, religious leaders and followers fueled by anti-Catholic sentiment demanded that the Royal Household overturn internal protocol requiring all members to be Roman Catholics and that the prince be able to freely choose his religion by his thirteenth birthday. Lewis' father, the King, flatly refused the demands, and wrote privately a day after the ordeal, "It is astounding that the innocent baptism of this child have caused hellfire beneath to rupture before the earth".

When the prince reached schooling age, he attended St. Stephen Preparatory School for Boys, a private Catholic school alongside with his brother, Prince Mark, Duke of Tahoe. In 1872, when the prince was only 14, the capital of Sierra was changed from San Francisco City to Porciúncula in response to demographic shifts, and as a result, Lewis and his family moved into the city to the Occidental Palace. Just two years later, the Sierran Civil War broke out, threatening the safety of the Royal Family, and consequently, Lewis was pulled out of public education, and continued his education through private tutors at home. As a young adult, he attended Mulholland University where he studied law, political history, philosophy, and art. As a young man, Lewis enjoyed, , and equestrian activities like his father, and was able to play four different instruments: the piano, the violin, the flute, and the harp. In addition, Lewis was a and was able to hold conversations in, , , and.

Military service
After Lewis completed two years of study at Mulholland University, he returned to his hometown, San Francisco City, to attend The Presidio, which had been restored after having been captured by the Republicans during the civil war. At the military academy, the prince received military instruction, and was referred to as Midshipman William during his initial induction, and was a member of the Farallon Platoon. After a year of training and service with high marks and performance, he was commissioned as Ensign on the HMS Red Lion, and the following year, Lewis was promoted to sub-lieutenant. Upon his twenty-first birthday in 1879, Lewis I made his first transcontinental tour during Christmastide as heir apparent to the throne and dignitary of the Sierran crown, meeting with foreign leaders including Hoosier Executive Secretariat Nathaniel William Hill and Brazorian Chancellor Lawrence Ross.

Upon Lewis' return from the tour in February 11, 1880, he was officially invested as Prince of Mojave at the Occidental Palace in the presence of the Prime Minister, Lord Steward, chivalric peers, and members of the Royal Family. Shortly after his investiture, Lewis was promoted to Captain and embarked on his first voyage on the HMS Red Lion across the Pacific (which doubled as his official military tour), touring the Sierran territories of the Channel Islands, Hawaii, Bénieîle, and Rapa Nui, which were secured by his father and his supporters. The tour lasted for seven months, although the Prince spent most of his time at sea, and each land excursion lasted for no more than two weeks at a given time. Although he frequently experienced episodes of and bouts of fevers, Lewis was enamored with the ocean, and documented his experiences onboard.

Prince of Mojave
Returning home from nearly a year of travel, he was formally introduced to the inner workings of the Sierran government, attending his first meeting with the Privy Council in December 1880. During the King's Address to Parliament on January 1, 1881, Lewis delivered his first speech before both houses, remarking on his tour, and praising his father's ambitious plans to continue expanding Sierra's imperial endeavors across the Pacific, and into the Asian continent.

Though young, the Prince was politically active and keen on helping his father rule. Outspoken and strong-willed, he began attending more Privy Council meetings, and sparred with civilian leaders on policy issues. Boisterous and unrestrained, House Speaker Frank Leslie Coombs wrote in his account of the prince in one occasion: "The Prince of Mojave ... his eyes and lips always moves quickly, searching always an opportunity to speak his mind. He is resolute and brash, and is wont to speak uncouthly to anyone he disagreed with. He is proud, typical of his youth, and admittedly, a royal nuisance."

Romances
Sociable and outgoing, Lewis' young adulthood was surrounded by women whom he pursued. He had several girlfriends as a young prince, including Alice Morgan Bachelor, the daughter of Prime Minister Frederick Bachelor, Jr.; Lady Maria del Carmen Sutter, the daughter of John Augustus Sutter, the 2nd Duke of Coloma; and Henrietta Valdez, the daughter of the Sierran ambassador to Mexico. Although he displayed himself a bold and intelligent prince, privately, he partook in illicit activities including drinking and gambling in Porciúncula's nightlife. Open and frank of his romantic endeavors, the Prince's womanizing lifestyle and reckless behavior was the subject of much concern and shame within the Sierran Royal Family, and Parliament, who took issue with the Prince's life choices, and feared that the Prince would tarnish the reputation of the monarchy, which had been tersely preserved through the recently ended civil war.

Although King Smith I loved his son, he was deeply disappointed and disgusted by his son's behavior whom he groomed as his successor. Born into royalty, Lewis was fascinated with the life of commoners, and despite rigorous training at The Presidio and a year at sea, the Prince was noted by many close to him as free-spirited. Embarrassed by Lewis' various romantic affairs, Smith I told a house attendant that he favored his eldest daughter, Princess Charlotte, as the successor to his throne. "Dear Charlotte is the prince who should have been first," he said, "and acts what her brother ought to be."

Members of Parliament, religious leaders, and social conservatives all followed the Prince closely, viewing him as a worrying sign that the Royal Family had no control over the boy. Lloyd Harrison, the King's personal envoy, believed, "It is though the young prince has acquired some perverse desire to bring great dishonor to his father's name and kingdom." While the Prince insisted on attending every political meeting, and attending by his father's side, the atmosphere was always tense, as private matters of the Prince's doing were widely known nationwide yet discussion of it was always discouraged in official functions. Mainstream media also downplayed or ignored Lewis' scandals, while alternative news sources and satirical magazines frequently published the Prince's "next lustful follies". With no one other than those within the Royal Household able to comment on his scandals, Lewis nonetheless deviated from his family's desires, and often tried to leave the Palace during the weekends. Although the Prince was always personally accompanied by a royal attendant on palace grounds and beyond, he often bribed them with money and culinary delicacies from the palace kitchen, or feigned interest in going fishing along Santa Monica.

Engagement and marriage
Seeking to "pacify" the prince and finding him a suitor who would bear the next monarch, his mother, Queen Rachel, introduced him to Lady Martha Wellington, who was the eldest daughter of James Wellington, 1st Earl of Claremont, the wealthy owner of the Royal Pacific. Lady Martha, who had just returned home from her studies abroad in, was described by her companions as charming, warmhearted, and beautiful. Taking interest immediately, the Prince courted Lady Martha, inviting her into the Royal Court. After two tumultuous years of the Prince's bachelor life following his return from tour, the Prince renounced his escapist adventurism, desiring to not only please his betrothed, but to reorient himself as the future king. Within a year of meeting each other, the two were officially engaged, and King Smith I gave permission for Lewis to marry the young woman. Rejoicing on the Prince's new, "faithful" relationship, the Queen wrote, "It brings me great pleasure that God by His grace, have quelled the rebellious demon that gnawed on Lewis' heart with this fair maiden girl."