King of America?
- Thread starter herricks
- Start date
Sources don't agree, but the proposal that Prince Henry of Prussia become King of the United States was either put forth by the President of the Continental Congress, Nathaniel Gorham, or (more likely in my opinion) Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, the Prussian baron who helped retrain the Continental Army. Alexander Hamilton shot down the proposal fairly quickly, however, from whatever source. So you would have to change Hamilton's mind- but beyond that, you would have to change the basic drive for the revolution (the King is bad, etc.).
Its interesting to not that, had he been approved, Henry's title may even have been President, which would have been hilarious
Its interesting to not that, had he been approved, Henry's title may even have been President, which would have been hilarious
Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben said:
This problem is unfortunately rearing its ugly head alongside two others
1) Henry's brother's consent to the enthronement of his brother would be a necessity. Since Friedrich II had already scuppered his brother's attempts to become king of Poland and a prince of an independent principality in Wallachia, I can't see him handling his brother becoming le roi des Iroquois any better.
2) Henry's old. And he has no children. Who's his heir? One of his nephews? An American? Does he divorce Wilhelmine and marry anew? And if he dies before his heir's majority, who serves as regent?
You'd have a better chance of making George Washington the King (though it would be very hard to get him to agree, IMHO, when he refused in OTL), which again leads to the question of who succeeds him. Another option is that Washington and maybe a couple of other people die during the Revolution, and Benedict Arnold ends up leading the Continental Army (at least de facto, even if not de jure, since some people in Congress apparently hated him long before he turned his coat). I could see Arnold accepting the offer to become king, if his officers requested it.
But how? I can't see any Americans taking the crown really but idk. What can I do to get a monarchy accepted for at least a couple decades?
Cryostorm
Monthly Donor
Maybe have the revolutionaries view parliament, you know the ones making laws and taxes without representing the colonies, as the source of ills and they decide a strong executive must exist to combat parliamentary tyranny.
The colonists see Parliament as the source of evil that led to all of the Acts.
Thus they concentrate power in one man to combat this tyranny.
Yes, as it shows that a number of people will be more evil (their evil adds up) will be more equal than one, so they make a Prussian-style monarch with the ability to dissolve Congress at will.
Not in the slightest.
A king of America will most likely occur if George Washington and the Continental Congress loses faith in republicanism.
But they did. Which is why much of the initial anger was targeted at parliament, no the King.