Sebastián II
| Sebastián II | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incumbent King of Antora | |||||
 Official 2020 portrait | |||||
| King of Antora Sovereign of Casilló y Réal Steward of Cátras Duke of Costa Tranquíla Count of Tranha, Zamocante, and Sojara Rége de Antora Soberano de Casilló y Réal Defensor de Cátras Duque de Costa Tranquíla Conde de Tranha, Zamocante, y Sojara | |||||
| Reign | 2 May 1987 - present | ||||
| Coronation | 21 February 1988 | ||||
| Predecessor | Benito Ares | ||||
| Heir Apparent | Impazzana Gloria, Duchess of Málama | ||||
| Prime Ministers | Gabriella Orellana (2016 - Present) Teo Notario (2010 - 2016) Luis Miguel Lagos (1998 - 2010) Amira Ayerbe (1992 - 1998) Rafael Morata (1986 - 1992) | ||||
| Born | 29 August 1962 Palacia de la Costa Tranquíla, Costa Tranquíla, Avantana, Antora | ||||
| Spouse | Queen-consort Emília Pazanna de la Lérida. (m. 1989) | ||||
| Issue | Crown Princess Impazzana Gloria Prince Roberto Nápoles Princess Yasmina | ||||
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| House | Naranza-Carratéo | ||||
| Father | Benito Ares de Narranza-Carrateó | ||||
| Mother | Magdalena Aria de Palda | ||||
| Religion | Antoran Deusism | ||||
| Signature |  | ||||
Sebastián II (Sebastián Juán Alfonso Gonzalés de Naranza-Carratéo; born 29 August 1962) is the King of Antora. He ascended to the throne on 2 May 1987 upon the abdication of his father, Benito Ares I. His mother is Queen-Elder Magdalena Aria de Palda, and he has a younger brother and sister, Guillermo, Duke of Liti, and Estefanía, Duchess of Eleuvros. His older brother, former Crown Prince Astolfo, serves as his Royal Adjutant after his removal from the line of succession. In 1989, Felipe married Emília Pazanna de la Lérida. With her he has three children, his heir-apparant Princess Impazzana Gloriá, Duchess of Marsalvano, Prince Roberto Nápoles, Count of Araruña, and Princess Yasmína, Countess of Navabría.
In accordance with the First Constitution, as reigning King he is head of state and commander-in-chief of the Royal Antoran Defense Forces with the rank of Generalissimo-Rége, and also plays the role of the supreme representative and figurehead of Antora in international relations.
Sebastián II bears the Personal Heraldry and Seal of the House of Naranza-Carratéo, the official royal emblem. The Seal is used to mark documents, communications, locations, or establishments that have the express and direct blessing of the King. He is also the Grand Master of the five Chivalric Antoran Orders by virtue of his Kingship, membership in such he can grant or extend invitation to.
Early Life, Family, and Education
Sebastián was born to King Benito Ares and Queen-Consort Magdalena Aria de Palda on the 29th of August, 1962. His grandfather and namesake, King Sebastián I, died twelve years before his birth. The second child of the royal couple, Sebastián was only slightly younger than Crown Prince Astolfo. As the second son of the Corric monarch, Sebastián automatically assumed the title of Count of Arauña at birth. He was baptised by the Archbisop of Antora on the 4th of October, 1962. The future king grew up in tandem with his older brother in the Palacía de la Costa Tranquíla. Both boys recieved care and tutelage by a governess, Señora Luprivento, between the ages of four and ten. They also recieved Paladins of the Royal Body for their protection until they turned fourteen. Sebastián's Paladin, Knight-Captain Félix de Azatrás, was nicknamed "Big Red" by the prince for the man's distinctive beard.
The prince was known as a quiet, introspective child who was generally well-behaved. He was very close to his older brother growing up and enjoyed pretending they were knights, though their activites were sometimes too rambuctious. Sebastián had the nickname of the "Book Prince," given to him by the public. His newly born twin siblings, Guillermo and Estefanía, were photographed with him at a family function, with the prince reading to them from a storybook. He remained an encouraging and doting figure to his younger siblings as they grew up, though it was said that he was closer to Guillermo and Astolfo closer to Estefanía.
Upon reaching ten years of age, Sebastián was enrolled in the Academy for Great Peers, a preporatory school exclusively for members of high nobility. His education there included mathematics, sciences, history, debate, politics, and athletics, while also including courses such as horsemanship, fencing, administration, finances, and marksmanship. The king is noted as considering the curriculem at the Academy to be "the most rigorous and discouraging manner of enstilling good life lessons." He graduated in 1978 with high marks in history, politics, and administration, and chose to attend the Royal Corric University for Social Sciences as his collegiate education. While traditional for members of the royal family to attend the Descarai Combat Academy and then serve time in the military, Sebastián's decision was a combination of Crown Prince Astolfo already attending the Academy and his own interests in anthropology and history.
Collegiate Studies
As a gap year, Sebastián decided to travel Novaris in 1979. Among the places he visited were Tretrid, Volscina, Serramal, Aponivia, and Cryria. After a stop in Asendavia, he returned to Casilló y Réal in November at began preperations to attend the University during the spring semester. Splitting his time between working with the Royal Corric Heritage Trust and his studies, Sebastián focused his degree on Corric feudal culture and socio-anthropological studies of eastern Novaris. Appointed by his father to the Royal Representativeship for the Heritage Trust, the then-prince spent much of 1980-81 studying the various cultural structures surrounding castles and advocating for increased funding to help restore dilapidated structures across the country.
In 1981, he attended the wedding of his brother the Crown Prince to Gloria Angela de Ferreria, sister of the Duke of Guimaredes. Sebastián notably played the clarinet at the reception to the delight of his family and slight consternation of his father. He was named the godfather of his nephew Miguel upon the boy's birth in 1983. During his studies at the University, Sebastián became aquainted with Emília Pazanna de la Lérida, the daughter of the Count of Castejón. They remained on good terms throughout their attendance and frequently corresponded afterwords.
Sebastián achieved his undergraduate degree in 1983, with a Bachelor of Sciences in Historical Anthropology and a minor in Political Science. He continued his work with the Heritage Trust throughout his studies and was instrumental in achieving the largest public interest and funding for the organization since its inception. Sebastián was a particular advocate and scholar on the topic of Réoran-Arranzic fusional culture and headed several outreach programs in cooperation with the heads of the extant Réoran and Arranzic minority groups. With the intention of attending further semesters to achieve a Masters degree, he accepted a temporary position as the royal patron of the Royal Corric Heritage Trust and the Cultural Foundation for Antoran Peoples. King Benito Ares released a public statement on the 4th of April declaring that Prince Sebastián would be awarded the title of "Steward of the People's Culture" in recognition for his efforts regarding minority represenation and heritage preservation.
Corric Succession Crisis
Over the course of 1983 and 1984, Crown Prince Astolfo began to act erratically. Recently finished with his service in the Royal Corric Armada, the Crown Prince was noted to be restless at many royal functions. Several statements he made indicated he wished he had remained in the Armada and felt his duties as Crown Prince were insufficient to keep him occupied. Sebastián publicly offered his brother the oppertunity to explore cooperation with a government department and expressed his sympathies. In May of 1983, King Benito Ares appointed Astolfo to the Royal Cabinet as the Royal Adjutant to the Second Minister, a decision Sebastián supported.
Nevertheless the Crown Prince still acted preoccupied when observed in public. After late July he rarely appeared at any events or visits involving the Royal Family if protocol did not dictate his presence was required. Sebastián has remarked several times in retrospect that his brother appeared to have argued with their father several times over this period, though when asked, Astolfo always replied that the matter was "for the moment, private." The future king noted particularly in his book on the topic, The Particulars of Family: Royal Schisms, that Astolfo appeared to get more agitated when discussions involved his father and especially relations with the Grand Duchy of Catrás, their nation's northern neighbor.
War with Catrás
In late 1983, the Duke of Liti was killed after a bomb destroyed the front wheels of his chaffeur car. Evidence pointed to Catrás, whose Grand Duke denied involvement. Astolfo and Sebastián both advocated for further investigation and negotiations, but the Catrán Grand Vizier provided documents to the Corric government detailing the Grand Duke had authorized the assassination with the intention to marry his son to the Duke of Liti's orphaned daugther. This divided Sebastián and his brother; Astolfo privately claimed the evidence was a fabrication while issuing no public statements, while Sebastián swore to defend their vassals. This disagreement caused a rift between them that was exacerbated when Benito Ares, using the self-defense clause of the Corric Constitution, invaded Catrás. Sebastián saw this as unfortunate but necessary, while Astolfo, despite his military service, decried the action at every point.
The stress of these situations appearantly eroded Astolfo's belief in the concepts of honor and chivalry. His wife the Princess Gloria Angela reported he was often locked in his private study, and visited her and Prince Miguel less and less over the course of 1983's winder and 1984's spring. Sebastián attempted to assuage the media's concerns several times, stating "my brother has always been principled. I believe he will recover from his malaise soon and be a better man for it." Upon the conclusion of the conflict with Catrás, the people there voted in a referendum to become part of Casilló y Réal. Sebastián accompanied his family to the official sovereignty surrender ceremony and integration celebrations. He remarked that "the people of Catrás are very similar to us. They are descended from the same noble blood, speak a dialect not unlike Corric. Our neighbors for centuries are now our brothers."
For Astoflo, this event was a breaking point. In the late spring of 1984, reports surfaced that he had become unfaithful to his wife Gloria Angela. Several times he appeared to suffer slips of the tongue when talking about his wife, and the media recieved a number of anyonymous tips that he had been seen with a maid of the Royal Household sneaking in and out of unused chambers. While the Crown Prince denied the allegtions whenever they surfaced, Sebastián never gave him support. He delivered a statement in an interview that became indicative of the royal family's stance: "I have never seen my brother with this woman, but I cannot also say he has not had her company. The information is what it is; let the truth fall where it may." The lack of ability to cooroborate either side and the building antipathy for Astolfo's erratic actions increased the Crown Prince's behavioral deterioration. Sebastián missed his brother's attendance at formal events but came to the conclusion that Astolfo had chosen a direction and could not be deviated from it.
The situation came to a head in October of 1984, when, due to the enourmous amount of media attention the scandal had garnered, Princess Gloria Angela publicly divorced Astolfo. This came as a shock to many in the royal family, especially Sebastián, who was very fond of his sister-in-law and godson. Astolfo is known to have had a mental breakdown of a sort in the palace, with yelling between him and the princess being reported and his rooms found the next day. Both Sebastián and Benito Ares publicly expressed support for Gloria Angela and concern for the Crown Prince. Astolfo travelled to the island of Francisco the next day, on the 28th of October. Despite repeated attempts to convince him to return to the mainland, Sebastián was unsuccessful. The Crown Prince would remain on the island for the next two months in the company of old colleagues from the Armada.
Succession Conflict
In light of Astolfo's deriliction of decorum in the face of the invasion of Catrás, and his further humiliation of royal honor by fleeing from divorce instead of addressing it responsibly, Benito Ares issued a proclaimation that he was stripping his son of his position in the line of succession. Sebastián was made the new Crown Prince, and Astolfo would only inherit the throne if every other member of the family, including his son, were to die. Sebastián disagreed with this decision and tried without success to make his father reverse it. Three days after the announcement, Astolfo began making radio broadcasts from Francisco demanding that his status be restored and insulting his father. After several weeks of back-and-forth speeches between Benito Ares and Astolfo, the former Crown Prince threatened amed insurrection if he was not reinstated as heir. Among the targets listed were Sebastián and the rest of the Royal Family.
Sebastián was forced to retire from the public eye due to this. The threats were deemed credible and sources in Francisco's Armada Port indicated Astolfo intende to use the warships there to back his words with force. The new Crown Prince and the rest of the royal family were sequestered at Descarai, while Benito Ares travelled to Fransisco aboard the ARC Gracia de Régne to hopefully negotiate his son's surrender. This proved futile, and Astolfo perished at the Battle of Armada Port Francisco. Sebastián would mourn his brother, choosing to remember him as the man he was before the events of the last two years. The insurrection of the remaining Fransisco naval personnel of the 5th Squadron as well as the northern 6th Squadron came as a total shock to Sebastián, as well as the defection of four fighter squadrons and two infantry brigades. He has stated that "the fact the erratic rhetoric of my brother reached so many soldiers counted as honorable and true shocked me to my core."
The armed insurrection lasted five weeks, and Sebastián would mourn the deaths of nearly three-thousand Corric soldiers on both sides. He spoke publicly several times on the matters of honor and remembrance, and though all rebellious soldiers and their units would be stripped from the Rolls of Honor commemorating their service, the Crown Prince ensured that records were maintained for their loved ones. He disagreed with his fathers stance on sweeping the dishonor under the rug, and established that it would be important for the future to remember it to prevent a repeat.
Coronation and Marriage
The toll that the Crisis took on Benito Ares slowly made itself manifest over the course of 1985 through 1987. Sebastián would come to represent his father on most occaisons, appearing at meetings of the Royal Cabinet, public events, and state dinners. When the King announced he would abdicate in 1987, he had already delegated most of his duties to his son. Sebastián would be crowned His Grace King Sebastian the Second the day after his father stepped down and completed his farewell tour. The new king gave his most noteworthy speech after his coronation, demanding "forgiveness for transgressions of brother against brother" and promising to listen to the concerns of the people "until my heart ceases to beat." With his father retiring to private life, Sebastián II would become only the third monarch in his families history to reign while the former monarch was still living.
The government of his father was left in place rather than new elections called, Prime Minister Rafael Morata serving out the remainder of his term under Sebastián II. His first two years as king were focused on repairing the societal fractures that the Succession Crisis had created, and establishing new government departments with the assistance of the Royal Cabinet. These departments were the offices of Sustainability and Pollution Elimination for the Ministry of the Environment, and the Office of Digital Technology for the Ministry of Communications. These actions are credited with ensuring a jumpstart of popularity for Sebastián II's rule and provided political goodwill for his Cabinet.
The king had maintained contact with his friend Emília Pazzana de la Lérida, who had become a researcher and legal advocate at the Royal Corric Law Court archives. After several months of courting and private gatherings with family, Sebastián II announced he had become engaged. The two would wed after a year-long engagedment, on the 18th of July, 1989. The ceremony was smaller than his older brother's marriage, but still televised and with public involvement. Over ten-thousand people attended the initial procession ceremony, and the entirety of the Corric nobility was invited to the reception. Sebastián II earned further endearment of the public by performing traditional Antoran folksongs for his new bride on the clarinet.