Alessandro II of Istalia

Alessandro II
His Most Excellent Imperial Majesty the Emperor of the Istalians
Alessandro II
Emperor of the Istalians
Reign	2 January 4663 - 11 February 4695
Enthronement	26 April 4663
Predecessor	Nicola I
Successor	Michela I
Born	19 January 4605 Romula, Istalia
Died	11 February 4695 Romula
Burial	17 February 4695 Imperial Mausoleum of Istalia
Spouse	Empress Consort Elena Sofia (born Graziani Del Pardo)
Issue	Grand Princess Michela Grand Prince Adriano
Full name Alessandro Giovanni Mattia Michele Appiano De Borromei
House	House of Appiano De Borromei
Father	Nicola I
Mother	Empress Consort Josephine
Religion	Aurorianism (non-practicing)

Alessandro II of Istalia (Alessandro Giovanni Mattia Michele; Romula, 19 January 4605 - Romula, 11 February 4695) was Emperor of the Istalians and Monarch of the Istalian Empire since 2 January 4663, when he ascended to the throne at the death of his father, Nicola I, until his death.

Biography

Alessandro was born in Deodato II Polyclinic of Romula, at 1.49 a.m. on 19 January 4605. 12-gun salutes signalled the birth in the capital.
After many speculation which regularly for years circulated about possible pregnancies by part of the Imperial Couple, in June 4604 finally the Crown gave the announce of Princess Josephine's pregnancy and later she explained that after many attempts she was forced to pursue a hormones terapy and admitted also that she suffered a miscarriage.
Speculation ensued also that the birth would boost the Istalian national economy and provide a focus for national pride.

Baby Prince Alessandro

As son of the Emperor, Alessandro was obviously rised to inherit the throne but following a personal interest, alongside Political, Diplomatic and Military formation he studied also Astrophysics, a subject to which he devoted himself passionately, official commitments and state obligations permitting of course. He published also a couple of papers on some of the most important istalian scientific journals: "Relativistic Jets and Event Horizons for a Kinetic Spiral Solution" and "Non-equilibrium antineutrinos of primordial nucleosynthesis". Focusing his scientific interest on the origin of the universe, in later years before his ascension to the throne he extended his knowledge on the most deep Theoretical Physics.

Due to the long-lasting reign of his father, who reigned for 42 years living to the ripe old age of 93, Alessandro was 58 when succeded to his father but he was not the most aged emperor who ascended to the throne (Alessandro I was 61).

His reign began under the heavy criticism by the Republicans who in the same years saw their consensus grow until they had the support of almost a third of the population at the time of Alessandro's first decade of reign. Although came also very mean insults, the Crown never responded to the attacks by the Republicans, always respecting its institutional role, and the pro-monarchical parties, mainly the National Alliance for the Empire, were the ones to take the defense of the Monarchy which, fortunately, for the first years of Alessandro II's reigns were able to control the government together with other center-rightist parties. Due to this delicate situation, Alessandro II totally abstained from intervene into the constitutional 4666 Istalian National Assembly crisis that exploded also as a trail of the the clash between the party that most fervently defends the current state model under the authority of the Emperor and the electoral coalition that advocates the restoration of the Istalian Republic.

The Emperor, however, did the possible to defend the Crown and the Imperial Institution without infringing the constitutional rules and in order to do so he focused his activity on diplomacy and philantropy and did his best to offer the most worthy and dignitous image of the monarchy. In 4668 he officially visited Kalopia to promote the establishment of a defensive treaty with Istalia and on the occasion he payed his homage together with the at the time Kalopian president at the War Memorial for the Istalian Fallen who fought alongside the Kalopians to defend them from the oppression and dictatorships by the Super-Socialist state before and then by the Thallers dictators. During the meeting at the Presidential Palace, the Emperor declared the satisfation of Istalia for the recovering of the relations with Kalopia, almost severed since the time of the Thallerist regime, how they recovered during the common efforts in the Deltarian-Coalition War and he also said about the need for democracies in Majatra to work closely to defend democracy and human rights:

«I thank President Gelu and the people of Kalopia for the warm welcome granted to my wife and to me, as well as for the willingness shown by the Kalopian Government and its members towards the Istalian Government, finally. Yes, "finally", because I want to take advantage of this opportunity to express the satisfaction of Istalia in having finally reopened a dialogue with Kalopia, new relationships for which in Istalia we consider ourselves as responsible for the delay with which they were re-established. The diplomatic relations with Kalopia, in fact, had been substantially lost since the times of the Thallerist regime and only during the recent conflict against Deltaria we saw a recoverign, above all to request the use of Kalopian and Kazulian bases on the border of Deltaria and for the invasion from the eastern borders of the Istalian troops, logistical assistance for which we warmly thank once again this beautiful country. Kalopia, finally, seems to have found the stability and tranquility which had been denied to its people for too long and a thriving and stable democracy emerged from the ashes of the past, thriving now for over 150 years. For too long our two democracies have lived apart from each other, Mr. President, a real shame when the democracies of the world should instead cooperate and support each other. Today, however, we finally have the opportunity to remedy this delay and to pave the way for a cooperation and a friendship that I hope will be long and prosperous, for the well being of our peoples and for the peace and stability of the Majatran continent.»

(Alessandro II)

Two years later the Emperor welcomed the Jakanian President Kalkan in Quattroregni Palace. The invitation was actually addressed to the previous Jakanian President and the state visit organized more than a year before. The invitation came after the beginning of the negotiations started by the Istalian government with Dokuz, aimed to establish a new bilateral treaty with another Majatran country, but due to the Jakanian elections the state visit was postponed waiting for the new President. The Emperor, meeting with the press, praised the efforts of both the countries to improve their mutual relationships, once again underlining the importance of such friendly relations in order to maintain peace and stability into the continent, and then he didn't forget to commemorate the joint efforts during the Czarist War to free Jakania and defeat the Deltarian forces:

«In order to prevent new and devastating conflicts from repeating, such as the Czarist War, which brought so much suffering to Jakania and the whole continent, the peoples of Majatra must strive to work to promote friendship, cooperation and mutual understanding. Istalia intervened in aid of Jakania when the danger loomed, but then, defeated the threat, we sinned in not cultivating and growing relations between the majatran peoples. The continent has been pardoned by a period of peace and stability since the last war, but it is our duty now to commit ourselves much more in defending this peace, promoting the resumption of closer relations with our neighbors, promoting cooperation and friendship. For this reason, Istalia once again extends its hand to the Jakanian people, not to help them this time, but to invite them into this new, and I hope, long lasting friendship.»

(Alessandro II)

Alessandro II arrival at Tuffad's parade for the 100 year celebration of the Istalian Empire

After 8 years of reign, despite the criticism from the at the time Republicans' Government, Emperor Alessandro celebrated with the Nation the 100 year celebration of the Istalian Empire, a set of lavish and sumptuous events which lasted since 1st until 7th Semptember to celebrate such an important anniversary for the Empire. The event was organized so to give the greatest clout to the Crown and the monarchy and to link them to the long history of Istalia presenting the Crown as the veritable upholder of the Istalian identity and heritage. The event, as expected, triggered the reactions of the anti-monarchical forces which at the time governed the country and strong was the support for them in Trivendito, becoming a veritable stronghold of the republicans, where the local regional president Alessandra Fierro, who deserted the celebrations, critized mainly the newly composed celebrative Imperial Song and declared, although without any legal basis but just as a form of propaganda, the Emperor as "persona non grata".

In the following years the Emperor began to involve ever more his heir, Princess Michela, into the state and especially diplomatic affairs sending her and his husband Prince Ghazi in several voyage abroad in order sponsor Istalian exports, for which the couple spent a great deal of time sponsoring various Istalian associations and organizations dedicated to food and wine and manufacturing. The Princely couple thus became a real flags of the Mady in Istalia. The Emperor had already appreciated Prince Ghazi from the very beginning of his relationship with his daughter and with her he shared the great pain of the untimely loss of his son-in-law who died in a car accident. Alexander II therefore took charge in place of the genus and in aid of the daughter of the education of Prince Tommaso Hassan.
The Emperor took under his wing also the little Sophie of Hulstria, daughter born in Istalia of Marianna Lutitza, a well known singer from Nepoli, and Ranier VI, the unfortunate son of Sophie I of Hulstria, elder sister of the beloved Empress Mother Josephine, who passed away only a couple of years before at 103 and with whom the little Sophie spent a lot of her childhood after her grandmother Sophie I decided to come back in Hulstria.

In the same period the Emperor and the monarchy once again had to face the increasing electoral success of the Republic Front which achieved to control all the regions and to have the absolute majority of the legislature and thus of the government. The resources for the Crown were considerabily cutted, the government left the Crown far from the state affairs and intervened also to strip from the Crown the right to appoint and recognize title of nobility.

In 4679 Princess Michela attended on behalf of Alessandro II the coronation ceremony of her 2nd cousine Sophie ll as reistalled Hulstrian and Gao-Soto monarch. Although Alessandro II wished to attend the Coronation, considering Sophie as a veritable acquired second little daughter, the at the time political situation in Istalia, with the largest party of the Republican Front-led government failing apart and with early elections on sight, prevented him to leave the Country. Alessandro II in any case wanted to express his best wishes to Sophie II, hoping that the changement of regime will offer once again stability and prosperity for the people of Hulstria and Gao Soto, after decades of unstability, economic and social trouble and especially after the brief Devpratimist quasi-regime which brought sanctions against Hulstria, and expressed also his hopes to see fully recovered the once very friendly relations between the Istalian Empire and the Empire of Hulstria and Gao-Soto.

Alessandro II continued to put great efforts on the philantropic activities of the Crown and among the most remember there were the Crown's official patronage to the Romula's Opera House and a perpetual contribution to the Great National Library of Angona, both granted in 4681. The Emperor's passion for classical music has always been well known, and Alessandro II wished a true rediscovery and above all a greater enjoyment to the general public, rejecting the idea of ​​classical music as something of too much elevated or reserved for the élite. So what was known since that day as Imperial Theater of Romula and its companies, the Romula's Imperial Opera, Romula's Imperial Ballet and Romula's Imperial Symphony Orchestra, could count since then on the financial support by the Imperial House which supported the organization of tours as well as festivals and concerts around Istalia. Regarding the Great National Library and Historical Institution of Angona, heir to the Majatran Pole for Historical and Ethnographic Studies, the largest institution of its kind in whole Majatra, the Imperial House granted a substantial financial contribution in perpetual to expand the activities of the Institution which was not only a national state institution but during the time has collected a collection endless of millions of books as well as other artifacts and historical documents from all over the continent. The Great Library warmly thanked the Crown with a ceremony organized to celebrate the event during which the Astronomy and Astrophysics Section of the Library was dedicated to the Emperor where, among other things, there were also some papers produced by the Alessandro II himself.

In 4683 Alessandro II intervened in defense of the government led by the Socialist & Democrat Prime Minister Harari and of his declarations about the Anantonese crisis with a statement released by the Crown:

«On wish and demand of His Most Excellent Imperial Majesty Alessandro II Emperor of the Istalians, His Majesty's Press Office hereby release this official statement: Although the Crown, respecting its Constitutional Role and Dignity, cannot argue or question the political leadership of the Country, but grant indeed its trust to the Prime Minister and the Government of the Istalian Empire until it has the confidence of the democratically elected Representatives of the Nation and until it respects its Constitutional Duties, the Crown today reserves the right to express the deep disappointment and the profound dismay by His Majesty the Emperor and the whole Imperial Court for the statements made by the Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Dorvik Yannick Wald, whose words he used with regard to the Istalian Empire has been considered as really outragious, degrinatory words which His Majesty considers as a veritable diplomatic offense, not at all proper for the diplomacy between two countries in peace and which should not at all belongs to the vocabulary of a stateman and a diplomat. His Majesty, feeling the words by Foregin Minister Wald as deeply offensive for the whole Country, considers the dignity of the Crown itself deeply insulted and personally and diplomatically offended by this lack of respect, dignity and institutional and diplomatic composure by a member of a foreign government, who expressed such words without any reasonable cause and in objective absence of any sort of recognizable insults or obloquy against the Nation and/or the People of Dorvik by part of the Prime Minister Harari. His Majesty the Emperor therefore made known that He urgently summoned the Dorvish Ambassador in Romula to Quattroregni Palace to personally express his profound disappointment for such a diplomatic offense and to demand for the necessary and due explanations to him and his Government.»

During his final years of reign Alessandro II had to face the pression of the tabloids on the mundane lifestyle of his teenager granson Prince Tommaso Hassan but he never spoke about it leaving his daughter Princess Michela to handle the situation and talk with the press. Actually Alessandro II began to be quite old and for some time Michela already took responsabilities in state affairs often representing his father on several official committments.

In 4693 Alessandro II undertook an official visit in Dolgava, his last foreign official voyage having his doctors discouraged the 88 years old Emperor from other trip due to his health condition. Indeed some of the Court doctors already advised the Court against even this last trip but Alessandro II insisted to carry out this last State Visit so to honor for the last time his duties as Monarch of the Istalian Empire, also conscious of the blood links existing between the Istalian House and the Dolgavan one through the Hulstrian House. In the meantime, for the negotiations with Dorvik and Deltaria about the revoke of the Treaty of Romula which punished Deltaria after the end of the Deltaria-Coalition War, the Government organized a meeting of the President of Deltaria at Quattoregni Palace.

Two years later finally Alessandro II died on 11 February at the Romula's Deodato II Polyclinic at the age of 90 after his hospitalization a week before due to the resurged cancer to his larynx, an health issue that hit the Emperor at the time of the celebrations for the 100th years of the Empire and that it was kept a secret not to undermine the celebrations and also to show the Emperor strong and in full health to face the anti-monarchical criticisms. Fortunately, the very last years of the reign of Alessandro II saw a decrease of the general support of the republican parties and the rise of new pro-monarchical parties. Furthermore the lefist governments of the time led by the main anti-monarchical party Left Bloc had to focus on several internal and international issues like the difficult efforts to form majorities to contrast the popular rightist parties, the independence movement of Alaria, the still ongoing negotiations with Deltaria and Dorvik and finally the refugees crisis from Solentia.

Personal Life

Prince Alessandro met his future wife Elena Sofia Graziani Del Pardo at the State University of Padua where the Prince was attending the Astrophysics course. Having to take an exam in a foreign language, the Prince attended a Canrillaise course where he met Miss Graziani Del Pardo, a language student.
After almost 8 months of courtship, won the concerns and the fear by Miss Graziani Del Pardo to have a relation with the Heir to the Throne, finally they announced to be in couple.
After a year Elena Sofia found out to be pregnant and, organized the marriage, after 7 months Princess Michela was born.

Emperor Alessandro, apart his professional interests, is an ardent fan of the football team SS Romula which, when young, he followed going often to the stadium, and he is a classical music lover, especially the late baroque and the early classical period and this is the most likely reason for the style adopted for Il Canto Imperiale, the ode set in music to celebrate the centenary of the Empire.

Titles, Styles and Honors

While his name was announced few days after his birth, Prince Alessandro was, from birth, an Istalian Grand Prince entitled to the style of Imperial Highness under Imperial Decree issued by Emperor Michele I in 4574, which gave the title and style to the children of the Imperial Grand Princes.

He was instead officially created Imperial Grand Prince of the Crown on 24th September 4622 few months before his marriage.

When he succeeded to his father in 4663, he ascended to the Throne abviously with the treatment of Most Excellent Imperial Majesty as Alessandro II, by the Will of the Nation and the Constitution of the Empire, Emperor of the Istalians, Protector and Guarantor of the Constitution, Defender of the Democratic Values, Supreme Commander of the Imperial Armed Forces of Istalia.

Honors

As Monarch of Istalia and head of the Imperial House, Alessandro II was the Grand Master of all the Istalian dynastic and chivalry orders.

Alessandro II's coronation ceremony

Alessandro II inspecting the troops

Alessandro II (far-left) during a state visit