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President of the United States | |
| Predecessor | James Buchanan |
| Successor | John C. Fremont |
| Vice President | Andrew Johnson |
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The King of Goodwill | |
| Successor | Office Abolished |
| Born | February 12, 1809 Hodgenvile, IL |
| Died | September 2, 1884 Sarajevo, Bosnia, Austria-Hungary |
| First Lady | Mary Todd |
| Political Party | National Union |
| Religion | Protestant |
| Profession | Lawyer (before Presidency) |
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – September 2, 1884) was the 16th President of the United States, reigning for one term between 1861 and 1865. He was initially popular in the North due to his "staunch anti-slavery stance", but as the Civil War dragged into a stalemate, and foreign powers got involved, the people lost faith in President Lincoln, and he was voted out of office in the 1864 elections, replaced by Californian governor, John C. Fremont.
Lincoln imposed a self-exile from the United States, and moved to Bosnia as to help those persecuted by local governors, and was well known in the Austrian domain as a "King of Goodwill". Before his death in 1884, he visited cities such as Belgrade, Istanbul, Bucharest, Kyiv, Moskva, etc, representing interests of smaller ethnicities within their empires. He died in his home in Sarajevo in 1884, with his family bearing witness to his broken soul.
President of the United States (1861-1865)[]
Considered the "primary cause of the Civil War" by both the South and the North -- The election of the Republican Abraham Lincoln was considered the final straw, as the Confederates seceded before he even took office as President. His popularity was initially high, especially as he lead his troops to victory in the Siege of Washington D.C, by personally leading the flank upon Genreral Lee's forces that drove them from the city.
However, as the war dragged into stalemate and foreign European powers dogpiled into the war -- Lincoln's popularity fell apart, and he soon became disillusioned with the war. He was removed in the 1864 election, after his ticket of "fighting to the end" failed to attract voters in the US, many preferring to side with California's governor, John C. Fremont, who had promised to "Stop Secessionism and End the War", and had succeeded in his endeavors.
Self-exile to Austria (1866)[]
Abraham's life was much different after his defeat in the election. Ridiculed and effectively ended in politics, he became a staunch supporter for human rights and helping those in need. He departed New York Harbor on June 3, 1866, onboard to the Austrian Empire, an American ally. President Fremont gave Lincoln a US Navy guard in case the recently peace-agreed Confederates decided to spring a trap on the man they blamed for the war that broke the nation. Lincoln arrived in Venezia, Austria in September, and held audience with the Emperor of Austria for several weeks before he moved to the Joint-Occupied Zone in Bosnia-Herezgovina.
"The King of Goodwill" (1867-1884)[]
After his arrival in Sarajevo, he became a very heavy supporter of the Muslim Bosniak minority in Bosnia, even winning over the hearts of the Croats and Serbs. Emperor Franz Joseph I signed the "Abraham Lincoln Act" into authority on March 4, 1868, formally recognizing various human rights changes to the Austrian province of Bosnia. Spurred on, Lincoln traveled through Europe, championing minorities rights through out empires.
Another major notation of his time, he was formally added to the Austro-Hungarian delegation to the Prague Conference in 1870. There he encountered Ulysseus S. Grant, now President. Disgraced with himself, he left after two days, leaving a heart-felt apology. Following his desires he mentioned to his wife, he left on a soul-searching journey to Jerusalem, which lasted until 1872. Returning, he once again championed minorities rights in the Ottoman Empire in Palestine, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Greece and Albania. He was expelled from the Ottoman Empire in late 1878 after the Berlin Conference, and settled in Serbia for three years, leaving in 1881.
Already known as "The King of Goodwill" in most nations, he was even granted honorary citizenship to the Kingdom of Serbia on December 2, 1880. As his health declined, his final trip out of his residency in Sarajevo was to meet with Emperor Aleksander III and his son, Nicholas in February 1883. He returned to his home in Sarajevo to retire for the last months of his life.
Retirement and Death (1883-1884)[]
Lincoln's retirement to his home in Sarajevo was a let down for many across Europe. Franz Joseph I visited him at his deathbed in August of 1884, and granted him the title (only honorary) "Großherzog von Bosnien", officially making Lincoln a noble in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. About three weeks prior to his death, Lincoln took a visit to Jerusalem, Ottoman Empire. He was satisfied that his one desire -- To visit the Holy Land, had been completed. He returned home, and Lincoln's family noticed in his final days, the man grew gloomy and reflective, preferring to think of the home he had left behind some 18 years prior -- America. Abraham Lincoln died of a coronary heart attack in his bedroom on September 2, 1884.
Today, he is buried in Sarajevo's main cemetery, next to his wife and children.
Legacy[]
Lincoln's legacy is very well-known in Europe, as "Lincolnites" are those who are supportive of minorities freedoms within a greater ethnic empire -- His legacy in America is lesser, as many still recognize him as the man who "screwed up the Civil War".
However, there are those in America who appreciate his goodwill to the world. A statue of Abraham Lincoln stands in cities such as Kiev, Moskva, Sarajevo, Vienna, Budapest and Bratislava. Lincoln's home in Sarajevo, despite being damaged in the successive wars over the city, each government, especially Serbia and Yugoslavia, carefully rebuilt the house's damaged parts. It was converted into Lincoln's mausoleum and a museum to his image in 1903 by decree of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor.