Alternative History
Henry IV
Painting of King Henry IV in 1960 (King of America)
Portrait of Henry IV (circa 1966)
King of the United States
Reign September 5, 1913 - April 17, 1980
Coronation October 12, 1913
Predecessor Henry III
Successor Edward II
Born June 18, 1897
Central Palace, Washington D.C.
Died April 17, 1980(1980-04-17) (aged 82)
Liberty Manor, Washington D.C.
Burial May 26, 1980
Spouse Queen Abigail
Issue Crown Prince Robert
Prince James
Full name
Henry George William Augustus
House Hohenzollern-Amerika
Father Henry III
Mother Mary Stuarts

Henry IV (Henry George William Augustus; 18 June 1897 – 17 April 1980) was a monarch of the United States from 1913 to 1980, and was the longest reigning monarch of the United States and also served as the King-Emperor of the colonies overseen by the United States. Henry was born on June 18, 1897, in Central Palace to King Henry III and Queen Mary. Between 1897 and 1913, he was styled as Prince Henry of the United States, until his father's death in 1913.

At only sixteen years old, he assumed the throne as the United States' youngest monarch, with one year between his coronation and the beginning of the First World War. Henry was faced with a very difficult decision in late 1914, as the US' allies were at war against Austria-Hungary, France, United Kingdom, and the U.S.' longtime enemy, the Confederate States of America. On August 14, 1914, King Henry vowed his support for his allies and declared war against the Quadruple Entente.

The American public looked up to Henry as he delivered speeches about the war, both in person and over the radio, and to either the public, the armed forces, or to the colonies.

When World War I ended in 1917, British Canada was acquired by the United States, with very little support among the Canadians. Many began to assemble rebellion groups within the former dominion until solidifying into the Canadian Liberation Army by 1923. Small rebellions broke out in Canada until 1927, when a U.S. Army installation was attacked in Nova Scotia, beginning the War of 1927. Henry IV deemed the attack an action of war and ordered the Army to be mobilized to former Canadian provinces, beginning a small-scale civil war. The war lasted for a few months and by the end of the year, all of former Canada was placed under military occupation.

In 1941, Nazi Austria commenced an attack on Germany, beginning World War II. The United States originally sat neutral until 1941, when the British bombarded the American Canary Islands. Troops were immediately sent out into the Pacific and Europe to help their allies. By June of 1944, the Allies had triumphantly defeated the Axis Powers.

Under several treaties, Henry IV made it a goal to reset relations with the newly reformed United Kingdom and France, however the latter was less open to friendly relations with the United States. The king decided to meet Edward VIII to discuss a possible alliance, known as NATO in order to stop the spread of Soviet influence across Europe as well as Japanese influence across the Pacific. The British agreed and the two nations, for the first time in their history, began to share friendly relations. In the late 1950s and 1960s, Henry openly supported space exploration along side President Richard Nixon, who later became one of his close friends after the end of his presidency. In 1968, after a Japanese nationalist detonated a bomb in Crown Prince Robert's carriage, who was Henry's heir apparent, King Henry urged Congress to declare war on Japan after their support of the attacks and atrocities in Indochina, beginning the Second Pacific War.

In 1980, Henry IV died of a very sudden heart attack, surprising his family and the entire US.

Early Life[]

Prince Henry was born in Central Palace on June 18, 1897 as the first child of Henry III and Queen Mary. As a child, he was his father’s favourite and was loved very much by him. Henry was tutored from Central Palace from the age of 5 to 14 before being sent to board at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. At Phillips, Henry academically excelled but was forced to leave at the end of his first week into his eleventh grade as on September 5, 1913, Henry III died of lung cancer, leaving Prince Henry to become the youngest Monarch of the United States. His ascension was not well accepted within the United States, many believing that he would be too young and incompetent to become King.

Reign[]

Coronation[]

Following the death of his father, Henry III, Henry IV assumed the position as King of the United States. Much of the American public soon grew a sense of republicanism under the assumption that Henry would be too young for the job. The Republican Party made a comeback with a few thousand members, however did not reach any leadership within the federal government. King Henry virtually ignored the party and continued to reign over the United States and the American Empire.

World War I[]

In 1914, Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by Serbian nationalists, beginning the First World War. Henry was, at first, reluctant in entering a war in Europe, however President Theodore Roosevelt acknowledged that a British victory against Germany could potentially mean more dominance in North America and Africa. On August 14th, 1914, the United States declared war against the British Empire.

Albeit in a state of war, Henry still followed the royal tradition of military service and became an officer in the United States Army as a First Lieutenant when he turned 19.

Cold War Era[]

Following the defeat of the Axis in World War II, the U.S. looked across the Pacific towards the rising Japanese Empire, which had begun its own nuclear program. Henry understood the circumstances of a war against Japan, however decided it would be in America's best interest to follow the tune of "peace through understanding."

Henry IV and John F

Henry IV and Vice President John F. Kennedy (circa 1958)

Henry also worked closely with each president and all of Congress in order to keep stability and peace between the two empires, however made sure to keep the U.S. as one of the world's most foremost superpowers.