| Henry I | |
|---|---|
| |
| King of the United States | |
| Reign | April 30, 1789 - August 3, 1802 |
| Coronation | May 30, 1789 |
| Predecessor | none |
| Successor | Augustus I |
| Born | January 18, 1726 Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia |
| Died | August 3, 1802 (aged 76) White Palace, Columbia |
| Burial | August 17, 1802 Royal Cemetery, White Palace |
| Spouse | Princess Wilhelmina of Hesse-Kassel (m. 1752–1802) |
| Full name | |
| Frederick Henry Louis | |
| House | Hohenzollern-Amerika |
| Father | Frederick William I of Prussia |
| Mother | Sophia Dorothea of Hanover |
Henry I (Frederick Henry Louis; January 18, 1726 – August 3, 1802) was the first King of the United States following the ratification of the Constitution in 1789.
During most of his reign, Henry, his most trusted and capable council members, including George Washington, and President John Hancock, sought to establish the United States as a fully-recognized, stable North American power. He and the federalist cabinet supported and oversaw Financial Minister Alexander Hamilton's programs to end all major federal and state debts, the establishment of a consolidated and permanent national government, an effective tax program, and the creation of a national bank.
Diplomatic tensions with the British also eased down due to the signing of multiple diplomatic and territorial treaties, most notably the Jay Treaty, which is frequently credited for preventing war between the two countries in the midst of the French Revolutionary Wars.
Due to all of this, Henry is remembered as one of the most important founding fathers in American history and is popularly nicknamed the "Old Prussian".
Biography[]
Early life[]
Frederick II aka. Frederick the Great, King Henry's older brother and king of Prussia
Frederick Henry Louis von Hohenzollern was born on January 18, 1726 in Berlin as the 13th child of Frederick William I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover.
At the age of 14, Henry was appointed as Colonel of the 35th Infanterieregiment by his elder brother Frederick the Great shortly after he became King of Prussia in 1740, leading him to participate in the Silesian Wars. During his early years in Prussia, he lived in the shadow of his older brother and often criticized his military strategies and foreign policies often as a sign of jealousy and envy for his position. In 1753 he published his memoirs under the pseudonym "Maréchal Gessler".
In 1752 Henry married Princess Wilhelmina of Hesse-Kassel in Charlottenburg, but the couple produced no children. After the marriage, Henry received the town of Rheinsberg as a wedding gift from his brother, where he mostly resided for the rest of his time in Prussia. Despite his marriage, he scarcely hid his homosexual tendencies and developed close relationships with multiple men in his court.
During the Seven Years War (1756–63), Henry successfully led Prussian armies as a general, in which he never lost a battle. After the Prussian Army's success against joint Russian and Austrian armies in the Battle of Kunersdorf, Henry urged his brother Frederick to end the attack. The king, who was extremely ambitious and had already sent a message of victory to Berlin, pressed on with the conflict. The day ended with an almost completely destroyed Prussian force, a virtually defenseless Prussia, and an extremely decisive victory by the Russo-Austrian forces. Afterwards, Henry reorganized the routed and morally deplenished Prussian armies. Frederick came to rely on his brother as one of the main commanders of the Prussian forces in the east, Frederick's most strategic and important flank. Henry later won the Battle of Freiburg in 1762.
After the war, Henry worked as a diplomat who helped plan the First Partition of Poland through trips to Sweden and Russia. In the early 1780s he made multiple diplomatic trips to France. He was a personal friend of Jean-Louis Favier. While in France, he first heard of the American Revolutionary War and began to indirectly support the colonial rebels due to their initial victories with the Siege of Boston and their Commander-in-Chief George Washington's admirable and courageous behavior throughout the entire war.
United States[]
In June 1787 during the Constitutional Convention, Alexander Hamilton, a prominent delegate from New York, invited Prince Henry to the United States due to the topic of coronating him King of America since he was an important foreign supporter of the American cause during the American Revolution. Prince Henry, knowing that he would not become King of Prussia, accepted the offer and traveled to the United States to attend the Constitutional Convention. Prince Henry was crowned as King Henry in 1789, with John Hancock and George Clinton becoming President and Vice President of the United States. The United States officially became a monarchy, with King Henry being its first monarch.
John Hancock, 1st President of the United States
The Hancock Administration[]
Under the Hancock administration, the monarchy was trapped in a careful position, with Congress split between two major parties, the traditionalist Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, and the liberal Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson. The Federalists became the backbone of royal authority, and Republicans became the bulk of opposition against royal rule.
When John Hancock became President, he was under serious ill health. Hancock may have been interested in being Vice President and not President, despite his poor health. When he won, it became an issue for his poor health would cause a possible crisis when he dies. It would later influence his decision not to pursue a second term. George Clinton in Hancock's presidency would serve as his acting president during his last year in office, increasing the significance of the VP's role in office.
With Hancock's assistance, Hamilton's reforms, and Washington's endorsement, Henry's reign gained more and more legitimacy, although his rule was still disputed. Hamilton created the national bank, which caused controversy among the Republicans. The Whiskey Rebellion took place in 1791, which occurred due to taxes being levied on whiskey. Henry, although moderately supporting the current government, did see "public support acting like a electrocardiogram", as one historian would describe it.
Soon, war broke out between Revolutionary France and Great Britain, and the United States decided to declare neutrality. After a national crisis involving Edmond-Charles Genêt, French diplomat to the United States attempting to get the US to intervene in the French Revolutionary War, Hamilton and John Jay formulated the Jay Treaty to normalize trade relations with Great Britain while removing them from western forts, and also to resolve financial debts remaining from the Revolution. This, according to historians, helped boost the government's support.
The Clinton Administration[]
George Clinton, 2nd US President and 1st VP
In 1792, Vice President George Clinton won in a small majority in the electoral college, granting him the presidency, defeating Federalist candidate, Thomas Pinckney. John Hancock had not run for a second term due to his health failing. Hancock spent his final year as essentially a figurehead president, later dying on October 8, 1793, at 56.
Clinton's presidency first encountered the issue of France at war. Clinton's vice president Thomas Jefferson, and Sec. of the State James Madison made attempts to compromise with France, although the King worried about possible indirect joining of the war with Great Britain. As such, both President Clinton and King Henry both agreed that improving relations with France was necessary, but America will not joined the war with France, knowing this will lead to conflict with Britain.
Vice President Jefferson and former Treasury Secretary Hamilton continued their rivalry, although Jefferson and the Republicans didn't carry much anti-royalist sentiment, as Henry made compromises and deals with the Republicans. That and Henry's popularity among the people increasing made it hard for Henry to be replaced, but it didn't prevent more limit being put on the King's power.
On 2nd of July 1794, Henry was nearly assassinated by a radical, pro-French, former revolutionary soldier. It motivated King Henry to invite his brother's family to come to America, and with permission from Congress, established the American Royal Guard (ARG). Congress later created the Succession Act of 1794, which ratified both the line of succession for the monarchy, and the loose presidential succession line (although it took until November 24 to confirm).
The Clinton administration saw the Republicans split between the moderates led by President Clinton, VP Jefferson, and new Sec. of the State James Madison, and the Radicals, who support a more violent revolution. The party did stay united, though its inability to form a proper wall against the Federalists won John Jay and Alexander Hamilton the offices of President and Vice President.
The Jay Administration[]
Last years[]
Coat of Arms for the House of Hohenzollern (American Branch)
After the death of Frederick the Great in 1786, Henry hoped to become more influential in the Prussian government as the advisor of his nephew, the new King Frederick William II of Prussia. Although he was less influential than he hoped, Henry gained important during the last years of his life after his ascension to the monarchy in 1789. Voltaire had seen in Frederick the embodiment of his "Philosopher King". Arguably, Henry was by deed the man Voltaire had hoped the "Age of Reason" would produce. Henry died at the age of 76 of natural causes at the White Palace.
Personal life[]
Wilhelmina of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of the United States
Alleged Homosexuality[]
Despite his marriage to Princess Wilhelmina of Hesse-Kassel, he scarcely concealed his passion for other men and developed intimate friendships with the actor Blainville and the French emigre Count La Roche-Aymon. One favourite, Major von Kaphengst, exploited the prince's interest in him to lead a dissipated, wasteful life at Schloss Meseberg.