| Lawrence I | |
|---|---|
| King of the Federal Kingdom of Canada | |
| Reign | 12 October, 1941 - 4 March, 2009 |
| Coronation | 5 January, 1942 |
| Predecessor | Louis II and Wilhelmina II (as Co-Regents) |
| Successor | Lawrence II |
| President(s) | William Lyon Mackenzie King Louis St. Laurent Herbert Hoover Thomas E. Dewey Dwight D. Eisenhauer Pierre E. Trudeau Richard Nixon John Chrétien George H. W. Bush Al Gore Hermann Kain Maxime Bernier |
| Born | 3 March, 1911 Orleans Palace, Windsor, Ontario |
| Spouse | Princess Maria of Cuba |
| Issue | Lawrence II Louis Charles Gwen |
| Full name | |
| Lawrence Louis Peter Tiberius of Grimaldi-Orange of the Canadian Branch | |
| House | Grimaldi-Orange |
| Father | Louis II |
| Mother | Wilhelmina II |
Lawrence I of Canada was an accomplished politician, military official, economist and Monarch of Canada from 1941 to 2009. Having been the longest serving Monarch of Canada, Lawrence I oversaw the presidencies of William L.M. King through Maxime Bernier. Lawrence I was born on 3 March, 1911, in Orleans Palace, Windsor, Ontario to King Louis II and Queen Wilhelmina II, making him the longest-living Monarch in world history. Lawrence I abdicated from his role in 2009, due to health complications and late-onset Alzheimer's, leaving his son, Lawrence II, in power.
Raised by caretakers and his private tutors, Lawrence spent most of his childhood straying from activities of leisure, in favour of studying economics, military strategy and foreign languages. Lawrence's parents often worried about their son, whom would spend hours locked up in his private chamber, reading textbooks and staring at maps. Despite this, the young prince showed no signs of mental degradation, and seemed naturally happy in his craft. At the age of 14, Lawrence was sent to the Royal Military Academy of Pennsylvania, where he was trained in situational and defense tactics. Following a prank with some friends, involving an active artillery cannon, Lawrence was nearly blasted to bits, had he not ducked out of the way at the last minute. This experience would create a heightened sense of responsibility in Lawrence, and cause him to adopt a no-nonsense personality.
Lawrence attended Princeton University from 1935 to 1938, and graduated in 1939 with two degrees in economics. Lawrence had been an avid follower of Smith, Bastiat and Molinari, and would later become a loyal advocate of the Free Market, and Market Liberalism. In the summer of 1940, Lawrence had taken a brief vacation to Cuba, where he met his wife, Maria Ferreira. The two were married in 1945.
Inheriting power, following the assassination of both parents, Lawrence assumed the throne and the position of Commander-in-Chief in 1941, and worked fervently to restructure and modernize the military. In the winter of 1942, Lawrence I was coronated as the legitimate King of Canada, and began implementing various national policies, including the withdrawal of troops from Iceland to be sent, instead, to Cuba, in the preparation for a possible Second North American War. Lawrence I's predictions were realized in 1947, when the Aztec Republic launched a land invasion of the Chihuahuan plains, and a naval incursion into the Greater Antilles. Through his precise directions and inspiring speeches, Lawrence I decisively prevented the invasion of Cuba and Jamaica, and successfully routed the Aztec fleet.
Throughout his tenure, Lawrence I managed to keep a firm hold over several Canadian strongholds in Iceland and the Faroe Islands during the Third Atlantic War of 1959, against the Nationalist-Populist powers of Angland and Frankreich.
While not being able to directly manage the nation's expenditure, Lawrence I served as an unofficial economic advisor to various Canadian Presidents and Secretaries of State, often acting as an eminence grise to implement his Free Market policies on a national scale. Lawrence I often voiced his displeasure for the economic incompetence of Presidents Trudeau and Nixon, and often joked about running as a political opponent.
During his reign, Lawrence forged close personal friendships with military leaders, Douglas MacArthur (Whom they had both co-lead the Cuban campaign) and Dwight D. Eisenhauer (Whom eventually became President), as well as George H.W. Bush, although he viewed Bush's expansionist policies into the Hejaz unfavourably.
Lawrence I was a strong proponent of Zionism, often earning him backlash from Canadians from Greek-Arab descent. Lawrence I has often stated, "The Jews should have a state in the world, if not in Israel, than in anywhere else." Lawrence I has also been accused of funding the Israeli Gonen Ben Itzhak's Presidential campaign. As no sufficient evidence has been found to support, the subject in hand still remains one of controversy. Despite this, he still maintains friendly relations with Itzhak and his Vice-President, Mossab Hassan Joseph.
Lawrence I and Princess Maria had three sons and one daughter, Lawrence, Louis, Charles and Gwen. In 1989, Lawrence I began displaying signs of Arthritis and calcium deficiency, Lawrence II was named Crown Prince and first in the line of succession, should anything happen to his father. In 13 December, 2008, Lawrence I was diagnosed with late onset-Alzheimer's. On 4 March, 2009, with the inauguration of President Rand Paul, Lawrence choose to abdicate, on health-related reasons.
Following his abdication, Lawrence constantly takes wheelchair-assisted strolls through his ocean-view manor in Cape Breton. On 3 March, 2012, the light armed-cruiser, C.R.S. Lawrence I was named in his honour.