The Kingdom - A short story of 5200 words about what an alternate history of America could have been if we had a Kingdom.
Today of course in the United States of America we know a story of a democracy born from tyranny in England. We know that with our founding fathers men like Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Adams and numerous others, who helped shape our great nation. What would our nation look like had some of the shapers of our great nation been different men? As facts change for England and circumstances change here in America different realities come to exist. In this story we will examine a Royal and monarchical America and examine its impact on our collective future.
Charles II May 29, 1630 - February 6,1685 was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland. He came to the throne with the Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed in January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War. Although the Parliament of Scotland proclaimed Charles II King of Great Britain and Ireland in Edinburgh on February 6,1649, the English Parliament instead passed a statute that made any such proclamation in England and Ireland unlawful. England entered the period known as the English Commonwealth, and the country was a de facto republic, led by Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell defeated Charles at the Battle of Worcester on September 3,1651, and Charles fled to mainland Europe. Cromwell became virtual dictator of England. Charles spent the next nine years in exile in France.
A political crisis that followed the death of Cromwell in 1658 resulted in the restoration of the monarchy, and Charles was invited to return to Britain. On 29 May 1660, his 30th birthday, he was received in London to public acclaim. After 1660, all legal documents were dated as if Charles had succeeded his father as king in 1649.
Part of Charles II decree was made that established the Kingdom of Pennsylvaina which included the American colonies with the Pennsylvania border being the most Southern and New York the most Western and all of New England. To lead the the new Kingdom would be William Penn who would establish the House of Penn and be crowned King William I in 1682. So we see perhaps the most powerful man in the colonies William Penn would come to lead in an alliance with England a new kingdom in the Americas. Counterfactual it may well be, however the research exists to make an educated hypothesis as to its possibility.
On this occasion, the colonists pledged allegiance to King William as their new King, and the first general assembly was held in the colony. Afterwards, King William journeyed up river and founded Philadelphia. However, William’s Quaker government was not viewed favorably by the Dutch, Swedish, and English settlers in what is now Delaware. They had no historical allegiance to Pennsylvania, so they almost immediately began petitioning for their own Assembly. In 1704 they achieved their goal when the three southernmost counties of Pennsylvania were permitted to split off and become the new semi-autonomous colony Delaware. As the most prominent, prosperous and influential "city" in the new colony, New Castle became the capital.
As a pacifist Quaker, King William considered the problems of war and peace deeply, and included a plan for a United States of Europe in his voluminous writings. He became King at the age of 52 and would reign until his death on February 6, 1685. This would become the first test of the House of Penn. Succeeding to the throne was William’s eldest son named John I.
King John was the American born new King of Pennsylvania who was born on February 29, 1700 in New Castle, Deleware. Suddenly now King John at age 18 ascended to the throne and though very young he was bred for the position. He was brilliant and very able as he would begin to include commoners such as businessmen and farmers for their input into the General Assembly.
Also raised in the Quaker tradition the King made it clear from day one that he had no interest in the expansion of his Kingdom. He would rule until his death at the age of 46, when his brother Thomas would take the throne as Thomas I on October 26, 1746.
