Ambroos I

Ambroos I (born Ambroos Philip van Draak; 1762, Grijzestad - 1823, Koningstad) was the 11th King of Brunant from 1800-1823. Ambroos is known as "De Grote" (the Great), for his contributions to the military, literature and politics.

King Ambroos had famously defied James Carrington's rule in his earlier life but was still made the king. He spearheaded several reforms, including the passing of a constitution in 1802 Ambroos has since become among the most famous kings of Brunant and is remembered for his contributions to the country.

Early life
Prince Ambroos was born in Grijzestad Palace to Prince Adrian and his wife, Henrietta Marie. His father was the only son of Princess Catherine, sister of Pieter I and Prince Max, the son of Jan III Sobieski of Poland. His mother was born to Karl August of Nassau-Weilburg and Auguste Friederike of Nassau-Idstein. Though both his parents were primarily German-speakers the baby prince was given a Dutch name in honor of their country.

As a boy young Ambroos traveled to Spain, Prussia, Poland and other European nations. The prince took his education with various tutors, among them the scholar Hendrik Vandelet (a distant ancestor of the painter Michael Vandelet). Ambroos took an interest to writing, which he was able to indulge in.

Young Ambroos was enrolled at University of Cambridge at the aage of 17. He studied literature and politics at Peterhouse. In late 1783 Ambroos finished his schooling and returned to Brunant.

Military career
Prince Ambroos was appointed a Captain over 500 soldiers stationed in Sint-Anders. When James Carrington invaded Brunant in 1784 he led a gallant defense of the town, but could not resist a massive attack a few weeks later. As the king's nephew's son, he was not expected to become the king. All this changed when his great-uncle was swiftly deposed and his father was appointed king. Ambroos, though, led various insurgencies against Carrington, notable in 1786 and 1791 and was even arrested in 1792. He later made his peace with Carrington and even held a position in the Royal Guard from 1795. That year the king officially opened the Royal University of Koningstad, having been one of the main proponents for an institute of higher education in the capital. He served as the school's first chancellor, from October 7, 1795 to 3 June 1801. In 1803 he was reinstated as honorary president for life.

Early reforms
In 1800, James Carrington had a falling-out with King Adrian II. Adrian had become more resistive to his policies and old Carrington felt that Ambroos would cooperate more. Ambroos was crowned at Koningstad on April 29, 1800 at St. Peter's Church. Ambroos was highly critical of Carrington's militaristic rule and did not get along well with the old leader. Upon Carrington's death, Ambroos brought his father back from exile and re-honored him. King Ambroos quickly took advantage of the lack of support for the new president, David James Carrington; Ambroos never supported him and his policies. The king came to dominate government and was interested in writing a new constitution. The king was instrumental in writing and adopting the Constitution of 1802; he wrote many of its clauses and strove to limit the role of the President. Cunning King Ambroos found support from reformists and the old royalists. He quickly became known as the "people's king", since he gave many speeches in public and held more audiences than his predecessors combined. He was known for giving to charities and the church and became a well-respected figure.

The new age
In 1809 the king managed to oust Carrington from the presidency and replaced him with staunch royalist Walter van der Ecke. Though the younger Carrington married his daughter Victoria in 1810 he would rarely talk to him at formal or private events. On the other hand, he got along excellently with President van der Ecke; the two would go on hunting trips together and he would often be present at family affairs. Ambroos, though, still held a lot of power and was quick to use them when things weren't going his way. Despite having introduced a constitution, he was the most powerful king of the post-Carrington era with near-absolute powers. The King was supportive of van der Ecke's declaration of war against Napoleon. He was quite weary of French expansionism and quickly allied himself with Prussia The King, in an unprecedented occasion decided to go to Europe in 1814 and command the Brunanter troops. Along with Marshal Owen Halsey MacLellan, he led troops in a combined operation with the Prussians. The King sustained a musketball shot to the leg which caused him much problems in later life.

Later life and death
After the war King Ambroos became a more reserved man and made less frequent public appearances. The crown prince took over many of his duties. His war wound was causing him some problems and soon he had various other illnesses. Ambroos I died in 1823 at the Realpaleis, surrounded by his children and grandchildren. He left the throne to his eldest son, Cristian I, who would rule for 36 years.

Family
Prince Ambroos was engaged in 1777 to Caroline of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1762-1828), when they were both fifteen. His bride-to-be was the daughter of Ernest Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and aunt to Leopold I of Belgium and Marie Luise Victoria, the mother of Queen Victoria. In 1781 the couple were married in a beautiful ceremony at St. Peter's Church. It was generally believed that their marriage was purely for political purposes, since Caroline came from an important family, but many love letters have been found written between the two, meaning likely that they truly fell in love. Since Ambroos was still off studying in England, Caroline remained in Brunant since she did not want to move there. Caroline gave birth to twin daughters when Ambroos was away. The couple were re-united in 1783 when he finished. Unlike many of his predecessors and descendants, he never took mistresses and remained faithful to his wife. He and Caroline would have the following nine children:


 * Princess Cristina Maria (1782-1805), married to Ernest Augustus I of Hanover.
 * Princess Augustina (1782-1833)
 * Princess Helena (1784-1821)
 * Princess Victoria (1786-1838), married to David James Carrington and had issue.
 * Cristian I (1787-1859), married to Maria Francesca of Naples and Sicily and had issue.
 * Princess Louisa (1790-1884)
 * Princess Maria (1792-1863)
 * Prince Johan Alexander (1794-1855)
 * Princess Juliana (1795-1870), married to Alexander von Krupski and had issue.

Ambroos only had two sons, but he was extremely fond of his daughters, especially Princess Helena. The king was quite devastated upon her death in 1821. . Ambroos pampered his daughters and was seen as a family man, devoted to his wife and children.

Poetry
Though King Ambroos was known to many as a brave military hero, he was secretly also a man of the pen Ambroos kept his writings to himself and very few people knew that he was an avid poet. In 1923 William Marsdale released an edited book called 66 Poems and Verses, a compilation of King Ambroos' previously unpublished and unreleased work.

Antiques collecting
Ambroos was an avid collector of antiques during his life. The king kept a few antique weapons and firearms, but his passion was coin collecting. He built up an impressive collection of gold, silver and copper coins, ranging from ancient Greek and Roman pieces to contemporary coins bearing his likeness. Much of his collection was donated to the State Museum in Koningstad.

Language
King Ambroos spoke various languages. His maternal language was German, which both his parents spoke. At a young age he learned Dutch and Polish, and later on he would learn some French and Latin.

Legacy
Ambroos I is considered by many to be the greatest monarch. During his short reign he helped modernize the country, and introduced new technologies. He was vital in writing the constitution of Brunant and getting David James Carrington to sign it. In 1804 he wrote a poem, which would later serve as the basis of the lyrics for the national anthem of Brunant.

No king of Brunant has since named their child Ambroos for fear of not living up to the name. To date, no prince has been named Ambroos and there has not been an "Ambroos Van Draak" since then.

Ambroos was commemorated throughout the country for his deeds. Many cities and town like Grijzestad and Koningstad have statues of the King in the old plazas. The State Museum has a section called the "King Ambroos Hall", since Ambroos donated many artifacts to the museum. Ambroos Station in the Arabian Quarter of Koningstad is named after him as well, as is the Koning-Ambroos Library of the RUK. Other things mame in his honor include The Ambrosian Hills, a winemaking region in Sint-Anders Parish and Ambrosian FC, a football club that finished third in the AFC league in 1938 and 1940.

Titles and styles
1762 – 1784 Prince Ambroos of Brunant

1784 – 1800 His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Ambroos of Brunant

1800 – 1823 His Majesty The King of Brunant

1800 - 1823 Duke of Holstein-Gottorp

Awards and honors
Ambroos held various honors and awards throughout his lifetime. They include:
 * Medaille d'Honneur en Guerre, awarded 1805
 * War Cross, awarded 1808
 * Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece (Spain), awarded 1807
 * Grand Cross of the Order of the Tower and Sword of Portugal, awarded 1813
 * 1814 War Medal
 * Order of the Garter, Great Britain, awarded 1815
 * Pour le Mérite (Orden Pour le Mérite, the "Blue Max"), Prussia, awarded 1815

Ancestry
Ambroos' origins are mostly German, since the Van Draak's and most of his other ancestors were from the German states. His great-grandfather was king of Poland (and his family were Polish), and his wife's family was French.