Joanus X de Martigueux

Joanus X de Martigueux (born Joanus Maria Guillaume Falco de Martigueux; 22 March 1897 – 22 October 1982) was Grand Duke of Yonderre from 15 October 1920 – 22 October 1982. His reign of 62 years and 7 days is the longest of any Grand Duke of Yonderre and spanned the latter half of the Great Depression, the entirety of the Second Great War and much of the Occidental Cold War. Prior to his ascension to Grand Duke, Joanus X was styled as Joanus XI de Martigueux, Count of Collinebourg since the death of his father, Guillaume VI de Martigueux, Count of Collinebourg.

Although his election to Grand Duke in 1920 over the more experienced Hubert V, Count of Donne surprised many, the young Joanus X quickly established himself as a competent ruler and is remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious, and proactive Grand Dukes of Yonderre, having initiated many reforms and projects to steer his nation out of the Great Depression and clear of the Second Great War. His early rule has been described as authoritarian in nature and he strongly stressed the importance of ducal dignity and power. Joanus X is noted for his use of executive powers, a notable example being in 1928 when he dismissed the democratically elected Social Democratic cabinet with which he disagreed and installing one of his own choosing. Joanus X's rule after the Second Great War is marked by a more liberal approach, starting the long reforming process towards a nationalised social healthcare service and social security network.

Early life
Joanus X de Martigueux was born in Collinebourg Palace as Joanus Maria Guillaume Falco de Martigueux on March 22, 1897, as the eldest son of Guillaume VI de Martigueux, Count of Collinebourg (1867 – 1918) and his wife Countess Carolina (1876 – 1963). Joanus attended the Sainte-Catherine Military Academy in Kubagne from 1915-1917, afterwich he served with the Guard Cuirassier Division. His father Guillaume VI had been narrowly snubbed of the title of Grand Duke of Yonderre by Joanus IX de Somua in 1895 which doctors believe caused his heart attack the same year and severely damaged his health, ultimately leading to his early death in 1918, aged 50. Joanus X thus became Count of Collinebourg aged 21 and retired from the Guard Cuirassiers shortly after. He married Lucia Dynan later the same year, a Urcean daughter of the prominent Dynan family.

Election to Grand Duke and early rule
Following the death of Grand Duke Joanus IX de Somua in 1920, Count Joanus was narrowly elected Grand Duke of Yonderre ahead of Hubert V, Count of Donne. The traditional election between the nine Counts of Yonderre ended in a threeway tie with Joanus XI of Collinebourg, Hubert V, Count of Donne and Auguste XV, Count of Somua each having three votes. Following further debating another vote was cast in which Joanus XI and Hubert V were tied with four votes each, Auguste XV still voting for himself. After extensive debates and backdoor negotiations, Joanus had finally secured a majority at 3AM on 15 October 1920. He was proclaimed Grand Duke of Yonderre later that day from the balcony of Guillaumesbourg, the palace that houses the Yonderian parliament, by Steward of the Realm C.F. Beauregard.

Soon after his proclamation, Joanus X set out to reform Yonderian industry, whose work had suffered due to the Great Depression and which, in spite of repeated attempts by his predecessor Joanus IX de Somua, had been unable to correct this. Reforms put in place during the early 1920s alleviated these issues over the following years, with industrial capacity returning to pre-Great Depression levels around the late 1920s. The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess spent much of 1924 travelling Levantia, visiting Carna and the Holy Levantine Empire, specifically Urcea, Burgundie and Faneria. In 1928, Joanus X dismissed the democratically elected Social Democratic cabinet under Adolphe Heineau with which he disagreed and replaced it with a de facto conservative caretaker cabinet. The immediate cause was a conflict between the Grand Duke and the cabinet over the reforms introduced to combat the effects of the Great Depression, with the Heineau cabinet wishing to divert more money to agriculture as opposed to industry and mercantilism. Subsequent demonstrations emerged throughout Yonderre, forcing the Grand Duke to seek a compromise, dismissing his own government and installing a compromise cabinet until elections could be held later that year. The elections resulted in the re-election of Heineau as Grand Steward of Yonderre who would ultimately work closely with Joanus X to acchieve compromises that suited both.

Issue

 * Guillaume VII de Martigueux, Count of Collinebourg (1921 – 2003)
 * Rachet de Martigueux (1923 – 2011)
 * Edith de Martigueux (1926 – 2009)
 * Julianne de Martigueux (born 1930)

Titles and styles

 * 22 March 1897 – 25 May 1918: His Highness the Hereditary Count of Collinebourg
 * 25 May 1918 – 15 October 1920: His Highness the Count of Collinebourg
 * 15 October 1920 – 22 October 1982: By the Grace of God, His Majesty the Grand Duke of Yonderre, King of the Goths, Count of Collinebourg, Grand Baron of the Kestrel Isles

Honours and decorations

 * Yonderre Grand Master of the Order of Joanus
 * Yonderre Grand Master of the Order of the Shield
 * Yonderre Grand Master of the Order of the Kestrel
 * Yonderre Grand Master of the Order of the Green Knight


 * Burgundie Order of the House of Marius (1929)
 * Burgundie Order of Julian Bergendus (1934)
 * Burgundie Order of Marin-Estelle (1924)
 * Carna_kingdom_flag.png Carna Order of the Unicorn (1924)
 * Faneria Order of The Broken Pine (1924)
 * Levantine Union Imperial Knight of the Imperial Order of the Holy Cross (1956)
 * Urcea Honorary Ceannaturiaí of the Royal Life Guard (1924)