Matthaeus III

Matthaeus III (Michael Matthaeus Jacobi; born 27 April 1701) was the seventh King of Faramount, reigning from his father's abdication in 1731 until his death in 1773. A skilled policymaker, Matthaeus sought to promote further economic growth by improving his government's relationship with the Holy Levantine Empire, particularly Urcea and Fiannria. His actions succeeded in improving the nation's economy, but also hastened the rise of constitutional monarchy in Faramount as expanded trade relations led many of the principles of the Fiannrian Enlightenment to permeate Faramanian culture. Matthaeus himself died in his sleep during an official state visit to Adenborough in 1773.

Matthaeus assumed the throne at age thirty, the first Faramanian monarch in over a century to take power during adulthood. Well-educated and well-mannered, he quickly made a positive impression upon the royal court and Parliament. He took power at a time when Faramount was prospering, thanks to the infrastructure investments and trade inducements enacted by Matthaeus II. Matthaeus focused during his rule on advancing this economic progress, seeking to expand trade relations with Urcea and Fiannria, while promoting budding industrialization in Faramount. He also substantially invested in education, hoping to make Faramount a leader in science and engineering. He succeeded on all of these counts, and on his death in 1773, left the nation with a sizable budget surplus, substantial financial holdings, several world-renowned universities, and high level of government popularity amongst the populace.

The king's commitment to better trade relations with Fiannria led to the import of the Fiannrian enlightenment, in turn kicking off an enlightenment in Faramount. Beginning during Matthaeus' reign and continuing until the late eighteenth century, there was substantial advancement of progressive ideals like liberty, progress, tolerance, fraternity, popular sovereignty, and separation of church and state. Altogether, Faramanian society started to experience a substantial cultural transformation during this period, as did Faramount's economy as the scientific revolution and industrial revolution reached the nation. Matthaeus' reign would be defined by some of the most noteworthy philosophers, scientists, and industrialists in Faramanian history.

Matthaeus himself took little notice of these changes, instead focusing his energies overwhelmingly upon improving the state's foreign affairs. He succeeded to a great extent in this effort, and by the time of his death, Faramount enjoyed good relations with most of the world's major powers. Matthaeus notably, after the death of his first wife in 1743, married in 1748 a Fiannrian woman of noble heritage, sparking some controversy due to her Catholic beliefs, albeit less so than might otherwise be expected given the ongoing enlightenment in Faramount. Matthaeus had five children by his two wives, and he was succeeded the oldest of these children, Matthaeus IV