Curtis II of New Herswick

Curtis II of New Herswick
Birth name	Curtis Gayoule II
Born	28 September 1783
Death	16 November 1833 (aged 50)
Reign	27 June 1814 - 15 November 1833
Predecessor	Curtis I
Successor	Curtis III

Curtis II of New Herswick (28 September 1783 — 16 November 1833) was the second monarch of New Herswick and one of the worst monarchs in the country's history. He was preceded by his father King Curtis I, and he was followed by his son, Curtis III.

He was very different from his father. He ruled the nation more like a dictator, and he killed more people than any other New Herswegian monarch; from 1828 to 1833, he ordered 50 people to be hanged, and 100 more beheaded. His harsh leadership would eventually cause his downfall. He was the only New Herswegian monarch to have been sentenced to exile (though he refused to go), and also the only New Herswegian monarch to commit suicide; he killed himself by jumping off the Palace of New Herswick.

Early life

Curtis Gayoule II was born on 28 September 1783. Not very much is known about his life before coming to the island now known as New Herswick. He, along with his parents, was one of the first English-speaking settlers to the island.

Years as monarch

On 27 June 1814, Curtis I died after taking ill. As the deceased monarch's oldest son, Curtis II was crowned the new king, and so began years of turmoil.

Upon taking the throne, Curtis II began doing his best to make people miserable and to attempt world domination, starting with the colonisation of island nations. He was very cold and merciless. He made colonies out of 12 island nations, and proceeded to send his "police" to the colonies to make the lives of the islands' residents miserable by killing many of them and beating others. Curtis II believed that he was a dictator rather than the type of monarch his father was. Under his reign, the New Herswegian government interfered heavily in the lives of those in New Herswick and its "colonies". The heartless monarch required for everyone to get his approval in order to do virtually anything. Anyone who dared do things without his approval was sentenced to being stoned, beheaded, or experiencing other horrible ways to die.

Curtis II also made secret deals with the nation of Maorda, which was, and still is, a dictatorship. At one time, he hatched a plan to "invite" Maordan troops to invade New Herswick and kill many people; Maordan troops would eventually do this after his death.

In 1818, New Herswick's countryside was hit by a plague. Upon being notified of the plague, Curtis II ignored the people's cries for help, and was believed to have responded to the notification with, "Good. They shall die horribly, and I don't care!" This plague went on until 1822, and more than 4,000 people had died by the end of the plague. It is believed that the number of deaths because of the plague would have been far fewer if Curtis II had done something to help instead of being the cold-hearted tyrant he was.

Curtis II continued his brutality, and, by the mid-1820s, New Herswick and its twelve colonies were more like torture traps, with Curtis II's royal troops and police dishing out very much torture to the people. The people were growing tired of their king's tyranny and torture. By the late 1820s, a revolt was brewing.

Curtis II, aged 45 in 1828

By 1828, the people had had enough of their king's harsh rule. They began a revolt. Curtis II was furious. He ordered his law enforcement to kill the rebels by hanging and beheading them. From 1828 to 1833, Curtis II's law enforcement officials hanged 50 people and beheaded 100 more. More people were beaten badly. Curtis II was enjoying every bit of this.

In 1833, the New Herswick Battle of November 1833 began. A group of angered New Herswegians, led by heir to the throne Curtis III, planned to arrive in Newfield in search of Curtis II. Upon finding the king, the rebels planned to force him to step down. Upon hearing of this, Curtis II rallied his law enforcement again, telling them to go to the city borders to wait for his son's army. Curtis II's army was easily defeated by Curtis III's army. The much disliked king went into hiding within the palace walls, in hopes of not being found by his son and his army. At nightfall on 15 November 1833, Curtis II was surrounded by the people he had treated badly for years. An hour later, Curtis II was found by his son, who told him to step down willingly or be forced to step down. Upon refusal, Curtis II was reminded that nobody was on his side. The king then stepped down, accepting defeat. And so ended the reign of the nation's worst monarch.

After his reign

A tar pit in the former colony Tarreus was named after Curtis II as "a symbol of the Tarrean government's hatred for his actions."

Curtis II was sentenced to exile on one of the world's most inhospitable islands, this action being Curtis III's first move as king. Curtis II refused to go, and chose to climb the Palace of New Herswick and kill himself by jumping off. At his death, Curtis II was 50 years old. People in New Herswick and its then-colonies rejoiced.

In 1956, a tar pit in one of the former colonies was named after him as a symbol of the government's hatred for his actions.