King of Rushymia

King of Rushymia
Incumbent
HIM Emperor Jonathan I
Details
Style	His Majesty
Heir apparent	HIH Crown Princess Caroline
First monarch	King Billy I
Formation	September 1997

The King of Rushymia is the absolute monarch of the Kingdom of Rushymia. The throne of Rushymia was established in September 1997 when General Billy, military dictator of the original Rushymia, was crowned King by previous leaders Ferengool and General James, and by Captain Alex of the Footballers.

The King of Rushymia was seen as being spiritually ordained to rule by the spirits of Vapourism, similar to the theory of the divine right of kings. Billy ruled as a tyrant, and was overthrown in December 1997 by Alex, who was then crowned King himself.

The Kingdom of Rushymia flourished under the rule of King Alex (who earned the epithet of "the Great"). When the time came for the reign of Rushymia's greatest leader to end, Alex made one of the very few selfish decisions that he made as King. He declared that he wanted his reign to last for as long as possible, until the very last moment that he walked out of the school gates. He would therefore be unable to physically crown his successor like Ferengool or Billy did, and so would have to leave behind something that could invest his successor with the kingship for him. He chose something that could not rebel against him or disobey his orders: a plastic bottle.

This orange bottle had been regularly carried around by Alex in a manner similar to a ceremonial mace. He placed it high up in the fence separating the Field and Quiet Area, and decreed that the next person to touch it with both hands would be his successor as King of Rushymia. When Key Stage 2 returned to school after the summer holidays, with King Alex gone, the throne was vacant. Nobody was strong or brave enough to climb the fence and get the bottle down, and so an interregnum began, during the first months of which Rushymia ceased to exist as a national entity.

On 17 October 2010, Emperor Esmond III of Austenasia climbed to the top of the fence and retrieved the bottle, becoming the first King of Rushymia in more than a decade. With the Kingdom long gone however, this resurrection of the nation was purely nominal. Four days later, Esmond III united the Rushymian crown to the Austenasian Throne, placing the two monarchies in real union.

As part of the peace settlement made at the end of the War of the Orlian Reunification, Esmond III was forced to share the throne of Rushymia (and Austenasia) with Declan I, II & V. He later lost this title when he was removed from the office of Emperor in September 2011, leaving Declan I as sole King of Rushymia, succeeded by Jonathan I in January 2013.

On 29 August 2018, Jonathan I restored Rushymia as a physical entity by establishing an Austenasian Crown Dependency of the same name on an area of land just over a mile north-east of the original kingdom. The restored Kingdom of Rushymia is, like its predecessor, ruled by the King as an absolute monarchy.

List of Kings

Name	King from	King to	Notes
Billy of Rushymia	September 1997	December 1997
Alex of Rushymia	December 1997	July 2000
Vacant	July 2000	17 October 2010	Interregnum - title could only be held by the next person to touch with two hands King Alex's Bottle (embedded high in a fence).
Emperor Esmond III	17 October 2010	20 September 2011	Retrieved King Alex's Bottle, title nominal. United title with the Austenasian Throne on 21 October 2010.
Emperor Declan I, II & V	19 December 2010	20 January 2013	Became joint King of Rushymia as part of the peace settlement made after the Fall of Wrythe, title nominal.
Emperor Jonathan I	20 January 2013	Incumbent	Title nominal until 29 August 2018, when Rushymia was re-established as a physical polity.