Jonathan I of New Southern Rhine

Jonathan I
Marquis of Rozandir
King by the Rhine
Reign	17 January 2021 – present
Heir presumptive	Arthur, Prince of Blumenau
Born	8 January 1998 (1998-01-08) Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil
Names Jonathan Scherer Arrais
House	Scherer-Arrais
Religion	Agnostic
Occupation	Programmer
Lord Speaker of the College of Peers of the Realm of the Kingdom of Ebenthal
In office 29 June 2020 – 8 March 2021
Prime Minister	The Prince Fernando
Preceded by	The Duke of Nëbensee
Succeeded by	The Marquis of Telesia
Peer of the Realm (until 8 March 2021) Member of the House of Aristocrats
Incumbent
Assumed office 2 February 2020
Constituency	New Switzerland
Lord President of the Ducal Diet
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 February 2023
Preceded by	Office established
Member of the Ducal Diet
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 February 2023
Constituency	Blauberga
Personal details
Citizenship	Ebenthali Rhenish Marienbourgish
Nationality	Brazilian German
Political party	Conservative Party (2020-2022) National Party (in Ebenthal) Popular Party (in Marienbourg)

Jonathan I, also known as Lord Jonathan, 1st Marquis of Rozandir, (Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil, 8 January 1999) is the first King by the Rhine and ex officio member of the Ebenthali House of Aristocrats for New Switzerland, having previously served as the 7th and last Lord Speaker of the College of Peers of the Realm of the Kingdom of Ebenthal, as well as members and Lord President of the Ducal Diet of Marienbourg. A member of the National Party and formerly a member of the Conservative Party, he remains a prominent politician in Ebenthal, while exercising his reign in Independent State of the New Southern Rhine.

Jonathan was born in Jaraguá do Sul to a German-Brazilian family, being the younger of three children and a native speaker of Katarinensisch, a local variation of the Hunsrik language (itself a national form of German), from birth. Very attached to their German-Brazilian roots but in search but better job opportunities, his family moved to the Swiss and German-colonized highlands of Rio de Janeiro in 2011, settling in Teresópolis first and then in Nova Friburgo.

New in micronationalism, Jonathan expressed his interest first during late 2019 to his brother Antônio, Prince of New Switzerland. He was then invited to become a citizen of Ebenthal but refused, admitting to be too lazy to learn all about micronationalism and the Brazilian scenario. In February 2020 he finally accepted an invitation and was made 1st Marquis of Rozandir. He joined the Conservative Party and was appointed Lord of the Conclave by King Arthur II. As an Ebenthali noble and politician, Jonathan proved really skilled, standing for a progressive conservatism. When the Conservative Party assumed the majority of seats at the College of Peers, most of his party's members agreed he should be appointed Lord Speaker and asked the monarch for this, to which he agreed. In 17 January 2021 Jonathan accepted an offer to become King of the Independent State of the New Southern Rhine.

Biography

Early life

Jonathan was born in Jaraguá do Sul, in southern Brazil, on a small family of native German speakers of the Katarinensisch, a local variation of the Riograndenser Hunsrückisch. He has three older brothers, among them, Antônio Scherer Arrais, the Prince of New Switzerland. As his father was born in West Germany (to Brazilian parents), he and his brothers acquired German citizenship at early age. At the age of 10, he moved with his family to Nova Friburgo in the moutain region of Rio de Janeiro, where his mother inherited a property of her deceased and childless brother. The family had already planned to move closer to an important urban center such as Curitiba and São Paulo in order to got available better education and job offers.

At the age of 5 Jonathan begun to do karate. He continued the practice for a few years but never graduated, being a purple belt.

Education

Jonathan joined the biligual Austro-Brazilian Catholic School on his hometown at the age of three, in 2002, growing a native speaker of Portuguese and German, as his family members. When his family moved to Nova Friburgo he joined one of the city's few German schools where he graduated in 2016. In 2018 he joined the Catholic University of Petrópolis where he study history.

Besides his formal education, Jonathan also graduated in a English language course and at a edition and a programmer course, both by the SENAC.

Micronationalism

Ebenthal

Until late 2019 Jonathan never demonstrated interest on micronationalism although he had been well aware of his brother position and had not accepted the title of Prince of New Switzerland nor the position of heir to his brother. As the 2020 begun, Jonathan's interest in politics increased and he wished to join his brother in micronationalism. He joined the conservative and became a Peer of the Realm at the College of Peers of the Realm in February. He voted for the adoption of new national symbols in March and, increasing its friendship with King Arthur II, was one of the greatest supporters on his adoption of a new "Germanized" flag and arms. In June that year, as the Conservative Party took power, he was appointed by the King as Lord Speaker and has since then presided over the College of Peers [until its dissolution in 8 March 2021 when the Ebenthal's Bicameral Act was approved]. In August 2020 he was one of the main supporters of the adoption of the Conferential Doubloon as Ebenthal's official currency. He also suggested the October Reform Act, a change in Ebenthal's nomination system, whereas the King would no longer be responsible for choosing the Prime Minister nor the speaker(s) of College of Peers (and later of the lower house of the Konkrëse); instead, the party in power would make their choice and the monarch would formally appoint the chosen person.

In July 2021, Jonathan, alongside his peer and cousing Prince Francisco Scherer, from the House of Councillors, spoke harshly against the Worker's Party proposal for Ebenthal to adopt direct democracy. From August onwards, Jonathan dedicated much of his time to shaping his own micronation, the New Southern Rhine, but nonetheless kept attentive to the Ebenthali politics, fully endorsing the creation of the Luso-Germani Cultural Comission, to which he voted favorably at the House of Aristocrats and also heavily criticizing the Republican Party and calling for its shutdown and the exile of Alessandro Rosas.

Rhenish King

In 15 January 2021, King Arthur II of Ebenthal offered him the throne of the Independent State of the New Southern Rhine, a new micronation created by the Conference of Santiago Derivative Program. Following a brief time thinking on the job, Jonathan finally accepted the offer in 17 January, becoming the 1st Neo-Rhenish monarch. He formally agreed to cede the sovereignity over his family's propeties to the Neo-Rhenish state. On the course of some months, Jonathan was able to gather his family's attention towards his new micronation and having them involved to various degrees in the country's government.

The Neo-Rhenish state existed from January to August much as a fully autocracy, but in 9 August it effectively became a proper state with the formation of a relatively cohesive government and the beggining of real activity in the country's advisory parliament. Since then, Jonathan has been personally working on creating a nobility for his realm and developing communication channels. He established offices and delegated part of hiw power to be exercised on his behalf, and he has also been working, with Ebenthali, Karno-Ruthenian and Sildavian support, in gathering foreign recognition and diplomatic relations. In December 2021 Jonathan promoted a series of studies on the Neo-Rhenish state and population to learn of the country's canton's size and population, their involvement and opinions on the New Southern Rhine. He also created a registry on which he ordered the registry of all Neo-Rhenish residents and citizens as long as they agree on or wish to be citizens.

Titles, styles and honours

Styles of Jonathan I of New Southern Rhine
Reference style	His Majesty
Spoken style	Your Majesty
Alternative style	Sire

Titles and styles

• 13 August 2014 – present: His Highness Prince Jonathan of New Switzerland
• 2 February 2020 – present: His Grace The Marquis of Rozandir
• 17 January 2021 – present: His Majesty The King by the Rhine

National honours

• Grand Master of the Order of Frederick Barbarossa
• Grand Master of the Order of the Katarinensisch Crown
• Grand Master of the Order of the Prince of Joinville

Foreign honours

• Ebenthal: Knight of the Order of Pedro II
• Ebenthal: Knight of the Order of Prince Ludwig Gaston of Saxe-Coburg and Braganza
• Ebenthal: Knight of the Order of the Swiss Prince
• Ebenthal: Knight of the Royal Ebenthali Order
• Ebenthal: Commander of the Order of Saint Arnald
• Karnia-Ruthenia: Knight of the Order of St. Paul
• Karnia-Ruthenia: Knight of the Order of St. Peter
• Sovietia: Recipient of the Order of Trotsky

Military appointments

• Karno-Ruthenian Army: Honorary Colonel of the Imperial and Royal Regiment of Hussars