He’s also a modern-day character in Chritopher Moore’s comical vampire novel Bloodsucking Fiends.
Specifically, Jean-Jacques Dessalines declared himself Emperor and ruled 1805-1806. Henri Christophe ruled as King Henry I from 1811-1820.
In Mexico, after the Mexican War of Independence, Agustin Iturbide briefly ruled as Emperor Agustin I (1822-1823) before being forced to abdicate.
Interestingly, Iturbide’s grandson Agustín de Iturbide y Green was adopted by Mexico’s other Emperor, Maximilian I, previously mentioned, and given the title of “His Highness, Prince of Iturbide.”
That author had slipped under my radar, but I will have to track him down now. Thanks for the link. Looks like the sequel is coming out soon. (Just in time to miss the holidays! Way to go publisher, YAY!!!)
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I would actually have said that the “Governor General” is quite close to it, with exceptions related not to how important his position is, but to how important the position of the King is and to whether the location governed has a Parliament.
Examples, both are from the Habsburgs and early Borbones, XV-XVIII centuries, at which time the American Colonies were part of the Crown of Castilla and therefore did not have Parliaments, but Navarra was its own Kingdom with its own Parliament:
the Virreyes de Navarra had many of the Rights and Duties of the King. They could not call Parliament; since country-wide laws had to be approved by Parliament, they could also not create new laws nor change existing ones… but neither could the King! (which pissed Phillip V no end)
the Virreyes de Nueva España (Mexico) again had most of the Rights and Duties of the King. There were some local-level laws they could create, valid only in their territory, but this was considered a “delegation” of the King’s powers. Those laws could not contradict Castillian Law (similar to how nowadays the laws of the Autonomous Regions can not contradict those of Spain).
Logically I’m not very familiar with the Australian and Canadian legal systems, but to me the differences between a General Governor in a British Commonwealth country and a Virrey de las Españas seems to be more linked to the different definition of the King’s job - both the General Governor and the Virrey are the King’s personal delegate/representative. It’s only that nowadays Kings are more “decorative” and things like lawmaking rest in other hands.
Despite the Constitution’s Art. I, Sec. 9, cl. 8 provision that “no title of nobility shall be granted by the United States,” of course we’ve had a King: http://www.memphisflyer.com/binary/d8ca35ad/elvis-presley-2.jpg
Hi great-great-great grandson is the actor Scott Reiniger who starred in George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead.
According to American Royalty there can only be 50 (plus 10 corporations.)