Juan Colón de Toledo, Count of Toledo
Date of Birth: December 21st, 1800
Background:
Each man has two parts of a legacy. That which he leaves for his country, and that which he leaves for his posterity. By the first metric, Cristóbal Colón was a giant. His discoveries led to the creation of the great Spanish Empire, and to this day his name is spoken in reverent terms by schoolchildren and noblemen alike.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the other part of his legacy, his posterity. Colón's children fought bitterly to regain their father's titles, but it was all for naught. The Empire grew, but it forgot the descendants of the man who had discovered it. The Colón family seemed doomed to an eternity spent as minor nobility, using their famous name to scrounge off their betters.
That was so, until 1816. The previous Count and his family perished during the French occupation, and the King was looking for a suitable replacement. It is unknown why the Colóns were chosen, but it's quite possible in the turmoil after the war that the King simply saw a name he recognized and picked it.
Juan himself is a man his ancestor would be proud of. Growing up in the chaos of the Napoleonic Wars gave young Juan a martial streak, one he would pursue into a career with the Navy. A stauch irredentist and colonialist, Juan strongly pursues an aggressive foreign policy outside of Europe, which, frankly, is beyond his concerns. Juan, who always has one foot in the sea, did not take an active interest in his father's county, despite it containing a large and vibrant city. However, the death of his father two years ago has forced him to return to Toledo.
While you'd never mistake him for a liberal, Juan does possess a distaste for the dog-and-pony show of Spain's nobility. He especially dislikes those who presume to govern Spain without bothering to witness it themselves; it is these people Juan blames for Spain's predicament. However, Juan is extremely loyal to the monarchy that gave his family a chance at glory once again. This combination means that Juan will first support a strengthening of the King's powers, but if forced between increasing the power of the nobles or the commoners, he will choose the latter.
Juan's isolation in the center of Spain, far away from battlefields or salty shores has led him to create:
La Sociedad Militar Española
The Spanish Military Society connects current and former military and colonial men to promote discipline and military virtue in Spanish society.
Juan believes that Spain will only recover externally through expansion; he also believes that the only way for Spain to recover internally is to restructure Spanish society.... from the top down.
Personality/Military Traits:
Adventurer
Brash
{{Notes:
Yes, I am playing the same dynasty in two different AARs. If that's a problem, fite me irl.
No, these (Colombuses... Columbi????) will not be cannibals. (probably)
Or heretics. (probably)
Very much looking forward to a dynamic and fast-paced IAAR. I do hope it won't get bogged down in technicalities and annoying buggery which has happened to a few Vic 2 IARRs.
I'll take down the society if you all insist on being aristocratic wussies, btw. I just want to measure interest in a military society. PM me if you want to be the head of a local chapter; say which locale you'd prefer within.}}
{{I'll post some additional IC either tonight or tomorrow}}