Monarchy Day

Monarchy Day is a national holiday in Lower Columbia commemmorating the beginning of that country's monarchy in 1712.

Background
Following his victory in an election in the Believers' Commonwealths of Pacifica, Willamette and Rainier in the spring of 1712, Edward du Loup was crowned the first king of Lower Columbia on August 22 of that year in his hometown of Nyhaven. Edward himself did not want to be the object of national celebrations during his reign, but in order to promote political stability within the kingdom, he approved plans put forward by his ministers to celebrate the anniversary of his coronation the following year. Historians have speculated that King Edward was motivated in part by the fact that the neighboring commonwealths of Olympus, Puget, Fraser and Vancouver Island had rejected him as king. With residents of those commonwealths opposing the monarchy, it has been suggested, Edward might have wanted to use a holiday as a means of promoting and celebrating the nascent monarchy.

Whatever the reason, with the king's blessing, the royal ministers and other loyalists set to work promoting the new holiday in time for its celebration in 1713. Celebrations across the three commonwealths were well-attended, but nowhere were they as exuberant as in Nyhaven, where the king and his ministers resided at the time. Monarchists rang church bells and fired celebratory rounds of ammunition across the city, while King Edward and Queen Amélie participated in a parade and addressed the citizens in Founders Square.