The House of Kroshbon is one of the Royal Houses of Europe, although it is also one of the youngest.
House Kroshbon's sigil is a double-headed eagle and their house motto is "May the Kroshbon rule forever". When Rayne Kroshbon ascended the Swiss throne, a gold crown was added above the eagle, denoting their status as a royal house.
The ancestral Kroshbon stronghold is Pripyat, but since becoming the royal house, they have largely migrated to Castle Koniz, where the Head of the Family rules as King of Switzerland.
History
The Family was started in 1543 by 18 year old, Giovanni Crossbones.
Giovanni Kroshbon
- Life: 1525 - 1599
- Reign: 1543 - 1599
Founder of the family, Giovanni was a young boy who was orphaned at the age of 12. He lived in Florence, where he founded the Family once he was of legal age. He became Aide to Cosimo I de' Medici, and assisted in his rise to Grand Duke of Tuscany. For this, Giovanni received 2,000 Florin, striking the beginning of the Kroshbon Opes, or Kroshbon Wealth. He died at the age of 75 years old, giving birth to two sons in his lifetime, Guglielmo Kroshbon (1555 - 1582) and Ricardo Kroshbon (1562 - 1628).
Richard Kroshbon
- Life: 1562 - 1628
- Reign: 1599 - 1628
Ricardo Kroshbon was born the second son of Giovanni Kroshbon. He wasn't expected to inherit the House of Kroshbon noble titles, but eventually did when Guglielmo died, prior to Giovanni's death. Ricardo moved the family to England as soon as he became Head, and became a member of King James' court. He changed his name to the English variant in honor of this. After he died in 1628, the title fell to his eldest son, Louis.
Louis Kroshbon
- Life: 1609 - 1674
- Reign: 1628 - 1674
Louis was the eldest son of Richard, and was born to a life of nobility and leisure. When King Charles I became King of England, a year before Richard's death, he became at odd with the family. By 1634, the Kroshbon Family had fallen out of favor, and Louis moved to a large piece of land that he had inherited from his father. He established it as the official Kroshbon Estate, naming it Pripyat in honor of the close river that supplied the estate. He had two children, both sons; Anthony and Gerard Kroshbon.
Antonio Kroshbon (Mr. Pirate)
- Life: 1641 - 1710
- Reign: 1674 - 1710
Inheriting the Pripyat Estate, Anthony established the Kroshbon Banking & Trade Institution, which gathered a large fortune for Anthony. He married in 1690, and had two sons; Tyler, the elder one, born 1680; Ryan, the younger, born in 1684. Anthony died at the age of 70, with an accumulated wealth greater than all his predecessors, and effectively being the richest man not of royalty in Central Europe.
Hank Wimbleton (Hank)
- Life: 1660 - 1723
- Reign: 1710 - 1723
Wimbleton was the trusted Assistant Manager of Kroshbon Banking & Trade Institution who became Head of the Family after Anthony's death in 1710. As the eldest son, Tyler, was only 13 at the time, Wimbleton was put in charge of the Family's affairs. In 1715, he established the Caribbean Branch of the Family, after buying the district of Hassigos. Wimbleton created the Lonesome Drifters, a private army for the family, which later became a Merc. group. At Wimbleton's untimely death in 1723, led the Lonesome Drifters to attempt to instate Hank's Field Marshal as Head of the Family, but after a 7 month war between them and the rising Armed Guard, the Lonesome Drifters were obliterated, and Tyler Kroshbon became the new Head of the Family.
Tyler Kroshbon (Tyler Crossbones/William Seasteel)
- Life: 1684 - 1746
- Reign: 1703 - 1746
Tyler took control of the Family from his disowned brother in 1736, and retained the rank of "Head of Family". He had returned to take control of the Caribbean Branch for a while. When he returned, in 1741, Matthew II had been crowned King of Switzerland. Tyler begun to serve him as Head of Swiss Military. In 1745, Matthew II abdicated the throne. He returned power to the Kroshbon Family before settling in his estate in Antama, France. Tyler, as Head of the Family, became King of Switzerland. After his death in 1747, the title of Head of the Kroshbon Family fell to David Kroshbon, the new King of Switzerland.
David Kroshbon (David Yellowfish)
- Life: 1725 - 1748
- Reign: 1746 - 1747
After the death of Tyler in late 1747, David ascended to both the position as King of Switzerland, and Head of the Kroshbon Family. Although his half-brother, Benjamin, and later another half-brother, Alexander, were expected to become the holders of said positions, Benjamin was ruled out for his reckless behavior, and Alexander wished to remain a scholar, instead of having a large country to look after. Ambitious, brave, and confident, David is expected to bring the Family back out of the Caribbean (since it's major fall on September 19, 1746) and into Europe. In March 1747, David was overthrown in the Prussian Rebellion, and was subsequently disowned by the family. He fled to Russia where he later died an obscure death due to unknown reasons.
Alexander Kroshbon (Wolf Crossbones)
- Life: 1717 - present
- Reign: 1747 - present
The eldest pureborn son of Tyler, Alexander graduated from the University of Zurich in 1745. Alexander moved to Alexandria, Egypt to become a scholar at the death of his father, but returned in March 1747 to declare Swiss independence from Prussia after David I was overthrown. In July of 1747, he ascended as Kopf of Switzerland, the replacement for the former monarchy, and in December 1747 he restored the monarchy and became King Alexander I.
Relationships
Current Members
- Princess Rose Kroshbon - The youngest child and only daughter of Tyler Kroshbon. She disappeared in the aftermath of the Fall of the Caribbean in 1746, but would eventually make her way back to Switzerland 5 years later.
- Prince Ryan Kroshbon - Eldest child and pureborn son of Crown Prince Benjamin Kroshbon, and heir apparent to the throne. Created the Prince of Geneva and replaced Richard Kroshbon in 1750. Left the Kingdom of Switzerland after an intervention by his Cabinet.
- Princess Seraphina Kroshbon - Younger daughter of Benjamin Kroshbon. Minister of Home and State.
- Prince Richard Kroshbon - Younger pureborn son of Tyler Kroshbon, formerly Crown Prince. Removed from the line of succession in 1750.
- Empress Hannah Maria Theresa Clemente-Kroshbon - The Queen of Austria, Hannah's marriage to Prince Richard on February 19, 1751 made her a Kroshbon by marriage.
- Princess Cara Kroshbon - The only daughter of Prince Richard and Empress Maria Theresa, Cara is currently an Archduchess of the Austrian Empire and first in line to succeed her mother as Empress of Austria.
- Lord Jon Kroshbon - Eldest son of Gerard Kroshbon and Count of Valais. Prime Minister until March 1750. Lives in retirement as Count of Tuttlingen.
- Lord Bailey Kroshbon - The only son of Lord Jon Kroshbon, Prime Minister, and Viceroy of Venice.
- Lord Wolf Kroshbon - The younger brother of Lord Jon Kroshbon and younger son of Gerard Kroshbon. Currently the Minister of State of Switzerland, Count of Solothorn, and Viceroy of Greece.
Former Member
- Prince Benjamin Kroshbon - Eldest adopted son of Tyler Kroshbon, and heir apparent to the Swiss throne until 1746. Disappeared from all family traces in 1747.
- Princess Sarah Kroshbon - Daughter of Prince Benjamin Kroshbon and former Minister of Defense. She was married to Prince Ezequiel Clemente for a month before she absconded with rogue Swiss Lord, Gustav Dreadre, and was promptly disowned from the House of Kroshbon. Her title as Countess of Solothorn fell to Princess Rose Kroshbon, sister of King Alexander.
- Queen Maddison I - Wife of Alexander Kroshbon and Queen of the Swiss. After a brief leave of absence, she returned as an ambassador, only to leave the Kingdom of Switzerland soon after to find political asylum in Britain. Her and the King would eventually divorce in July 1751.
Vassals
- House of Kohleschmied - Dukes of Venice
- House of Wolfe - Dukes of Baden
- House of Merian - Dukes of Sardinia
- House of Dreadre - Dukes of Jura (Formerly)
Military strength
The House of Kroshbon controls the largest military force in the Kingdom, and can raise approximately 82,000 infantry, 16,000 cavalry, and 3,000 artillery, more than double the next most powerful House, Kohleschmied of Zurich. As the most powerful House in Switzerland, they also have the ability to equip their soldiers better than most Kantons, and can field larger numbers, which assisted Rayne Kroshbon in his conquest of the Kantons in 1731.