Conan III Protective and Authoritarian

Here is that story!
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Map 54

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Conan III is a king who goes against the grain of his time. He does not seek to please “Lumières” philosophers like Frederick II of Prussia or Catherine II of Russia. His model is Louis XIV of France, an authoritarian king of the last century.

He is obsessed with order and purity of morals. Its police and the Inquisition hunt down the rare Jews and Protestants but also the “philosophers” to the point of assassinating opponents who have taken refuge abroad. In 1788, there were around 10,000 Brazilian political refugees in Europe or North America.

Repression also affects the poor. From 1764, beggars, vagabonds, prostitutes and other deviants were deported to penal colonies. 200,000 of them will suffer this fate.
Some prisons are terrible but most are re-education and settlement camps in remote areas.

Conan III is very attached to religion.
He built numerous sumptuous churches in a “severe” baroque style considered grotesque in Europe.
He canonized Duke Jean VI (1463-1526) the founder and Marianne the Indian (1511-1532), mother of the 1st Prince of New Britanny. Their worship is spread throughout the country and meets with great success.
He also welcomed the Jesuits persecuted in Europe and entrusted them with missions as far as the Pacific.

He also richly decorated his warships as was done in the time of Louis XIV. From his rather modest palace at Ste Marianne, he can contemplate his gleaming gold fleet which he often inspects.

The flagship, the Ste Marianne (120 guns, 1774), is as richly decorated as the Sovereign of the Seas (1637) and features sumptuous royal apartments.

Conan III found slavery to be a stain on his kingdom. He abolished the slave trade (1769) and slavery (1777) throughout Brazil after a long propaganda campaign.
Only 10% of families had slaves (especially blacks), which made its abolition easier. In the North East there was some resistance which was suppressed by the secret police.
Brazil is the first country to do so in European colonies.

Conan III acquired a reputation as a severe ruler, ruthless with his enemies but honest and upright with his people.