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Prince of Geneva | |
| Predecessor: | Prince Richard Kroshbon |
| Successor: | None |
| King: | Alexander I of Switzerland |
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Prime Minister of Switzerland | |
| Predecessor: | Lord Jozef Kohleschmied |
| Successor: | Lord Azreel Wolfe |
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Minister of State | |
| Predecessor: | Lord Gustav Dreadre |
| Successor: | Lord Wolf Kroshbon |
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Generalfeldmarshal | |
| Predecessor: | Sir Roger Swordflint |
| Successor: | Lord Bailey Kroshbon (as Director of War) |
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Personal details | |
| Born: | 10 April 1727 (aged 27)
Jura, Switzerland |
| Nationality: | Swiss |
| Alma mater: | University of Zurich |
| Profession: | Statesman, Politician |
| Religion: | Roman Catholicism |
Ryan Kroshbon of Switzerland (Ryan Jett Kroshbon; 10 April 1727) is the son of Prince Benjamin Kroshbon, and was the 6th Prime Minister of Switzerland. He was also Prince of Geneva and heir apparent to the Swiss throne until 1751. Alongside his royal titles, he also served as Generalfeldmarshal of the Swiss Royal Army and Minister of State. He became Prime Minister after being invited to form a cabinet by his uncle, King Alexander I, after the resignation of election frontrunner, Lord Gustav Dreadre in December 1750.
In late April of 1751, following his resignation as Prime Minister due to the 29th of April Coup, Prince Ryan departed Switzerland for St. Petersburg, abdicating his title as Prince of Geneva and heir apparent to the Swiss throne. There would be no heirs designated by the King following his departure, so the position remained vacant for some months.
In March 1754, after nearly three years absence from Switzerland, he returned to Berne at the invitation of his uncle, and after repairing ties with his family, became his uncle's new Viceroy of Greece.
Early Life[]
Ryan was born in Jura on the 10th of April 1727 to Prince Benjamin Kroshbon, the son of Lord Tyler Kroshbon, the Head of the House of Kroshbon, and a shepherd's daughter. Benjamin, unable to bring forth his bastard, made arrangements for monthly stipends to be given to the Jetten family, and ensured that he'd be educated the same as any other Kroshbon. His father's generousity towards the Jetten family led them to become an esteemed House in Jura, and soon acted as magistrates for the ruling House of Dreadre. When his father became Crown Prince in 1738, he purchased a massive estate in rural Jura, to be given to the Jetten family for Ryan's upbringing. He would send home gifts from his travels to the young Ryan, who believed his father to be a royal guard of King William. He would eventually be told of his father's identity on his 18th birthday in 1745, and began to write to his father. Spurred by patriotism after learning his family's history, he enlisted in Kroshbon Pointe Military Academy, hoping to one day become one of his father's generals.
The next year in 1746, during the Swiss Civil War, the Jetten's were targeted by the revolutionaries, suspected of being Royalists for their large landholdings. The rebels raided the Jetten estate, massacring the entire family, including Ryan's mother. Ryan, whom was away in Zurich, serving in the Swiss Royal Army under Lord Jozef Kohleschmied, would only learn of his family's demise after the war's conclusion. Ryan would never meet his father, who eventually would disappear in 1746, nor his grandfather, William II, who died that same year.
Rise to Power[]
Ward in Jura[]
Orphaned at the age of 19, Ryan was made ward to Lord Gustav Dreadre, Duke of Jura. Due to the fund that Prince Benjamin had set up in his name, Ryan was able to attend the University of Zurich, Switzerland's most prestigious university to further his education. During his time in Zurich, he grew close with Lord Benjamin Wolfe, who was working for the Ministry of Law in the city. After graduating from the esteemed Kohle College in 1750, Ryan returned to Jura to continue working in Lord Dreadre's Dukedom. He was made the Duke's secretary, and was quickly taken notice for his avid political skills and intuition. Quickly showing the ability to negotiate and broker deals he was brought into many situations to begin understanding and learning the official way of business in Jura. He would regularly take charge of the Kanton during Lord Dreadre's absences, and was noted as a capable administrator and able intermidiary between disputes. Despite his young age, he grew to be respected in Jura, over the enmity of Lord Dreadre's younger brother and heir, Sir Antonio Dreadre.
Ascension as Crown Prince[]
When Lord Dreadre arrived at Berne to assume the position of Minister of State, he brought Ryan along with him. Hoping to eventually make Ryan his deputy, he was shocked to find that his young ward often overshadowed him, and became close with the King. After the completion of his studies, and roughly a year of service in the government of Jura, Ryan was legitimized by his uncle, King Alexander, and named heir apparent to the Swiss throne in a shocking sideline of the King's brother, Prince Richard Kroshbon. Although this was seen as a split within the House of Kroshbon, in reality this was to prepare for Prince Richard's vital mission to Vienna.
His rapid rise angered Lord Dreadre, who felt that he had been pushed out of the spotlight by the young Prince and heighted the tension between the King and the Duke of Jura. Dreadre's attempts to work with Prince Ezequiel Clemente, then Crown Prince of Spain, completely condemned the Duke in the eyes of the King, and quickly led to his fall from power. Upon being reprimanded by the King before the entire Cabinet, Lord Dreadre elected to depart from the Kingdom of the Swiss, and taking up arms against his former King. Prince Ryan broke off ties with his former foster father, and remained loyal to his uncle and his family.
Prime Minister[]
In light of Lord Dreadre's departure from the Kingdom, Prince Ryan was appointed by Royal Decree as Prime Minister by his uncle King Alexander on the 27th of December 1750. He began his term as Prime Minister by assisting his uncle write a revised version of the Constitution of Switzerland, and
The crowning achievement of his Ministerial position up to this date in 1751 has been the creation and establishment of all new alliances, the rebuilding of past broken treaties and the forming of new friendships with heads of state and government, allowing the Swiss to have a say on the world stage more-so than ever before.
After a short while of very slow progress around the world community during the Spring of 1751, the Prime Minister's Cabinet grew weary of his presence and felt new leadership was necessary. Led by Lord Azreel Wolfe, a coup was made against him during an "intervention" in a late night Cabinet meeting. It was his choice to step down, but make no mistake, it was no choice he took lightly. After stepping down, he decided to leave the Kingdom of Switzerland feeling betrayed but with a new sense of freedom as well. He would later move to Russia alongside his paramour, Lady Catherine Garland of the Netherlands, where he would live a quiet life, away from all the discourse of international politics.
Titles, Styles, Honors, and Arms[]
Titles and Styles[]
- 10 April 1730 - 27 December 1750: Master Ryan Jetten
- 27 December 1750 - 29 April 1751: His Royal Highness, the Prince of Geneva
- 29 April 1751 - present: His Highness, Prince Ryan Kroshbon
Ryan used the official style of "Ryan the First, By the Grace of God, Prince of Geneva and Lord of Pripyat. Heir to the Throne of Switzerland, Venice, Genoa, and Lucca" as crown prince.
He used the short style of "Your Royal Highness".
Honors and Arms[]
- Member of the Order of St. Nicholas of Flue
