Kaiser Laurentz V

Summary
Laurentz V was the 53rd Kaiser of the Samsonite Empire, reigning from 1901 until 1954. He was the son of Kaiser Wilhelm II, and is the grandfather of the reigning Kaiser, Leopold III. Laurentz V is remembered for his tumultuous reign, marked by two World Wars and the Samsonite Civil War. He was an avid military innovator and invested in developing Samsonia's industrial economy across all its territories. He was a stark believer in the authority of his position, but also advocated for the expansion of democratic institutions, recognising the dangers of a government without limits. In 1910, he founded the Samsonite Air Service with the goal of militarising the burgeoning invention of the Airplane. After WW2, he spent much of his reign personally visiting war-torn regions of the Empire in order to better assist in reconstruction efforts.

Early Reign (1901-1907)
Laurentz took the throne on the 1st of July, 1901. During the first 4 years of his reign, he remained mostly reclusive, adjusting to the role and to his father's passing. In 1905, he married Bernice Dubois, the daughter of Low-Rothringen Textile tycoon, Edouard Dubois. After having become acquainted with Edouard in 1900, he began taking a keen interest in the economic security of his nation. He began attending Industrial conventions and consulting with analysts and other successful businessmen in order to better acquaint himself with the complexities of industrial economics. In 1905, he began investing in expansions to the Nation's railway system, which had been isolated to the Western provinces of the Empire for most of its history. In 1907, his investments culminated in the Transelgenean Strip, which connected the remote East Outlands to the rest of the Elgenea, and more importantly, made industrial developments in the East Outlands a viable business venture.

In this time, he also invested in the Gruber Luftswerke Company, with the goal of swiftly advancing the new field of aeronautics. As part of his investment, he also arranged for a 25-year-long exclusivity contract between Gruber and the Samsonite Military's new Aerial branch. This contract led to the development of Samsonia's 1st and 2nd generation Military Airplanes. This exclusivity arrangement ultimately led to the company's bankruptcy during the Samsonite Civil War, when the company's assets were seized by the Nationalist government, and its properties sold to other companies.