House of Solms-Braunfels

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The House of Solms-Braunfels traces its legitimacy to the nobility of Germany and France, and claims to be the longest-ruling royalty in the Americas, counting the 30 years that Maria-Gabrielle and her sister Maria-Luisa ruled in exile.

Rulers

  • Karl (1812-1875; r. 1844-1875) - son of Friedrich; entered the Tejan revolution with a private army and founded the Kingdom of Tejas; married the daughter of Louisiannan nobility, Marie-Josephine le Moyne, daughter of Henri Le Moyne, Prince of Louisianne and a direct-line descendent of Louis XV. He envisioned Tejas as the "New Fatherland on the other side of the ocean", and advertised for immigrants from Germany.
  • José Felipe Gutierrez seizes power and declares himself President (r. 1898-1904)

Gutierrez is deposed and a republic is formed. A series of weak governments plunges Tejas into turmoil; the monarchy is restored amidst cries for reform and stabilisation.

  • Georg Friedrich (r. 1909-1940).
  • Maria Luisa (1904-1985; r. 1940-1970) - daughter of Georg Friedrich

Recession and war with Mejico prompt the military to form a coup. Several violent and short-lived military dictatorships eventually fail when the Anglo civilian bureaucrat Jorge "George" Bush seizes control in 1988. Rational at first, his rule is marred by increasingly bitter struggle with Alta California and sour relations with Mejico. Amidst allegations of war crimes, he is deposed by invading Mejican forces and flees to Florida-Caribbea. Jorge is not well received by his brother Jaime, the President of Florida, on account of his country's troubles with imminent war. Jaime deports Jorge to Mejico where he is tried of war crimes and executed.

  • Maria Gabrielle (1908-2007 ; r. 2003-2007) - youngest daughter of Georg Friedrich, crowned at Santa Fé in 2003. Maria's son Felipe Heinrich (1932-1966) is the father of crown prince Don Hans Georg (1957- ) and Don Infante Jorge Emanuel (1961- ). She died of complications to pneumonia in June, 2007.
  • Juan Carlos Louis Felippe Fürsten zu Solms-Braunfels (1983- ; r. 2007- ) is the son of Hans Georg. His great-grandmother's will, approved by the new Tejan Congress, stipulated the popular young man as her heir.

Towns such as Neue Braunfels and Carlshafen reflect the German heritage still much in evidence in Tejas. Names of cities like Paįlankys, Žemumai, Bizoniškis shows the Lithuanian heritage (see Lithuanian colonies).