Chapter 16: The Diplomat King – 1805–1815
Alexander Van der Berg arrived back in Koningstad in the autumn of 1805, just weeks before his father's death. Frits, the Engineer King, had worn himself out with railways and steamships. He lay in the palace bed, his hands calloused from years of gripping locomotive throttles, his eyes still bright but his body failing.
"You came," Frits whispered when Alexander entered the room.
"You called," Alexander replied, kneeling beside the bed. "I am here."
Frits smiled weakly. "The railway… finish it. And keep us out of Europe's wars."
Those were his last words. The next morning, Alexander was crowned King of Zeelandia in a simple ceremony in the palace chapel. He was twenty years old, but he had studied law at Cambridge and diplomacy in Vienna. He spoke five languages and understood that Zeelandia's survival depended not on steam engines but on treaties.
The kingdom he inherited was prosperous but vulnerable. Napoleon controlled the Netherlands and had made the Dutch king a puppet. The British Navy ruled the seas, but the French still held Mauritius. Alexander knew that Zeelandia needed a protector, and the only power capable of providing it was Britain.
In 1810, a British frigate brought a visitor to Port Victoria: Lord Minto, the Governor‑General of India. He came not as a friend but as a representative of the East India Company, which viewed Zeelandia's independence with growing suspicion.
Alexander received him in the palace. The room was modest by European standards, but it had a view of the harbour that made visitors pause.
"Your kingdom is growing, Your Majesty," Minto said, accepting a glass of wine. "Trade, industry, a navy. Some in London wonder whether you might become a threat."
Alexander smiled. "We are a threat only to those who wish to enslave us. We have no desire to conquer territory or challenge British supremacy. We simply wish to be left alone."
Minto set down his glass. "That is not how empires work. If you are not with us, you may be against us."
"Then let us be with you," Alexander said. "On terms that preserve our independence."
The negotiation took years. Britain was fighting for its survival against Napoleon and had little time for a small island kingdom. But Alexander was patient. He offered the Royal Navy permanent coaling rights at Port Victoria, the finest harbour between the Cape and India. In exchange, he wanted a formal guarantee of Zeelandian sovereignty.
When Napoleon fell in 1814, Alexander traveled to London for the Congress of Vienna. He was a young king among emperors, but he carried himself with quiet confidence. He met with Viscount Castlereagh, the British Foreign Secretary, in a room overlooking St. James's Park.
"Your Majesty," Castlereagh said, "the Dutch are our allies. They have a legitimate claim to your island."
"They abandoned it a century ago," Alexander replied. "My grandfather bought it from them. My father defended it. My people have built a nation there. We ask only for what we already possess: the right to govern ourselves."
Castlereagh studied him. "And if Britain refuses?"
Alexander met his gaze. "Then we will seek protection elsewhere. The Americans, perhaps. Or even the French. I would prefer not to."
The threat was subtle but clear. Britain could not afford to drive a potential ally into the arms of a rival. In 1815, the Treaty of London was signed. Zeelandia formally granted Britain naval facilities in perpetuity, and Britain formally recognized the kingdom's sovereignty.
When the treaty was ratified, Alexander stood before the parliament in Koningstad. The building was small, but the men inside represented the merchants, shipbuilders, and farmers who had built the nation.
"We are no longer a colony," Alexander said. "We are a nation among nations. What we do with that status is up to us."
The assembly erupted in cheers. But Pieter van der Berg, a distant cousin and the leader of the merchant guild, pulled Alexander aside afterward.
"You have given the British a foothold," van der Berg said quietly. "They will not leave."
Alexander nodded. "I know. But we have bought time. Time to grow strong enough that no one will dare take what is ours."