President-General Herman Tyler was the 13th President of the Union of American States.
The Presidency of General Herman Tyler (1916-1931): The Rise of Religious Militarism
From Divine Selection to Theocratic Dictatorship to a Mysterious Death in the Cayman Islands
1916: The Game of Revolver Roulette & Tyler’s Divine Rise to Power
Following the suspicious death of Barnaby Alloicious Clarke, Jr., the question of succession led to a brutal and unconventional decision.
- Three of Clarke’s top officers—including Herman Tyler—met in a private chamber in Charleston.
- Unable to agree on who should rule, they resolved the matter through a game of Revolver Roulette.
- Each man took turns pulling the trigger of a loaded revolver, testing their fate.
- Tyler was the only one left alive, having survived two empty chambers before his opponents fell to the game.
Tyler took this as a sign from God, declaring that he was divinely chosen to lead the Union. His first decree was that his rule was sanctioned by Heaven itself.
1916-1925: The Theocratic Military State
Once in power, Tyler infused the Union’s military dictatorship with religious fundamentalism.
- Declared the Union to be a “Holy Nation,” chosen by God to fulfill its destiny.
- Enacted strict religious laws, requiring:
- Mandatory church attendance for all citizens.
- Censorship of “blasphemous” or secular literature.
- Public floggings and executions for moral transgressions.
- Increased military spending, justifying it as preparation for “The Holy War of the Future”—a prophesied conflict against Louisiana and New England.
- Used the Grand Slave Market in Charleston as a centerpiece of his religious vision, justifying slavery as a divine institution.
- Purged military officers who questioned his religious fanaticism, replacing them with devout loyalists.
During these years, his rule became deeply repressive, blending military discipline with religious absolutism.
1925-1931: Decline, Internal Dissent & His Mysterious Death
By the mid-1920s, Tyler’s increasingly erratic religious visions began to alienate his own government.
- Declared that he had spoken to God directly, receiving instructions on how the Union should be governed.
- Began making bizarre and unpredictable decrees, including orders for:
- The military to conduct mass baptisms of soldiers before battle.
- The construction of a grand temple in Charleston, to serve as the “Seat of Divine Rule.”
- The renaming of Union cities after figures from religious texts.
By 1930, discontent had reached a breaking point.
- Several high-ranking generals began plotting his removal.
- Resistance grew within the junta, with whispers of assassination plans.
In 1931, Tyler took a personal retreat to the Grand Caymans, where he indulged in deep-sea diving, one of his personal obsessions.
- During a dive, Tyler never resurfaced.
- Official reports claimed it was an accident, but many believed he had been assassinated by his own officers.
Legacy of Tyler’s Rule (1916-1931)
- Blended religious fundamentalism with military rule, creating a theocratic dictatorship.
- Expanded military spending, justifying it through religious prophecy.
- Increased repression and censorship, imposing strict moral codes and executions for heresy.
- His erratic leadership led to internal instability, alienating key military figures.
- Died under mysterious circumstances while diving in the Caymans, likely assassinated.
Tyler’s death left the Union once again in chaos, as the military junta sought a new leader. His theocratic vision had left deep scars, but it was his fanaticism and unpredictability that sealed his fate.