Blanche of Montelimar, Queen of Arendaal

Blanche of Montelimar 	Blanche of Montelimar
By the Grace of God, Queen of all Arendaal 	By the Grace of God, Queen of all Arendaal
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Queen Consort of Arendaal 	Queen Consort of Arendaal
Consort to 	King Johannes I of Arendaal
Consort 	1545 - 1550
Predecessor 	Helena of Franken
Successor 	Matthieu of Lorraine
 	
From 	Montelimar
Birth 	1513, Valmy
Death 	1583, Kronstad
Marriage 	1529, Norseland Chateau
Father 	King Philippe IV of Montelimar
Mother 	Queen of Montelimar
Issue 	Kristian II of Arendaal Adele, Talemantine Empress Elisa, Queen of Anglyn
Royal House 	House of Brissac (by birth) House of Norregaard (by marriage)
Full Name 	Blanche de Brissac der Norregaard-Kapét
Religion 	Christian (Catholic)
Buried 	Chateau de Champagne
Blanche of Montelimar ("Blanche the Beautiful") (1513 - 1583) was the wife of King Johannes I of Arendaal and thus the Queen Consort of Arendaal between 1545 and 1550. The daughter of King Philippe IV of Montelimar, she married the young Aren King but was quickly widowed following his sudden death. She is best known as the mother of King Kristian II "the Great". 
Known as one of the most beautiful princesses in Europe with "dazzling dark eyes", Blanche was shy and poltiically indecisive, much like her husband. The young couple were well suited in temperament and are said to have been the "handsomest pair in the Kingdom". Blanche proved a popular figure at the glittering Renaissance court of Johannes' father, Frederik II. She danced well, played cards and proved the perfect counterpoint to the antics of her handsome husband. 
King Johannes I's brief reign was marked by the worsening of tensions between Catholics and Protestants, which would erupt into full scale war with his premature death in 1545. Blanche was a mild mannered figure but reportedly castigated her son Kristian II for his conversion to Protestantism. 
Nonetheless, she supported his claim to the Aren throne. Upon Johannes' death, however, his devotedly Catholic sister Katherine I of Arendaal seized the throne, declaring the 'heretic' Kristian unfit to rule. 
As Kristian fled north to avoid capture, Katherine had Blanche put under house arrest at Goteborg Citadel. The two had always had a tense relationship, with the proud and intellectual Katherine often disparaged Blanche's intelligence and referred to her as "soppy and wet". Blanche was closer to her sister-in-law (Bjorn III's wife) Sophie of Eiffelland, who may have helped Blanche in her 1553 escape from Goteborg. Three years after her incarceration, Blanche supposedly escaped by fleeing across snow-covered land in a white cape. She sought refuge with her mother-in-law Helena of Franken on her estates in Norse Lorraine. Helena was one figure whose 'immunity' during the Wars of Religion was never contested by either side, making her estates the last sanctuary in the land.
Katherine's reign was followed by that of her brother Bjorn III and the continuation of bloody battles between Protestant and Catholic. Finally in 1560 Kristian defeated Bjorn's forces and was crowned King of Arendaal. Although Blanche herself was a devout Catholic, she supported his implementation of Acts for the Preservation of Religious Freedoms which sought to guarantee the Aren populace freedom of worship. Blanche dotted on her grandchildren, calling her granddaughter Adeliza I the "prettiest, cleverist and dearest little creature".
==Family, Marriage and Children==
Princess Blanche of Montelimar married King Johannes I of Arendaal in 1529. Their children included:
*Kristian II of Arendaal (1530 - 1570) - whose throne was usurped until 1560 by Katherine I and Bjorn III when he became a Protestant
*Adele of Arendaal, Empress of the Talemantine Empire (b. 1541) - Consort to Isacco V of the Talemantine Empire
*Elisa of Arendaal, Queen of Anglyn (b. 1545) - Consort to Harold II of Anglyn
===Other Royal Relations===
*Louis VI of Montelimar - nephew
*Frederik II of Arendaal - father-in-law
*Helena of Franken, Queen of Arendaal - mother-in-law
*Katherine I of Arendaal - sister-in-law. She usurped the claim of Blanche's son Kristian II
*Bjorn III of Arendaal - brother-in-law. He succeeded Katherine as King and was overthrown by forces of Kristian II
*Matthieu of Lorraine, Prince Consort of Arendaal - husband's sister's husband (Katherine I's husband)
*Sophie of Eiffelland, Queen of Arendaal - husband's brother's wife (Bjorn III's wife)
*Frederika of Suionia, Queen of Arendaal - daughter-in-law
*Adeliza I of Arendaal - granddaughter
*Elisabet of Arendaal, Queen of Eiffelland - granddaughter
*Malena of Arendaal, Holy Germanic Empress - husband's aunt. Consort to Emperor Georg II Wilhelm von Thießen
*Gisela of Arendaal, Queen of Franken - husband's aunt. Consort of Sebastian III von Franken
==Ancestors==
's ancestors in four generations:
==See Also==
*Monarchs of Arendaal
*Royal Consorts of Arendaal
*History of Arendaal
*Royal Marriages of Arendaal
*Aristocracy and Royalty of Arendaal
*House of Nareath
*Montelimar
*Katarina von Nareath de Brissac
Consorts of the Kapétien Dynasty House of Norregaard	Consorts of the Kapétien Dynasty House of Norregaard	Consorts of the Kapétien Dynasty House of Norregaard
Aren Royalty 	Aren Royalty 	Aren Royalty
Preceded by Helena of Franken 1520 - 1545 	Queen Consort of Arendaal 1545 - 1550 	Succeeded by Matthieu of Lorraine 1550 – 1554
Preceded by Helena of Franken 1520 - 1545 	Princess Consort of Norseberg 1545 - 1550 	Succeeded by Matthieu of Lorraine 1550 – 1554
Preceded by Helena of Franken 1520 - 1545 	Grand Duchess Consort of Emyn Arnen 1545 - 1550 	Succeeded by Matthieu of Lorraine 1550 – 1554
Category: Historical Royals of Arendaal
Category: Historical Figures
Category: History of Montelimar