Blanche I of Arendaal

Blanche I of Arendaal 	Blanche I of Arendaal
By the Grace of God, Queen Regent of Arendaal and Suionia	By the Grace of God, Queen Regent of Arendaal and Suionia
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k251/r_l_777/borg0.png 	http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k251/r_l_777/borg0.png
Queen Regent of Arendaal 	Queen Regent of Arendaal
Reign 	1388 – 1408
Coronation 	Sep 1388, Kronstad
Predecessor 	King Edvard II
Successor 	King Niklaas III
Queen Regent of Suionia 	Queen Regent of Suionia
Reign 	1388 – 1408
Coronation 	Sep 1388, Suionia
Predecessor 	King Edvard II
Successor 	King Niklaas III
 	
Consort 	Karl August of Saxony
Birth 	7 July 1369, Goteborg
Death 	18 June 1408, Thorvald
Father 	Crown Prince Lief of Arendaal
Mother 	Martha of Anglyn
Issue 	Niklaas III of Arendaal Kristine, Talemantine Empress
Royal House 	Kapétien Dynasty House of Langsvard
Full Name 	Blanche der Langsvard-Kapét
Religion 	Christian (Catholic)
Buried 	Norseland Chateau
OOC 	Lucrezia Borgia
Blanche I of Arendaal ("Pearl of the North") (1369 - 1408) was the Queen Regent of Arendaal and Queen Regent of Suionia between 1388 and 1408. She was the daughter of Crown Prince Lief of Arendaal and Martha of Anglyn. Her father died in 1379 and thus Blanche inherited the throne directly from her grandfather King Edvard II in 1388. She was the second Aren Monarch, and the only female ruler, to simultaneously be the Monarch of Suionia, as part of Union of Bergen (1350 - 1424), a series of personal unions by which the Kings of Arendaal also inherited the Crown of Suionia.
The people of Arendaal adored Blanche I, praising her for her beauty and "inner grace of personality." Described as slender and of medium height, with green eyes and golden hair cascading down her back, she was said to be level headed, clever and shrewd. Her Suionian subjects were less content with her, and many nobles were bitter at being ruled by a woman. Some of Suionia’s writers painted her as a beautiful, heartless, rapacious, femme fatale whose interest in humanist views bordered on heresy, who took lovers and whose favourite past times included poisonings and garrotting’s. 
Historians dismiss these claims as almost entirely fictional, having sprung from resentment over her gender and the serious attempts she made to modernize Suionian legislature and administration. In fact, of the three Aren monarchs to have ruled Suionia, Blanche I's reign was actually the most beneficial for that country. Nonetheless, the conflicting image of Blanche as a femme fatale on the one hand, and a sweet natured woman on the other persist even now.
Her interest in the fine arts and expanding trade ties to southern Europe in many ways laid the foundations for the beginnings of the Aren Renaissance in 1408 with the reign of her son, Niklaas III. Blanche became a notable patron of the arts, often socializing with artists, bards, poets, intellectuals: she began the initial building of Norseland Chateau (which would later be rebuilt in a later Renaissance style), had the plans for the Villa d'Nord drawn up, and established it as a center for artists and writers.
Blanche I's reign saw the continuance of excellent relations with the German states of Europe, including Franken and the Holy Germanic Empire (Wiese). She married married Karl August of Saxony, a son of Holy Germanic Emperor Emperor Lothar II. Blanche's aunt was a Holy Germanic Empress, Viveka of Arendaal, having married Karl August's brother, Emperor Maximilian IV. She also arranged the marriage of her heir Niklaas to Anna of Franken.
==Family, Marriage and Children==
Queen Blanche I of Arendaal married Prince Karl August of Saxony, a son of Holy Germanic Emperor Emperor Lothar II. Their children included:
*Niklaas III of Arendaal (1389 - 1424) - who succeeded his mother as ruler of Arendaal and Suionia in 1408
*Kristine of Arendaal, Empress of the Talemantine Empire (b. 1394) - Consort of Emperor Beniamino VI of the Talemantine Empire
===Siblings=== 
* Nissa of Arendaal, Queen of Montelimar - sister. Consort of Jean V of Montelimar
===Other Royal Relations===
* Anna of Franken, Queen of Arendaal - daughter-in-law
* Rikissa of Arendaal, Duchess of Franken - aunt. Consort of Duke Thomas IV von Franken
* Viveka of Arendaal, Holy Germanic Empress - aunt. Consort of Holy Germanic Emperor Maximilian IV von Sachsen
* Catharina of Batavie, Queen of Arendaal – grandfather’s second wife 
* Richenza of Arendaal, Empress of the Talemantine Empire - greataunt. Consort of Luciano V of the Talemantine Empire
* Madeleine I of Arendaal - granddaughter
==Ancestors==
's ancestors in four generations:
==See Also==
*Monarchs of Arendaal
*Royal Consorts of Arendaal
*History of Arendaal
*Royal Marriages of Arendaal
*Arendaal
*Suionia 
*Union of Bergen
Kapétien DynastyHouse of Langsvard 	Kapétien DynastyHouse of Langsvard 	Kapétien DynastyHouse of Langsvard
Regnal Titles 	Regnal Titles 	Regnal Titles
Preceded byKing Edvard II1350 – 1388	Queen Regent of Arendaal1388 – 1408 	Succeeded byKing Niklaas III1408 – 1424
Preceded byKing Edvard II1350 – 1388	Princess Regent of Norseberg1388 – 1408 	Succeeded byKing Niklaas III1408 – 1424
Preceded byKing Edvard II1350 – 1388	Grand Duchess Regent of Emyn Arnen1388 – 1408 	Succeeded byKing Niklaas III1408 – 1424
Suionian Royalty 	Suionian Royalty 	Suionian Royalty
Preceded byKing Edvard II 	Queen Regent of Suionia1388 – 1408 	Succeeded byKing Niklaas III
Aren Royalty 	Aren Royalty 	Aren Royalty
Preceded byCrown PrinceLief 	Crown Princess of ArendaalPrincess of Fjordholm1379 - 1408	Succeeded byNiklaas III
Category: Historical Royals of Arendaal
Category: Historical Figures
Category: History of Suionia