Asha Campana

Asha Campana, born Asha Subira Bahadur was Queen of Antiva during the Black Age. She is often referred to as the "Queen Mother of Thedas".
== Background ==
Asha Subira Bahadur was a minor princess of Rivain who grew to become one of the most important women in the history of Thedas by dint of her skillful politics.Codex entry: Queen Asha of Antiva
Asha was born in 4:30 Black to wealthy Rivaini merchants who had been elevated to nobility. She rose within society and eventually assumed the role of Gana of Ayesleigh, presumably a position of authority given Rivain's matriarchal nature. Later in the Black Age, the matriarchs of Rivain arranged for her to be married to the crown prince of Antiva, Alonzo Campana.[note] The match went unnoticed and unremarked by their contemporaries, who believed Asha a minor princess and Alonzo a weak king. Most people also believed that the advantage of the match fell to the princess, though in retrospect the advantage was entirely on the crown prince's side. Their marriage would later prove to be one of the most important events in Thedas' history since the blackening of the Golden City.
Possessed of strong ambition, Asha wanted her adopted home of Antiva to hold a greater position within Thedosian politics. She also knew that her new kingdom was becoming dangerously prosperous, and would soon be unable to avoid attracting the attention of its stronger neighbors. It was only a matter of time before Tevinter, the Marcher States, Nevarra and Orlais began trying to claim a share of Antiva's wealth, and Antiva's armies would be no match for any of them. Queen Asha planned to outmaneuver her enemies before it could ever come to war.
Before Alonzo Campana even took the throne, Queen Asha had already arranged marriages in rival countries for three of their children. Over the next decades, in keeping with Rivaini tradition, she continued to arrange marriages for her children and grandchildren in strategically selected families across the continent. Within thirty years, Antiva was so well connected that any hostile act would force half of Thedas into warfare. Her bloodline is said to flow through the ruling families of Orlais, Nevarra, Starkhaven and the Anderfels, as well as within some Magisters of the Tevinter Imperium. As a result, Queen Asha is sometimes referred to by historians as the "Queen Mother of Thedas".
Asha is remembered in Antiva through a colossal statue over the entrance of the Palace of the Kings in Antiva City. It portrays Asha dressed in Rivaini royal garb.
== Codex entries ==
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== Notes ==
* Queen Asha's husband is referred to either as "Alonzo" or "Dario". It's unclear whether he used both of these names, changed his name after ascending the Antivan throne, or if it's a continuity error.
== Trivia ==
* Asha was declared the personification of the Maiden, also known as the constellation Bellitanus.Codex entry: Constellation: Bellitanus
* Queen Asha's nickname, "Queen Mother of Thedas," is likely based on Queen Victoria, who was known as the "Grandmother of Europe" because her descendants and close relations were members of many European royal families.
== See also ==
* Antivan royalty and nobility
* House Campana
== References ==
Category:Characters
Category:Historical characters
Category:Humans
Category:Rivaini
Category:Antivan nobility
Category:Royalty