Matthias I of Arendaal

Matthias I of Arendaal 	Matthias I of Arendaal
By the Grace of God, King of all Arendaal 	By the Grace of God, King of all Arendaal
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k251/r_l_777/charlesiv.png	http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k251/r_l_777/charlesiv.png
King of Arendaal 	King of Arendaal
Reign 	1016 - 1036
Predecessor 	King Edvard I
Successor 	King Karl III
Saint Matthias of Arendaal 	Saint Matthias of Arendaal
Canonized 	1040
Venerated in 	Dominican Catholicism Protestantism (Lutheranism)
Feast 	15 July
Attributes 	crown, cross, throne, scroll
 	
Birth 	October 999, Nareath
Death 	15 July 1036, Emyn Arnen
Consort 	Anna Maria of Swabia
Coronation 	29 April, 1016 Kronstad Cathedral, Arendaal
Father 	King Edvard I of Arendaal
Mother 	
Issue 	Karl III of Arendaal Eliska, Queen of Montelimar Vanja, Duchess of Franken
Royal House 	Kapétien Dynasty House of Blixtskiold
Full Name 	Matthias von Blixtskiold-Kapét
Religion 	Christian (Catholic; born Norse Pagan)
Buried 	Kronstad Cathedral
Matthias I of Arendaal ("Saint Matthias" or "Matthias the Great") (999 - 1036) was the King of Arendaal between 1016 and 1036. He was the son of King Edvard I of Arendaal and x. Matthias I is famous in Aren history for declaring Arendaal a Christian Kingdom in 1020. The event was known as the "Baptism of the North", when Matthias the Great was baptised at Emyn Arnen and proceeded to baptize his family and people in the city. This mass baptism became the iconic inaugural event in the Christianization of the Kingdom of Arendaal.
The Christianization of Arendaal actually took place in several stages. Since the 9th century Christianity was making serious headway with the Aren people as belief in Norse Pagan deities slowly waned. The new religion even began to be embraced by select nobles and the occasional monarch by the 10th century. However, it was not until Matthias I's reign and 1020 that the country was officially declared Christian. For the 'conversion' of Arendaal, Matthias was canonized by Pope x in 1040, making him the first Aren King to be declared a saint. Matthias' tomb at Kronstad Cathedral became a highly venerated shrine in the middle ages. The Cathedral was constructed almost a century after his death and his body (which had been buried in the Aren capital) was moved to a special ornate tomb therein. The pilgrimage route to Kronstad became one of the most important Northern European pilgrimage routes in history.
Matthias I married a Christian Princess, Anna Maria of Swabia, daughter of the Holy Germanic Emperor (a match which would be the first in a series of royal marriages with Wiese). The conversion of Matthias and his country had been part of the marriage agreement, although the couple were married two years before Matthias officially converted. He negotiated the marriage of his sister, Sigrid of Arendaal, Queen of Éireann to Donnchad mac Máel Uí Néill in 1022 for similar reasons: an alliance with a Catholic Kingdom and, in this case, the end of warfare with the Kingdom of Éireann. 
==Family, Marriage and Children==
King Matthias I of Arendaal married Anna Maria of Swabia of the Holy Germanic Empire. They had the following children:
*Karl III of Arendaal (1019 - 1060) - who succeeded his father as ruler of Arendaal in 1036
*Eliska of Arendaal, Queen of Montelimar (b. 1020) - Consort of Philippe I of Montelimar. First Aren Consort of Montelimar, first in a series of royal marriages with Montelimar
*Vanja of Arendaal, Duchess of Franken (b. 1021) - Consort of Uwe II von Franken. First Aren Consort of Franken, first in a series of royal marriages with Franken
===Siblings===
* Sigrid of Arendaal, Queen of Éireann - Matthias I's sister. Consort of King Donnchad mac Máel Uí Néill of Éireann
===Other Royal Relations===
* Adriana of the Talemantine Empire, Queen of Arendaal - Matthias I's daughter-in-law
* Sven II of Arendaal - Matthias I's grandson
* Leonor I of Arendaal - Matthias I's granddaughter
==Ancestors==
's ancestors in three generations:
==See Also==
*Monarchs of Arendaal
*Royal Consorts of Arendaal
*History of Arendaal
*Royal Intermarriages of Arendaal
*Aristocracy and Royalty of Arendaal
*House of Nareath
*Arendaal
Kapétien Dynasty House of Blixtskiold	Kapétien Dynasty House of Blixtskiold	Kapétien Dynasty House of Blixtskiold
Regnal Titles 	Regnal Titles 	Regnal Titles
Preceded by King Edvard I 996 - 1016	King of Arendaal 1016 - 1036 	Succeeded by King Karl III 1036 - 1058
Preceded by King Edvard I 996 - 1016	Prince of Norseberg 1016 - 1036 	Succeeded by King Karl III 1036 - 1058
Preceded by King Edvard I 996 - 1016	Grand Duke of Emyn Arnen 1016 - 1036	Succeeded by King Karl III 1036 - 1058
Aren Royalty 	Aren Royalty 	Aren Royalty
Preceded by King Edvard I 	Heir to the Aren Throne 999 - 1016 	Succeeded by King Karl III
Category: Historical Royals of Arendaal
Category: Historical Figures
Category:History of Arendaal
Category:History
Category: Historical Royals of Arendaal
Category: Historical Figures