Marie of Montelimar, Empress of the North

Marie of Montelimar ("Marie the Lovely") (1634 - 1685) was the first wife of Greger I, King of Arendaal and Emperor of the North and thus the Queen Consort of Arendaal and Empress of the North between 1663 and her death in 1685. The daughter of King Michel I of Montelimar, Marie married Greger when he was still heir apparent to the throne.

At court, women copied Marie's lavish style of dress and she was admired for her good looks and sweet nature.

The Breotonian Ambassador reported that the Princess "had an exquisite complexion, blond hair, a sweet smile and an expression at once tender and modest." After Marie's death, despite his genuine grief, Greger I married Hannelore, Princess of Danmark for political reasons.

Although Greger is known to have had mist- resses, he was bound to his beautiful wife out of a deep sense of devotion. "The Queen knows how to love. There is great pleasure in being loved by her," he said of her. Marie, for her part, presided unquestioningly as the "first lady" of her husband's court.

She was a friend and admirer of numerous philosophers, friendships which resulted in a substantial correspondence that reveals Marie to have been a woman of exceptional intellectual ability and curiosity. She shared her husband's artistic sensibilities particularly in the realm of literature and is remembered as the patroness of several painters and artists employed at Versailles.

Later in life Marie became increasingly pious and founded a number of Catholic religious institutions. The Protestant Emperor Greger I, who had presided over the final resolution of centuries long tensions between Catholics and Protestants, used her devotion to his advantage, publicizing her actions as a "gesture of his good intentions" towards all religions.

Marie predeceased her husband by a decade, dying in 1685. The Emperor mourned her earnestly and never recovered from her loss. Reflecting on her passing he said, "This was the only way in which she displeased me." Two years later, Greger married Princess Hannelore of Danmark, a political move designed to bind relations between the Empire of the North and Kingdom of Danmark. Though Greger was fond of his second wife and dotted on her, historians consider Marie to have been the love of his life.

Family, Marriage and Children
Princess Marie of Montelimar married Greger I of Arendaal, Emperor of the North and King of Arendaal in 1657 at the age of 23. Their children included:
 * Frederik, Prince of Arendaal (1658 - 1690) - who would predecease his father by five years. Frederick's daughter, Kristianna, would become Greger I's successor in 1695

Siblings

 * Francis II of Montelimar - brother

Other Royal Relations

 * Charles IX of Montelimar - nephew
 * Magnus II of Arendaal - father-in-law
 * Diane of Breotonia, Queen of Arendaal - mother-in-law
 * Johanna of Batavie, Princess of Arendaal - daughter-in-law
 * Queen Kristianna I of Arendaal - granddaughter and her husband's heir as ruler of Arendaal
 * Theodore VII of the Talemantine Empire - grandson-in-law. Husband of his granddaughter Queen Kristianna I
 * Kristian of Arendaal, King of Ormssex-Colne - brother-in-law
 * Louisa of Arendaal, Queen of Eiffelland - sister-in-law (husband's sister). Consort of Lothar VI of Eiffelland
 * Alais of Arendaal, Queen of Franken - sister-in-law (husband's sister). Consort of Nikolaus V von Franken
 * Hannelore of Danmark, Queen of Arendaal - husband's second wife
 * Gustav V of Arendaal - great-grandson
 * Isacco Beniamino II of the Talemantine Empire - great-grandson
 * Liliana of Arendaal, Queen of Montelimar - great-granddaughter. Consort of King Michel II of Montelimar
 * Heloise of Arendaal, Empress of Wiese - great-granddaughter. Consort of Emperor Emperor Karl I of Wiese
 * Kristine of Arendaal, Queen of Eiffelland - great-granddaughter. Consort of Philipp IV of Eiffelland

Ancestors
's ancestors in four generations: