Sven IV of Arendaal

Sven IV of Arendaal ("Sven the Handsome") (1599 - 1643) was the King of Arendaal and Emperor of the North between 1623 and 1643. He was the son of Edvard III, King of Arendaal and Emperor of the North and his first wife, Antoinette of Lorraine. Sven's reign was a prosperous time, and given his charisma and the general indifference felt towards his father, Sven was a popular ruler. He is seen by posterity as an affable, cultured and artistic man. While historians do not consider him to have been a gifted statesman, his military prowess earned him the respect of even his most formidable rival, the Potenzan military commander Gomberto di Mercurio.

Throughout his reign, all of his astute political decisions appear to have been made by his beautiful wife, Maria Rikissa of Franken.

Sven dotted on his Queen and in turn she exerted great influence over her husband.

Although Sven IV had a string of mistresses later in life, all of them seem to have been selected by his wife. Maria Rikissa enjoyed free reign over political matters as long as she was Queen and continued to influence state affairs during the reign of the couple's son, Magnus II.

After the death of Sven IV one writer famously remarked: "His Majesty was ever a good natured man, but he was ruled by his wife in all things. It was our good fortune that his wife was a sensible woman, for had she been as foolish as he, God alone knows what misfortunes we should have suffered."

As a military leader, Sven was eager to prove himself. In 1623, within months of asuming the throne, the Empire of the North invaded the Duchy of Cremona in Potenza, held by the House of Morosini. Aided by their protectorate, the Duchy of Treviso, the Emperor aimed to push as far south as San Salvo and subjugate much of Potenzan soil under the Empire.He first met Gomberto di Mercurio at the Garigliano, where Gomberto, despite odds, managed to construct a bridge and get his army across the river to combat the Aren forces. During the night Sven IV burnt down the bridge and withdrew to get around Gomberto's army. The two men met again at Polani Hill, with Gomberto victorious. Sven withdrew and regrouped, meeting Gomberto in three more battles, two of which Gomberto won and a third which was indecisive.

By mid-1625 both armies waited to regroup. However, Sven IV's hopes that the Duchy of Treviso's navy under Ciro II Cornaro (the husband of the Emperor's sister, Adela) would gain the upper hand did not materialize. As a result of the destruction of the Treviso fleet, the land campaign was prolonged.

In 1627, the Emperor elected to act devisively, whereby one smaller faction of his army would maneuver around Gomberto's forces and harass his supply lines, while the larger force, under Sven's command, would head towards Garigliano, where the two armies would meet. The detached Aren unit would then move back and catch Gomberto from the rear. At the Garigliano River would be the third time the two armies met there, and the fourth time a battle had been fought during the war. Sven's army left during the night, his scouts catching and killing Gomberto's spies.

As a result, Gomberto realized too late that the imperial forces had withdrawn. Nonetheless, he pursued them and set up camp opposite Sven's army on the fertile Garigliano valley. Fog enveloped the battlefield on the night of March 3, of which Morosini allies warned Gomberto the Emperor was most likely well aware. Slapping his knee, Gomberto replied, "This Aren is a clever man. I pray God we sup with the Lamb in Paradise." He recognized, rightly, that Sven was preparing an ambush as soon as the fog had cleared. As the fog cleared in the early morning of March 4, Gomberto's army was already lined up and ready to fight. Gomberto organized his men into the wheel formation, something of his own invention.

The battle lasted from the morning well into the afternoon, with allied attacks against the imperial line gradually wearing each side down. At the climax in the battle, Gomberto's personal cavalry clashed headlong into Sven's imperial guard. As Sven observed the battle nearby, Gomberto's horse leapt over the Aren infantry and charged at the Emperor. Sven drew his sword quickly and the two men began to duel. After barely a few seconds Gomberto landed a non-fatal blow on Sven's back, wounding him. By then, Sven's detached unit had arrived and were advancing upon Gomberto's rear guard. Gomberto immediately withdrew his forces to prevent annihilation.

Debate still rages to this day on who actually won the battle. By the end, Gomberto was in retreat, but Sven's forces were too beaten to pursue. The wounding of Duke Ciro would result in the withdrawal of Cornaro forces, decreasing Sven's troop numbers. Eventually Sven withdrew back to Treviso, abandoning any hopes of taking the rest of Potenza. The age of Sven IV was one of artistic, literary, economic and scientific advancement. In architecture, beautiful palaces were constructed, including the beautiful Trondheim Chateau and the hunting lodge which Sven's grandson Greger I would build up into the famous Palace of Versailles.

Sven IV's court was famed for following the elaborate pageantry of his grandmother Adeliza I's great masques and breaking with the somber traditions of Edvard III's court.

In his own lifetime Sven IV was dubbed the "the handsomest man in all of Europe". He was charming, witty charitable and kindly - characteristics which made him especially popular with ordinary Aren people - and essentially he was the perfect courtier: he could hunt well, fence well and dance well.

He was not gifted in political or scholarly affairs, but he was fairly a capable military administrator. His plans for military training and provisions for the army would be used by commanders for over two centuries (albeit in a modified form). These would greatly help to ensure that Aren soldiers were highly disciplined, well trained and hardly ever short of armaments, bread, clothing, tents or billets.

Family, Marriage and Children
Sven IV of Arendaal, Emperor of the North and King of Arendaal married Princess Maria Rikissa of Franken, a daughter of Jakob II von Franken. Their children included:
 * Magnus II of Arendaal (1623–1663) - succeeded his father as ruler of Arendaal in 1643
 * Helene of Arendaal, Empress of the Talemantine Empire (b. 1626) - Consort of Horace XII of the Talemantine Empire
 * Diane of Arendaal, Queen of Anglyn (b. 1634) - Consort of Cedric X of Anglyn

Siblings

 * Adela of Arendaal, Duchess of Treviso - Consort of Duke Ciro II and Duke Valentino II
 * Leonor of Arendaal, Queen of Batavie - sister. Consort of the King of Batavie

Other Royal Relations

 * Catrina of Warre, Queen of Arendaal - step-moter (father's second wife)
 * Karolina of Arendaal, Queen of Montelimar - aunt. Consort of King Robert I of Montelimar
 * Alienore of Arendaal, Princess of Havenshire - aunt. Consort of Edwin I of Havenshire
 * Diane of Breotonia, Queen of Arendaal - daughter-in-law
 * Greger I of Arendaal - grandson. King of Arendaal
 * Kristian of Arendaal, King of Ormssex-Colne - grandson
 * Louisa of Arendaal, Queen of Eiffelland - granddaughter. Consort of Lothar VI of Eiffelland
 * Alais of Arendaal, Queen of Franken - granddaughter. Consort of Nikolaus V von Franken

Ancestors
's ancestors in four generations: