Isabelle I of Arendaal

Isabelle I of Arendaal ("Isabelle the Noble") (1230 - 1280) was the Queen Regent of Arendaal between 1259 and 1280. A daughter of King Frederik I of Arendaal and Lucrezia of the Talemantine Empire, she came to the throne after the death of her brother, Mathias II.

As a legislator and organiser, she occupies a significant place among the Aren kings. Significantly, her government compiled legislation which governed maritime trade and helped establish Aren supremacy in the north seas of Europe. She was an important figure in the development ofthe Aren language, Norsk, sponsoring literature and laying the foundations for the popularity of the Troubadours during the reign of her son King Sven III.

Isabelle was popularly venerated as a saint for her piety, but was never canonized. Historians agree that she suffered from anorexia mirabilis. Literally meaning a "miraculous lack of appetite", the disease refers almost exclusively to women of the Middle Ages who would starve themselves, sometimes to the point of death, in the name of God. Isabelle reportedly refused all food except for the holy Eucharist, signifying not only her devotion to God and Jesus, but also demonstrating the separation of body and spirit.

That the body could exist for extended periods without nourishment gave people of the time a clear picture of how much stronger, and therefore how much more important, the spirit was. It mattered not in popular opinion that the reported periods of Isabelle’s fasting were impossibly long (from months to many years) and simply added to the allure of this very specifically female achievement.

Family, Marriage and Children
Queen Isabelle I of Arendaal married  Prince Geoffrey of Breotonia. Their children included:
 * Sven III of Arendaal (1252 – 1309) - who succeeded his mother as ruler in 1280

Siblings

 * Mathias II of Arendaal – brother. Preceeded Isabelle as ruler of Arendaal

Other Royal Relations

 * Mathilde of Arendaal, Queen of Montelimar - aunt
 * Isolde of Arendaal, Holy Germanic Empress - great aunt
 * Immanuelle of Saxony (Wiese) - daughter-in-law
 * Kristian I of Arendaal - grandson
 * Erika of Arendaal, Countess of Schlesnitz - granddaughter. Consort to the Count of Schlesnitz, mother of Sebastian I von Franken
 * Hilda of Arendaal, Queen of Eiffelland - granddaughter. Consort of King Lothar II of Eiffelland
 * Alienore of Arendaal, Queen of Montelimar - granddaughter. Consort of Philippe II of Montelimar
 * Gisela I of Arendaal - great-granddaughter
 * Duke Sebastian I of Franken - great-grandson

Ancestors
's ancestors in four generations:

*Emperor Giovanni Luciano I's mother was Inga of Arendaal, Empress of the Talemantine Empire