Niklaas III of Arendaal

Niklaas III of Arendaal ("Niklaas the Magnificent") (1389 - 1424) was the King of Arendaal and the King of Suionia between 1408 and 1424. He was the son of Queen Regent Blanche I of Arendaal and Karl August of Saxony (a younger son of Holy Germanic Emperor Emperor Lothar II). Niklaas III was the last King to rule both nations simultaneously, and his death marked the end of the Union of Bergen (1350 - 1424), a series of personal unions by which the Aren Kings had inherited the Crown of Suionia since the reign of Edvard II. His imposing personality and political cunning was what allowed the Union to survive, and with his death it rapidly dissolved. Powerful noble factions in Suionia rose up against the rule of the Aren Kings in 1424 and Niklaas' daughter Madeleine I was never crowned ruler of Suionia.

Niklaas III's rule had a profound impact on Arendaal (and to a great extent on Suionia as well), northern Europe would never be the same again after his rule. He was the first Aren "Renaissance" ruler, a diplomat, politician and patron of scholars, artists, and poets.

His reign coincided with and fostered the true beginning of the Rensaissance in Arendaal, which had begun to be introduced to the country under the rule of Niklaas' mother Queen Blanche. He also built the magnificent Villa d'Nord, the best example of early Renaissance in northern Europe and one of the most famous architectural marvels of the Renaissance anywhere in Europe.

He was a consummate statesman, resolving to rule by striking a balance between diplomatic machinations and political intrigues rather than rely heavily on military might, as medieval Kings had done. He as an able if autocratic ruler who fostered the first strong trade links between Arendaal and southern, eastern and western Europe - immeasurably increasing the trade routes that had henceforth been used by Aren merchants.

This was especially thanks to the efforts of his sister, Empress Kristine of the Talemantine Empire, consort of Emperor Beniamino VI.

After the devastating toll taken by the plague of the 14th century, the following century of recovery saw the restoration of trading missions, population movements and increased wealth. Trade, learning, scholars and artists flowed north to Arendaal. Many artists in Aren Renaissance artists were of southern descent, including Leonardo Da Vinci and Botticelli.

Perhaps Niklaas III's greatest contribution to posterity was his role as the Renaissance's first great Royal patron in Northern Europe. It was he who set the example of artistic patronage that would be copied by the Aren nobility and his successors up to the present day. He was an artist himself, a writer of poetry, in which he celebrates life even while—particularly in his later works—acknowledging with melancholy the fragility and instability of the human condition. Love, feasts and light dominate his verse. He dedicated a number of his works to his Queen, Anna of Franken.

Family, Marriage and Children
King Niklaas III of Arendaal married Princess Anna of Franken. Their children included:
 * Madeleine I of Arendaal (1408 - 1444) - who succeeded her father as ruler of Arendaal in 1424

Siblings

 * Kristine of Arendaal, Empress of the Talemantine Empire - sister. Consort of Emperor Beniamino VI of the Talemantine Empire

Other Royal Relations

 * Nissa of Arendaal, Queen of Montelimar - aunt. Consort of Jean V of Montelimar
 * Charles of Montelimar, Prince Consort of Arendaal - son-in-law
 * Pieter I of Arendaal - grandson
 * Gustav IV of Arendaal - grandson
 * Sigrid of Arendaal, Holy Germanic Empress - granddaughter. Consort of Emperor Victor II of Swabia
 * Madeleine of Arendaal, Holy Germanic Empress - granddaughter. Consort of Emperor Heinrich V von Franken
 * Holy Germanic Emperor Maximilian IV - Niklaas III's paternal uncle
 * Viveka of Arendaal, Holy Germanic Empress - maternal great aunt and paternal aunt by marriage. Consort of Holy Germanic Emperor Maximilian IV, the brother of Niklaas' father, Karl August of Saxony
 * Rikissa of Arendaal, Duchess of Franken – maternal great aunt. Consort to Thomas IV von Franken

Ancestors
's ancestors in four generations:

*Note:Friedrich I was the brother of Immanuelle of Saxony, Queen of Arendaal