Matthias I of Arendaal

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: