Karolina of Franken, Queen of Arendaal

Karolina of Franken ("Karolina the Ethereal") (1880 - 1951) was the wife of King Niklaas IV of Arendaal and thus the Queen Consort of Arendaal and Götarike (Suionia) between 1901 and 1917. She was a daughter of King Alfred III of Franken, and the mother of Queen Regent Freya I of Arendaal.

As Queen she won the hearts of the Aren people and became immensely popular; her style of dress and bearing were copied by fashion-conscious women of all social strata. Noted for superbly bejewelling herself for formal events, she left a collection of jewels now considered priceless. Social commentators extolled her “exquisite, ethereal beauty”, and indeed her delicate countenance was considered the height of style in the early decades of the 20th century.

As with her husband, her involvement in charity work increased her popularity. Crowds usually cheered Karolina and her Niklaas IV rapturously. The level of devotion between Karolina and the affable and charming King Niklaas IV was considered exemplary and praised in Arendaal and abroad.

In public Karolina was dignified and ethereal, and in private jolly. She enjoyed many social activities, including dancing and ice-skating, and was an expert horsewoman. She also enjoyed hunting, to the dismay of her mother-in-law, Elisabeth Franziska of Braunschweig (Wiese), and her husband's grandmother Queen Louisa I of Arendaal, who asked her to stop, without success.

After the death of her husband, Karolina remained in mourning. She wrote in letters to friends that only the affection of her children including Queen Freya I sustained her through this difficult period. In 1945 when Freya herself died, Queen dowager Karolina was inconsolable and dressed in mourning until her own death in 1951.

Karolina undertook many public duties even before she became Queen. During the final years of Queen Louisa I's reign she aided the Queeen by attending concerts, visiting hospitals, opening fairs and bazaars, etc.

The Queen lavished praise on Karolina, remarking that "she not only never complains, but endeavours to prove that she has enjoyed what to another would be a tiresome duty."

She continued to perform public charitable duties as Queen mother during the reign of her daughter Queen Freya I of Arendaal and even during the reign of her grandson Sven V. It was in the sixth year of the latter's rule that she died and was laid to rest in Goteborg Cathedral.

Family, Marriage and Children
Princess Karolina of Franken married King Niklaas IV of Arendaal in 1897 at the age of 17. Their children included:
 * Freya I of Arendaal (1898 - 1945) - who succeeded her father as ruler of Arendaal in 1917
 * Louise of Arendaal, Queen of Anglyn (b. 1902) - Consort of Alfred VI of Anglyn, mother of the current King Roderick IV
 * Magnus, Grand Duke of Stockholm (1905 - 1990)

Siblings

 * Sebastian VI von Franken - Karolina's brother

Other Royal Relations

 * Jakob V von Franken - nephew
 * Friedrich Wilhelm II von Thießen - husband's nephew. Current Emperor of Wiese
 * Anders, Prince of Arendaal - father-in-law
 * Elisabeth Franziska of Braunschweig (Wiese) - mother-in-law
 * Louisa I of Arendaal - husband's grandmother
 * Madeleine of Arendaal, Empress of Wiese - sister-in-law (husband's sister). Consort of Emperor Karl III of Wiese
 * Jean of Montelimar, Prince Consort of Arendaal - son-in-law
 * King Sven V of Arendaal - grandson
 * Helena of Arendaal, Queen of Great Engellex - granddaughter. Consort of King Edward II of Great Engellex
 * Marie of Arendaal, Empress of the Talemantine Empire - granddaughter. Consort of Emperor Waylon X of the Talemantine Empire
 * Alienora of Arendaal, Queen of Eiffelland - granddaughter. Consort ofKing Heinrich IV von Dietz-Hadamar of Eiffelland
 * Eliska of Arendaal, Queen of Cambria - granddaughter. Consort of King Owain IV of Cambria
 * Eliana of Arendaal, Queen Consort of Great Engellex - husband's aunt. Consort ofEdward I of Great Engellex
 * Charlotte of Arendaal, Queen of Montelimar - husband's aunt. Consort of Louis XI of Montelimar

Ancestors
's ancestors in four generations:

* Heinrich VIII of Franken was the son of Viktoria of Arendaal, Queen of Franken, herself a daughter of Edvard IV of Arendaal and Victoria of Breotonia.