Karl V of Arendaal

Karl V of Arendaal ("Karl the Great" or "The Father of His People") (1769 - 1839) was the King of Arendaal between 1800 and 1839, and also King of Götarike (Suionia) between 1812 and his death. He is famous for his role as a leader of the 1790-1800 Revolution of Light, and for the establishment of the Second Union of Bergen which united the Kingdoms of Arendaal and Suionia under one crown from 1812 to 1956 (recalling the 1350-1424 Union of Edvard II).

Karl was the son of Prince Trigve of Arendaal, third son of Queen Beatrix Regent I of Arendaal, and Princess Francoise of Montelimar.

The Revolution of Light established Arendaal as a secular Parliamentary Democracy with limited suffrage (for individuals of all genders with a certain income level) and introduced the Declaration on the Rights of All Citizens and Peoples. Influenced by the doctrine of natural rights, these defined a set of equal individual and collective rights which are universal, i.e. valid in all times and places, and pertaining to human nature. Karl V's involvement in the Revolution and the prosperity which Arendaal enjoyed during his reign earned him the epithet of "Father of his people". He is still considered perhaps the greatest King of Arendaal in history. His entrance into Emyn Arnen is commemorated as the National Day of Arendaal on the 14th of April each year.

Biography
Karl's father, Prince Trigve of Arendaal, was the third son of Queen Beatrix Regent I of Arendaal and Thomas of Franken, and thus a younger brother of two Aren Kings: Edvard IV and Hathor III. Karl was groomed from an early age to succeed his father as Grand Duke of Norse Burgundy and join the Royal Court as a minister or military leader.

Role in the Revolution of Light (1790-1800)
Brought up at the "englight -ened" court of his uncle King Edvard IV, Karl was devoted to enlightenment ideals. In his 20s, he was elected to Parliament as an MP from Norse Burgundy, and proceeded to campaign for greater social freedoms and political freedom.

Although he was cordial with his cousin Queen Helene I, he was critical of her policies and became a vocal opponent of her successor (his uncle), King Hathor III. Karl contested the unchecked power of Kings and was eager for political, socio-economic and military reforms to modernize the functioning of government.

By the 1780s Karl V became a key figure in the "reformist" wing of Aren politics, and a decade later he emerged as a prominent Revolutionary leader. At this point, he was not next in line for the throne: it was not until after 1799 and the abrupt death of Hathor III's heir Crown Prince Rurik that Karl emerged as a contender for the crown. The Prince's demise made some suspect foul play, although Rurik had suffered from consumption for years.

In 1800, after two years of open rebellion in the bloodiest phase of the Revolution, the forces of Hathor III were defeated he was made to adicate. Karl V was crowned at Kronstad, and entered Emyn Arnen in a triumphal procession on the 14th of April, declaring Arendaal a secular state, a Constitutional Monarchy and a Parliamentary Democracy with limited (but greatly expanded) suffrage.

A new National Anthem was decided upon in 1805, using the fourth movement of Aren composer Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, and the lyrics of Markus Annunson's Av der Gladen ("Ode To Joy"), an optimistic hymn championing the brotherhood of humanity.

Second Union of Bergen (rule of Suionia) 1812
In 1800, military conflict erupted between the newly reformed Arendaal and its neighbour Suionia. The former won the dispute in 1812, when the province of Svealand became part of the Aren Kingdom proper. Thereafter, Arendaal and Suionia would initiate a second Union of Bergen, whereby the two Kingdoms were ruled by the same monarch between 1812 and 1956.

In practice real power in Götarike (Suionia) was based in the Riksdag, but it was the King of Arendaal and Götarike, from Karl V to Sven V, who signed laws into being. The liberal political, legislative, economic and social reforms ofKarl V proved equally beneficial to the Suionian populace.

Reign: Legal and Social Progress
Karl V set about modernizing Arendaal's system of government and liberalizing its social sphere. Although previous law codes had existed, whether the medieval Code of Jutland or the Rensaissance Edict of Bergen, the 19th century Nareath Law Code was more comprehensive.

Seen as the first real Aren constitution, it affirmed the principles of equality, liberty and justice which the Revolution of Light had used as its rallying cry. It established the Monarchy as answerable to an elected Parliament, made divorce claims simpler and formally enforced the equality of men and women in both the prive and public spheres. The Nareath Code made Arendaal one of the most legally advanced states of the century.

His financial policies also modernized the economy and helped it take advantage of the wealth generated by Aren trade. Commerce boomed and new wealth was evident in the many buildings and monuments erected during his long reign.

The most famous are Karlheim Palace, Tor des Lichts, Karlskirche, the Stortinget (a new building for the Aren Parliament), Julienne Hospital and no less than ten colleges at Sylnarsson University Emyn Arnen.

As society became more liberal, this informality translated into the fashions and of the age. In the aftermath of the Revolution, a new openess came to pass. Fashion saw the final triumph of informal styles over the brocades of the 18th century. A trend towards simplicity had begun in the reign of Helene I, but it was in the early 19th century that the neoclassical silhouette was created by a woman wearing a high-waisted dress, with a loose skirt which skimmed the body. This made clothing generally less confining and cumbersome than that of the 18th and later 19th centuries.

Literature, philosophy and the arts flourished, as did scientific and technological advancements which paved the way for the Industrial Revolution. In the sphere of music, composers built on the prowess of previous Aren virtuosos like Mozart. Ludwig van Beethoven became Arendaal's foremost composer during Karl's reign and one of the most renowned in history.

Personality and Appearance
Karl V was known as an witty and shrewd man. He was well read and intelligent, with a talent for rhetoric and public speaking. Gifted as a politician, he disdained court decorum and sought to lessen its formality. He remained handsome even in his old age, dotted on his grandchildren more than he had on his own offspring, and provided well for his relatives.

His relationship with his first wife, Julienne of Cambria was an extremely loving one. Political considerations prompted his second marriage, in 1825, to Ekaterina of Serbovia. They developed a friendly, if cool, relation.

Though they were illegitimate, he granted both of Helene I's children grand titles: Harald der Vasterkvist because Duke of Svealand in 1812, and his sister Marguerite was made Countess of Göteborg. Harald was the father of the famous Grand Duke Johann von Nareath.

Karl allowed his uncle, the defeated Hathor III, to remain in residence at Loire Chateau until his death in 1802, and was at Versailles Palace, as was Queen Helene I who had previously been buried in obscurity in Lulea.

In addition to corresponding regularly with Victoria of Breotonia he was, ironically, especially close to Hathor III's Queen, Elisabeth of Lorraine.

Family, Marriage and Children
King Karl V of Arendaal first married Julienne of Cambria. They had the following children:
 * Pieter II of Arendaal (1801 - 1851) - who succeeded his father as ruler of Arendaal in 1839
 * Alexandra of Arendaal, Queen of Montelimar (b. 1804) - Consort of King Henri X of Montelimar
 * Klarissa of Arendaal, Marquise d'Hennessy (b. 1820) - Consort of Marquis Jas Lyon Moët-Hennessy

Despite being heartbroken by Julienne's death in 1823, Karl married Ekaterina of Serbovia two years later, by whom he had the following children:
 * Anastasia of Arendaal, Czarina of Gorno-Altai (b. 1826) - Consort of Czar Edvard II of Gorno-Altai
 * Juliette of Arendaal, Queen of Cambria (b. 1837) - Consort of Morgan II of Cambria

Other Royal Relations

 * Helene I of Arendaal - first cousin
 * Rurik, Prince of Arendaal - first cousin
 * Viktoria of Arendaal, Queen of Franken - first cousin. Consort of Sebastian IV von Franken
 * Edvard IV of Arendaal - uncle. Father of Helene I
 * Hathor III of Arendaal - uncle and predecessor
 * Evelina of Arendaal, Empress of the Talemantine Empire - aunt. Consort of Stefano Emanuelle IV of the Talemantine Empire
 * Adelaide of Arendaal, Queen of Anglyn - aunt. Consort of Alfred IV of Anglyn
 * Nadia of Great Engellex, Queen of Arendaal - daughter-in-law
 * Evelynn of Anglyn, Queen of Arendaal - aunt by marriage (uncle Edvard IV's first wife)
 * Victoria of Breotonia, Queen of Arendaal - aunt by marriage (uncle Edvard IV's second wife and mother of Helene)
 * Elisabeth of Lorraine, Queen of Arendaal - aunt by marriage (wife of Hathor III)
 * Clemence of Lorraine, Princess of Arendaal - cousin Rurik's wife
 * Harald der Vasterkvist, Duke of Svealand - nephew, cousin Helene I's illegitimate son. Karl created him Duke of Svealand in 1812.
 * Grand Duke Johann of Svealand - great-nephew, Harald's son.
 * Marguerite der Vasterkvist, Countess of Göteborg - niece, cousin Helene I's illegitimate daughter. Received her brothers title of Count of Göteborg in 1812
 * Louisa I of Arendaal - granddaughter
 * Liliana of Arendaal, Empress of the Talemantine Empire - granddaughter. Consort of Waylon IX of the Talemantine Empire
 * Gisela of Arendaal, Queen of Eiffelland - granddaughter. Consort of Philipp V of Eiffelland
 * Isabella of Arendaal, Queen of Franken - granddaughter. Consort of Thomas VI von Franken

Ancestors
's ancestors in four generations: