Frederika of Suionia, Empress of the North

Frederika of Suionia ("Frederika the Majestic") (1532 - 1576) was the wife of King Kristian II of Arendaal and thus the Queen Consort of Arendaal and the first Empress Consort of the North between 1560 and her husband's assassination in 1570. A daughter of the King of Suionia, she married the Aren heir presumptive in 1549. She was the mother of the famous Queen Adeliza I of Arendaal, and of Elisabet, Queen Consort of Eiffelland.

Kristian II of Arendaal, called "the Great", was Arendaal's first Protestant ruler and the founder of the Empire of the North. He officially declared the country a Protestant Kingdom while simultaneously enacting Acts for the Preservation of Religious Freedoms, an Edict which confirmed that the country's populace, whether Protestant, Catholic, or of another faith, were free to worship as they choose without fear of discrimination, persecution or maltreatment. His rule marked an end to the decade long Wars of Religion which had raged since the late 1540s.

Early in the conflict, Kristian traveled to foreign Kingdoms seeking allies that were either sympathetic to Protestantism or hostile to the Dominican Catholic Church. It was in 1549 that he married Princess Frederika, a daughter of the King of Suionia. The support of Suionia added to the weight of support he already enjoyed from Protestant states like Franken.

This was particularly true due to Suionia's importance as a beacon of Protestantism in the North. When Kristian proved victorious against the Catholic forces of his aunt Katherine I and Bjorn III, the Protestant clergy hailed him the Great Northern Emperor. He was crowned with this title in Svealand, then part of Suionia, in 1560. Frederika was crowned beside her husband at the same ceremony. Their marriage was a major factor in endearing Kristian to the Suionian clergy, and the Suionian heritage of Frederika's and Kristian's daughter, Adeliza I, would benefit her in the same way.

Emperor Kristian negotiated a treaty with the Regent of Frederica's young nephew in 1560, King x, whereby the Kingdom of Suionia became part of the Empire of the North, with the Suionian King becoming a vassal of the Emperor. Suionia enjoyed a high level of autonomy, exercising practically complete control over its colonial possessions and exploratory voyages but was from then on heavily involved in the Empire’s trade ventures and furnished the Imperial army with steadfast military support. It also remained the centre of the Protestant faith in Northern Europe.

Although Kristian II was a popular ruler, with his appeal even transcending the divide between Protestants and Catholics, he fell prey to an assassination plot in 1570. Frederika's husband was stabbed by a fanatical Protestant, Leif Armansen, who believed the King had been too tolerant of Catholics and 'heretics'.

Frederika 's high profile as Queen was used to great effect by her husband: it fostered the image of healthy domestic stability that Kristian II wanted to project, it afforded him powerful Suionian support. The last of the Catholic monarchs, the courts of Katherine I, Bjorn III and even that of Johannes I bequeathed a legacy and reputation of scandal and murder. The attractive, elegant and fertile Frederika was thus brought to the fore to reassure the public of the stability and respectability of not only the Emperor's family, but also his reign.

Artists were commissioned to paint numerous portraits of Frederika, including some of the first ever state portraits depicting a consort with her children and heirs. During her marriage and into the reign of her daughter Adeliza I of Arendaal (1570-1604) she was patron to the most notable artists of the age. She was interested in agriculture and business, helping to expand and increase not only the profitability of the Royal Family's vast estates, but also through her charitable interests the lot of the peasantry.

During his absences from the capital she acted as Emperor Kristian's regent, a station which established her position as more than just a pretty bearer of the Imperial children.

Family, Marriage and Children
Princess Frederika of Suionia married Kristian II of Arendaal, Emperor of the North and King of Arendaal in 1549. Their children included:
 * Adeliza I of Arendaal (1551 - 1604) - who succeeded her father as ruler of Arendaal in 1570
 * Elisabet of Arendaal, Queen of Eiffelland (b. 1552) - Consort of King Ludwig VI of Eiffelland

Other Royal Relations

 * Robert of Franken, Prince Consort of Arendaal - son-in-law
 * Johannes I of Arendaal - father-in-law
 * Blanche of Montelimar, Queen of Arendaal - mother-in-law
 * Edvard III of Arendaal - grandson
 * Karolina of Arendaal, Queen of Montelimar - granddaughter. Consort of Robert I of Montelimar
 * Alienore of Arendaal, Princess of Havenshire - granddaughter. Consort of Edwin I of Havenshire
 * Adele of Arendaal, Empress of the Talemantine Empire - sister-in-law (husband's sister). Consort to Isacco V of the Talemantine Empire
 * Elisa of Arendaal, Queen of Anglyn - sister-in-law (husband's sister). Consort to Harold II of Anglyn
 * Katherine I of Arendaal - aunt by marriage (husband's aunt). She usurped Kristian II's throne in 1545
 * Bjorn III of Arendaal - uncle by marriage (husband's uncle). Successor of Katherine I and predecessor to Kristian II
 * Malena of Arendaal, Holy Germanic Empress - greataunt by marriage (husband's aunt). Consort to Emperor Georg II Wilhelm
 * Gisela of Arendaal, Queen of Franken - greataunt by marriage (husband's aunt). Consort of Sebastian III von Franken
 * Sophie of Eiffelland, Queen of Arendaal - aunt by marriage (Bjorn III's wife)
 * Matthieu of Lorraine, Prince Consort of Arendaal - uncle by marriage (Katherine I's husband)

Ancestors
's ancestors in four generations: