Gustav V of Arendaal

 Gustav V of Arendaal  ("The Last Emperor") (1696 - 1740) was the King of Arendaal and last Emperor of the North, reigning from 1715 to 1740. He was the son of Regent Kristianna I of Arendaal, Empress of the North and Emperor Theodore VII of the Talemantine Empire, coming to the throne in 1715 when his mother abdicated in his favour. In light with their marriage contract, Kristianna gave up the Aren throne when her husband ascended the Imperial Talemantine throne. Gustav’s costly Southern War against his Isacco Beniamino II between 1732 and 1735 would precipitate the dissolution of the Empire of the North.

Gustav, as his couple's eldest child, was to inherit the Aren and Imperial Northern crown while his younger brother, Isacco Beniamino II would ascend the Talemantine throne. However, after their father's death in 1732, Gustav contested his brother's inheritance and argued that he, as the elder, should become also inherit the title of Talemantine Emperor. The cost of this war saw the Northern Empire loose many of its territorial possessions. To salvage Aren finances, Gustav’s daughter Queen Beatrix I did not press her succession rights in the south and declined the title of Empress of the North. Gustav V was also the first member of the House of Nareath, a branch of the Kapetien Dynasty to reign.

As the eldest child of perhaps the most powerful Royal couple in Europe, Gustav V was raised in Aren fashion. His rule was marked by a great deal of Talemantine influence, particularly until 1732 while his father was alive. Relations were somewhat strained with the Empire thereafter, when Gustav contested his brother's right to the Imperal Crown.

French and Germanic influences were also pronounced during his reign. The latter were thanks in part to Gustav's marriages to two German Princesses. He first wed Jaqueline, Princess of Eiffelland, who was the mother of his heir Beatrix I. After her death, he married Sophia of Zähringen (Wendmark). These marriages re-emphasized the German influence pronounced in he Empire of the North and Arendaal from the 16th century onwards, and the era ushered in the French influence which would continue throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.

As the Talemantine nobility had no wish to cause a split in their Empire with a foreign ruler, and given Isacco Beniamino II's Talemantine upbringing, they did not support Gustav's imperial bid. Even his mother Queen Kristianna I opposed his attempts to gain the throne, though she had always doted on Gustav.

Gustav V was the first ruler of the House of Nareath to sit upon the throne of Arendaal (a branch of the House of Lundmark, and thus of the Kapétien Dynasty), which continues to rule the country today in the person of King Edvard V of Arendaal. His hand in the end of the Empire of the North means that he is not remembered fondly by posterity; but he is credited with instigating the period of Nareath glory that marked the beginning of the Englightenment. Like many 18th century monarchs, the cultured, eloquent Gustav V was devoted to the arts, notably to painting and music. His grandson King Edvard IV would later become famous for this pursuit.

King Gustav V was a proponent of what enlightened absolutism. He approved and collaborated on the development of a political constitution, eventually a series of Edicts, said to have anticipated the promulgation of the first true Aren Constitution of 1800.

The Emperor also promulgated the reform of the penal code that torture and its instruments, and developed and supported many social and economic reforms. Smallpox vaccination was made systematically available, and radical reforms were instituted to effect humane treatment of those deemed mentally ill, marking the beginnings of the "moral treatment" movement of modern times.

He did much to make education available to all: he not only subsidized education in the Empire of the North, but also tried to specifically facilitate the education in rural areas.

Family, Marriage and Children
Gustav V of Arendaal, Emperor of the North and King of Arendaal married twice. Firstly to Princess Jacqueline of Eiffelland, daughter of the King of Eiffelland, in 1712. Their children included:
 * Beatrix I of Arendaal (1713 - 1762) - who succeeded her father as ruler of Arendaal in 1740

After Jacqueline's death in 1726, Gustav V married Princess Sophie of Zähringen (Wendmark) two years later. Their children included:
 * 

Siblings

 * Isacco Beniamino II of the Talemantine Empire - brother. Isacco succeeded their father as Talemantine Emperor
 * Liliana of Arendaal, Queen of Montelimar - sister. Consort of King Michel II of Montelimar
 * Heloise of Arendaal, Empress of Wiese - sister. Consort of Emperor Emperor Karl I of Wiese
 * Kristine of Arendaal, Queen of Eiffelland - sister. Consort of King Philipp IV of Eiffelland
 * Adelina of Arendaal, Queen of Ormssex-Colne - sister. Consort of King Christian II of Ormssex-Colne

Other Royal Relations

 * Thomas of Franken, Prince Consort of Arendaal - son-in-law
 * Edvard IV of Arendaal - grandson
 * Hathor III of Arendaal - grandson
 * Trigve, Prince of Arendaal - grandson
 * Evelina of Arendaal, Empress of the Talemantine Empire - granddaughter. Consort of Stefano Emanuelle IV of the Talemantine Empire
 * Adelaide of Arendaal, Queen of Anglyn - granddaughter. Consort of Alfred IV of Anglyn
 * Klara of Arendaal, Queen of Cambria - granddaughter. Consort of Owain I of Cambria
 * Helene I of Arendaal - great-granddaughter
 * Karl V of Arendaal - great-grandson
 * Rurik, Prince of Arendaal - great-grandson

Ancestors
's ancestors in four generations: