Blanche of Montelimar, Queen of Arendaal

Blanche of Montelimar ("Blanche the Beautiful") (1513 - 1583) was the wife of King Johannes I of Arendaal and thus the Queen Consort of Arendaal between 1545 and 1550. The daughter of King Philippe IV of Montelimar, she married the young Aren King but was quickly widowed following his sudden death. She is best known as the mother of King Kristian II "the Great".

Known as one of the most beautiful princesses in Europe with "dazzling dark eyes", Blanche was shy and poltiically indecisive, much like her husband. The young couple were well suited in temperament and are said to have been the "handsomest pair in the Kingdom". Blanche proved a popular figure at the glittering Renaissance court of Johannes' father, Frederik II. She danced well, played cards and proved the perfect counterpoint to the antics of her handsome husband.

King Johannes I's brief reign was marked by the worsening of tensions between Catholics and Protestants, which would erupt into full scale war with his premature death in 1545. Blanche was a mild mannered figure but reportedly castigated her son Kristian II for his conversion to Protestantism.

Nonetheless, she supported his claim to the Aren throne. Upon Johannes' death, however, his devotedly Catholic sister Katherine I of Arendaal seized the throne, declaring the 'heretic' Kristian unfit to rule.

As Kristian fled north to avoid capture, Katherine had Blanche put under house arrest at Goteborg Citadel. The two had always had a tense relationship, with the proud and intellectual Katherine often disparaged Blanche's intelligence and referred to her as "soppy and wet". Blanche was closer to her sister-in-law (Bjorn III's wife) Sophie of Eiffelland, who may have helped Blanche in her 1553 escape from Goteborg. Three years after her incarceration, Blanche supposedly escaped by fleeing across snow-covered land in a white cape. She sought refuge with her mother-in-law Helena of Franken on her estates in Norse Lorraine. Helena was one figure whose 'immunity' during the Wars of Religion was never contested by either side, making her estates the last sanctuary in the land.

Katherine's reign was followed by that of her brother Bjorn III and the continuation of bloody battles between Protestant and Catholic. Finally in 1560 Kristian defeated Bjorn's forces and was crowned King of Arendaal. Although Blanche herself was a devout Catholic, she supported his implementation of Acts for the Preservation of Religious Freedoms which sought to guarantee the Aren populace freedom of worship. Blanche dotted on her grandchildren, calling her granddaughter Adeliza I the "prettiest, cleverist and dearest little creature".

Family, Marriage and Children
Princess Blanche of Montelimar married King Johannes I of Arendaal in 1529. Their children included:
 * Kristian II of Arendaal (1530 - 1570) - whose throne was usurped until 1560 by Katherine I and Bjorn III when he became a Protestant
 * Adele of Arendaal, Empress of the Talemantine Empire (b. 1541) - Consort to Isacco V of the Talemantine Empire
 * Elisa of Arendaal, Queen of Anglyn (b. 1545) - Consort to Harold II of Anglyn

Other Royal Relations

 * Louis VI of Montelimar - nephew
 * Frederik II of Arendaal - father-in-law
 * Helena of Franken, Queen of Arendaal - mother-in-law
 * Katherine I of Arendaal - sister-in-law. She usurped the claim of Blanche's son Kristian II
 * Bjorn III of Arendaal - brother-in-law. He succeeded Katherine as King and was overthrown by forces of Kristian II
 * Matthieu of Lorraine, Prince Consort of Arendaal - husband's sister's husband (Katherine I's husband)
 * Sophie of Eiffelland, Queen of Arendaal - husband's brother's wife (Bjorn III's wife)
 * Frederika of Suionia, Queen of Arendaal - daughter-in-law
 * Adeliza I of Arendaal - granddaughter
 * Elisabet of Arendaal, Queen of Eiffelland - granddaughter
 * Malena of Arendaal, Holy Germanic Empress - husband's aunt. Consort to Emperor Georg II Wilhelm von Thießen
 * Gisela of Arendaal, Queen of Franken - husband's aunt. Consort of Sebastian III von Franken

Ancestors
's ancestors in four generations: