Kristian of Arendaal, King of Ormssex-Colne

Kristian of Arendaal, King of Ormssex-Colne ("Kristian the Grand" or "Good King Kristian") (1645 - 1711) was the King of Ormssex-Colne (now part of Engellex) between 1690 and his death in 1711. He was thus son of Magnus II of Arendaal, Emperor of the North and his consort Diane of Breotonia, and thus a younger brother of Emperor Greger of the North, "the Sun King". Kristian became the first Aren ruler of Ormssex-Colne when the country's nobles offered him the Crown of the realm in 1690, establishing the Aren dynasty which would rule the Kingdom until the Great Engellex conquered the territory in 1834. See the [|list of Aren rulers of Ormssex-Colne here].

Ormssex-Colne was in the midst of a succession crisis when the nobility chose to offer the crown to a distant relative of their last "mad" king, a Prince of Arendaal. It was in this context that an Embassy was dispatched to the Palace of Versailles, the site of Emperor Greger I's court, and the offer of the Ormssex-Colne throne was made to the Emperor's younger brother, Prince Kristian. With the King's substantial encouragement, Kristian accepted the proposal.

Kristian, who had served his brother Emperor Greger as a successful military commander and prominent minister in the Empire of the North, proved a fine King in his own right and among the most successful monarchs of Ormssex-Colne to date. A gifted administrator and capable legislator, his reign saw the establishment of an independent Ormssex-Colne state and the consolidation of its position in Europe.

Close ties to the Kingdom of Arendaal and the rest of the Empire of the North aided rapid economic and social progress particularly due to the role of the Aren-Scanian trading company, the Kunglig Nordiska Handelsforetag (KNH). The court structure that King Kristian fostered and the outlook he imparted to Engellex society instigated the advances of the Enlightenment.

Like his brother Greger I of Arendaal, Kristian was possessed of the kind of personality that easily inspired loyalty in those around him. At the Imperial Aren Court he was dubbed the "Great Sir" for his imposing and engaging countenance.

Handsome and athletic in his youth, he remained an impressive figure even in his later years. He was a devotee of the court pageantry made famous across Europe by Emperor Greger, as well as an avid patron of the theatre and the arts.

Kristian was among Greger's closest confidants throughout his life and enjoyed similarly close relations with the rest of his family. He corresponded regularly with Greger's wife Marie of Montelimar and was the favourite uncle of Greger's son, Crown Prince Frederik. Frederik's daughter, the future Empress Kristianna I, was named after Kristian.

Family, Marriage and Children
Kristian of Arendaal, King of Ormssex-Colne married Charlotte of Zähringen (Wendmark). Their children included:
 * Charles I of Ormssex-Colne - who succeeded Kristian as King of Ormssex-Colne in 1711

Siblings

 * Greger I of Arendaal - brother. Emperor of the North and King of Arendaal
 * Louisa of Arendaal, Queen of Eiffelland - sister. Consort of Lothar VI of Eiffelland
 * Alais of Arendaal, Queen of Franken - sister. Consort of Nikolaus V von Franken

Other Royal Relations

 * Queen Kristianna I of Arendaal - grandniece and Greger I's successor
 * Frederik, Prince of Arendaal - nephew and Kristianna I's father
 * Johanna of Batavie, Princess of Arendaal - Frederick's wife and Kristianna I's mother
 * Helene of Arendaal, Empress of the Talemantine Empire - aunt. Consort of Horace XII of the Talemantine Empire
 * Diane of Arendaal, Queen of Anglyn - aunt. Consort of Cedric X of Anglyn
 * Theodore VII of the Talemantine Empire - Kristianna I's husband
 * Adela of Arendaal, Duchess of Treviso - greataunt. Consort of Duke Ciro II and Duke Valentino II
 * Leonor of Arendaal, Queen of Batavie - greataunt. Consort of the King of Batavie

Ancestors
's ancestors in four generations: