Catharina of Batavie, Queen of Arendaal

Catharina of Batavie ("Catharina the Radiant") (1358 - 1400) was the second wife of King Edvard II of Arendaal and thus the Queen Consort of Arendaal and Queen Consort of Suionia between 1378 and 1388. She married the Aren King a year after the death of his beloved first wife, Louise of Montelimar. Though profoundly affected by Queen Louise's death, King Edvard II was presided upon by his counselors to remarry. He did so in 1378, choosing the Batavian Princess, Catharina, in order to reinforce the nation's alliance with Batavië.

Catharina was the daughter of the King of Batavië. Her father's interest in securing an alliance with the Aren Kingdom was the reason that Catharina was put forward as a prospective bride for the Aren King, in spite of the sizable age difference between them.

Aren courtiers had been exceptionally fond of Catharina's predecessor, Louise of Montelimar, and so were not poised to readily shower her successor with affection. However, Catharina soon became popular with her husband's subjects.

She surprised and delighted the Aren court by naming her first daughter by Edvard Princess Lovisa (an Aren form of the French name Louise) in honour of Edvard's first wife Queen Louise. Although Catharina was decades younger than her husband, the mismatched couple had a surprisingly happy marriage.

Catharina became close to Edvard's children by Louise, who were more or less her age, and even to her husband's grandchildren. Edvard II's eldest son by his first wife, Crown Prince Lief, predeceased him and so the King was succeeded by his granddaughter Blanche I in 1388.

Family, Marriage and Children
Princess Catharina of Batavië married King Edvard II of Arendaal and Suionia in 1378 as his second wife. Their children included:
 * Lovisa of Arendaal (b. 1379)

Other Royal Relations

 * Louise of Montelimar, Queen of Arendaal - husband's first wife
 * Lief, Prince of Arendaal - stepson. He predeceased his father and so his daughter Blanche I succeeded Edvard II
 * Rikissa of Arendaal, Duchess of Franken - stepdaughter. Consort of Duke Thomas IV von Franken
 * Viveka of Arendaal, Holy Germanic Empress - stepdaughter. Consort of Holy Germanic Emperor Maximilian IV von Sachsen
 * Queen Gisela I of Arendaal - mother-in-law
 * King of Suionia - father-in-law
 * Richenza of Arendaal, Empress of the Talemantine Empire - sister-in-law (husband's sister)
 * Martha of Anglyn, Princess of Arendaal - stepson's wife
 * Blanche I of Arendaal - step-granddaughter
 * Nissa of Arendaal, Queen of Montelimar - step-granddaughter. Consort of Jean V of Montelimar
 * Karl August of Saxony - Blanche I's husband
 * Alienore of Arendaal, Queen of Montelimar - husband's greataunt. Consort of Philippe II of Montelimar
 * Erika of Arendaal, Countess of Schlesnitz - husband's greataunt. Mother of Sebastian I von Franken