Consorts of Balian

[The Palatio Arancione 398]

THE CONSORTS OF BALIAN, SPOUSES OF THE CROWN

 

Or, A COMPLETED STUDY ON THE CONSORTS OF THE BALIANESE MONARCHS

 

BY

MARLENE K. von ALSTREIM

 

INSPIRED AND DEDICATED TO 

 

THE HISTORIAN, IRENE C. SARKOZY

THE QUEEN, ANDROMEDA OF BA’AS

—

 

             The CONSORT, or officially the CONSORT OF THE BALIANESE MONARCH, is the spouse of the current sovereign of the realm, either married before the monarch’s accession or during their rule. A consort is not considered equal to the monarch in terms of authority and legal power, however, they still hold considerable strengths of the crown with the approval of the sovereign. They have also been traditionally in charge of the everyday functionality of the court, though the Governess carries out most affairs to disinterested consorts. In all cases the consorts, regardless of social standing or rank before they are married, have been titled with royal style and address equal to that of the sovereign. Thus, only excluding the traditional ‘-consort’ appellation attached to the title in question. 

 

             As of 60 BA, all consorts have come from noble lineages, with one officeholder being ethnically from Haense (I), one officeholder being ethnically from Oren (II), and one officeholder being ethnically from Ba’as (III). Of the houses which have married into the royal family, a Raevir or Ruskan preference has been shown as most consorts of the state hail from Karovic lineages (I, II). Occasionally however there are cases of divergence, such as when the government’s political and cultural interests superseded the Monarch’s preferences (III). Notable officeholders include Gwyneth of Karosgrad (I) and Andromeda of Ba’as (III).

 

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I QUEEN

Gwyneth of Karosgrad

Gwyneth Anastasya Barbanov | Gweneth Anastasia Barbanov

23 - 35 BA | 1888 - 1900 AH

@Disheartened

 

Monarch: John I

Children: Alexander I, King of Balian, Princess Royal Constantia, Princess Augustina, Countess of Salia, Prince Constantine, Archduke of Petra, Princess Persephone

 

Gwyneth Anastasya (Common: Gweneth Anastasia), regally known as Gwyneth of Karosgrad and otherwise known as Gwyneth of Artus was the first Queen-Consort of Balian through her marriage to John I, King of Balian, in 1860. She was the only child of Prince Karl Demetrius Barbanov and his wife, Elizabeth Louise of Draskovic, and was born in 1830 in the capital of Haense, Karosgrad, under the reign of Heinrik II. 

 

 

Her upbringing was mainly befitting a woman of her station, having access to the same royal tutors as the other Princes and Princesses of Haense. After her birth, the Grandfather's rule was retracted, making her one of the only titled Princesses to the Crown. Despite her favorable circumstances of birth, Gwyneth still struggled with such things as creating friendships and her shy demeanor. It did not matter the tutor, lesson, or scolding she had, her introverted and bashful disposition would not change.

 

 

Gwyneth was so good at being quiet that many of the Hanseni public knew nothing of her existence, even if they had seen her before. This passive lifestyle, one that she was fairly content with, lasted until her twenty-fifth year of life. Her father, ill and resolved to see his only child married, began to send out notices to lords of Karosgrad for Gwyneth’s hand in marriage. She would evade the onslaught of men for over five years until her mother stepped in and used her remaining connections to Oren to formally betroth her thirty-year-old daughter to the unmarried son of Prince Philip Aurelian Novellen, the heir to the Holy Orenian Empire. 

 

 

Gwyneth was initially unsettled, having to leave the comforts of the North to join her husband in the West. Despite being unsure, she’d found that John was a kind man, and her new company required nothing of her other than to bear children. Their first child, heir to the future Kingdom of Balian, would come a year later in 1861. This would be followed by three more children until the year 1866 in which the beginnings of the Brothers War would commence. The battles themselves did not begin until 1868 when her husband, Prince John, had been on the losing side. 

 

 

In the aftermath, John and Gwyneth would lead the remaining Imperial Loyalists south. They followed the star of Saint Lothar and John would establish the capital of the Grand Duchy of Balian, known as Artus. Buildings were raised from the ground up and soon a palace was created for Gwyneth, named the Monterosa. From the ivory towers, she would be able to watch the city under her and stay far from the life of the court. She’d allow her children to bloom in their own fashions, being a rather absent parent.

 

 

Already in quiet solitude as a Duchess, when John ascended to King of Balian in 1888, she would be nowhere near the ceremony. Most assumed she had perished as she discreetly accepted the role of Queen-Consort. Her tenure as such was uneventful and left almost entirely to a Governess.

 

 

In her older age, she would live on as a loyal consort to her husband throughout his reign of 12 years. In fact, they would lie together on their deathbed. Gwyneth went first, followed by John the very next hour. She was surrounded by her children and grandchildren, a loving family. Her legacy, although reserved, lived on through her gentle nature and shy demeanor. 

 

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II QUEEN

Yelena of Marsana

Yelena Lorena vas Ruthern | Helena Lorena Ruthern

35 - 56 BA | 1900 - 1921 AH

@Bee_

 

 

Monarch: Alexander I

Children: Adrian I, King of Balian, Prince Alexios, Count of Pavano, Princess Royal Elena, Countess of Rosemoor, Princess Lydia, Countess of Caluzzo

 

Yelena Lorena (Common: Helena Lorena), regally known as Yelena of Marsana was the second Queen-Consort of Balian through her marriage to Alexander I, King of Balian, in 1882. She was one of five legitimate children between her father, Ivan, Duke of Reutou, and Kathrina d’Arkent, and a twin to Ekaterina Maria, being born in 1863 as a member of the highly esteemed Ruthern house. She had three older siblings which resulted in little expectations placed upon her.

 

 

Her family was greatly affected by the Brothers’ War, but Yelena was young and unknowing so when Prince John Casimir and his following appeared at the doors of the Duchy of Reutou, Yelena was one of the first to welcome them with open arms. Periodically, the adults would gather outside to defend against the armies of Prince Frederick, but they could do little and eventually lost the battles. Thus, all of the followers of Prince John would move south. Despite the move, Yelena was quick to adapt and during this time had constructed friendships with the children of the Prince. This eventually turned into a fondness and Yelena, along with her sister and Princess Constantia would establish the Honey Court. This early exposure to ruling, albeit pretend, along with her amiability with the heir to the Grand Duchy and direct bloodline connection to the Royal House of Barbanov made her the favored choice for consort at the mere age of ten. 

 

 

Yelena diligently continued her work in the Honey Court, becoming a junior writer and publishing three editions of The Honey Tea newspaper while simultaneously commuting to other nations to build relations with future generations which later became important alliances for the Grand Duchy. These publications eventually landed the adolescent on the Vuiller Council in 1880 and allowed her to gain further exploration to diplomacy and the innermost mechanics of the government. In addition to this, she had grown closer to the Duke’s eldest son and the pair shortly fell in love as they reached their teenage years. Although only young adults, Alexander proposed to Yelena and they would be officially wed in 1882. 

 

 

She took little time adapting to the Ducal lifestyle since her childhood was spent as the daughter of a Duke and eventually she would undertake the responsibilities of the Governess of the Monterosa Palace.  Amid her tenure, she would host galas that reflected the political changes in Balian and ones that celebrated the separation of Balian from the Orenian Empire. Five years after her official appointment to the role of Governess, the Grand Duchy would be designated as a Kingdom. This was a small shock to the populace and especially one to the newly entitled Princess-Consort, claiming multiple times to her council that she was not prepared to be a Queen. 

 

 

With the sudden increase in pressure, the royal couple would struggle to produce an heir. For over fourteen years they would toil through marriage childless with most nobles ridiculing Yelena for the lack of one. The criticism began to wear at the Princess who had done most everything she could, but ultimately it resulted in her disappearance from public life. In 1896, the Crown finally announced the birth of the heir to the kingdom, Hadrian Casimir, and a baptism to lift spirits was held a month after. Yelena, driven from sociable society, made one of her final appearances at this ceremony. 

 

 

In 1900, King John finally succumbed to old age and Yelena’s husband, Alexander, would rise to the occasion of King. By then, she had given birth to a second son and was prepared to return to society during the coronation and take her place as Queen. Alexander was crowned following his fathers funeral in the Basilica of la Sorella as Yelena stood by the side with both of their sons. 

 

 

However, no such return occurred as she would develop an illness that kept her from fulfilling the full responsibilities of Queen. After the birth of her final two daughters, it would be decided that the roles the Queen would commonly do would be delighted to other members of the court and Yelena would be left to rest in hopes of her eventual recovery. 

 

 

In her reign and later life she functioned as a symbol of Balian royalty, creating a sanctuary for bees within the Monterosa palace and holding private gatherings with her husband whom she still loyally supported even if she could not do so publicly. Alexander would go on to rule for twenty-one-years and when he passed in 1921, Yelena would flee the palace in grief. 

 

 

Her own passing was never confirmed as a body was ever found before the Mori took over Almaris and turned the lands hostile to descendants' life. With the newly established Kingdom of Balian in Aveos, her daughters would rebuild her bee sanctuary to honor their lost mother. Yelena would continue to live on symbolically in the lives of the Balian people as a devoted and patriotic Queen, steadfast in the few achievements she managed to complete. 

 

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III QUEEN

Andromeda of Ba’as

Andromeda Ester Rostampur | Anna Esther Rostampur

56 - Presently BA | 1921 - Presently AH

@Annie_Ann

 

Monarch: Adrian I

Children: Princess Johanna, Princess of Monterosa, Prince Alexander, Count of Pontazuro, Princess Sibyl, Countess of Senna 

 

Andromeda Ester (Common: Anna Esther), regally known as Andromeda of Ba’as is the third, and current, Queen-Consort of Balian through her marriage to Adrian I, King of Balian, in 1920. She is a member of the Princely house Rostampur of Ba’as and the daughter of a fearsome matriarch. 

 

 

Andromeda was born on the fifth of the Sun’s Smile in 1896 to, at the time, Princess Daria Rostampur and her husband Lord Vasilis Lyraide. She was the second daughter of the couple, boasting an older brother and sister at the time of her arrival. In her youth, she was known for being the brightest of her siblings, honing the attention of her great-grandfather, Balthazar, Prince of Ba’as, upon her and her elder sister Asria. Both girls were educated on the traditions of Rhenyari culture and ways to honor it in daily life. However, more often than not, Andromeda learned such not from lectures but from following the Prince in tow to political gatherings or other occasions of note.

 

 

In 1900 when Andromeda was merely four, her older brother Archaes would venture far beyond the safety of Ba’as and was cursed by the villainous Rudran Samraaj. Rudran was a sorcerer of some strength and had already begun brewing trouble for the principality, but the death of a prince was seen as a heinous act and a war soon broke out. Ba’as, although rich in culture, had little military support to back the battles and began to lose territory. In a last-ditch effort, Theophilus Safari, the second vizier to the Prince of Ba’as, would send a letter to the Kingdom of Balian. The letter contained a plea to the Almaris superpower for military aid against Samraaj, but in turn, promised a crown princess of Ba’as as a wife for the future monarch of Balian. Therefore, an agreement was arranged in 1902 and ships of men were sent to the coastline of Ba’as which would win the war in 1903. But for Andromeda, her entire life would change.

 

 

After the war was won, Balthazar would retire from his station and named his granddaughter, Princess Daria, his heir. Thus, Andromeda and her sister both ascended to the role of crown princesses. It was decided that after Archaes’s death that Asria would be the heir to Ba’as following her mother's tenure, which left the sole duty of marriage to Andromeda at the mere age of seven. Most of her education now focused on preparing her for not only rulership but the vast journey across the sea to Balian when the time came to fulfill such duties. 

 

 

Andromeda struggled with the sudden influx of responsibilities, having never been explained why she had such a vital role in her people’s well-being other than it was her duty. Yet, as she grew, she began to take this duty very seriously. Through sheer dedication, she became a master in politics, religion, and cultural practices. Little room was left for anything else other than enacting her family's plans for her. 

 

 

Finally, in 1912, the eight-month journey from the eastern city of Ba’as to Balian began with Andromeda being escorted by her elder sister. The long stretches without land and living on rations were hardly an environment for anything of gentle birth, let alone the princesses of the Rostampur line. But the voyage went well, all things considered. Two governesses had kept the princesses as engaged as they could in affairs of the West. The captain and his first mate ensured a smooth and steady course on the good ship Shalagold as spirits were as high as could be, given many were curious to see what sort of world Almaris could be. 

 

 

It was only as they neared the shores of the new continent that trouble brewed. By the time they were within a day’s reach, black sails circled the galleon. Fearing the worst, the capital elected to send the princesses with the aloof dark elf that had kept to himself most of the trip. The three soon would find themselves ported into the town of Adria, laying over until they could take the next carriage and ferry south. 

 

 

Once the princesses had arrived in Balian, an abundance of the citizens gathered in the square to see Andromeda and Asria being escorted to the royal court and introduced to the King and his children, including the heir, Hadrian Casimir Novellen. All seemed cordial between the Prince and Princess upon their first meeting, and seeing as the King approved the match, a message was published to let the public know of the engagement. Said notice stated that the pair would be wed in 1920 following five years of travel that would connect the newly arrived Andromeda to the people of Almaris and Hadrian to her. 

 

 

Throughout these travels, Andromeda would begin to build a cult-like following. Her popularity stemmed from her upbringing, now set to be the first true-blooded Rhenyari queen ever. But despite this, Hadrian had little eyes for her and Andromeda became resentful. Once back from the excursion, Andromeda would take up guidance under Princess Augustina, the Governess of the Monterosa. Augustina would aid in filling the gaps of knowledge in Andromeda in preparation for her time as queen. As a part of the festival of springs coming, she would be instructed to host her first event known as the Vernal Ball of 1916. Met with great success, her prominence as the betrothed to the heir was mightier than the current Queen’s. 

 

 

The city was abuzz as the year 1920 approached and preparations for the wedding commenced. Andromeda wore a gown of Balian style, proudly donning purple in union with Hadrian. The ceremony took place in the Basilica La Sorella and the couple walked down the aisle together as witnesses held up gilded Lorraine crosses behind them. In tradition with Balianese weddings, they then drank from a glass of blessed wine and a prayer was said by the priest conducting the age-old tradition. After the ceremony, a large feast began with the Balianese Bard College performing at the request of Andromeda who enjoyed fostering the arts. 

 

 

Thereon, Andromeda was titled Princess of Monterosa and established her duties as consort with haste. She briefly aided in the curation of maids and valets under the palace along with the arrangements for the second Symposia Pragma. In 1921, Hadrian's father would pass and Andromeda would be raised to the title of Queen. Pregnant at the time, the coronation was put off until the birth of their heir, Johanna Casimira. 

 

 

The coronation took place the following year in 1922 after the complete recovery of Andromeda and was conducted by His Holiness, Sixtus V. It began with both majesties being anointed with holy oils and her husband, Hadrian, taking the regnal name Adrian. Thereafter both were crowned and relics were presented unto them by selected peers and members of the royal house. An addressment followed, aimed to uplift the already cheery spirits of those gathered for the monumental occasion. 

 

 

Her tenure as Queen was unlike any other reigning Queen of Balian as while both Yelena and Gwyneth attended their husbands, they unconsciously neglected the courts. Andromeda, almost invincible in her demeanor, guided her people through the torment of the Mori on Almaris and along with her husband established the new world of Balian in Aveos. She played a key role in the construction of the new capital and invigorating the spirits of her people. They looked to her for much guidance during the voyage due to her very personal experience on long travels, being from Ba’as. 

 

 

Her reign would see the destruction of the Monterosa palace and completion of the Arancione Palatio, later titled the Andromedan Court after her. It was located serenely to the south of the capital, Portoregne, and acted as the seat of power for the Royal House of Novellen. The first floor featured an entirely unique design, being open concept with spaces designed especially for revelries and the upper floors for the restricted access of the Royal Family and trusted acquaintances. 

 

 

Furthermore, the new palace also came with the firm establishment of a Queen’s Council that reworked the outdated and barren Governess system. Now Andromeda was in charge followed by a Palatiodora, Camareiro, Amfitiro, and Secretariat that made up the major council. The lesser court and advisors were also crucial parts in the newly vested courts. 

 

 

Currently reigning Queen

 

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SIGNED,

HER ROYAL MAJESTY, Andromeda Ester of Ba’as, Queen-consort of Balian, Countess of Monteres, Viscountess of Eflen and Anatis, Baroness of Brucca, Valens, Malenos, Goza and Ciavola, Lady of Portoregne, Atrus and Monterosa, Warden of La Costa Rubinissima, Protector of the Heartlanders and the South, etcetera.

 

Updated last 1928 by;

Marlene K. Von Alstreim,

Ward to the Queen

 

Edited June 10, 2023 by Palatio Arancione