Queen Anna of Vittmark
| Personal details | |
|---|---|
| Queen Anna | |
| Birth name | Arngunna Karlsdotter ätte av Kulla |
| Birth date | XX-7540 |
| Birth place | Kronsta, Vittmark |
| Death date | TBA |
| Death place | TBA |
| Burial place | Herrkulla |
| Monuments | several |
| Nationality | Vittmarker |
| Other names | Anna |
| Alma mater | Ars Academia, Cedelphia |
| Queen of Vittmark | |
| Years active | 7567-7606 |
| Style | Her Grace |
| Height | 164 cm |
| Predecessor | King Karl of Vittmark |
| Successor | Queen Tovemor of Vittmark |
| Spouse | Palne Kristersson av Blåkulla |
| Children | Iduna, Asvard, Kolgard |
| Mother | Annika av Sörenstam |
| Father | King Karl of Vittmark |
| Relatives | Thomas (brother, deceased 7566), Anton (brother, deceased 7554) |
Queen Anna of Vittmark was the second monarch of the federal kingdom of Vittmark, reigning from 7567 to 7606.
Early life
Not much is known about Queen Anna's early life. She was born as the first and only child of Karl av Kulla's second marriage. Karl invested heavily in the education of both his sons as potential successors, having to play a role in his ambition to extend the Crown Domain of Kulla towards Östervallen and the foreign occupied territories around Kletudde, Friställen and parts of Mörenburg. As such, Anna led a secluded life in the periphery of the political unrest in the latter days of the Pan-Anarian War.
Princess Anna was devastated by the death of her much older brother Anton in 7554. Anton av Kulla was serving in the Lidenish navy in the final stages of the Pan-Anarian War on board of a confiscated fishing trawler serving as makeshift minesweeper.
Princess of Kulla
Upon reaching age 16 in 7556 she got the title Princess of Kulla, marking her inclusion into the royal family of Vittmark. She also started using her name Anna which was more accepted in an Anarian context than her given name Arngunna. The title was however purely ceremonial, it did not come with certain duties or responsibilities. In fact, Anna was purposely kept at a distance from government and politics in Östervallen because it wasn't her father's ambition to give her a formal role. The title came with a residence in Herrkulla, where she received private education together with some local lower nobility of the same age.
In 7558 she wanted to start an academic education, but her father would not allow her to enrol any university in Östervallen. Anna herself wasn't interested in further education in Liden, which was the only available option at the time. Instead she was allowed to move to Cedelphia, Auresia to learn the language, together with junckare Teres av Ståhlvik, one of the few close friends to the princess.
After studying the language she continued with an academic education in arts, where she specialised in the then modern art form of photography. When Vittmark was formed in 7664, she quickly had to move back to Kulla to start a supporting role for her father as new monarch. A private graduation session was organised to award her the title master in arts (MiA) before moving back. Once in Kulla, she didn't get many duties, apart from appearing with her mother the Queen-consort at official events in the capital.
Queen of Vittmark
In 7566, at the completion of the formation of Vittmark as a federal nation state, King Karl and Crown Prince Thomas were assassinated on the stairs of Borgö Palace, the seat of government of the city state of Östervallen. Up to today, the attack is an unsolved mystery with suspects both domestically (Ådalen, Liden) and abroad (The Bind, Helreich, Aedeland). Anna was the only remaining member of the House of Kulla eligible for the throne. In her biography there are accounts of large pressure from the ambassadors of Auresia, Livaria and Anisora persuading her to take this role, since they saw it as the only opportunity to keep the young nation in one piece. She was crowned at a ceremony in the Royal Palace by all the state leaders of Vittmark on the first day of the Orkanan year in 7567.
Without any political experience she had to rely heavily on her father's advisers at first, but soon she started to build up her own circle of counsellors. She developed a personal relation with Ulla Ådahl, sister of the först of Ådalen, a member state wanting to take a more dominant role within Vittmark. She also met her future husband through Ulla Ådahl, a former rebel leader opposing King Karl but now swearing allegiance to the crown in return for statehood for his stift. In the first provisional executive council, Anna took up the role of chancellor for religious affairs, even though she had hardly any experience in religious matters either. She quickly moved to the legislative as soon as the federal parliament was formed in 7569.
Against all odds, she managed to keep the nation together despite a unilateral declaration of secession by Ådalen in 7570, a period of illness after the birth of her daughter Princess Iduna, an attempted coup d'état in 7572 resulting in a conflict with the state of Liden and an international crisis due to the Treaty of AErilar in 7574. That year is marked as a defining moment in Vittmarker history, when the Contitution of Vittmark was ratified in all member states. This led to an end of the internal conflicts with Ådalen and Liden, where the försts predating the formation of Vittmark had been removed from power. Göran Ådahl was exiled to a Hallish colony, while Magnus av Månsta av Kulla was killed after being outlawed for his role in the attempted putsch. She also cleaned up in her inner circle, removing an uncle, sister-in-law and her children from the royal house. On top of that, Queen Anna managed to gather the nation against a common threat in the form of an aggressive trade strategy employed by Aedeland and Helreich.
In her role as formal head of parliament, Queen Anna attended the executive cabinet meetings as an observer. Meeting protocols however suggest that she actively participated in discussions, using her presence in order to steer decision making in a certain direction. It is generally known that Queen Anna actively supported training refugees from the short-lived Aedelish Technate in order to let them disrupt the establishment of a Häverist nation to Vittmark's western border, ultimately leading to Vittmark's participation in the military conflict in Austland and as such starting the Pan-Stoldavic War in 7584.
On the other hand, she was an avid supporter of a further democratisation of Vittmark according to the one person, one vote principle, giving the residents a larger influence on federal matters. She also supported the claim for more autonomy by the native population of the company colonies of Fisks, granting statehood to the Kakuri minority as early as 7578. This move was met by opposition from Fisks, which delayed the process of giving other minorities a similar form of autonomy.
Queen of Kulla
After her abdication in 7606 she received the new title Queen of Kulla. She retreated to the Herrkulla mansion in Kulla but had her own quarters in the royal palace in Östervallen as well. One of the reasons to abdicate was to be able to take care of her ageing husband, who died in 7611. Then she dedicated her time to photography and mentoring a new generation of leaders, including her own grandchildren.
Private life and personal characteristics
It was very clear, even during her reign, that Queen Anna reluctantly had taken up the duties as monarch, more or less because she didn't trust anyone else to address the challenges the young nation was facing. Especially during the 7570's she was known to be the reluctant queen, or as she herself stated in a new year's speech in 7575 "I am not wearing the crown on my head, it's the crown that wears the head". Although this attitude created friction with politicians and national leaders, it gained her huge support among the population of Vittmark as well as the military.
Queen Anna was known for her quick and sometimes erratic decision making, giving her a reputation of an unpredictable power player in Vittmarker politics. She could have a short fuse, getting mad at officials not understanding nor supporting her. One of the most famous occasions included her travelling to Månsta to personally oversee how först Magnus av Månsta av Kulla would be removed from power by his own council, organising street protests on location dressed in a federal military uniform.
Her marriage to the much older lower nobleman Palne Kristersson was seen as a political move at first. However, the couple showed affection in front of the general public. As the leader for an Orkanan congregation and rebel movement, he had an enormous influence on Anna as a political figurehead. As father of two successive queens of Vittmark and the founder of Sokoku he is one of the most influential politicians of the 76th century, a role he was allowed to take by Queen Anna.
In a posthumously published biography it became clear that Queen Anna suffered from depression and anxiety attacks, which were at their worst after the birth of her third child Kolgard. She spent several months in Fisks among the Kakuri community in order to give the undiagnosed disorder a place in her life. While most of her biography, written by the Kakuri immigrant Arimu av Blåkulla, was published already during her lifetime and with the queen-dowager's approval, certain approved parts were only added after she deceased in 76XX.
The fact that her lifelong friend Teres av Ståhlvik always was present in the background has led to speculations that the couple had a romantic relationship as well. While Anna's biography is a bit inconclusive about the matter, it certainly has fueled the rumors. It would also explain the relatively open marriage she had, allowing Palne Kristersson to have two children with the Kakuri leader Kirisaki. Queen Anna and Kirisaki were close friends, with both of them present when Palne Kristersson died in 7611.
Queen Anna was fluent in Wortsproke and Auresian, but managed Anisoran, Stolvic and Kakuri to a certain degree as well. She was one of the first handfull of Anarian people acquiring language skills in Kakuri thanks to her prolonged stay there in 7580. She is also recognised as one of the first photography artists, mainly under her pseudonym Anna Sörenstam. Her portrays are on display in museums in Vittmark, Auresia, Anisora and Sokoku.
Legacy
Where King Karl laid the foundation of Vittmark, Queen Anna made sure the nation was built. In Vittmarker history she is referred to as the founding mother of the federation. Under her rule, several member states were added, not only landless stifts like the Bengtists, Fjällsta and the Kakuri, but also territorial like the formation of Sörmark, the inclusion of Fisks and the conquest of Austland. Queen Anna symbolises the period in Vittmarker history where it evolved from heavily depending on foreign support to a full fledged nation state on equal turns towards its allies.
One year after her death she was registered as an Orkanan exemplar at Herrkulla, a registration that was repeated at all the applicable Orkanan registries within a few months, making this one of the quickest registration processes to date.