Queen Tovemor of Vittmark
| Personal details | |
|---|---|
| Queen Tovemor | |
| Birth name | Tovemor Palnesdotter Iordlösa |
| Birth date | 02-01-7557 |
| Birth place | Fjällsta, Vittmark |
| Death date | TBA |
| Death place | TBA |
| Burial place | TBA |
| Monuments | several |
| Nationality | Vittmarker |
| Other names | Moa |
| Queen of Vittmark | |
| Years active | 7604-7611 |
| Style | Her Grace |
| Height | 164 cm |
| Predecessor | Queen Anna of Vittmark |
| Successor | Queen Iduna of Vittmark |
| Spouse | TBA |
| Children | Finnvid, Rudin |
| Mother | Rawa Ragnwalda Niklasdotter |
| Father | Palne Kristersson herr till Fjällsta |
| Relatives | Sanna Palnesdotter av Blåkulla (sister) |
Queen Tovemor of Vittmark was the third monarch of the federal kingdom of Vittmark, reigning from 7604 to 7611. So far, she is the only monarch from the House of Blåkulla, with all the other kings and queens belonging to the House of Kulla instead. As such she is a prime example of an elected monarch in the Mellanhand Orkanan tradition, being the step daughter of her predecessor Queen Anna of Vittmark and the half sister of her successor Queen Iduna of Vittmark. Her short reign was characterized by the Pan-Stoldavic War and a much debated state reform in 7610.
Early life
Tovemor is the second daughter of Palne Kristersson from his first marriage with Rawa Ragnwalda Niklasdotter, born in Felsen (nowadays Fjällsta) in the territory of Nelvesdalia (nowadays Sörmark state, Vittmark), in the year 7555 RH. Her given name, meaning mother of thunder was hardly used and she was commonly called by her nickname Moa instead. Her early life was spent mainly at the farmstead of Kållboda, situated between Uppförsbacke and Fjällsta, where her mother resided. Her father was of lower noble descent, his grandfather being the last Lord of Friställen. As such, Tovemore was not born into the royal family of Vittmark.
In 7568, her life took a turn when she accompanied her father on a trip to Kulla and met Queen Anna for the first time at her mansion in Herrkulla. This encounter marked the beginning of a close friendship between Moa and the queen. Moa became a part of the newly formed Av Blåkulla Stim in 7570 and later served a nine-month term with the Fjällsta Affirmation, the voluntary security forces of Fjällsta Stift.
Princess of Vittmark
In 7571, as she turned 16, Moa was included in the line of succession by her stepmother, Queen Anna. Following the birth of Princess Iduna in 7572, Moa was designated as regentesse, ready to take on the role of ruler in the event of the queen's abdication or passing. This position was confirmed with the ratification of Vittmark's constitution in 7574. In July 7575, Moa's status was elevated to Crown Princess, positioning her as the first in line for succession. In Queen Anna's biography, the royal status of the young princess was labeled as Queen Anna's life insurance. She assumed that nobody would want to see her killed if her successor would be a commoner girl from a landless congregation with her father being a former rebel leader.
During her years as a crown princess, Tovemor grew as a musician on the violin, acted as animal caretaker at the Blåkulla estate for an orphaned and injured trunkbull as well as developing a keen interest in photography, ink drawing, pencil sketching and painting. She was also a talented stickball player, representing both Kulla Kronområde and Fjällsta Stift in the All-Vittmark Stickball Championship. On her 21st birthday, she received a motorbike, a heavy two-seater from The Bind, which she used for transportation between Blåkulla and the Bengtist train station at Gäddedevida. That track still bears her name: Moa's Trail.
In 7576, she took on the role of the Governor of the Eastern Crown Domains in Fisks. This got her involved with the Kakuri people living in that domain, developing a personal relation with the Kakuri leadership of Nokumo Nobono. One of her ladies-in-waiting was the Kakuri Arimu av Blåkulla, one of the official biographers of Queen Anna. Her personal commitment to the Kakuri case led to conflicts with the leadership of the member state of Fisks several times. In 7878 she caused an international diplomatic incident during a visit to the then Anisoran colony of Aspasia, when her security arrangement secretly met with a Kakuri emissary, despite a travel ban on Kakuri citizens from the Aspasian authorities. After Aspasia decolonised and became the state of Nelyasyat within Sokoku, it was revealed that the princess was fully aware of the Kakuri emissary being present and that the meetings took place on her initiative.
Queen of Vittmark
In 7604 Queen Anna abdicated in favor of Tovemor after a reign of 37 years. Anna wanted to spend more time with her ageing husband, which she could not do as acting monarch. Tovemor's nomination as her successor passed both legislative bodies with the narrowest of margins. But once appointed, only Tovemor herself could terminate her reign.
Queen Tovemor had to deal with the aftermath of the Pan-Stoldavic War and Wolgos Scourge. During these conflicts, Vittmark had lost de facto sovereignty over Fisks and the Kakuri community, but on the other hand gained control of the former Aedelish province of Austland. Vittmark was a very asymmetrical federation at the time, with a state like Ådalen having a larger degree of autonomy than for example the more populous state of Månsta. Vittmark had no less than 5 time zones, some of them only 7 minutes apart. In Ådalen the driving side was different from the rest of the country.
She personally led the task of creating a more symmetrical and sustainable constellation of the federal kingdom. This also meant that the three non-territorial states, including her own Fjällsta stift, had to lose their status. During the Wolgos Scourge, she made no attempts to regain control over northern Fisks, southern Fisks or the Eastern Crown Domain by military efforts. This made the state reform highly controversial. When the new constitution had passed legislation, she announced her abdication after a short reigh of 7 years in favor of her half sister Princess Iduna.
Queen of Östervallen
After her abdication, she gained the new title of Queen of Östervallen, since her stepmother Queen Anna technically still was Queen of Kulla. She also started using her nickname Moa again, making a clear distinction between Tovemor as the previous Queen of Vittmark and Moa as the lady of Östervallen and Blåkulla. She acted more and more as mentor of her step sisters Queen Iduna and Chika Mirei, as well as her own two now grown-up sons Finnvid and Rudin. Her bond with her older sister Sanna, her lady-in-waiting Arimu and the former Kakuri MP Fukai Yuma grew more intense after she could leave all state affairs to her successor.
Instead, she became active as cultural patron, first mainly music but later also in painting, photography and film. Through personal financial investments she has been contributing to the development of the music and entertainment industry for which Vittmark is known for these days. Especially her interest in animated cinema has led to the flourishing of this particular genre as a typical Vittmarker cultural expressions up to today.
In Chika Mirei's biography she has been presented as a very influential person on her development. Given Mirei's role as founding mother of Sokoku as a nation state, a part of that achievement can be traced back to Moa's involvement. Queen Moa visited Sokoku shortly after the three founding member states declared independance, giving the new country legitimate status rather quickly.
Even though Fisks and the Kakuri stift were lost as part of Vittmark as a country, Moa kept on governance over the Eastern Crown Domains even when these were reformed in a private estate within the federal republic of Sokoku. As such, her offspring still is the legal owner of half of Carls Island, even though it has been transformed into a National Park of Cultural and Natural Heritage. Inhabitants of the domain, including the towns of Toshi-bu and Nushudarawa still pay a nominal fee for the eternal land lease for their real estate. The sum is donated to investments in the National Park.
Private life trivia
- According to Queen Tovemor's biography, Princess Moa managed to make contact with the Kakuri leadership by playing an Orkanan classic En blomma on her violin during a nightly encounter in the forest of Fisks Island. She smuggled out a delegation onto an airship towards Vittmark for an audience with Queen Anna.
- In 7575, she was one of only three women among the 221 players from 15 teams participating in the All-Vittmarker stickball tournament. This was before the rule change, where state teams had to have at least two women on the pitch at any time. Princess Moa played on the demanding left midfielder position.
- Princess Moa's task as animal caretaker started with the Bentist stift granting her custody over a young trunkbull male named Ben, who got separated from his herd and injured himself while trying to pass the rugged landscape separating the highland of Gäddedevida from the valleys of Kulla.
- At at least one occasion Princess Moa posed as a Kakuri musician during a performance in the Östervallen Musical Theatre together with the Philharmonic Orchestra and a small delegation of Kakuri musicians.
- Even though it is not mentioned in any of her biographies, Queen Tovemor was bisexual, engaging in serial monogamy relation with both sexes. The court always has stated her friendship with young nobleman Herr av Älvström during the 7570's was nothing more than a friendship. Tovemor is said to have had a relation with a female Kakuri leader called Hana, but these rumours have never been confirmed. This would however explain her commitment to the Kakuri cause better than her relation with Arimu, which also strictly was a friendship. A more romantic relation with a Kakuri man called Kendo was ended on recommendation by her own family. In 7594 the princess married XX, after which she gave birth to two sons.
Legacy
After her death in 76XX, Tovemor was quickly declared an Examplar in the Mellanhand tradition of Orkanan. Her biography was ready for registration at her time of death, upon which her successor King Eilert accepted it himself at the Herrkulla registry. In an ironic twist, Tovemor herself was very sceptical about the concept of exemplars. In the preface of her biography she commented herself:
- "I tried to do my best to contribute to society as a whole, as anyone should do. That's nothing special. The achievements listed in this biography are the same regardless of the status of a person who achieved it. I am the same person, regardless if I will be called an Exemplar or not. People are clever enough to make their own decisions about role models, regardless of the opinions of some clergy at some mansion in Kulla"
The period of the reign of Anna, Moa and Iduna is generally referred to as the Era of the Queens of the Golden Age. This despite the debates Queen Tovemor's actions and decision caused at the time. In hinesight, historians agree on the pivotal role Queen Tovemor has played in reforming Vittmark as a country, making it ready for the challenges of the 77th century, ultimately resulting in the wealth of the nation today.
Almost every Vittmarker locality has a street, park or public building named either after Princess Moa or Queen Tovemor. Even outside Vittmark her name is used for avenues, parks and even residential areas, not in the least in Sokoku.