Royal family of Vittmark

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The royal family of Vittmark is the dynastic Av Kulla family of the monarch of Vittmark. All members of the royal family (except the monarch) hold the title of Prince/Princess of Vittmark. Children of the monarch and of the heir apparent are usually included in the royal family, but the exact extend of the family is proposed by the ruling monarch and then approved by the federal parliament of Vittmark. The King, his descendant and the siblings of the late King Eilert belong to the House of Kulla at the moment. The royal family receives remarkably high approval ratings in Vittmark, ranging between 82% and 92%.

History

After the fall of the Greater Stoldavic Empire, the imperial crown prince XX retreated to Kulla and focused on governing the rather small territory of Kulla in 7214. Following Mellanhand Orkanan principles, governance stayed within the line marriage of the prince until the 7530's. It was usually the head of the line marriage that was the ruler of Kulla, safeguarding the common knowledge and culture of Mellanhand Orkanan away from the political turbulence of Stoldavia after the fall of the empire.

Founding father of the current House of Kulla and royal family is King Karl of Vittmark. When he took over as först of Kulla, he separated from the line marriage and remarried in a conventional marriage instead. At first, the House of Kulla only consisted of him and his two sons from the line marriage: Thomas and Anton. When Prince Anton died in an incident on a minesweeper in 7554, Karl included his second wife Queen Anneli into the House of Kulla as well, followed their daughter Princess Anna in 7556 when she turned 16.

After King Karl and Crown Prince Thomas were assassinated in 7566, the royal family only consisted of two members, of which only Anna was eligible for the throne. She married a local nobleman Palne Kristersson and they are also the only linkage for the House of Kulla through this generation. However, Palne Kristersson never was included in the House of Kulla but became Lord of Blåkulla instead. In 7574 Queen Anna removed the late Crown Prince Thomas' children from the line of succession and as such the House of Kulla. Instead she appointed her step daughter Tovemor av Blåkulla as Crown Princess. But even Anna's own children Iduna, Asvard and Kolgard were included when they became 16 years old in 7588, 7590 and 7594 respectively.

This started a tradition where the ruling monarch appointed a successor, to be approved by federal parliament. In two or three cases, the title of Crown Prince(ss) went to a placeholder, often a brother (like Prince Kolgard), sister (like Princess Annika) or cousin (like Prince Rudin) and it might have been the plan of Queen Anna to use Princess Tovemor as placeholder as well. So far, no successor has ever been denied by federal parliament.

Queen Tovemor, crowned in 7604, is the only monarch of Vittmark not belonging to the House of Kulla, but still being a member of the royal family. When Iduna became Queen in 7611, the title returned to the House of Kulla. The House of Kulla and the royal family of Vittmark don't have to correspond one on one, but it does so today. For example, Tovemor's second son Rudin became Crown Prince in 7611 and as such a member of the royal family, while Tovemors older sister Sanna and Rudin's older brother Finnved were not. When Crown Prince Kolgard was replaced by Crown Prince Eilert in 7632, he left the royal family but kept the Av Kulla name. His children however became lord and lady of Åtvidskulla instead.

It has become tradition that the ruling monarch reduces the size of the extended royal family to his or her siblings and offspring. So when Eilert was king, his mother Iduna, his wife Sofia, his sisters Nilla and Annika as well as his children Iduna junior and Palne formed the royal family. When Nilla's son Asgard became crown prince he also got included. But when Asgard became king, his aunt Annika and her children left the royal family and formed the House of Rumskulla instead.

Apart from Palne Kristersson's children, all of the children of the royal family were named after the prince or princess, so Prince Eilert got the matronym Idunasson instead of the usual patronym which would have been Vilmersson.

Kings and Queens of Vittmark

Monarchs who died during their reign are indicated with a dagger†, while the other monarchs abdicated.

Crown Princes and Princesses of Vittmark

  • Thomas Karlsson av Kulla: 7564-7566†
  • Anneli av Sörenstam av Kulla (de facto): 7566-7574
  • Tovemor Palnesdotter av Blåkulla: 7574-7604
  • Iduna Palnesdotter av Kulla: 7604-7611
  • Kolgard Palnesson av Kulla: 7611-7632 - House of Åtvidskulla
  • Eilert Idunasson av Kulla: 7632-7641
  • Rudin Tovemorsson av Blåkulla: 7641-7657 - House of Blåkulla
  • Annika Idunasdotter av Kulla: 7657-7670 - House of Rumskulla
  • Asgard Nillasson av Kulla: 7570-7588
  • Frida Asgardsdotter av Kulla: 7588-present

(Crown Princes and Princesses not succeeding as the King or Queen are stated in italics)

Estates

About 84% of the land in the state of Kulla is in the possession of the royal family. This does not include ownership of buildings and infrastructure that has been constructed with the land owner's approval. Twelve of the fourteen Kulla mansions are real estate owned by the royal family, of which two are managed by the family itself and the other ten by extended family members. For example, the Blåkulla Estate is managed by the Av Blåkulla family, descendants of Palne Kristersson and Queen Tovemor, while Åtvidskulla is managed by the descendants of Kolgard Palnesson and Rumskulla by Annika Idunasdotter. During the last century, mainly the estates of Herrkulla and Knutskulla have been managed by the royal family themselves, either by the Crown Prince(ss) or the abdicated monarch.

Beside the vast land possessions, the royal family also owns and maintains the so-called Oak Domains in the state of Kopparland, a remnant of the 75th century when the royal family wanted to assure enough production of oak timber for its navy based in Östervallen. While most Oak Domains were terminated when they became a part of Liden or Ådalen, about a dozen remained untouched in the disputed zone between these predecessor states of Vittmark. While intended for ship building, the domains are currently mainly used for their natural value and recreational purposes, with timber production being a side activity.

The third, large domain was founded in 7575 in the overseas territories of Fisks as federal territory safeguarding the living space of the Kakuri people. Due to the political sensitivity of the territory as a federally owned piece of the island of Carlsö, the estate was put under management of the royal family instead. Princess Tovemor personally governed the area at distance during her time as Crown Princess. The status of the area was undisputed after the island became a part of Sokoku, since the royal family could prove ownership. However, the area is no longer managed by the royal family but has been turned into a National Park for Cultural and Natural Heritage. It coincides with the territory where the Kakuri people enjoy full autonomy and can withhold access to all non-Kakuri residents. As such, the status as personal property of the royal family of Vittmark was beneficial to the Kakuri cause of self-isolation in order to preserve its unique culture. Up to today, the residents of the Eastern Crown Domain pay a symbolic, yearly land lease fee, which is used completely to the preservation of the natural and cultural resources by the leadership of the Kakuri community.

The royal palace in Östervallen is however not owned by the royal family, but by the federal authorities of Vittmark instead. This because the complex is linked to other federal institutions like the federal parliament and senate, as well as the Orkanan institution of Trossamfundssalan. Instead, the royal family has an eternal lease on the royal palace itself and shares amenities and security arrangements with the federal authorities. As part of the lease, the federal government provides a separate royal guard as a military unit beside the army, navy, air force and special forces. The monarch is the highest commander of the royal guards, who have their own uniform style within the military (black and orange).

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