Amadea of Pompourelia

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Amadea of Pompourelia

Imperial Princess

Born: 11th of Owyn’s Flame, 1789, Helena, Holy Orenian Empire

Spouse: Prince Philip Aurelian of Crestfall

House: de Sarkozy

Father: George Ulysses, 2nd Count of Pompourelia

Mother: Amalie of Muldav

Amadea Ulyssa (13th of Owyn’s Flame, 1789 – Present) was the firstborn and only child of George Ulysses, 2nd Count of Pompourelia and his wife, Amalie (neè Alimar). She was betrothed at birth to the firstborn son of Prince Philip, Duke of Crestfall and third in the line of Imperial succession, Prince Philip Aurelian of Crestfall.

Early Life

Amadea Ulyssa de Sarkozy was born upon the 13th of Owyn's Flame, 1789 in Helena, to George Ulysses, 2nd Count of Pompourelia and his wife, Princess Amalie of Muldav. She was named after her late paternal uncle, Peter Amadeus, as well as taking the female equivalent of her Father's own middle name. Her complex and varied royal lineage traces to Emperor Joseph II (as his grand-niece via her Father's line), Adrian I of Kaedrin (as his great-granddaughter via her maternal grandmother), and a further descendant from both the Johannian and Aurelian Imperial lines via her paternal grandmother, Henrietta, Princess of Alstion.

Amadea was the firstborn child and only child to the Count and Countess, and as such was regarded as the heir to the comital title throughout her youth. At her birth, she was additionally betrothed to Prince Philip Aurelian of Crestfall, who was third in line for the Imperial throne and widely believed to be the likely successor to the Crown Prince John Charles, as his brother Philip Augustus (Philip Aurelian's father) was only a few years younger than him and would thus be an unlikely ascendant to the throne. The Orenian Crown furthermore saw it fit to reunite the lines of Sarkozy and Novellen through Amadea's marriage, as she was the sole inheritor to the Pompourelian line of de Sarkozy.

The Pompourelian Heiress" (circa 1794), by Swanhilda de Owynsburg. This portrait was delivered to the residence of the Duke of Crestfall in order to show him what his son's future bride looked like.

An Imperial Ambassador described a young Amadea as looking very similar to her Mother, with pale blonde hair and fair skin - bearing large blue eyes similarly coloured to her uncle, Joseph II. She was rather short for her age, reaching only the height of 5'3 within her life. The Ambassador remarked that she was "nothing extraordinary, as Lady Wilhelmina was", but that the heiress would "do finely with a crown atop her head".

Her early childhood was spent within the Orenian countryside, until the Inferi Invasion in 1796 led the Empire to re-establish itself within the city of Providence. From thereon, she lived in the Augustine Palace under the rule of Empress Anne I and Emperor Joseph II. Her Mother died in 1797, leaving Amadea to be raised by numerous of the Augustine's court tutors. However, these tutors for the most part were irresponsibly neglectful, leaving her with only the company of gossip-prone servants and her loyal dalmatian Augustus. Archchancellor Franz Nikolai, Amadea's distant cousin, described the poor education of the Future Empress as an "Insult to the Imperial Line", and upon meeting her in 1803, arranged to oversee the remainder of her education alongside his wife Irene.

From there onward, Amadea became aware of the affairs of state, and took a keen interest in learning the Pianoforte. She developed a close relationship with her cousin the Baroness of Carrington and standing Governess of the Augustine Palace, slowly beginning to assume her place within the court.

Marriage

Amadea's betrothal to Prince Philip of Crestfall, five years her senior, was solidified within days of her birth. The messy affair of Crown-Prince John Charles' marriage led the Imperial Crown to desire a strong imperial union, and thus when the Count of Pompourelia announced the birth of his daughter, she was selected as the most viable candidate. John Charles' further lack of children led the Imperial line of succession to fall to his younger brother, Philip Augustus. Due to the close ages of the two sons of Anne I and Joseph II, it was widely regarded that the next inheritant following John would be his nephew, Philip Aurelian. As such Amadea's betrothal positioned her to be the future Empress-Consort of the Holy Orenian Empire.

The pair first met within a Royal ball at the Augustine Palace in 1800, whilst Amadea was eleven years old. The heiress described her betrothed to Anna Pruvia as a "tender-hearted young fellow", and the two continued exchanged cordial letters following their first meeting and throughout their later adolescence.

The wedding of Amadea and Prince Philip (c. 1809). Depicted is the bride and groom standing before High Pontiff Jude II. Behind the bride is the Maid of Honour, Amadea’s Cousin Anna Pruvia alongside seven of her bridesmaids. To the right of the bride is the Duke and Duchess of Helena, and the leftmost figures of the portrait (in order left to right) are The Princess Imperial, Princess Anne Caroline, her husband Simon Casimir, and The Count of Susa.)

The pair were wed upon the 14th of Tobias' Bounty, 1809 - two month's after Amadea's twentieth birthday. They married in the Cathedral of Providence, and their wedding was overseen by the High Pontiff Jude II. Amassing over 100,000 attendees, the period of festivities surrounding the union continued for a number of months. Amadea wore an extravagant gown tailored by Joanne Selm, niece to the famed Orenian tailor Mary of Sunholdt. It included the 'New Orenian' style of a wider bust and more shaped corset, with gold trimmings lining the white laced fabric. Upon her head, she donned the diadem of her grandmother, Princess Henrietta of Alstion.

Following the wedding, Philip was granted the County of Renzfeld, and as such Amadea became the Countess.