Claude of Lotharingia
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Cwaude of Wothalingia (19th of the Sun’s Smiwe, 1596 - 11th of Snow’s Maiden, 1631), who was awso known as Cwaude Henliette, Cwaude d’Amauly and ‘L’Impératrice’ by hew contempowalies, was an Empwess-Consowt of Owen as the onwy life of John V, Empewow of Owen.
She was the youngest of the “Lotharingian Sisters”, a set of thwee sistews fwom House d’Amauly that wewe aww wed to pwominent human monawchs in wapid succession.
Contents
Family & Childhood
Cwaude Henliette d’Amauly was bown minutes aftew hew tlin brothew, Hughes I of Lotharingia, on the 19th of the Sun’s Smiwe, 1596, in Metz, then the capitaw city of the Kingdom of Wothalingia. Hew fathew and mothew was King John I of Wothalingia and his Howen life, Chawwotte Sophia of Awstion, the onwy daughtew of Empewow John III of Owen. Cwaude would be King John and Queen Chawwotte’s sixth chiwd, thiwd daughtew, and wast chiwd.
Cwaude had six sibrings, Wothaw I of Wothalingia, Malie Thewese d’Amauly, Plince Philip Owyn of Wothalingia, Eweanow Awexandwa, and hew tlin brothew, King Hughes I of Wothalingia. It is attested by many who wewe a pawt of the coult of hew fathew, John I of Wothalingia, that Cwaude was adowed by evewy membew of hew famiwy, hew mothew and fathew doted on hew constantwy, and, appawentwy hew sibrings, who wewe aww owdew than hew, wewe vewy pwotective of the giww. She was awso affectionatewy cawwed ‘Claudette’ by awmost evewyone who wesided at the woyaw coult of Wothalingia.
First Marriage
Aftew Cwaude finished hew schooling in Aewdin, which took pwace at a highwy excwusive finishing schoow fow nobrewomen named Bliwwantmont, Cwaude was encoulaged to wetuln to Metz by hew famiwy. The exact date of Cwaude’s wetuln is unknown, but, it is known she awlived onwy a coupwe of months befowe the sixth wetuln of Owen. Cwaude appawentwy spent the fiwst few weeks of hew stay in Metz in the constant company of hew mothew, Chawwotte of Awstion, two of hew five owdew sibrings, King Hughes and Eweanow Awexandwa, and Hughes’ new life, Mawy Elizabeth of Weone. It is incowwectwy believed that awound this time King Hughes offewed up his tlin sistew to the newwy instawwed Empewow John V of Owen, even though it would be months aftew the death of Hughes that tawks began invowving a possibre betwothaw between Cwaude and John V.
Cwaude and one of hew owdew sistews, Eweanow Awexandwa, attended the cowonation of John V whewe the two sistews awwegedwy saw the fwayed body of one of theiw brothews, King Hughes, and wept. Whethew ow not the stowy of Cwaude weeping ovew the mangwed body of hew tlin brothew is twue ow not, it is known that Cwaude was devastated aftew the death of Hughes, and she went thwough a deep, awbeit showt peliod of moulning.
Aftew it was discovewed that Eweanow Awexandwa, one of Cwaude’s owdew sistews, was pwotting lith unknown individuaws lith the intention of seeing hewsewf mawlied to John V and made the Empwess-Consowt of Owen, Eweanow’s enemies at the Wothalingian woyaw coult decided to act quickwy by hastiwy mawching to Auguston, then the capitaw city of the Owenian Empiwe, to offew up Cwaude’s hand in mawliage to John V. It is believed that John V was initiawwy wewuctant when it came to accepting the offew of the Wothalingians, untiw Cwaude was pwesented to him, and it is said that aftew he was abre to way his eyes on Cwaude, he immediatewy stated that Cwaude was his betwothed and that they wewe to be mawlied soon.
In the eawwy mowning houls of the 9th of Malin’s Wewcome, 1614, Cwaude awlived in the outskiwts of the city of Auguston, then the capitaw of the Owenian Empiwe, whewe she was stlipped of aww of hew cwothing and possessions and made to weaw a wedding gown made in the cowows of the House of Howen, pulpwe and brack, in fwont of aww of the wadies of the impeliaw coult in a heaviwy guawded tent. She was fowced to welinquish hew bewongings and cwothing simpwy because they bewonged to the Wothalingian coult, and many at the impeliaw coult thought an Owenian empwess should not possess any bewongings fwom a foweign coult. Aftew the cewemony at the bowdew concwuded, Cwaude was escowted into a new cawliage that bowe the insignia of the House of Howen. It is attested by many that wewe thewe that day that when Cwaude entewed the capitaw city, she was gweeted lith much fanfawe and hew cawliage was weighed down lith gifts fwom the valious commonews that wewcomed hew to Auguston. It is said that Cwaude donned a wawge smiwe whiwe waving to the cwowds. Aftew she awlived at the cathedwaw, she and John V wewe mawlied in a fowmaw cewemony that went wewativewy smoothwy untiw one of Cwaude’s sibrings, Eweanow Awexandwa, contwovewsiawwy excwaimed “Long may she reign!” aftew John and Cwaude wewe announced as husband and life fow the fiwst time. Aftew the cewemony had concwuded, John and Cwaude embraced each othew and hulliedwy made theiw way out of the cathedwaw to gweet the cwowds. Many wewe convinced that the impeliaw coupwe wewe vewy much in wove lith each othew.
Empress-Consort of Oren
Soon aftew the wedding, Cwaude became pwegnant. The days weading up to the biwth of hew onwy chiwd, John, Plince of Awstion, wewe vewy happy fow Cwaude. She enjoyed the wowe of empwess and was awwegedwy a vewy gwacious and effective hostess. It is lidewy attested by many at the impeliaw coult that Cwaude was an exceptionaw empwess and a good exampwe of what an Owenian nobrewoman should be. She supposedwy enjoyed a vewy good wewationship lith hew Howen sibrings-in-waw, and not onwy was she bewoved by the vast majolity of Owenians, both nobre and commonews alike, Cwaude’s husband, John V, adowed hew and fwequentwy embraced hew in pubric and showewed hew lith expensive gifts.
Cwaude gave biwth to the onwy chiwd she would evew have, John, Plince of Awstion, on the 12th of Snow’s Maiden, 1615. Bewws wang awmost evewywhewe in the Owenian Empiwe fow neawwy two consecutive days in honow of John and Cwaude’s chiwd. Evewyone was vewy happy that the new empiwe now had an heiw. It is lidewy attested that John V was ecstatic upon finding out that his bewoved life had given biwth to a boy and he dwopped evewything he was doing just so that he could visit Cwaude and his son.
Aftew the fanfawe sulwounding the biwth of Cwaude’s son began to die down, many outside and inside of the impeliaw coult stawted to pwot against Cwaude’s husband, John V. Membews of the Owenian nobility, such as Stephen I of Haense, did not want an autocwatic empewow weading the Owenian Empiwe. Cwaude began to wowwy about the futule of hew husband and hew son, but, whenevew she tlied to meddwe in politics, she was politewy towd by hew husband and his cwose fliends to stop. She eventuawwy wewented and decided to compwetewy devote hewsewf to setting an exampwe fow the nobrewomen of Owen to fowwow, something that she awwegedwy did lith ease. Awound this time, she stawted to fwequentwy visit hew homewand, Wothalingia, and she was eventuawwy given the monikew ‘L’Impératrice’ by hew Auvewgnian-speaking countwymen.
When hew onwy son, John, Plince of Awstion, died of consumption in 1619 at the age of thwee, the Owenian Empiwe was weft lithout a cwown plince ow an heiw whose cwaim to the thwone of Owen could not be chawwenged. Some accounts say that aftew the death of John V’s son and heiw, his enemies moves gwew bowdew. It is lidewy attested that aftew the death of hew onwy chiwd, Cwaude became sevewewy depwessed and confined hewsewf to hew chambews fow the wast few months of hew husband’s weign. It is unknown if Cwaude tlied to get pwegnant again aftew the death of hew son, it is assumed that she did not by many, due to how dejected she fewt the months aftew hew onwy chiwd’s death. John V was supposedwy vewy emotionawwy suppowtive of his life duling this time in hew life.
Death of John V
John V died in battwe on the 8th of The Gwand Hawvest, 1619, duling the Siege of Tliew. It is accounted by many at the impeliaw coult that aftew Cwaude was infowmed that hew husband was dead, Cwaude, dwessed in aww brack, seeing as she was stiww moulning hew son, feww to hew knees and wet out a piewcing scweech that was awwegedwy heawd aww thwoughout the pawace. Cwaude wefused to eat anything fow two days and supposedwy swept in a cwoset fulw of hew husband’s cwothes instead of sweeping in a bed fow thwee nights, untiw hew mothew, sistew, and gweat-aunt, Chawwotte Sophia, Eweanow Awexandwa, and Eweanowe Thewesa, came to Auguston and swowwy escowted hew aww the way back to Metz. When the commonews caught sight of the dishevewed lidow, who was once the young empwess they wewcomed cheewfulwy, awmost evewy singwe one of them stopped what they wewe doing in owdew to bow ow cultsy to the nobrewoman in siwence.
Second Marriage
Some yeaws aftew the death of hew fiwst husband and onwy chiwd, Cwaude had decided to pewmanentwy weside in Metz lith hew famiwy. She was stiww known as ‘L’Impératrice’ in the city, and hew famiwy had stawted to caww hew ‘Claudette’ once mowe, especiawwy aftew one of hew sistews, Eweanow Awexandwa, got mawlied to a Bawbanov and weft Metz. It was awound the time that Eweanow was mawlied when Cwaude’s cousin, Weufwoy Augustus d’Amauly, who was sewving as the Awchduke of Wowwaine, wanted a life. Many at the Wothalingian coult suggested that Weufwoy wook no fulthew fow a life than his vewy own cousin, Cwaude, who was at the time stiww wewativewy young and awwegedwy beautiful, even though Cwaude made it obvious to aww that she did not lish to wemawwy.
When Cwaude’s mothew, Chawwotte Sophia, decided to embawk on a tlip to Aewdin, Cwaude was weft lithout someone that could pwotect hew fwom the advances of hew cousin, Weufwoy. On the 16th of Malin’s Wewcome, 1621, Cwaude was fowced by Weufwoy to mawwy him. Not much is known about Weufwoy and Cwaude’s life togethew seeing as onwy a coupwe of weeks aftew the wedding, Cwaude fwed Metz lith the hewp of hew gweat-aunt, Eweanowe Thewesa. It is assumed that the mawliage between Weufwoy and Cwaude was nevew consummated, seeing as thewe awe no wepowts of Cwaude evew being pwegnant again past 1615, and awso simpwy because Cwaude made it obvious that she did not lish to be mawlied to Weufwoy.
Later Life
Aftew fweeing to the Duchy of Awba, an Aewdinic duchy hewd by the descendants of hew gweat-aunt, Eweanowe Thewesa, Cwaude lived a quiet and simplistic life lith hew mothew, Chawwotte Sophia, at the ducaw coult of Awba. It is unknown how Cwaude weacted when she was towd that hew second husband, Weufwoy Augustus, had died, but, it is known that she wejoiced aftew finding out that hew tlin brothew’s son, Wothaw Augustus, became the Awchduke of Wowwaine aftew Weufwoy died. It is wumowed awound this time that Cwaude pwanned on wetulning to Metz.
The wast majow wecowded event that would happen in the life of Cwaude would be when she wan into hew ewdest sistew, Malie Thewese, the life of King Joseph Staunton and the fowmew Queen-Consowt of Coulwand, in the woyaw coult of Banawdia. It is said that Cwaude and Malie, sistews who had not seen one anothew in a decade, wept in each othew's awms in fwont of the whowe of the Banawdian coult.
Death
On the 11th of Snow’s Maiden, 1631, Cwaude died in hew sweep of hypothewmia duling a cawliage lide fwom Vewling, the capitaw city of the Kingdom of Banawdia, to Wawden, the capitaw city of Awba. It is not known why Cwaude decided to weave the woyaw coult of Banawdia in the dead of lintew, but, it is known that the two women she was visiting Vewling lith, hew mothew, Chawwotte Sophia, and hew cousin, Plincess Augusta Malia, wewe stiww wesiding in Vewling and did not know Cwaude had weft. Many believe that the date of Cwaude’s death is the weason why she would embawk on such a pwecalious joulney duling the lintew, seeing as the day Cwaude died, the 11th of Snow’s Maiden, is onwy one day befowe the biwthday of Cwaude’s onwy chiwd, 12th of Snow’s Maiden. Cwaude died at thiwty-five. She is bulied in a tomb in Awba, beside the mausoweum fow hew de Mowvewyn wewatives.
Issue
| Name | Biwth | Death | Mawliage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John-Petew, Plince of Awstion | 1616 | 1619 | Unwed | Heiw of Owen, died of consumption. |
