Emma of Jerovitz

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Emma of Jerovitz
The Queen consort of Hanseti-Ruska
QueenEmmaK2.png
Emma c. 1840
Queen-Consort of Hanseti-Ruska
Tenure: 1838-1873
Predecessor: Annika of Reza
Successor: Amadea of Susa
Born: 18th of the Deep Cold, 1818, Viscounty of Krusev, Kingdom of Haense
Death: 3rd of the Grand Harvest, 1892
Spouse: Sigismund III
(m. 1836)
House: Kortrevich
Father: Rickard, "The Builder", Viscount of Krusev
Mother: Erika Lorena Vanir

Emma Karenina (Common: Amelia Catherine) (18th of the Deep Cold, 1818 - 3rd of the Grand Harvest, 1892), regally Emma of Jerovitz, and monikered as both Emma the Kind and The Golden alongside her husband. She was the 17th Queen-Consort of Hanseti-Ruska through her marriage to Sigismund III of Haense in 1836. Their subsequent reign, lasting 35 years, made Emma the longest-ruling Queen of Haense. She was known for her lenient nature, her influence on courtly fashion and etiquette, as well as her advocacy for women's rights - the Karenina Movement was named after the Queen's leadership. Furthermore, Emma was the youngest Surgeon General appointed in Haeseni history.

Early life (1818-1838)

Emma Karenina Kortrevich was born to Viscount Rickard and his wife, Lady Erika in the year 1818. Her birth was in equal part a time for celebration and mourning. The Viscount fell into a deep coma towards the end of his wife’s pregnancy, leaving the notoriously fierce woman to fend for herself. Emma was born from premature labor, stress-induced, once the news of his ill health was broken.

Being the youngest of five, a significant age gap of twelve separated her from her next youngest sibling. Alongside her siblings came a host of nieces and nephews, with her brother Jan siring 6 children, Jerovitz was often filled with noise. As a consequence of her restricted early life, Emma spent most of her childhood coddled, dubbed the ‘Lily of Jerovitz’ by her elder sister. Her mother sheltered her within the grounds of their keep on the fringes of the Kingdom, and thus Emma grew up with little idea of what lay beyond Jerovitz’s walls. Her playmates were restricted to the family’s loyal cook and her siblings; if they chose to entertain her games. The nature of this reclusive upbringing led to the development of the girl’s sensitive nature, and would ultimately shape her empathetic style of rule.

Emma Karenina, c. 1835, a portrait painted for her coming-of-age.

Her father passed in 1820, and so the weight of the title of Viscount to support their family landed on the shoulders of her eldest brother, Jan Otto. Her sights turned to him as a fatherly figure. Lady Erika had a soft spot for her youngest and sought to preserve her shelteredness, fearful that the girl would grow distant from her. Their close-knit family meant Emma hardly felt alone - and often was delegated the job of looking after her nieces and nephews. The young Kortrevich was personally tutored by Lady Erika Kortrevich in lessons revolving around the art and literature her mother loved. Under the watchful eye of her brother, Emma’s education befitted a Haeseni noble - enjoying luxuries of music and painting, and often crafted homely presents in the form of scrapbooks and embroidery. This tradition she would continue throughout her life, even once she joined the Royal Barbanovs. She took a particular interest in romantic stories. Fairytales and the like were an escape from Jerovitz, and thus she became strongly convinced of the existence of true love.

Notorious for her adventurous spirit, Emma spent much time dragging her sisters on expeditions through Jerovitz’s grounds. Allegedly, her collection of creatures (frogs, crabs, and squirrels, namely) grew with each outing. Her favoured crab, Herman, remained with her throughout most of her life. Emma suffered from a limp through her childhood years, sustained from a bad fall on one of these ill-fated adventures. The teasing she received only cemented her quieter disposition.

The girl found sanctuary working in herbal gardens and the Haeseni clinic, persevering in her devotion to make good. This endeavour also allowed her to avoid the loud hubbub of Karosgrad she still was growing accustomed to, so different from the quiet woodland surrounding Jerovitz. It was in the medicinal sphere of work that she first formed a friendship with the Princess Royal, Petra Emma, sister of the future King, who would later become her Deputy Surgeon General. Princess Petra, plus Lady Eleanora Baruch, would make up two of her closest friends in these formative years, lasting well into her reign.

Favoured by Queen Annika, and due to her friendship with the Princess Royal and her siblings, Emma met the future King at an early age. Friends for years, a courtship blossomed at the behest of their families. In the year 1832, while travelling alone to a Sutican wedding, the young Emma was accosted by bandits within the city’s walls, stripped of all valuable possessions and threatened to be ransomed - the Haeseni army rode to her aid alongside Prince Sigismund. This event fortified their friendship and early bashful match.

Surgeon General (1833-1844)

Emma was granted the title of Surgeon General at fifteen in 1833[1], the youngest in the history of Haense, and immediately set about breathing new life into the hospital of St Amyas. She made medical training more accessible for all classes, developing a teaching curriculum[2] and providing structure to the clinic’s workings, despite the fact that many of her students were older than herself. Being assertive remained a challenge for the girl throughout her tenure, although with age, so too did her confidence grow. Multiple waves of medics graduated under her inspection, and these apprentices went on to succeed her as Deputy and Surgeon General themselves.

She took great pride in her position: being a medic first and foremost Emma donned physician’s armour instead of the traditional Queen’s in conflict. However, in 1844, Emma made the decision to step down to Firress Adrianna Darkwood in the midst of her Queenship, finding the workload overwhelming. She remained a passionate medic throughout her life. Reportedly on her wedding day, she attended to a patient who had been attacked, still wearing her dress - being the nearest physician available, Emma had run from the royal reception.

In the later established Almaris Medical Community, the Physician’s Oath she had penned and made each of her Haeseni graduates recite remained in use.

A Depiction of the Young Sigismund and Emma, painted c. 1840, by an unknown artist.

Marriage

Emma of Jerovitz was married to Sigismund Karl in the Basilica of Saint Henrik in 1836, officiated by the High Pontiff Everard VI. Theirs was a rarer wedding in circumstance as Sigismund would not become coronated King until 1838, after his father’s abdication[3], the pair had two years to prepare for responsibility and enjoy their freedom beforehand. Their pairing was no surprise - the two had been courting for some years prior[4]. The match was widely accepted as both loving and well-placed, with Emma being the sister of Count Jan Kortrevich.

Queen of Hanseti-Ruska (1838-1873)

Upon inheriting a cold court of little activity from her mother-in-law, Emma was determined to breathe some life and colour into the Haeseni Royal Court. The woman first established her Inner Council and distributed initiatives to bolster activity and involvement in the court: such as her wardship program - open to non-nobles and nobles alike. She established a broad and functioning outer Queen’s Council, the numbers of which hadn’t been seen for years, expanding the Queen’s Household. Furthermore, Emma later worked on revitalising Nikirala Servantry as well with some reforms[5]. Throughout her reign, Emma remained jovial, open to suggestions, and rarely raised her voice or spoke unkindly to anyone - thus, was respected amongst a fair share of the women. Her council organised milestone events such as the Saint Year’s Anniversary of Haeseni Independence[6]. In these early years. Emma restarted the Czenz Osrand, a women’s society formed during Queen Isabel’s reign that had been left to fall aside, organising regular meetings and teas to involve women of the Kingdom. They provided an opportunity for the monarch to remain in touch with the goings-on of gossip, news, and to cement friendships across the Kingdom’s noble families[7].

An underlying stress that became more evident as years passed was the monarchs’ struggle to conceive a child. It was almost five years into their marriage when tragedy had struck and their first-born son, the Grand Prince Edvard Arjen, died of breathing complications shortly after birth. His death beckoned a host of new worries, both private and public anxieties about the security of the Royal succession. A statement was made from the Nikirala Palace upon his death in 1841[8]. Emma, for many months afterwards, discarded her usual bright colours in favour of black skirts. The young Queen had been crushed by the events, her prior naivety punished: throughout her life, Emma maintained that she had six children, not five. As reported tensions between her and Sigismund grew more strained with the pressure the couple were under, Emma threw herself into the courts and Kingdom’s welfare to keep her mind off the loss.

Thankfully, it was only two years later that happy news was announced in a missive from the palace[9]: in 1843, Princess Klara Elizaveta was born with no complications. King Sigismund and Queen Emma set a new precedent, bestowing titles onto all their children - disregarding gender. Klara was henceforth made the Duchess of Baranya.

Under Emma’s rule, the role of Mistress of the Wardrobe was established and held for the duration of her tenure by her sister-in-law Princess Nikoleta. This position quickly rose to be one of prominence in the Royal Court with Emma’s focus on fashion - the Queen and high-ranking nobles set trends which rippled down through the larger court. [See the section on ‘Influence on Late Ruskan Fashion’ for further information]. Emma published reports on fashion and social etiquette, including a study and expansion on traditions revolving around coming-of-age and courtship ceremonies[10]. New restrictions and standards were established and upheld within her courts for suitors and brides, or else the match would be declared invalid.

Another of her actions was the renovation of the Nikirala Palace - with the help of Princess Anastasya and other members of her Council, the interior of the throne room, feast hall, and ballroom were revitalised to new aesthetic heights. A further wing of the palace was converted into a building dedicated to her wards: with its private garden, dining and living space, the wing had bedrooms to house the number of youths who travelled from foreign Kingdoms to be tutored under the Queen. Additionally, these renovations saw the introduction of noble apartments for each family within the royal palace[11]. Her Royal Court held two Lifstalas across her reign, the last being the fourth season the Kingdom had seen in 1863[12]. With an unprecedented list of suitors in attendance, the festivities were a reported success. As with all seasons, events ranged from hauchmetvas and opulent balls, to games of chase and a faux legal court to expose grievances. This was themed according to Emma’s childish penchant for stories: “A Walk in a Fairytale”.

Since childhood, Emma had always disregarded the binary distinction between noble and peasantry and was stubborn in her insistence to befriend people on both ends of the spectrum. Firress Isabella Decaden was one such friend, belonging to a peasant family to whom Emma was godmother to her multiple children. Firress Franziska Bishop remained a close confidant throughout her reign as her personal handmaiden, and subsequently, Barbanov befriended the Vernhart family as Emma and Sigismund had supported their controversial marriage - Emma was the sole witness to their secret union. The Queen tended to take pity on street children, inviting them to live and work in the palace, much to her husband’s bewilderment. She was known for her lenience, often seen walking in the gardens or out in the square of Karosgrad, rather than resigning herself to the Royal Court. Her legacy, posthumously, was as a Queen of the people.

Queen Emma’s love of literature and the arts persisted throughout her reign. She endorsed multiple academic groups and organisations, such as the 1847 Academics’ Guild and the revitalisation of the St. Carolus University. Furthermore, she pledged on behalf of the Crown to support her successor, Firress Adrianna Darkwood in her medical research initiatives. In an 1849 edition of the ‘Koenas Curation’, penned by Emma herself, some of these groups were publicised[13].The Queen also collected biographies of the Haeseni women voted the most influential in modern history, to organise an exhibition of their stories and achievements in the throne room. Around this period, where Emma felt comfortably settled into the roles expected of her: as a mother, first and foremost, as well as Queen, advisor, and friend. It was in the year 1850 that the joyous news of twin Princes born, Karl and Sergei, was announced by another missive from the palace [14]. With the royal succession stabilised, Emma finally felt secure. She had grown up accustomed to a large family, and by 1856 had given birth to both Prince Josef and Princess Maya. The palace remained full of life and noise; the royal quarters too were infamously known for the chaos ensuing at their family dinners. The marriage between Sigismund and Emma never lost its loving spark, as the pair appeared regularly together in good spirits, and became known for their generosity and care.

A more sombre aspect of her reign were the political tensions that had grown surrounding the Kingdom of Oren. These anxieties culminated in the Michaelite Schism against the Canonist Church in 1849, followed by the conflict dubbed the ‘War of the Wigs’ in 1850 - which resulted in a Tripartite victory in 1868. Emma, forced to abandon her pacifist preferences, saw her monarchical role as redefined: she would aid the maintenance of morale within the Kingdom, keeping the courts a steady force throughout the long war, and rally women and ladies during the fights. This force of brave women donned armour recognisable by their pink capes.

The Karenina Accord

The Karenina Accord was a movement calling for equality of gender within Hanseti-Ruska, occurring occurred in the years 1856-1861, which resulted in the official Karenina Law being passed unanimously in Duma. With it, absolute primogeniture was introduced to the Kingdom, and both men and women were declared equal under Haeseni law. It was named so after Queen Emma Karenina, who acted as a figurehead for the movement, and advocated for women’s equality.

In 1856, a lively debate sparked at one of Emma’s Council meetings, triggered by the failed Orenian Rosemoor Bill petition some years prior and the quest for equality within the Kingdom. The women’s discussion soon formed into a plan to campaign for equal succession: absolute primogeniture, so that a firstborn would inherit titles, no matter their gender. Queen Emma was elected leader and figurehead of the Accord at that same meeting, and the movement titled ‘Karenina’ in a declaration published by the Queen[15. Months of campaigning followed, facing opposition from both men and women alike, as many remained rooted in older conservative customs. Their largest rally swept Karosgrad’s square in 1857, organised by the Queen, as women crowded the steps of the Nikirala Prikaz. Each supported sported a pink rose pinned to their breast, or their hair, as a symbol of the movement. Emma lit a large pyre in the centre of the square so that it burned pink smoke, her favoured colour, and the associated colour symbolising equality. With the flames at her back, she stood before the crowd and made her public speech.

Swaying people’s hearts was one thing, but consolidating change through law became the movement’s goal. In Duma, Lord Konstanz Barclay brought the topic to be discussed among Haeseni peers. There, the Queen and her ladies made their case. That election year had been significant, as for the first time in the history of Duma, all the elected officials were women - they had campaigned for election to support the Karenina movement.

Meeting stubbornness in Duma, and unwillingness to change, Queen Emma realised a loud public approach was limited, so spent the subsequent months inviting Haeseni peers to her offices to engage in extensive talks, and attempted to convince them to lend their supportive vote: eventually, she succeeded in garnering the support from each. All the women’s hard work culminated in the Duma of 1861, where the Karenina Law was drafted as a bill by the Lord Palatine, Duke Eirik Baruch and Lady Erika Barclay[16]. It was passed unanimously and was a cause of great celebration thereafter. Later, a statue of Lady Haense was constructed to commemorate the victory[17].

Emma continued her advocacy for women’s equality: her children were all given Duchy titles, disregarding gender; in her reign, Grand Lady was promoted to an Aulic position; and she witnessed a surge of matriarchs being born, including her niece - the Duchess Isabel of Valwyck, who later achieved the sought-after position of Lady Palatine.

Influence on Late Ruskan Fashion

Emma had never intended to mark a stylistic break in Haeseni fashion, although since her childhood sarafans she favoured wearing a multitude of colours in her attire. Preferring softer, pastel dresses, the girl contrasted the colder hues typically sported by the noblewoman of the wintry nation, that Haense had been known for. Donning floral patterns and brighter silks from childhood, upon inheriting the Royal Courts Emma created a new wing of the courts to realise her vision. It would be a department to expand culture, namely fashion, led by the esteemed Mistress of the Robes. And thus, the lengthy Late Ruskan period was born, and with it, ‘Moda i ve Kort’, marking a dramatic break from previous Orenian styles and cementing a new era of dress in modern Haeseni history[18]. Fashion had more power in its symbolism than ever before. Through one's selection of jewels, colour, styling, or headpiece - one could convey their power.

With this new wing of the courts, Emma was furnished in the finest fabrics and designs by the Mistress of the Robes. This stylistic influence filtered down from the courts to the wider Kingdom. ‘Moda i ve Kort’, translating to ‘Fashion of the Court’ in Common, was an instrumental force in cementing and recording these shifts in fashion and etiquette. It was utilised as an official brochure published by the Queen’s Inner Council, with each edition’s contents approved by Emma. It contained the latest missives and studies published to update the wider nation on the current flavours of the Royal Court, i.e what was deemed popular and proper in terms of dress.

Beyond the bubble of nobility and courtiers, many women wore kokoshniks and Ruskan-style skirts. Veils and headdresses became commonplace to see around the city. It was in the Late Ruskan period that one of the remaining Orenian influences, that of the “open skirt” style of dress, was discarded in practice in favour of the poneva and sarafan styles. Children and the lower class often wore loose-fitting, simpler versions of the highly-decorated and beaded creations of elder nobility. Queen Emma popularized the Ruskan vest - a jacket, often embellished and threaded with gold - worn for extra warmth over one’s dress, or to act as a looser bodice. Veils and sashes were also defined by further Moda posts, as the Queen herself often wore headscarves and veils, as a symbol of modesty[19]. With this exploration into Ruskan styles, her Court also delved into reviving other cultures within the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska, highlighted in this 'Study of Waldenian Fashions' from 1850[20].

Longer sleeves were made popular, more fitting for the colder climate of Haense. The style moved away from the shorter puffy sleeves of Orenian influence. Many court dresses had a large outer sleeve that draped down, and a smaller slim one, tailored to wrist-length, within it. Dresses and tunics evolved to match the Queen’s personal style - that being colourful and bold, layered fabrics for both aesthetic and practical gain, with detailed embroidery and embellishments. This new era replaced the prior simpler designs of the early Ruskan. White underdresses of the sarafan were often dyed other colours to compliment the overskirt. As alluded to before, the traditional darker Haeseni fabrics - typical of the cold Northern region - were worn less and less among younger folk. The elderly favoured darker tones to highlight their maturity, whereas younger fashion transitioned to an assortment of bright and pastel colours. Publishing a study on the meaning of Haeseni colours[21], Late Ruskan fashion became an outlet to express status and emotion more than before. Pink garnered a new meaning under Queen Emma as her signature colouring, representing herself and this new age of colour, while also being a symbol of the Karenina Movement later in her reign.

As well as infusing everyday style with brighter shades, Emma’s court saw an increase of interest in intricate beading, embroidery, and jewel encrustment. Dresses, even the men’s robes, were prized for small details - like gold thread stitched in patterns on a nobleman’s lapel. The Courts published a study on men's fashion at the time, in one edition of 'Moda'[22]. Kokoshniks were one of the key items of the Late Ruskan era, popularised in the 1840s[23]: they were headpieces of varying sizes, with regulations as to what material it was forged from to indicate status (the lower class would use colourful fabric, while gold kokoshniks were reserved for royalty - the rules regarding reserving gold for royalty are outlined in this study from 1867[24]).

Jewels were assigned status and meaning[25], consolidated by the Queen’s jewelled brooches - a program Emma tasked her Mistress with designing, to give each member of her Council a brooch symbolising their contributions - they were distributed to those who had also earned Emma’s trust, and served her over many years[26]. From her personal love of the natural world, floral embroidery and patterns were commonplace within her Court - a style inherited from generations before but popularised in this period. In 408 E.S the Royal Court held its biggest fashion show yet, featuring different designers' works underneath the opulent chandeliers of the Nikirala Palace[27]

Queen-Mother of Hanseti-Ruska (1873-1892)

The Last Portrait Commissioned for the Queen-Mother, c. 1890.

Emma inherited the title of Queen Mother in 1873, after her husband’s controversial death. Sigismund had, in his deteriorating health, asked one of his most loyal Marian protectors, Ser Walton, to publicly end his life in a duel. Emma had reportedly remained staunchly opposed to this idea for many months prior. She was in Norland the night of his passing, and rode home the moment a messenger arrived bearing the news.

For the last years of her life, Emma began to remove herself from the vibrant swings of Royal Court and Kingdom which she had been a part of for so long. Preferring to spend time alone, or in the company of a few friends, as she took her daily walks about the Haeseni woodland and palace grounds. The Queen Mother eventually retreated to the late Queen Isabel’s cottage, located near her own daughter, Maya Ceciliya’s, abode.

Notorious for her terrible cooking skills by much of the Haeseni population, her endeavours culminated in the publishing of her cooking volume and the opening of her bakery, ‘Emma’s Buns’. There, she named treats and pastries after her grandchildren, as well as featuring the ‘Sigismundic Sausage’ on her shelves. Upon her death in 1892, this shop was passed to her granddaughter who shared a love for the culinary art, Analiesa Josefina. Additionally, Emma Karenina’s tenure resulted in a few more items of valuable craftmanship added to the collection of crown jewels. In her later years, the Court Poet, Firr Felyx Colborn penned the aging Queen a poem - the first of his Royal Collection [28].

She lived to see her grandchildren come of age as the living legacy of the Barbanov house she had dedicated most of her life to maintaining. Deteriorating in health the last few weeks of her life, Emma Karenina died surrounded by family at her home in the Nikirala palace in 1892 [29]. A proclamation was shortly released by the Crown, announcing the news of her passing [30]. In the year that followed her passing, Princess Analiesa worked to build a historical exhibit of paintings marking various milestones of Emma and Sigismund's lives [31]. Their reigns are posthumously reflected on as a positive period in Hanseti-Ruska's development. Despite the challenges in military conflicts, it is dubbed a 'Golden' age of prosperity in the Kingdom's history.


Titles, Styles, and Honors

Titles and Styles

  • 1818-1838: Her Ladyship, Emma Karenina Kortrevich
  • 1833-1844: Her Ladyship, Surgeon General of Hanseti-Ruska
  • 1838-1873: Her Majesty, the Queen of Hanseti-Ruska
  • 1873-1892: Her Majesty, Queen Emma of Hanseti-Ruska

Style as Queen Consort

Her Royal Majesty, Emma of Jerovitz, Queen-Consort of Hanseti and Ruska

Issue

Name Birth Death Marriage
Edvard Arjen, Grand Prince of Kusoraev 1841 1841 Unwed Firstborn son of Sigismund III and Emma. Died at birth.
Klara Elizaveta, Duchess of Baranya 1843 1919 Jakob Dimitrey Morovar Firstborn daughter of Sigismund III and Emma.
Karl III 1850 1905 Amadea of Susa Secondborn son of Sigismund III. Twin to Prince Sergei.
Sergei Aleksandr, Duke of Rothswald 1850 1907 Aloisa Liesl Barclay Thirdborn son of Sigismund III. Twin to Grand Prince Karl.
Josef Frederik, Duke of Schattenburg 1853 1869 Dorothea Isabel Ruthern Fourthborn son of Sigismund III and Emma. Died due to a coma.
Maya Ceciliya 1852 1897 Dmitry var Ruthern Secondborn daughter of Sigismund III and Emma. Renounced her title as Duchess of Kreden to take up the cloth, eventually becoming the Bishop of Valwyck.