Henrietta, Princess of Alstion

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Orenian Princess
Henrietta Karenina

Henrietta, Duchess Furnestock, c. 1751.
Princess of Alstion
Predecessor: Charles Edward, Prince of Alstion

Born: 7th of Sigismund's End, 1735 Valtian, Empire of Aeldin
Died: 14th of the Deep Cold, 1758, Sutica
Husband: George, Count of Pompourelia
House: Alstion
Father: Charles I
Mother: Magdalena, Princess Imperial

Henrietta Karenina (High Imperial: Henrica Catharina), of the House of Alstion, was the daughter of Prince Charles of Alstion, claimant Holy Orenian Emperor and Magdalena, Princess Imperial of the Empire of Man. Throughout her childhood, the Horenic dynast was a ward to Simon Basrid.

Family & Childhood

Born at a nondescript estate in the Aeldinic Heartlands on the way the from Khalestine to Agathor, presumably owned by Horenic loyalists, Henrietta Karenina, christened Henrietta Karenina Alexandria after her grandmother the Empress Dowager Karenina, aunt and ancestress Princess Alexandria, and relative Queen Henrietta, was born the eldest child of Prince Charles of Alstion and Magdalena Helane, succeeded by her sister Heidemarie two years afterward. From birth, as the designated heir-presumptive to her father's legacy, she was styled Duchess of Furnestock, however, was colloquially known as Henrietta of Alstion, and not of Furnestock, solely due to her father's seniority.

In Agathor, the heiress spent half of her childhood, surrounded by the courtiers of Benda Chivay and her familial members. In part due to her father's claim, and his ultimately unsuccessful instatement as Holy Orenian Emperor, Henrietta garnered the unofficial epithet of Princess Imperial, which lasted for the duration of her life, amongst her intimates and Johannian supporters.

As the revival of the Pertinax Empire came to be, an elated Magdalena, readied her daughter, aged according to some sources five, to accompany her across the Aeldinic sea to Helena to reencounter the estranged Prince Charles, who had returned some time prior. In what could be seen as an unfortunate happenstance, Magdalena fell ill prior to embarking on the newly constructed yacht, the Blessed Adeline, leaving her impressionable daughter to voyage alone, tended to by one of her grandmother's loyal handmaids, Arielle de Morvelyn-Louvain.

Her arrival to the city was hailed with a lack of warmth, as war had erupted between the Holy Orenian Empire and AIS. Initially finding sanctuary in her father's estate outside the city, it was stripped from them by the Imperator and her uncle, Peter the third's, administration due to allegations surrounding the Prince's loyalty. Disheveled and without a proper home, the heiress, aged now only seven, set her eyes on the Novellen. It was during this time where the then-Archchancellor, Simon Basrid, extended an invitation to Henrietta, who became his ward.

Adolescence

The Duchess's pubescent years consisted of biweekly lessons from the Archchancellor, located in his offices within the Novellen Palace. Known to rove throughout the streets of Helena during her youth, Henrietta formed a notable comradry with one Godfrey Briarwood, a fellow scion of Aeldin. In time, young Henrietta began acquainting herself with diplomatic functions as Simon's attache, often freely providing her input on state matters.

Meanwhile, in the menial amount of free time the Horen had, she'd pen to her father, Charles, of her experiences in Helena and her longing to be in his presence once more, alongside various schemes to plot his return. Not much came of the lettered exchanges, however, as their distance grew over time.

At a party hosted by her aunt Vespira of Man, a favored confidant, Henrietta first met George de Sarkozy, son of Adrian de Sarkozy and Mariya of Reza. It is rumored that all throughout the event, the two engaged in conversation, their intellectual repertoire lasting until late into the night. Aged sixteen, she'd later speak of the experience to her aunt, commending the young Lord's 'ability to accurately scrutinize his privilege and the world it has wrought for him'.

Regardless, she initially obliged a whim urged by her father—a betrothal to John of Cascadia, Emperor Emeritus of Oren. Noting the plausibility for the Horenic lines of Pertinax and John in perpetuity, the heiress sought out the Duke at his residence. That very same time, they were betrothed and engaged to marry in the Saint's months following.

Henrietta's plans reared their foul heads in time, however, as John, twenty-two years her senior, was found scorched and deceased—his assailants unknown. Shortly after, on the year 1753, a page arrived to the Archchancellory, bearing news of the Prince of Alstion's abdication and disappearance. Henrietta, newly made Princess of Alstion, was said to not have wept following attendance of the news; instead, she wrote into her journal: "And so it ends, papa: with your demise, and my own too, in some way -- for I am no longer bound to myself! Now, I am bound to our illustrious ancestors, who have bestowed upon us gravitas and reverence for their doings."

As Princess of Alstion

After her betrothal and marriage to the Count George of Pompourelia, Henrietta dissolved her Johannian titulage in the Orenian peerage, styling herself as the Countess of Pompourelia thereafter. During this time, she sired three children: Peter Amadeus, George Ulysses, and Philippa Casimira.

Three years after, on 1758, Henrietta was assassinated in Sutica—the lands she frequented often to rendezvous with her father—by a Horenic supremacist, and former Dragon Knight of the Pertinaxi regime, Corwin von Alstreim. Her death, and the subsequent death of her son who pursued the perpetrator of his mother's demise, were the primary causes for the Sutican War.

Titles, Styles, and Honors

Titles and Styles

1735-1753: Her Grace, the Duchess of Furnestock
1748-1749: Her Excellency, the Undersecretary for Education
1753–Present: Her Serene Highness, the Princess of Alstion
1754-1755: Her Serene Highness, the Princess of Alstion, Countess consort of Pompourelia
1755–Present: The Right Honorable Countess of Pompourelia

Issue

Name	Birth	Death	Marriage	Notes
Peter Sarkozy, Viscount Roswell	8th of Godfrey's Triumph, 1755	1771	Unwed	Firstborn son to the Princess of Alstion and Count of Pompourelia. Titular Duke of Al. Assassinated within Sutica.
George Sarkozy, Count of Pompourelia	9th of Owyn's Light, 1758	Alive	Amalie of Muldav	Born on Athera. Successor of George, Count of Pompourelia. Father of Amadea of Pompourelia
Casimira Philippa of Pompourelia	9th of Owyn's Light, 1758	Alive	John, Viscount of Pruvia-Provins	Born on Athera. Viscountess of Provins.