Viktoria of Metterden

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Viktoria of Metterden
The Thirteenth Queen of Haense
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Viktoria of Metterden, commissioned by Sigismund II c. 1767.
Queen-Consort of Hanseti-Ruska
Tenure: 1766-1776
Coronation: Uncoronated
Predecessor: Maya of Muldav
Successor: Isabel of Valwyck
Countess of Metterden
Tenure: 1773-1777
Predecessor: Konstantin II var Ruthern
Successor: Aleksandr I var Ruthern
Born: 12th of the Deep Cold, 1751
Metterden, Haense
Death: 13th of the Amber Cold, 1802
Karosgrad, Haense
Spouse: Sigismund II of Haense
(m. 1766)
House: Ruthern
Father: Konstantin Ruthern, Count of Metterden
Mother: Katherine of Nenzing

Viktoriya Sofiya Konstanievna (Common: Victoria Sophia), known regally as Viktoria of Metterden, and recently monikered the Warrior Queen and One-Eyed Falcon for her missing eye lost in combat, was the thirteenth Queen-Consort of Hanseti-Ruska, and the ward to her predecessor Maya of Muldav from 1758 to 1762. She presided over the courts after the assassination of Queen Maya in 1762 at the mere age of eleven, and transcended the position when sixteen years old upon her marriage to Sigismund II of Haense in 1766. She was renown for her contributions to the Haense Royal Army, training with the soldiers and fighting alongside them in battles. As her position as one of the most eccentric and militaristic queens of Haense, and her prominence throughout a majority of her life, she was part of the three Ruthern sisters known as the Daughters of Metterden.


Early life

Viktoria Sofiya Ruthern was born on the 12th of the Deep Cold, 1751, as a daughter to the Count of Metterden and his countess consort, Katherine. She would be the eldest of four siblings; Elizaveta, Aleksandr, and Irene. In spite of her relatively large family of six, Viktoria struggled forming any lasting relationships with her parents or siblings. Her sister Elizaveta would become more involved with the imperial court of Helena, and almost never seen in their homeland. Her brother, on the other hand, never left their home at all and stayed within the walls of their house. The youngest of the family, Irene, was sent off to be tutored by the Imperial Princess Vitus of Man, Maria Tiberia, in Ves, Kaedrin, when she was in her very early youth; and therefore, the two sisters rarely were in each other's presence until later years.

In her youth, she was known for her bright and floral dresses that stood out amongst a crowd and separated her from the other dark clothed Rutherns. As she socialized and further integrated herself into the Haeseni Queen’s court, she would be randomly picked among a group of other courtiers to attend the Queen on her meetings. More often than others, she was brought to political gatherings or other occasions of note. Eventually, Viktoria was chosen as a ward under Maya Alimar as well as her sister.

A majority of the Ruthern’s education would rely on the wardship as her parents were rarely seen or a part of her life. Maya would educate her in the previous courts of the Haeseni Queens as well as some imperialistic courts of the past. Reza of Turov would bring the young girl’s interest, and the conspiracies surrounding the almost-queen, Valera of Adria. Most of her assignments were surrounded with palatial affairs and queenship. At the point in her life of her studies, she was generally content and saw Queen Maya as a maternal figure. Her sister Elizaveta soon left and continued her education in the Novellen Palace.

Viktoria struggled with finding a place in the circles of courtiers or other Haeseni children. She primarily kept her focus on her overload of studies sent to her by the Queen. The overwhelming amount of studies that pertained to queenship had caught the attention of the young Ruthern, but she had little time to question the Queen's motives. A small portion of Viktoria's education often remarked as unusual was her training in swordsmanship, the wielding of an axe, and strategy as per request by her mentor - and was gifted her first set of armor by Queen Maya as well.

The year 1762 was a turning point within Viktoria's youth when witnessing the young King, Sigismund II, almost die from a near fatal crossbow bolt pierce through his neck during court. She had been relatively sheltered from violence in her youth until then. In the same year, the King was coronated and crowned, and the intentions of her wardship and studies were revealed when Queen Maya arranged for a meeting with Viktoria and the Count Metterden, her father, who was joyous to hear that his daughter was to be Queen. The betrothal was set hours before the coronation took place, and Viktoria was invited to sit at the royal family's table while the news was announced to the public.

On the same evening as both her betrothal, announcement of her future queenship, and the coronation of the new King, Viktoria found the body of the assassinated Queen-Mother. She was devastated and horrified, screaming for someone to help and allegedly repeating "I'm not ready, I can't do this without you" while holding onto her. The events that further unfolded within the evening and night were chaotic but unforgettable to her.

She would go on to fight in the Battle of Boomhill, and brazenly refuse to be left out of meetings of the King and his advisors as she insisted on being included in trivial matters regarding the kingdom. Her personality shifted greatly from 1762 and on, and even was said to have had a change in wardrobe - preferring darker shades and armor over her floral outfits and hats.

Marriage

With the help of the Queen’s Council and other courtiers of the royal court, the wedding was planned and arranged for 1766. The betrothal, in the specific terms of the document, stated Viktoria would wed King Sigismund on her sixteenth birthday. Plans were set into motion nearly three years prior to the wedding date in exact.

The wedding was officiated by the Bishop of Hanseti-Ruska, Anton Barclay. Viktoria's wedding would include the attendance of the Haelun'or Silver Council, . Her dress was made of white charmeuse and overlaid with a layer of a creme chiffon. The top of her bodice would be lined with an intricate white lace work, and she donned long gloves of the same color. Sewed into the shoulders of her dress was a floral cloak with designs of roses embedded into the fabric. She wore a golden necklace, but more traditionally the diadem settled in her coiffure was Valera of Adria’s - which had been worn in the weddings of the Haeseni queens Milena of Adria and Maya of Muldav.

As a wedding gift to the royal couple, Sigismund and Viktoria were granted unrestricted access to the Haeulun'or Library by the Sohaer Sulraell.

Queen Consort of Hanseti-Ruska

As a numerity of other past queens and her predecessor had done, Viktoria spent the first two years of her reign focused on the Haeseni Court. She added more positions into the court's system, including a Chamberlain system with a 'High Chamberlain' and other chamberlains within their office. Viktoria's court would minimize and grow dormant with the Scyfling Invasion beginning in 1768. She was not known for her court, but rather her atypical personality comparatively to other Queens and her military duties, even being remarked as the warrior queen.

Outside of the court, she restored the Haense Library with new librarians and the assistance of Princess Analiesa, revitalized the Reznian tavern, and invented a larger and more complicated rendition of Haeseni Chess called Koenas Chess. She continued to persist on her attendance of important meetings, and refused to be left out of a majority of them.

She was oft remarked as strange and forthright, having shown up to court or other palatial events dressed in armor, hunting clothes, or even soaked in water on a few occasions. Her modernist views and acceptance of any of those around her as equals, even if of common birth, was not favored by other Orenians outside of Haense. Viktoria was loved by the Haense Royal Army, however, especially when fighting alongside them or attending the soldiers' training sessions. Viktoria even sought for further communication of the royal ongoings and courtly happenings with the commonfolk, and created the Koenas Curation to see through with this wish.

Viktoriya, simultaneously to the Scyfling Invasion, incorporated herself in imperial court with her sister, Lady Irena, returning home but soon asked to stay at imperial court. Her father’s death and the recent change in laws led to her being the first consort to hold a vassal position, as the Countess of Metterden (as due to succession crisis, Viktoriya later lost the title of countess but it returned to her brother, Lord Aleksandr). As matriarch, she arranged the marriage between her sister and the Prince John of Helena, for Lady Irena to become empress consort, and furthered relations with the future empress regnant, the Princess Imperial Anne Augusta. The betrothal was never fulfilled, but her relations –and furthermore, friendship– with the princess imperial continued. She acquired the position of Deputy-Palatine, and (although having years of experience) furthered her administration skills through the apprentice position. 

Her husband’s state of being greatly fell apart in a rapid period of time, leading to his death by suicide in 329. She is still alive as of 338, and remains as a dowager and the Queen-Mother of Haense. As she was pregnant at the time of his abrupt death, she had her final and sixth child, Prince Franz-Leopold, posthumously.

The Scyfling Invasion

The Crowslayer Conflict or the Scyfling Invasion of Hanseti-Ruska began in the year 1768, only two years into Viktoria's tenure. It had been a conflict long predicted through prophecy and since the expedition to the old lands of Athera. In nearly all of the battles and training sessions surrounding the Scyfling Invasion, Viktoria fought side by side with the soldiers. She was considered one of the leaders of the conflict - furthermore after leading the defense of Metterden during its siege, and attended as many of the war meetings possible.

Countess of Metterden

On the 11th of the First Seed, 1773, Viktoria became the Countess of Metterden as her brother was declared as missing after many years of not being seen after his capture to the Scyflings, and her father was found dead by her youngest sister, Irene, in an abandoned Scyfling encampment when trying to find his lost son. Thus, she was the first Queen to be a matriarch of her noble house and a landed vassal. As her first act as the matriarch of House Ruthern, she tore down the entirety of the keep in place and replaced it with something far larger in size in the matter of only a few months.

A succession crisis arose, seeing as the County of Metterden would fall back to the crown as she was the consort and her son to be the King of Hanseti-Ruska. It was to her utmost luck that her brother returned near the time of the crisis, and after much deliberation, her brother, Aleksandr, was declared as the Count of Metterden in 1777.

Queen Mother of Hanseti-Ruska

WIP

Titles, Styles, and Honors

Titles and Styles

  • 1751-Present: The Honorable, Lady Viktoria of Metterden
  • 1766-1776: Her Majesty, the Queen of Hanseti-Ruska
  • 1773-1777: Her Majesty, the Countess of Metterden
  • 1776-Present: Her Majesty, Queen Viktoria
  • 1777-1783: Her Majesty, the Deputy Palatine, Queen Viktoria

Style as Queen Consort

Her Royal Majesty, the Queen-Consort of Hanseti and Ruska

Style as Queen Mother

Her Royal Majesty, Queen Viktoria of Hanseti-Ruska

Issue

Name Birth Death Marriage
Nataliya Reza Barrow 7th of the Deep Cold, 1768 Alive Unwed Firstborn daughter of Sigismund and Viktoria. Disowned.
Josef I of Haense 8th of the First Seed, 1769 5th of the Snow's Maiden, 1806 Isabel of Valwyck Firstborn son of Sigismund and Viktoria. King of Hanseti-Ruska
Prince Stefan Wilfriche, Duke of Akovia 9th of the Deep Cold, 1773 Deceased Unwed Secondborn son of Sigismund and Viktoria. Twin to Aleksandr.
Prince Aleksandr Hieromar, Duke of Greywyn 10th of the Deep Cold, 1773 Alive Unwed Thirdborn son of Sigismund and Viktoria. Twin to Stefan.
Juliya Ipera, Princess Royal of Haense 11th of the Grand Harvest, 1775 Alive Lord Fiske Vanir Secondborn daughter of Sigismund and Viktoria.
Prince Franz Leopold, Duke of Schattenburg 12th of the First Seed, 1777 Alive Lorena of Dobrov (Divorced) Fourthborn son of Sigismund and Viktoria. Born posthumously.