Wilhelmina of Cathalon
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Wilhelmina of Cathalon (2nd of Sigismund’s End, 1760 - N/A), additionally known as Wilhelmina Beatrix, and monikered “the Wild“, was the only daughter of Robert Castor, Duke of Cathalon, and his Savoyardic consort, Letizia of Virdain. The Helvets-born woman was known as the would-be Empress-consort of the Holy Orenian Empire as wife to John VIII.
Contemporaries described her as short and slender, graceful, red of hair, with long eyelashes and a “divine” gleam in her eyes. There was kindness and gentleness in her expression, but she was also proud and judicious. The Kaedreni was famed for her quick tongue and considerable wit, often butting heads with Imperial officials due to their differing ideals. She resented the Orenian government for their apparent dislike of her, and her Imperial husband for being a homosexual, resulting in the instability of her position, and their subsequent divorce after thirty-four years of marriage.
A mere two days after she was freed from matrimony in 1814, the death of her former husband's father, Emperor Joseph, was proclaimed, and, naturally, John was declared Holy Orenian Emperor promptly after. Following the aforementioned Joseph's conveniently timed death (reportedly of old age), rumors swirled about the Empire that the aged sovereign had died long before Wilhelmina and John's divorce was finalized, and the Novellen clan was accused of delaying an announcement on his passing, in order to bar Wilhelmina from holding the title of empress-consort.
Contents
Family and Childhood
Wilhelmina Beatrix was born to Robert Castor Helvets and his wife, Letizia Marie d’Aryn, on the 2nd of Sigismund’s End, 1760, accompanied by a twin brother, Peter Helton Helvets. The future Duke of Cathalon was rather pleased and felt satisfied with his swiftly completed family. Robert was notoriously flighty, and considered his duties completed at the birth of a son. Such happy notions were not to last, and Letizia- who was known to be a heavy drinker and indulged in a great many unsavory pleasures- succumbed to blood loss the morning after. Robert, wrought by grief, returned to sea swiftly thereafter. Four years later, he returned from his sabbatical to find the poor Peter Helton sickly with consumption, dying three weeks after his father’s return. Exasperated by this failure, the young Wilhelmina was shunned by her father and accused of sucking the life out of her weak brother and mother, indirectly causing their deaths, whereafter she was sent abroad for foreign education.
After nearly a decade passed, Wilhelmina finally persuaded her father to allow her to return to the mainland. She was greeted with a lackluster homecoming but found fast friends in her cousins, Lorena Annabelle and Theodora Angelica, as well as an Auvergnian courtier by the name of Charles du Chatres. Wilhelmina, having spent much of her developmental years among foreign company, spoke almost exclusively Waldenian. Her cousins made quick work of her nonetheless. With the aid of a slew of Kaedreni tutors, they educated the sweet-faced Helvetii in the tongues of Common and High Imperial alike. Much to her chagrin, however, this left her with a slight accent that would not abate no matter how hard she worked to expel it.
Charles du Chatres introduced the newly-arrived Helvets to another Aeldenic socialite, Emperor Peter III’s Maitresse-en-titre, Renee Antoinette Rothesay. The pair of them became fast friends, with the Maitresse even sponsoring her education to take the strain off of her lordly uncles. This came as a welcome surprise to the government of Kaedrin, whose city had long remained uninhabited and destitute. With her return, a surge of activity ensued, in the middle of a war no less. Soon, the city of Owynsburg found itself bustling with women and soldiers alike, all at the ushering of the young Wilhelmina, with some aid by her cousin, Lorena Annabelle Helvets. It was said that Lorena resented Wilhelmina for how quickly the people of Kaedrin took to her presence, stating that she herself was far more deserved of the praise Wilhelmina garnered, considering she had lived her whole life in Owynsburg- though, until Wilhelmina arrived, had little to show for it. Such a deluge sparked the interest of the statesmen in far off Helena, who finally began to pay heed to the insistence of the Maitresse-en-titre, who all the while was singing her praises and pushing her as a potential match for John Charles, who was set to one day inherit the Empire. The pair of them were often known to complain about the Empire’s desire to marry the young heir off to a Haeseni noble of unimpressive education and birth, Irene Ruthern, positing that Wilhelmina would be far better suited to the demands of Imperial life, given her rapid-fire successes in Kaedrin. After much deliberation and much squabbling, emissaries were sent to Owynsburg, bearing an offer of marriage.
During this period, Wilhelmina began forging friendships that would last her the rest of her life. Most controversially would be that of Ostromir Carrion, who she always maintained she first met poring over some grand, leather-bound magnum opus of a tome. With her scholarly interests and his all-encompassing knowledge, the pair of them forged a hardy friendship that would last the test of time, though would regrettably be the cause of a great many rumors surrounding the future Empress’s fidelity. Such gossip likely first found its roots when Ostromir Carrion, then devoid of lordly status but undoubtedly rich, sent a slew of letters to Wilhelmina’s guardian and uncle, Richard, Count of Rochefort, asking for her hand in marriage, all of which were denied. Why the Count was denied is still unknown, considering that he attempted to position his daughter, Lorena, as a potential bride for John Charles in Wilhelmina’s stead, only to be denied on account of the close familial relation between Lorena and John.
Engagement
When Richard was approached by Orenian envoys bearing a contract of engagement, he was sent into a rage, calling them a paltry delegation, insisting that the Emperor himself come to discuss the matter of their betrothal. Wilhelmina, now sixteen and devoid of any other suitors other than the Carrion, gave her uncle a “right tongue-lashing”, as reported by eavesdropping courtiers, upon receiving news of his treatment of the Orenian party, insisting that he right his wrongs at once. One month later, Richard made the trip to Oren’s capital, tailed in secret by a carriage chock full of Wilhelmina’s ladies and the woman herself. As Richard discussed the contract with the reluctant John Charles, Wilhelmina and her party stationed themselves on the roof of the room in which the pair of them were stationed, eavesdropping on their conversation. In the blink of an eye, the parchment was signed, and the Helvets woman was to be relegated to the life of a spinster no longer. While John showed frustration with this agreement, it did not manifest right away, with the Prince electing to reserve harsh judgment of his future bride until he might see the make of her himself.
The newly engaged couple did not meet formally until her cousin’s debutante, where Wilhelmina was larking about with a collection of her favorites, playing a game of charades. John Charles asked her for a dance, and the woman, effervescent with the thrill of the evening and mayhaps a flute or three of Kaedreni champagne, took him up readily. It was a jubilant introduction, if nothing else, though she would later tell of her immense anxiety on the matter.
Marriage
Having been taken out by a group of his dearest companions, John Charles narrowly escaped what was believed to be an assassination attempt. However, John Pruvia-Provins took the arrow’s hit himself, saving the bride and groom many complications. This disruption did little to ease the bride’s anxiety, which grew worse and worse by the day as her wedding loomed ever closer. The Maitresse-en-titre tried her best to assuage the twenty-year-old Wilhelmina’s fear, to little avail. The bride to be, ever one for the mysticism of tradition plied the ladies of the courts of Oren and Kaedrin alike with tales of wedding-day superstition. Some ladies of Wilhelmina’s inner circle insisted that they take part in the Waldenian tradition of the Polterabend, where guests of the wedding would gather up chipped ceramics, glass, and porcelain and hurl them out of the window for good luck. One such story was that, in some far-off lands, it was believed that brides on the way to marriage were more susceptible to evil spirits. So, it was decided that as the cavalcade progressed to the Basilica, flanked by a great assembly of Imperial State Army soldiers and courtiers alike, Wilhelmina was to be surrounded by women of her choosing, all dressed similarly to her in shades of white and creamy gold so that the spirits of treachery could not distinguish her amongst the ladies, clustered protectively around her. It served a dual purpose, however. The bride was not be seen by any man or woman, save for those selected especially for the occasion, before the nuptial rites. This, unfortunately, did not stop a handful of the onlookers from climbing as high as possible so that they might glimpse even just the crown of the future Empress’s head.
Arriving early in the morning to the courts of the Novellen, the young Helvets was ushered into a private chamber to begin preparing for her wedding, where she was greeted by the Princess Imperial, Elizabeth, Princess Juliette Caroline, who she was said to love and adore greatly, Safiye Basrid, and the young Anna Henrietta. The door was then thrown open, and in this plight, the beautiful and blushing bride advanced into the salon. The Orenian ladies rushed to meet her. Wilhelmina threw herself into the arms of the Maitresse-en-titre and wept convulsively.
The Basilica of the Final Revelation was richly hung with red arras and cloth of white gold, at the end were erected a statue of Julia and Horen each. At the left were constructed two traverses, one for the Helvets on the right hand and the other for the prince on the left. The ceremony was lengthy, as Wilhelmina had requested that she be wed in the Judite Rite, by the High Pontiff himself no less, rather than by traditional means, sparking a trend within the Empire, increasing the rate of Judite weddings for several years. But as John Charles and Wilhelmina Beatrix bashfully peered at each other during those initial awkward moments, it was spring, and the sun was shining. John had been warned by his future monarch mother to beware of the wiles of the female sex, so he remained aloof. He did not want to be ruled by an interminable lust for women the way his grandsire was, who took various concubines, chief among them being a lady that had fraternized so intimately with the young Helvets. Thus, Wilhelmina had the nigh-impossible task of winning over Anne Augusta- a feat she would never quite achieve- as well as the monumental challenge of seducing her eldest son, her own betrothed husband. He was determined not to become entrapped by her, and had rarely made any romantic attempts at any woman. The party following lasted far into the evening, wherein the new Duke and Duchess were showered with gifts from visitors come far and wide. Dancing, fortune-telling, bards, minstrels, food, and drink were all provided at the Duchess’ expense, and performed were a selection of epithalamiums commissioned by Wilhelmina of Yuliya Styrne, symbolic of the Duchess’ strong patronage of the arts.
It was later told that Ostromir, the jilted suitor of the now Duchess of Furnestock, had planned to set off several bombs of Alchemist’s Fire at the celebrations in order to assassinate the groom and take Wilhelmina for his own. The newly-minted Duchess, however, known to be particularly attuned to the emotions of those around her, took quick note of Carrion’s feverish behavior, and pulled him aside to assuage his worries, narrowly avoiding disaster.
Life as an Imperial Princess-consort
Wilhelmina was afforded little time of bliss preceding her wedding, as many of her new in-laws were hesitant to integrate her into the fold, causing her to seek comfort in a selection of Orenian courtiers, many of whom informed the Duchess of two most troublesome rumors; one, that her newly-wed husband was a homosexual, and two, that the establishment which she had married into felt she was a woman of loose morals in comparison to the rigid Irene Ruthern, John’s former bride-to-be, and encouraged John not to seek her out in the marriage bed. This troubled the young woman greatly, considering that if she could not produce an heir, she would be ousted by the whole of society and that upon John’s death, his younger brother Philip, who was known to have a poor sense of decorum and was overall considered a poor fit for the brazen throne, would take up the mantle as Holy Orenian Emperor. With further investigation, it seemed a mixture of the two was true. John had steeled himself against her, and many had already suspected the Duchess to have taken up several illicit affairs, years if not decades before she ever truly would. This left Wilhelmina in a deeply uncomfortable situation, being in the midst of a foreign court whose ruling family was reluctant to accept her, and a husband within whom she could not confide. Even in matters of the court, her own sister in law, the Princess Imperial, would strong-arm the Duchess of Helena out of important public affairs which would have served to strengthen her image with John Charles as an undivided unit, something that she felt was of deep importance for the strength of an Empire.
With each passing day, her anxiety grew, and she soon found there was nothing else for her to do in an attempt to escape the scathing eye of the Emperor, Empress, and their disapproving children and counselors but to simply “sit, as though sculpted from marble and gilded in gold, and let them watch.” She wrote to her new sister-in-law, Henrietta Maria, of her frustrations, stating that there was “naught for me to do at court but twiddle my thumbs and willfully ignore the chatter of my siblings and their circles, while they go on fulfilling my duties and cursing my name all the while. Friends are not friends, and enemies closer such. Renee did not lie when she warned me of the viper’s pit I was to make my bed.”
As the years passed, and her marriage remained unconsummated, Wilhelmina often complained of the instability of her position, fearing that one wrong move would have her ousted on the grounds that she had not yet provided her husband with an heir. She insisted to all who questioned her that it was not her womb that was at fault but would swiftly change the topic of conversation to avoid answering any unsavory questions as to the fertility, or sexual orientation, of her husband. It was at this time that rumors began to swirl of John Charles’ alleged homosexuality, with many courtiers insisting to her that they’d seen gentlemen exit his quarters in the dead of night. Wilhelmina would even later attest that his sister, Juliette Caroline, confirmed the ordeal to her in private, taking pity on the childless Duchess. It was at this time that Wilhelmina looked to Ostromir Carrion, her childhood friend, for comfort. To many of those who knew them, it was considered that this was when Wilhelmina finally relented to his advances, desperate for affection. Their affair would last many decades, surpassing even the sanctity of her marriage, and even producing a child, Kazimir Nikolai, in 1802, confirming to the Duchess that she was not barren after all. The birth was attended by her sister-in-law, Henrietta Maria Pruvia, in the Augustine Palace.
Despite her infidelity and her apparent love for Ostromir, Henrietta Maria would later attest that Wilhelmina felt great remorse in her actions, which caused her to fall deeper into a looming depression that would last her long after her divorce. It was said that she felt as though she had proved all those in the courts of Oren who had little faith in her correctly, to which Henrietta replied that naught else could be done, and despite her noble birth she was worthy of a loving husband and a brood of her own. This did little to calm her spirits, as she began to withdraw from social events and was noted by Anna Henrietta Carrington to neglect her meals, causing the already petite Duchess- standing at a meager five feet- to grow even slimmer.
The Augustine Palace was something the Duchess took great pride in for a time, before growing to resent it in its entirety. She had spent a hefty amount of her funds in financing the construction of the palace- a feat for which she was never credited. Her time at the Augustine was idyllic, full of friendship and happy times until her luck began to change, and many of the courtiers began to resent her for her supposed apathy. Pressed to work, she threw a grand masquerade ball, which drew visitors from all ends of the world, and was one, if not the Empire’s most lucrative event since her very own wedding. Her talent for all things courtly was not one to be questioned, but many wondered why she did not capitalize on them more often. To this, she replied simply that no matter how many missives she wrote or events she threw, she would never find appreciation by her peers, and thus found little use in even attempting it. She often confided in her peers that it seemed as though the Imperial party already resented her presence long before her wedding day, and would resent her long after she’d passed. Such an ire would always puzzle her, considering how the Duchess was well known to be charitable and kind to even the lowliest of servants, and would even buy up all of the wares of any traveling merchant or beggar in order to ease their financial sufferings.
Divorce of 1814
Exasperated by her feelings of shame and worn down by the constant harping of the courtiers, Wilhelmina approached the office of the High Pontiff, requesting that he aid her in her exploration of the topic of an annulment. Considering her marriage was never consummated, she reasoned that nothing was stopping her, no matter how many of her favorites advised her against it. She declared that they were all simply hungry for the power that her position would give them, and that no amount of Orenian riches would be worth the suffering she had endured in her three-decade-long marriage. It was well known throughout the circles of the court that the Helvets yearned for a family of her own, and resented her in-laws for their abundant broods. After several years of waiting, John Charles finally relented, meeting with herself and the Pontiff. It’d seem that he had grown tired of the drama surrounding Wilhelmina and the one-sided quarrels of the court against her because, within the turn of the year, they were divorced. Wilhelmina confided in Renée Antoinette to say that, though it was all of her own doing, the bitter words she and John Charles shared in the pontifical chamber would forever haunt her. She resented him, to be sure, for his neglect and obvious distaste for her, but resented those who counseled him more, for they “poisoned his mind, body, and soul against me, when it was my sole intention on our wedding day and those happy years following to see him empowered.” To this, her old companion replied, "You were the only one who wanted him to be glorious, and he preferred to be poisoned by gossip." Soon after, Wilhelmina retired into the company of one of her relations, Franz Leopold, Duke of Schattenberg, with whom she sired three daughters, writing to a confidante that if John Charles would not fill her home with vibrancy, she would find a man who would. Little else is known of her life past this point, until the death of her former husband.
Death of John VIII
In 1837, after many years of living in solitude, Wilhelmina surfaced once more after the passing of her ex-husband, John VIII. Many expected that she would storm the Augustine Palace with a gaggle of friends and speak ill of the late Emperor, but no such plot came to pass. It is known that she struggled with whether or not she should attend his funeral, opting against it, claiming that “even in death he would have nothing to do with me,” and that she would not disturb his peace. Despite this, the red-haired divorcee was known to visit his burial site copiously, speaking out into the void as though carrying a conversation with a talkative partner. Many close to her did not understand this apparent grief she showed, considering it had long been thought that there was little love and even littler friendship in the marriage, but his death seemed to trouble her greatly regardless. Her children even postulated that she blamed herself for the pitiful state of his legacy, insisting that if she had stood up to those who sought to control him, and her, things would have been different.
Later life
Death
Titles, Styles, and Honors
Titles and Styles
- 2nd of Sigismund’s End, 1760 - 12th the First Seed, 1780: Her Ladyship, Wilhelmina of Cathalon
- 12th the First Seed, 1780 - 13th the Amber Cold, 1787: Her Imperial Highness, The Duchess-consort of Furnestock
- 13th the Amber Cold, 1787 - 10th of the Sun’s Smile, 1814: Her Imperial Highness, The Duchess-consort of Helena and Furnestock
- 10th of the Sun’s Smile, 1814 - Present: Her Ladyship, Wilhelmina of Cathalon
Issue
| Name | Birth | Death | Marriage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucius Maximinus Helane | 1798 (Debated) | N/A | Princess Georgiana Beatrix of Aldersberg | Firstborn child of Augustus Helane and Wilhelmina. Originally baseborn, however his father would have him legitimized shortly after he was born. He is Vesuvia's twin brother. |
| Vesuvia Modesta Helane | 1798 (Debated) | N/A | Joseph I, Count of Österland | Secondborn child of Augustus Helane and Wilhelmina. Originally baseborn, however her father would have her legitimized shortly after she was born. She is Lucius' twin sister. |
| Kazimir Nikolai Ostrovich-Helvets | 1802 | N/A | Unwed | Illegitimate child of Ostromir I, Count of Dobrov and Wilhelmina. |
| Josefina Magdalena Barrow | 9th of the Deep Cold, 1810 | N/A | Rainier Timothée FitzPeter | Firstborn illegitimate daughter of Prince Franz, Duke of Schattenburg and Wilhelmina. She is Yasmina's twin sister. |
| Yasmina Franziska Barrow | 9th of the Deep Cold, 1810 | N/A | Rodrigue I, Duke of Leone | Secondborn illegitimate daughter of Prince Franz, Duke of Schattenburg and Wilhelmina. She is Josefina's twin sister. |
| Adalina Sabine Barrow | 11th of the Sun’s Smile, 1818 | Missing since 1819, presumed deceased | Unwed | Thirdborn illegitimate daughter of Prince Franz, Duke of Schattenburg and Wilhelmina. |
