Blessed Queen Rosamund of the Hedbards
Queen of Lugoa and the Hedbards Rosamund Audoinid
Daughter of King Desideric Audoinid and Athalara Krauling, she outmaneuvered her younger brother Alahis and took the throne of the Hedbards for herself after their father's death. Under her, the Kingdom of the Hedbards reached the zenith of its power and prestige. She is venerated in the Mundana for her beginning of the conversion of the Hedbards to the western Ecclesia.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
The eldest child of Desideric Audoinid, the crowned King of the Hedbards, and his wife Amalara Krauling, the only child of King Einhard Krauling who fell in battle during the Krauling Prince's War. Rosamund was an especially powerful and ambitious woman who defied the rigid gender hierarchy of her people to become the first and only Queen of the Hedbards. Much of her life was chronicled by both Hedbard and Komneian authors, namely Brago and Reichares of Komneia.
Rosamund began her rule in 97 B.E. after usurping her brother Alahis with the aid of her younger brother Turismund. Two years into her rule, the Disaster at Calar not only led to the sinking of much of the Rasennan navy but also the death of the Rasennan emperor Procopius, leading to a period of sharp decline for the Empire. Rosamund wielded incredible sway with the neighboring empire and many of the prominent Rasennan nobles mocked the emperors who succeeded Procopius as "Rosamundae reginae paranymphi" or "Groomsmen of Queen Rosamund". This may have been true as Rosamund engaged continually in talks with the Rasennan emperors, many threats were made between the two but more often than not, Rosamund and the Hedbards came to be seen more and more as the dominant power of Lakia.
Yet despite the tense relationship that existed between the Hedbard and Rasennan royalty, the Hedbard kingdom under Rosamund did often act as a buffer between the other Krauling breakaway states and the empire, ensuring the Rasennans did not have to face Hasdinian armies openly. Under Rosamund, the Hedbards persevered many Rasennan cultural monuments such as the triumphal arch of Emperor Basilides I, which was called Dein Imparatori or "Gate of the Emperor." Famously, the mountain pass fortress constructed by Emperor Amellian was also restored and remained a stronghold of the Hedbards and their warring states even during the later days of Komneian Autokrator David Vatatzes during his Lakic campaigns. Rosamund also ordered the construction of the Mausoleum Rosamundi, the Mausoleum of Rosamund which kept the remains of Hedbard royalty entombed until it was partially destroyed after the death of King Falkan in 14 A.E. It was also under Rosamund that much of the stories and sagas of the origin and deeds of the Hedbards was chronicled. Namely that of the Audoinid connection to the Krauling and imperial Doukainid families through Rosamund's own mother, but also further back in the case of the Kraulings, with the marriage of Arudin Wulfingas to Galsuenda Krauling, sister of Marcomer who was the great-grandfather of Radimane.
Yet all was not peaceful as Rosamund defended the Hedbard realm from attacks by King Karl the Black and his son and successor King Ludwig the Lion. Rosamund's husband Hermanaric led the Hedbard army on her behalf though the Queen often accompanied the army on campaigns to maintain loyalty and morale. The more than thirty years of war between the two kingdoms dramatically ebbed and flowed though by the end of the conflicts, both kingdoms were drained of manpower and resources and fell into separate periods of decline with the Salians falling before the Dykairos.
Queen Rosamund's most profound impact was her conversion of the Hedbards to the Mundana Ecclesia. Whether by necessity or genuine piety, Rosamund had converted to the Mundana as a girl and sponsored many ecclesial works and conversions, including her husband and son. Before Rosamund, strife existed between the traditionalist Hedbard faction that retained their old religious beliefs and those of the newer generation that sought closer ties to the Rasennan Empire via their religion. Rosamund's selection of the Mundana's rites over that of the Pankomisa was brought on by the less restrictive nature of the Mundana as Rosamund retained the power to appoint her own clerics and the Mundana was generally seen as more lenient on heathens due to accepting a more syncretic belief system. For her role in converting one of perhaps the most non-believing peoples to have faced the Eccleisa, Rosamund was quickly given Blessed status during the reign of her nephew Geslac.
Queen Rosamund was very much an intellectual and was well known for her extensive knowledge and reading, which included extensive fluency in Lakic, Mykran, and Hasdinian. In addition, she was a student of philosophy and was praised as a towering figure of learning and wisdom. Rosamund was also described in her day as possessing all of the central Rasennan virtues expected of a noblewoman, happiness, fertility, and patience, although more emphasis was placed on her virtues within the political realm versus the feminine, something that separates her from other women of her time.
The Hedbard queen died in 65 B.E, at the age of fifty-six and was briefly succeeded by her only son Euraric who was overthrown and killed by noblemen in 60 A.E, though the Audoinid family regained power under Geslac, son of Rosamund's brother Turismund. The line of the Audoini continued all the way until the destruction of the Hedbard kingdom in 14 A.E under Falkan the Gold. After Falkan's death, the kingdom imploded and many rural and urban nobles began styling themselves independent Reges, thus beginning the Hedbard warring states period and a fusion of the native Lakic peoples with that of Hedbards, forming the Lacene identity which now lives primarily in northern Lakia in the corresponding old borders of the Hedbard Kingdom.
Rosamund began her rule in 97 B.E. after usurping her brother Alahis with the aid of her younger brother Turismund. Two years into her rule, the Disaster at Calar not only led to the sinking of much of the Rasennan navy but also the death of the Rasennan emperor Procopius, leading to a period of sharp decline for the Empire. Rosamund wielded incredible sway with the neighboring empire and many of the prominent Rasennan nobles mocked the emperors who succeeded Procopius as "Rosamundae reginae paranymphi" or "Groomsmen of Queen Rosamund". This may have been true as Rosamund engaged continually in talks with the Rasennan emperors, many threats were made between the two but more often than not, Rosamund and the Hedbards came to be seen more and more as the dominant power of Lakia.
Yet despite the tense relationship that existed between the Hedbard and Rasennan royalty, the Hedbard kingdom under Rosamund did often act as a buffer between the other Krauling breakaway states and the empire, ensuring the Rasennans did not have to face Hasdinian armies openly. Under Rosamund, the Hedbards persevered many Rasennan cultural monuments such as the triumphal arch of Emperor Basilides I, which was called Dein Imparatori or "Gate of the Emperor." Famously, the mountain pass fortress constructed by Emperor Amellian was also restored and remained a stronghold of the Hedbards and their warring states even during the later days of Komneian Autokrator David Vatatzes during his Lakic campaigns. Rosamund also ordered the construction of the Mausoleum Rosamundi, the Mausoleum of Rosamund which kept the remains of Hedbard royalty entombed until it was partially destroyed after the death of King Falkan in 14 A.E. It was also under Rosamund that much of the stories and sagas of the origin and deeds of the Hedbards was chronicled. Namely that of the Audoinid connection to the Krauling and imperial Doukainid families through Rosamund's own mother, but also further back in the case of the Kraulings, with the marriage of Arudin Wulfingas to Galsuenda Krauling, sister of Marcomer who was the great-grandfather of Radimane.
Yet all was not peaceful as Rosamund defended the Hedbard realm from attacks by King Karl the Black and his son and successor King Ludwig the Lion. Rosamund's husband Hermanaric led the Hedbard army on her behalf though the Queen often accompanied the army on campaigns to maintain loyalty and morale. The more than thirty years of war between the two kingdoms dramatically ebbed and flowed though by the end of the conflicts, both kingdoms were drained of manpower and resources and fell into separate periods of decline with the Salians falling before the Dykairos.
Queen Rosamund's most profound impact was her conversion of the Hedbards to the Mundana Ecclesia. Whether by necessity or genuine piety, Rosamund had converted to the Mundana as a girl and sponsored many ecclesial works and conversions, including her husband and son. Before Rosamund, strife existed between the traditionalist Hedbard faction that retained their old religious beliefs and those of the newer generation that sought closer ties to the Rasennan Empire via their religion. Rosamund's selection of the Mundana's rites over that of the Pankomisa was brought on by the less restrictive nature of the Mundana as Rosamund retained the power to appoint her own clerics and the Mundana was generally seen as more lenient on heathens due to accepting a more syncretic belief system. For her role in converting one of perhaps the most non-believing peoples to have faced the Eccleisa, Rosamund was quickly given Blessed status during the reign of her nephew Geslac.
Queen Rosamund was very much an intellectual and was well known for her extensive knowledge and reading, which included extensive fluency in Lakic, Mykran, and Hasdinian. In addition, she was a student of philosophy and was praised as a towering figure of learning and wisdom. Rosamund was also described in her day as possessing all of the central Rasennan virtues expected of a noblewoman, happiness, fertility, and patience, although more emphasis was placed on her virtues within the political realm versus the feminine, something that separates her from other women of her time.
The Hedbard queen died in 65 B.E, at the age of fifty-six and was briefly succeeded by her only son Euraric who was overthrown and killed by noblemen in 60 A.E, though the Audoinid family regained power under Geslac, son of Rosamund's brother Turismund. The line of the Audoini continued all the way until the destruction of the Hedbard kingdom in 14 A.E under Falkan the Gold. After Falkan's death, the kingdom imploded and many rural and urban nobles began styling themselves independent Reges, thus beginning the Hedbard warring states period and a fusion of the native Lakic peoples with that of Hedbards, forming the Lacene identity which now lives primarily in northern Lakia in the corresponding old borders of the Hedbard Kingdom.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Protect her realm and ensure her place of power and prestige
Virtues & Personality perks
Shrewd
Careful
Intellectual
Pragmatic
Agreeable
Savvy
Careful
Intellectual
Pragmatic
Agreeable
Savvy
Vices & Personality flaws
Manipulative
Cunning
Domineering
Proud
Cunning
Domineering
Proud
Social
Family Ties
Daughter of King Desideric of the Hedbards and Queen Athalara Krauling
Granddaughter of King Einhard Krauling and Audoin
Mother of Euraric Audoinid
Wife of Hermanaric Irmalung
Sister of Alahis and Turismund Audoinid
Granddaughter of King Einhard Krauling and Audoin
Mother of Euraric Audoinid
Wife of Hermanaric Irmalung
Sister of Alahis and Turismund Audoinid
Religious Views
Whether genuine in her belief or not, Rosamund began the transition of converting the Hedbards, a people long defiant of the religion of their hated imperial neighbors. The Mundana Ecclesia's hold on Lakia remained due to her efforts and many of the oldest temples and churches in the north of the peninsula are attributed to her building projects, though in truth many were built by her successors. Nevertheless, Rosamund's presence as a cultural matriarch of a society so heavily patriarchal in its views remains a feat of excellence and inspiration.
Social Aptitude
A generous patroness and bringer of peace, stability, and security. This is the shadow cast by the Blessed Queen of the Hedbards. And yet for most of Rosamund's reign, her realm was under constant attack and war with its neighbors. It is through careful and deliberate political maneuvering that she gained and held on to power. Yes she was generous, and yes she was a powerful and respected figure in her day, but she was absolutely dedicated to power and did whatever she could hold onto it when she gained it from her rival brother Alahis. Hedbard kings and princes learned from Rosamund's example of the deadly game of power and emulated her in the violent quarrels that would spark after the destruction of the Hedbard kingdom.
Relationships
Ethnicity
Life
121 B.E
65 B.E
56 years old
Circumstances of Birth
Oldest child of King Desideric Audoinid and Princess Athalara Krauling
Circumstances of Death
Died after a bout of illness at the age of fifty six
Spouses
Hermanaric Irmalung
(spouse)
Siblings
Children
Eyes
Light Blue
Hair
Long, blonde
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Fair
Height
5'6
Weight
145 lbs
Quotes & Catchphrases
"The knot is cut and the line drawn, our lands shall not see peace until blood soaks the land and the rivers run red."
Belief/Deity
Mundana Ecclesia
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
Character Prototype
Amalasuntha
(Rosamund meeting her betrothed, Hermanaric of the Irmalung clan)
(Rosamund's powerful father King Desideric, first of the Audoini to be crowned King of the Hedbards)
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