Amaldi Thasson-Montena

Lady of Montena; Queen of Ertland _(disputed). Amaldi

Amaldi Thasson-Montena was the cousin of King Foltis Thasson of Ertland. As the last surviving blood member of the Royal House of Thasson, Amaldi was next in line for the crown, but this was complicated due to her marriage to the lesser House of Montena. Her fight for the crown led to the War of a Thousand Traitors between 750AD and 802AD, though she died in 770AD under mysterious circumstances. 
Due to her marriage to the Lord of Montena, and her subsequent claim to the Thasson throne, Amaldi is considered the founder of the modern House of Thasson-Montena.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Childhood

Amaldi was born in 725 in Nero, the then-capital of the Kingdom of Ertland. Her parents died young, but she enjoyed a privileged upbringing and was heir to the throne for a year, until the birth of Foltis Thasson in 726. She was notably a high-spirited, prideful and strong-willed young girl, which did not gel well with the more conservative members of the King's council. 
As an adolescent, Amaldi and her uncle's council often schemed and plotted against each other. The council wanted to marry her off, while she wanted to be more involved with the running of the realm. It was during this period that Amaldi made enemies with Neopoldi of Tarmiano, the General of her uncle's armies. Their rivalry greatly annoyed the King, but Amaldi often got the worst of the criticism due to her stepping outside the bounds of the conservative norms of Ertish society.

Marriage & Adulthood

In 1044, at the age of 19, the council got their way and organised Amaldi's marriage to the Lord of Montena. Lord Montena was young, bullish and charming; Amaldi was easily convinced to marry him in return for gaining greater freedom and authority. 
Amaldi became Lady Montena upon her marriage as per the Ertish customs. She was no longer considered part of the Royal House, and stripped of incomes and honours from her parents' estates. This angered Amaldi, who felt tricked into the arrangement. 

Death of King Foltis (1050)

Six years after her marriage to Lord Montena, her young cousin Foltis Thasson died unexpectedly in a hunting accident with no issue. Amaldi was the only successor and heir-presumptive to the throne. 
However General Neopoldi of Tarmiano rallied enough support in Nero amongst the military against Amaldi to prevent her coronation. He argued she was unfit for the crown for several reasons: i) the House of Montena was close to the Kingdom of Yersia in both location and culture, meaning he framed Amaldi's ascent to the throne as a foreign perversion; ii) she was no longer of the Royal House, though that had not precluded other heirs in other situations; and iii) she was a woman, and Ertland had never had a queen. 
By the end of 1050 full blown civil war had broken out. Amaldi had gathered the support of the western nobility in Ertland including Broccano, Montena, Cergo Ine, Meadow's Hall and Rita. Neopoldi had the support of his loyal troops from Nero and Maco, as well as the powerful city of Argo and the mining town of Tollico.

War of a Thousand Traitors (750-770)

The war raged on for two decades as Ertland was successively destroyed, rebuilt and destroyed again. The toll of this war was great, leading to the Dukes of House of Argo abstaining from it in 760 in order to protect and conserve their land.
Amaldi was involved in every tactical decision made during the war but never took the field herself, leaving it to her husband. Amaldi's assortment of troops meant that authority was not centralised within her army, causing huge losses against Neopoldi's smaller but more disciplined force. 
Several settlements fled, joined and abandoned the war in successive waves. Many were often conquered and coerced into rejoining a particular side. Both Amaldi and Neopoldi had little mercy for traitors, but were so often betrayed that it made them both cruel and paranoid towards those around them.
Amaldi bore a son in 769 named Montegro Montena.
By 770, she had raised enough troops to besiege Nero in late 770. Neopoldi surprised Amaldi by opening his doors and surrendering on the condition that they'd parley in good faith to save Ertland. Amaldi agreed. As she ascended the steps to her ancestral castle, Amaldi collapsed and died suddenly.

Aftermath of Death

Amaldi's death led to a burst of new claimants to the throne, as anybody with Thasson blood raised their banners and rode to war. Ertland knew violence unlike any it had seen before as mercenaries, bandits and roving warlords carved up petty kingdoms in the province that would last no longer than a few months. 
Eventually her son Montegro Montena would be voted in by a Conclave in 802 at the age of 32 years old. However this would have been a hollow victory for Amaldi, as the election was rigged and controlled by the Kingdom of Red Veil. Montegro was coerced into giving the nearby Kingdom much greater influence in matter of states that would eventually lead to the downfall of Amaldi's line as monarchs.

Life

725 770 45 years old

Circumstances of Death

Dropped dead mysteriously after defeating her enemies at Nero