Queen Kateraldir Verden Wilem of Flowers

Queen Kateraldir Verden Wilem of Flowers was the second queen to rule under the Wilem dynasty of Fleur. She was preceded by her mother, Queen Astoria Wilemsdotir of Flowers, and succeeded by her daughter, Queen Tizarn Wilem of Flowers. She is known for her short eleven year rule, her fair but unremarkable leadership, and her rejection of the Justainian faith.

Early Life
Kateraldir was born the only child of the then princess Astoria Wilemsdotir and her husband Prince Aeren Verden in 198 or 197 AE. Their only child, she was raised and kept close by her mother who loved her deeply. Astoria breastfed her, denying the use of a wet nurse or nurse in general for the girl. Kateraldir followed her everywhere, never far from her mother. She was allowed to play with some noble children who's job it was to be her friends. Kateraldir showed great social aptitude from an early age.

In her teens, Kateraldir got into trouble after being seen kissing a boy her age on the mouth beneath a tree in the gardens during a feast. Outraged, the pontificate of the castle gave her nine lashes and forced her to commit Sanguinarium for three weeks daily. Kateraldir hated religion after this, loathing the Justainians and the Arimanians.

Kateraldir married when she was sixteen in 182 AE to Prince Iseult Fordrin, a fourth son of the ruling King of Forzen. The arrangement was made by her mother and her wedding was quite large, culminating in a great feast that lasted for three weeks. Originally, it was not decided where the two would live, be it Forzen or Fleur, but eventually the decision was made to stay in Fleur for the benefit of Iseult's learning Fleurian. Kateraldir became pregnant soon after, having her eldest daughter in 181 ME, the future Queen Tizarn Wilem of Flowers. She had her second child in 179, a boy later called Prince Raehrn Wilem.

During her mother's rule
In 177 AE, Kateraldir's father died in a hunting accident leaving the young woman struck with grief. She mourned him deeply, so distraught in fact was she that it is believed her womb shriveled inside of her, leading to a sudden sterility for the rest of her life. It is said that at this time Kateraldir had become furious with her mother, though after a day's long meeting with her, the two were suddenly back to being inseparable.

When the time came to decide who the crown would pass to, a Council of Succession was formed. At this point, Fleur had not had a Queen of Flowers in eighteen years. Debate over whether the crown should pass to Astoria or Kateraldir were fierce, eventually ending in the coronation of Astoria, a decision expected to cause controversy but which was actually appreciated by the people of Fleur. Kateraldir was not upset over this decision, opting instead to relish the chance to raise her two children and spend time with her husband who she had come to adore.

In 175 Kateraldir and her family moved to Wilemberg, then a small town called Vinyen by the sea. The couple oversaw the building of a stately manor keep near the sea which they called Evermere. The family became the governors of the town, helping expand the little hamlet into a bustling trading stop on the Green Glass Road. Evermere would become a home for the adult children of the Fleurian monarch until the capitol was moved from Skjol to Wilemberg in.

In 170 AE, Kateraldir returned to Verdenston in the city of Skjol in preparation for her mother's death. The two spent the last years of Astoria's life together, with the elder teaching her daughter on how to rule. In 169 AE Queen Astoria Wilemsdotir would die at the age of sixty-one.

As Queen of Flowers
Kateraldir's coronation occurred three weeks after her mother's death in winter of 169 AE. At this time, she changed her family name from Verden to Wilem in honor of her mother. Her children followed suit. As queen, Kateraldir was far from her mother in ability and success though she was able to rule without major incident in eleven years. She kept her mother's rejection of Korevnan influence, building a border wall called Kateraldir's Wall who's ruins can still be seen today along the old Fleurian border.

Perhaps her most recognizable policy was her rejection of the Justainian faith and a great support in the then new ideas of Fleurian Aestheticism. Kateraldir became a great patron of the arts, commissioning several plays, art pieces, and buildings to be made in the newly emerging Neo-Fleurian Style. Kateraldir also saw an increase in foreign imports, relaxing somewhat on her mother's policy of export over import.

One of her biggest mistakes was the 161 incident called the Expulsion of the Pontificates, where in Kateraldir had three hundred and thirty-three religious leaders removed from the country. Most of the exiles moved to the River Lands, helping to found that territories heavy Justainian culture. This move left many angry at the queen for her lack of religious tolerance.

In 158 AE Kateraldir died from unknown causes after a rapid decline. Theories attest to her either catching dysentery or another bowel disease or perhaps some kind of flu. Her funeral procession went from Evermere to Verdenston where she was buried beside her mother in the Cathedral of St. Mikael. Her remains were one of the few from the Cathedral not moved during Prince Consort Calvan's Revival in 63 ME.

Appearance
Kateraldir had light brown hair which she kept in long light waves. Normally, she wore her hair tight upon her head or pulled back beneath her crown. Her eyes were green, her face somewhat round despite being a bit skinny, and her nose long. Kateraldir was of average height for the era, though she sometimes wore platformed shoes beneath her dresses to give the appearance of height. She preferred structured green gowns.

Controversy and Modern Dismissal
During the Calvanist revival of 50 to 70 ME, Kateraldir's legacy was being questioned. Prior to then she had been remembered as a fine successor to her mother, not exceptionally noteworthy, but not a tyrant. For most, this placed her in the ranks of the Nine Saintly Queens. However, when Prince Consort Calvan Wilem began to preach on her wicked sinfulness and her part in the Expulsion of Pontificates, her public image began to decline. Several of the buildings she worked to create, such as Viole Manor and the Kateraldir Fine Art Gallery were demolished in this period.

Art pieces depicting the queen suddenly became elusive, now housed in secret galleries, covered where they hung, or mysteriously lost (like her above official portrait). Calvan was pleased by this smearing of his ancestors name. In fact, he tried to officially remove his line of Wilems from the original Wilem line, arguing that the string of royals from Astoria to Frederick should be called House Wilemsdotir and everyone after Grace Wilem would be the true House Wilem. This did not catch on, his wife stopping the idea before it could leave the inner circles of his peers. Some extremist Fleurian Justainists subscribe to this model of dynasty division still.

In modern times, from 100 ME onward, Kateraldir has largely been left out of historical discussions. Many of the buildings or art she commissioned have had her name removed from their records. Interestingly, she had somewhat of a small revival among the followers of Queen Guinevere Wilem of Flowers, though this died down as the queen's focused shifted to the Two Years War.