| Yrsa III | |
|---|---|
| |
| Queen of Álengiamark | |
| Reign | 1st May, 1844 - 19th February, 1867 |
| Predecessor | Herridr II |
| Successor | Elin VIII |
| Born | 3rd August, 1801 Alexandría Höfðingustr, Unamiland, Álengiamark |
| Died | 19th February, 1867 St. Hafdiss, Sudervik Fylk, Álengiamark |
| Spouse | Fernando V Hákon Mathíasson |
| Issue | João VI Maria |
| Full name | |
| Yrsa Elizabet Thorey Georgesdottír | |
| House | Eiriksdottír |
| Father | Prince George August of Saxony |
| Mother | Herridr II |
Yrsa III ruled Álengiamark during the latter half of the 19th century and her reign is associated with the flourishing of the Industrial Revolution in the country, however she had already spend twenty years embroiled in the politics of Portugal as both Queen consort and Queen Mother.
Born in 1801, Yrsa was Queen Herridr II's third daughter and as such was never expected to rule Álengiamark. She was instead groomed for marriage into a European dynasty and in 1818 Yrsa was betrothed to Prince Felipe of Leon. She would have become Duchess of Asturias and there was the expectation she would become Queen of Leon in due course. There was never a marriage. As Yrsa's ship lingered in the Azores to repair and take on supplies Alfonso XIII was overthrown by the Castilian revolutionary army and a cousin had been installed as king. Though Alfonso XIII had managed to escape to Aragon, Prince Felipe had been less successful and now was a prisoner in Madrid alongside the deposed Castilian King Henry VIII. Both would be executed in 1820 for 'conspiring with enemies of Castile'.
Queen Consort of Portugal[]
It would not be long before Yrsa was married to the heir to Portugal, Prince Fernando, in March 1823. He had already supposedly seduced her whilst in the Azores and their respective parents authorised the marriage to strengthen the long-standing Álengsk-Portuguese alliance. Mainland Portugal had by this point fallen to the Hispanic Revolutionary forces too, and a republic had been proclaimed. 'Royal Portugal' was for the moment confined to a string of Atlantic islands, and Álengsk ships flying the Portuguese colours, assisted the Portuguese in resisting the forces of Hispania. The Prince and Princess made formidable team, shuttling between the islands and European capitals as needs and diplomacy saw fit. Yrsa provided an important bridge between Portugal, Kalmar and other allied powers arrayed against Hispania, charming and wheedling subsidies out of Christian II of Denmark, Louis XV of France and William V of Luxembourg in the hectic summer of 1828.
Yrsa, as Queen of Portugal
Fernando inherited the crown in 1829 and Yrsa became Queen of Portugal. Her name was usually rendered as 'Úrsula' in Portuguese. Fernando would campaign tirelessly against Hispania, capturing the Canary Islands and much of Hispania's North African holdings but would never set foot in Lisbon again; he would die in 1833 of a sudden brain haemorrhage. However, their son João, aged 9 and now king, would; Yrsa moving into the Ajuda Palace as Queen Mother and Regent as the Hispanic Revolution unravelled and Iberia was freed by the European coalition arrayed against it.
She found her time as regent frustrating, frequently butting heads with the Prime Minister José Jorge De Atouguia. She and her advisors hoped to bring in a constitution and bill of rights much as her mother was tirelessly pursuing in Álengiamark but in the atmosphere of post-Hispanic Revolution the order of the day was reactionary policies and the idea of ceding power to the people was anathema. That it would decrease the power of the Prime Minister in the process was utterly unthinkable. Although the islands regarded her as a hero the Portuguese mainland had a less reverent picture of her and she found few establishment allies willing to risk their positions to support her. And then João died. There was a brief attempt to champion her and Fernando's remaining child, Maria, as queen but instead Fernando's brother Pedro seized the throne and the country was soon in civil war between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians.
Yrsa and Maria were pensioned off and 'encouraged' to leave Portugal, and the ex-Queen returned to Álengiamark shorn of her titles and jewels. She arrived in Nahigavik in late 1838 with only Maria, her loyal maid, and two trunks of hurriedly packed possessions. Both the Portuguese parliament and the Álengsk Althing ratified an agreement that Maria and her heirs would be ineligible for the Portuguese throne, unnecessarily as it turned out: Maria would die childless. Yrsa had no lands in Álengiamark and lived, relatively modestly, at the Hjörtahvíliflói Palace on a subsidy. Here she ran a 'salon' which attracted a small but distinguished diaspora from Iberia discussing philosophical and literary matters. The satirical weekly magazine 'Porto', still published today 190 years later, has its origins in this society. She would marry again, morganatically to a commoner, Hákon Mathíasson, who was captain of the palace guards. She would bear him two sons, though both would die in infancy.
Yrsa lived quietly in this fashion until 1842 when her eldest sister Margrjet suddenly died, leaving Yrsa as heir to the Álengsk throne. She immediately moved her family to St. Hafdiss.
Queen of Álengiamark[]
She would be queen two years later when her mother was assassinated by a farm labourer protesting a relaxing of Álengiamark's strict religious laws. Un-bowed by the violence, Yrsa urged the Althing to continue the liberalisation. Though Alengiamark's pro-Catholic bias still lingers even now, the technical erasing of barriers to followers of other creeds to participate in politics, own certain businesses, or even just to get a higher education, would slowly improve the economy.
She had already become intimate with the workings of the Althing. The Althing, now mostly freed from 'rotten counties' and blatant corruption, was adopting the features of other parliamentary systems. Defined political parties had started forming and political power was shifting from the Speaker to the heads of the parties. Yrsa revelled in the political process, much like her mother (and unlike the disinterested Margrjet). She would spend hours in the Lower and Upper houses, often making speeches, and occasionally inadvertently derailing debates to get clarification on procedure or practicalities. Much of the Althing's current processes (archaic as they may appear now) date back to Yrsa's reign and agreements put in place during her period of interference. Eventually the Althing would vote to ban royalty from the lower chamber if only so they could get work done.
Her reign would coincide with major industrial developments in Álengiamark. Though new improved textile looms were widespread they were limited to power derived from fast flowing rivers. By Yrsa's reign however steam engines were starting to appear. These were limited, for now, to the coal-mining areas of Unamiland and Margirhaedeyja Fylk and it is perhaps a irony that the opulent palace-monastery of Alexandría Höfðingustr which had been built in a pristine rural idyll, now found itself surrounded by mines and heavy industry. The Susquehannock and Kithanne Rivers became the focus of this activity and, augmented by a considerable influx of German immigrants, the small villages swelled into small cities, with all the social and economic problems that came with it.
Connecting the Ohio River to the Atlantic coast by canal was an instant success, funnelling the goods of Aniyunwiya (and beyond) to Álengsk cities and enriching the investors who had risked their fortunes on the endeavour. A canal building boom brought coal and iron to the new steam engines now powering industry and allowed the older cities on the Atlantic coast to catch up in terms of industrialisation. In all this their were many who lamented that the technology was merely copied from others and that there was little true innovation in amongst the Álengsk entrepreneurs. The existing universities could pump out lawyers and thinkers galore but offered little 'practical' training. The Althing took note and more technically-minded institutions were established. It also spent a great deal of its time and energies debating and legislating exactly what the state's responsibilities for the poor and working classes were. Many of the new industrial towns were essentially dependent on a single industry or even a single company who often built the housing stock and. Should the Althing step to guarantee the welfare of these workers? Ultimately it decided no, for the most part these company towns were well-run and not exploitative, and it had other pressures on the budget.
Yesanland Revolutionary War (1847-1850)[]
Yesanland had ousted its own monarchy in 1821 as the initial shocks of the Leifian Crisis were felt, and its new republican government had waged war against Susquehanockland and Álengiamark in the years that followed. Hopes that the country's radicalism would die down in time were dashed as successive internal disputes ramped up the rhetoric as the 1840s dragged on. In March 1847 six Álengsk traders were executed for 'spying' by the Yesan, even though it was quickly proved they had not been in Yesanland at all, but near the border in Aniyunwiya. Border skirmishes had been a constant issue but in June of 1847 an attempt on Queen Yrsa III's life by Yesan-linked revolutionaries focused minds.
On 6th June Yrsa was welcomed by crowds in Nanticokeland, but as a carefully arranged, and perhaps overly stylised, parade through Yrsakavelyk's narrow streets progressed, an assailant scrambled onto the royal carriage, shot one pistol at the coachman, killing him, and another point-blank into the carriage which mercifully only grazed one of Yrsa's friends, and then fled. Both he and an accomplice were caught and both were quickly questioned, tried and hanged, screaming Yesan curses and revolutionary screed throughout the entire process. The Álengsk Althing declared war, alongside Vinland, other Leifian Kalmar partners and Aniyunwiya.
Invasion through the north of Yesanland by the broad coalition was hard-going. The Yesan fortresses, though aging, were formidable, strategically placed, and held up the invading armies for long stretches. Massed cavalry was largely useless in the mountainous terrain and the Yesan Revolutionary Guard was extremely well-drilled and motivated, a feature that was missing from the increasingly hard-pressed and harassed invading forces. Several towns were utterly destroyed, their populations butchered, on the slow advance to the interior; a bloodbath which did not stay hidden from the public for long.
As the war reached a bloody end with the siege and capitulation of Nahyssa, the public backlash from the entire campaign overawed any relief the campaign was over and collapsed the now fragile Reformist government in Althing in the process. This would set back any further constitutional change in the short term and it would break the resolve of the Althing to intervene in restoring foreign regimes, at least for a while. Hence when Abernakriga, a neighbouring state and a member of the Kalmar Union no less, overthrew its monarchy in the summer of 1857 Álengiamark did not react as expected, or indeed as some of its alliance partners wished. Instead of invading and restoring the royal family it reached out an olive branch to the moderates in Abernakriga, promising support as long as the new regime abided by the previous diplomatic agreements and the royal family was provided with safe passage.
Other Foreign Ventures[]
Álengsk influence in the Red Sea was solidified during the First Álengsk-Caliphate War (1857-1863). Álengsk administrators had run the Somali port of Berbera since its seizure in 1840, more or less successfully, and when Aden on the other side of the gulf revolted against its heavy-handed and corrupt Caliphate governors the Álengsk were quick to offer support, its coffee 'clipper' ships relaying the news back to St. Hafdiss almost before the news reached Baghdad. While the Álengsk troops in the area, with substantial Somali irregulars, helped the local Yemeni forces secure the immediate Adeni hinterland an expeditionary force was gathered in Álengiamark to provide the robust resistance to the inevitable Caliphate response. In April 1858, almost nine months after the initial revolt the Caliphate army lumbered into view and almost immediately foundered on the fortress of Taiz which had been thoroughly reinforced. Though modern rifles and cannon ended up being the most effective Álengsk contribution to the war, around 10,000 soldiers would eventually see action in the arena. The wider Kalmar sphere declined to get involved and infighting on the Yemeni side ultimately fatally weakened the defence. With the Caliphate unable to overcome the defences, but equally the Álengsk were unable to overcome the numerical advantage stacked against them even with superior weapons, a negotiated withdrawal was agreed. The Álengsk would leave the squabbling factions in Aden to their fate for substantial trading privileges in the Red Sea ports.
As the war wound up the Sultan of Majeerteenia and the Governor of Berbera, Ólafur Jóhannsson, would use the Álengsk army to pacify the rebellious provinces of the Somali interior, before it departed for home. Out of this Somaliland was created, to be administered jointly by the two states.
Next the expeditionary force crossed the Arabian Sea to reinforce the port of Mangalore which though Álengsk by treaty, had been repeatedly threatened and blackmailed by the Mysore kings. The Second Álengsk-Mysore War erupted as a result. Once again the Álengsk army proved its worth but could not escape the cordon which the numerically superior Mysore forces threw around Mangalore. The Mysore army had superior rockets too, fired from iron tubes they were much more reliable and had a much longer range than Leifian or European versions. Unlike in Aden however, this time there were ready allies to be had in the various countries who had trading ports up and down the Indian coast and also wanted to alter the deals they had made years before from weak positions. The French at Nedumkotta has been harassed and threatened too and gladly lent troops, as did the Danes and Vinlanders. Initially strong, the Mysore armies soon suffered multiple defeats from several angles. The Delhi Emperor's diplomatic power put an end to the conflict, fearful that Mysore would collapse and the entire south-west would be carved up between the Europeans. The foreign trading stations on the Mysore coast were given extra rights and land, usually expanding to incorporate the entire towns in which they were based rather than just a small area of the port. Mysore (and Delhi) were to be given preferential trading rights but otherwise the foreign ports could.
Comparatively speaking the trading opportunities generated by the ventures in Aden and Mysore were not worth the severe strain they placed on the budget. However they spoke to the country's ability to project its power overseas bringing it firmly into the 'upper tier' of Kalmar nations. It was no longer just a formidable economic power but a military one too.
Death and Legacy[]
Yrsa would die in 1867. She was succeeded by her daughter Maria who would take the regnal name Elin VIII.
As per her wishes, although she was given a state funeral and buried in St. Hafdiss, her heart was taken to Lisbon to be buried alongside Fernando V and João VI.
Her life was depicted in the wildly successful (and intermittently historically accurate) film serial 'The Atlantic Queen' which ran for 25 instalments released fortnightly through late 2022 - early 2023. Yrsa was played by Þórdís Bjarkisdottír.
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