Florence of Rhossenia

Florence, Empress Consort
Empress Consort of Rhossenia, Viscountess Marle
Born	Florence Adelaide Turrell (1860-09-07)7 September 1860 Frankenlisch Castle, Frankenlisch
Died	25 October 1902(1902-10-25) (aged 42)
Spouse	Konstantin IX of Rhossenia
Issue	Empress Raisa Elina Prince Aleksandr
House	House of Turrell (Richardist)
Father	Richard of Vionna-Frankenlisch
Mother	Erika von Meninheim
Religion	Frankenlischian Andyist Church

Empress-Consort Florence of Rhossenia, Viscountess Marle was the wife of Emperor Konstantin IX of Rhossenia from 1878 until her death in 1902. Born in 1860 as Florence Turrell-Meninheim, she was the first child of the then-teenage Richard, Earl of Westonland and his wife Erika von Meninheim. She was eight years old when her father was crowned King of Vionna-Frankenlisch in July 1869 and followed him into exile in Gallandia when he was deposed later that year by his sister Caroline.

Early Life

Florence was born as Lady Florence Turrell-Meninheim on 7 September 1860 in St Kaspar's Hospital, the infirmary of Frankenlisch Castle and the usual birthplace for royal children at the time. She was the first child of Richard, Earl of Westonland, the first son of Princess Mary of Vionna-Frankenlisch, and a considerable scandal arose as the Earl was merely seventeen at the time and only betrothed to Florence's mother, Erika von Meninheim, the second daughter of Albert, Margrave of Savenheim, with a state wedding only two months away. The scandal was such that only a month after the birth, following a hasty intiation by the Deacon of Frankenlisch Castle, the family moved south to Marienberg where they spent eight months at the Imperial spa at Niosa. To avoid a state wedding drawing attention to the scandal, King Edward II had the betrothal (and, consequently, Florence) legitimised without a formal wedding and a small private service was held at Niosa.

The family returned to Frankenlisch in May of 1861 by which time the scandal had largely blown over and the closing stages of the short Imperial-Balionic War were the main story in the newspapers. Florence had a distant relationship with her mother who was a strict parent and she largely latched on to her grandmother, Princess Mary, as a parental figure in the first four years of her life. She had little contact with her father during that time as he was serving with the Imperial Navy. Mary was crowned Queen of Vionna-Frankenlisch in August of 1863 following the deaths of her father, King Edward II, and her younger brother, Prince William. Her reign lasted only 212 days as she was assassinated while visiting a country fair in Ballaeter on 14th March 1864.

Queen Mary's death had a considerable impact on Florence's childhood. Her uncle Alexander was crowned King and coronated on 30th April 1864, forcing her now second-in-line (Alexander was childless) father to return from his military service. Though considered a buffoon and a prankster by many at court due to his childish antics and good humour, Richard had the sense to find good tutors for her daughter and he was a loving and attentive parent when away from his state duties. His kind nature, ability as a gambler and distinguished, if short, military service endeared him to a section of the court in spite of his reputation as a jokester and Florence often accompanied her father to court, spending her early years with the children of high nobility and their retainers. Nicknamed Flo by most of her family and Florrie by her father, Florence was taught a basic syllabus by a renowned Wolfswooder tutor from Weissburg, Willus Klampf, and had further lessons on literature and the arts by a poet from Marienberg, Julio Morese. Florence quickly grew into an astute and well-read child under the tutelage of these figures and with her father's doting influence. She remained distant from her mother. During that decade, her mother and father had two further children: Elise (born 1865) and Karl (born 1869).

War of Vionna-Frankenlischian Succession

On 4 July 1869, King Alexander died childless. An emergency meeting of the Court of Saint Romulus was convened that night with most of the country's high nobility in attendance. At the time the heir to the throne was Princess Caroline, who was away in Edrington with her husband, Prince Quentin of Edrington. The court meeting was attended by Prince Richard who, through skilled argument (mostly concerning Caroline's marriage to a then-foreign ruler), veiled bribery, and the approval of political allies (most notably the Duke of Gestoria), convinced the assembled nobles that he should be crowned instead of Caroline. It was an extraordinary acheivement for a man whose political ability had been dismissed by a large portion of the Court and Richard consolidated his position by organising his coronation in record speed, being crowned in the Grand Cathedral only ten days after his elder brother's death.

For Florence, who was only eight at the time, her father's ascent to the throne did not immediately change her life. She stayed in Frankenlisch with her mother and siblings while her father embarked on a coronation tour of the country. Her tutoring continued under the oversight of the Viscountess of Wingdon, Queen Erika's senior lady-in-waiting, and a banquet was held for her ninth birthday at Frankenlisch Castle on 20th August. A significant portion of the Court did not attend the banquet, held some time before her actual birthday, with the most prominent guest being the Duke of Gestoria. Most of the nobility of Vionna-Frankenlisch were concerned by what they saw as a usurption of the throne and fled the court to the relative safety of their fiefdoms to escape the sometimes ruinous world of court politics and, for many, to prepare for the likelihood of civil war.