Hema Kalyani
| Hema Kalyani | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maharani of Karangi | |||||
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| Maharani of Karangi | |||||
| Reign | 21 April 1806 – 4th April 1844 | ||||
| Coronation | 16 June 1806 | ||||
| Predecessor | Avinashrao Ratta | ||||
| Successor | Ravirajah | ||||
| Born | Jayanthi 1785 Karangi Palace, Karangi, Kingdom of Karangi | ||||
| Died | 4 April 1844 (aged 59) Marlowe Place, Alfsard, Estmere | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Consort | Sir Horace Marlowe | ||||
| Issue Detail | |||||
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| Dynasty | Ratta dynasty | ||||
| Religion | Zohism Sotirianity | ||||
Maharani Hema Kalyani (ಮಹರನಿ ಹೇಮ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣಿ; born ಜಯಂತಿ Jayanthi, 1785 - 4th April 1844), sometimes referred to as Ko Jayanta in Padaratha, and commonly known as Catherine of Karangi in Estmere, after her baptismal name. A member of the Ratta clan, she married Sir Horace Marlowe and nominally converted to Sotirianity, creating a scandal in both Karangi and Estmere. Despite this, after the death of her nephew Avinashrao Ratta she was placed on the throne of Karangi and ruled for 38 years (21 April 1806 – 4th April 1844).
During her reign she became known as an avid reformer, keen to introduce Euclean advances in technology and science to Karangi, as well as improve the lives of ordinary people and the rights of women. Though fascinated by Estmerish culture in her youth, she became more conservative later in her reign and sought to protect Pumil culture and encourage the usage of the Pumil language in her court by Estmerish residents and courtiers. She became posthumously known as 'Ko Jayanta' (meaning King Victory, with Jayanta being the masculine form of Jayanthi alluding to her ruling in her own right) as a result of her reforms and strong-will.
By the time of her death in 1844 she was one of the richest people in the world, with her personal fortune estimated to be equivalent to $4 billion when adjusted for inflation. Despite difficult relations with Estmere in her later reign, she was described by John Smith as "the most noble and magnificent ruler in Satria [...] ruling a kingdom that is run alike heaven upon earth."
Early life
Born Jayanthi in 1785, Hema Kalyani was the youngest daughter of Sri Ajay Rao, the Maharaja of Karangi. Sri Ajay Rao had long been an ally of Estmere, a policy started by his father to ward off Etruria, and the Kingdom of Karangi became a protectorate of Estmere. This allowed Karangi to avoid being annexed by Estmere, as its rulers were known to be loyal and amiable to Estmerish interests. This was largely because they had been restored to the throne by Estmere after a half-century of exile after being usurped by the Chadaya dynasty.
Little is known of her childhood, as her place in the succession made it expected that she would be married off to other Satrian royalty or nobility. However the deaths of two of her elder brothers, and the long-term illness of her other brother, who would succeed their father in 1795 as Murali Rao, created some interest in her by the incumbent Resident, Claud Canham. The death of her brother in 1797 left her as the presumed heir to her young nephew, Avinashrao.
Marriage
Fearing that Avinashrao would die young and without an heir of his own, which would open Karangi to the possibility of a less loyal cadet branch taking over, Canham found a solution in the young Jayanthi. He met opposition from the Chief Minister of Karangi, Shyam Siva, who was hesitant to allow Jayanthi to be named Avinashrao's heir while unmarried. Canham therefore set out to find a match that would be agreeable to both Karangi, the presidency in Canducca, and the government in Estmere.
Early proposals to Shyam Siva for matches with other Padarathan nobility and royalty were rejected for various reasons by both parties. Princes under Etrurian control were also rejected, for fear of an opening up of Karangi to Etrurian influence. Canham was then drawn to an unusual candidate, Sir Horace Marlowe. Marlowe was an Estmerish officer who had been born in Manicula (modern-day Manikkala), spoke Pumil as his first language, but had been educated in Estmere and was a member of the Marlowe family, part of the Swathish gentry.
Shyam Siva was hesitant about the match, and initially rejected it. Upon a chance meeting with Sir Horace in January of 1798 however his opinion on the matter changed, and by March he wrote to Canham, who had meanwhile started the search again, that he found Marlowe "an agreeable and most amiable gentleman of noble kshatriya origin". Negotiations opened, with only religion being a sticking point. Shyam Siva desired that Marlowe convert to Zohism, but eventually relented with Canham and Marlowe agreeing that the children of the union would be Zohist and of the Ratta dynasty.
Jayanthi and Marlowe were married in May 1798. She was at the time 14, which was not an unusual age for marriage in either Satria or Estmere, while Sir Horace was 31. Despite the marriage being arranged, the young couple soon became infatuated with one another, and their first meeting in April before the marriage was noted to have been a good one.
The two moved to Estmere for a time, initially residing in Marlowe place with Sir Horace's parents and family. His father, Sir Robert Marlowe, Third Baronet was a Tankarophile, who had lived in Estmerish Padaratha most of his life, who was most ecstatic about the match. His wife and Sir Horace's sisters were less enthused, due to the ensuing scandal the match caused, but soon warmed up to Jayanthi.
The couple later moved to Morwall, where they purchased a townhouse, which would later become a pub known as the Satrian Queen which still exists to this day. In 1801 Jayanthi, under pressure from socialite friends and members of Estmere's government, converted to Sotirianity and became a part of the Embrian Communion, taking the bapitsmal name of Catherine. Despite this she remained a practicing Zohist and wrote in her diary that "one cannot be Zohist without believing in Jesus Soter, so it stands that one cannot be Sotirian unless they believe in Krishna."
Reign
Personal life and family
