Stella II of Lihnidos

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Stella II
StellaVasiliou.jpg
Empress of Lihnidos
Reign27 November 2007 - present
Coronation17 February 2008
PredecessorTeresa
Heir apparent Princess Efthymia, Duchess of Rhithasa
Prime Ministers 
See list
Born4 May 1977 (age 47)
Arcadia, Lihnidos
Spouse
Yorgos of Ikaria (m. 1998)
IssuePrince Spyridion
Princess Efthymia, Duchess of Rhithasa
Princess Maria
Princess Athanasia
Full name
Stella Marianna Polyxeni
HouseVasiliou
FatherPriapus of Ithaca
MotherTeresa of Lihnidos
ReligionFabrian Catholic

Stella II (Stella Marianna Polyxeni, born 4 May 1977) is the current Empress of Lihnidos and the 17th monarch of Lihnidos. Stella is the eldest of five children born to Teresa of Lihnidos and Priapus of Ithaca. As the eldest child of Teresa, she was groomed for rule since her birth and was the considered Teresa's likely heir apparent throughout her youth. She ascended to the throne on 27 November 2007 after the death of her mother, Empress Teresa, who died unexpectedly from a heart attack during a meeting of the Crown Council. She was officially crowned empress on 17 February 2008 after her mother had been laid to rest.

Stella was born at Saint Maria's Hospital in the Lihnidosi capital city of Arcadia on 4 May 1977. At the age of five she entered Saint Anna's School for Girls where she went through primary and secondary education before moving to attend university at the University of Arcadia. She graduated third in her class in 1999 at the age of twenty-two with a Bachelors Degree in Political Science.

Following her graduation from university she took up the official duties as a princess of Lihnidos, but shortly after took up duties as crown princess after her grandmother, Selene II, passed away. Her imperial duties were carried out with the assistance of the Imperial Office and her sister Aleka. Having been groomed for rule since she was born, she took her duties seriously and showed dedication when carrying out the responsibilities that came with her position. When her mother died unexpectedly in 2007, Stella was able to slide into the role of empress with little difficulty despite the death of her mother taking a heavy emotional toll. Her desire to serve in a way that would make her mother proud led her to continue on a number of the late empress's policies for many years before altering the way she operated.

Stella married Yorgos of Ikaria, son of Yanna, Duchess of Ikaria, in 1998 at the age of twenty-one. The couple have had four children, one son and three daughters. She is a known and ardent follower of the Fabrian Catholic Church. She does few interviews with press and keeps her and her family's personal life private. She is known in the government for her secrecy and has a small number of trusted advisors who she consults on matters of personal importance. Planted by her mother and other elderly advisors, she has a distrust for elected politicians, which has resulted in a rift between herself and the elected government.

Early Life and Education

Stella was born on 4 May 1977 in room 314 of Saint Maria's Hospital in Arcadia at 2:46 AM BST. She was considered the first child of Empress Teresa and Priapus of Ithaca despite being a twin to her sister Aleka, although Stella was born first. Her mother was still crown princess at the time of Stella's birth. Her father was unable to attend her birth after his motorcade ran into traffic that was a result of a ten car accident. Unable to turn down side streets or turn the motorcade around, he decided to run to the hospital on foot despite the objections of his imperial guard detachment. He arrived seven minutes after her birth.

Her mother, Teresa, had been crown princess since 1978. Stella's father, Priapus, was the son Grand Duchess Jacinda of Ithaca. Stella was baptized on 22 May 1977 in the private chapel at the Imperial Palace alongside her sister with only her immediate family in attendance. Her Godfather and Godmother were her paternal aunt and uncle Teuthras and Vara.

By the age of five her mother had had three other children, Adrian, Astrid, and Orrin. At the age of five she was enrolled at Saint Anna's School for Girls in central Arcadia. Saint Anna's, a private Fabrian Catholic school, was one of the most prestigious schools in the city. She attended Saint Anna's throughout her primary education and secondary education. According to her report cards that were released in 2010 she received As and Bs in most of her classes, only receiving a C in Physics during one of her years in secondary school. While in secondary school she participated in the school's football team as a defensive midfielder. In her final year of secondary school, she was voted most likely to succeed. She graduated as the fifth in her class with a 3.7 GPA.

After graduating secondary school Stella applied and was accepted to the University of Arcadia where she studied for a Bachelors Degree in Political Science. During her time at university she spent much of her time focused on non-Belisarian politics, stating that she could "learn everything she needed to know about Belisarian politics" from her mother. She excelled in the field of political science and glided through her classes with As and Bs much like she did in primary and secondary education. During her time at university she had her first children that, like her and her sister, were twins. She graduated third in her class in 1999.

Heir Apparent

Stella became the heir apparent in 2000 following the death of her grandmother Empress Selene II. After her mother took the throne, Stella was presented to the Crown Council as Teresa's chosen heir. Her role as the crown princess was confirmed unanimously by the council. Stella, while filling the role of princess her whole life, truly began acting the role after her graduation from university. Free of the time commitments that came with studying for a bachelors degree, she was able to focus on raising her children and the responsibilities entrusted to her as crown princess.

As the crown princess, Stella was entrusted by her mother to attend events and meetings in her place. Stella would often be seen at social events in her mother's name and attended a record number of council meetings for a crown princess. Her involvement with the council, which some say was a ploy by her mother to put her in the good graces of the nobility, enabled her to develop professional and personal relationships with the heads of the Lihnidosi noble houses. The relationship with the men and women enabled her to, over time, take on more duties than would normally be entrusted to a crown princess. The increasing duties that she took on began to weigh on her, and in 2005 she silently took leave of several of her additional duties in order to spend time with her children.

In 2006, at the request of her mother, Stella began to again take additional responsibilities, albeit less than she had prior to 2005. She began to appear with her mother in public more so after 2006 up to her mother's death in 2007.

Reign

The reign of Stella II began on 27 November 2007 after the death of her mother. Her coronation took place on 17 February 2008 after her mother had been laid to rest.

Personal Life

Marriage

Stella married Yorgos of Ikaria on 15 October 1998 at the Cathedral of Saint John in Arcadia. Yorgos is the son of Yanna, Duchess of Ikaria. The two met at the age of fifteen during a meeting arranged by their two mothers. At the time, according to those familiar the late-Empress's thinking, the intent was to merely introduce Stella to a possible suitor at an early age so that she may be able to form a relationship with him over time if she felt so inclined. The two formed an early bond, developing a thriving friendship that lasted for many years. The national press took interest in the friendship and often ran stories speculating at the possible match that had been made.

Yorgos proposed to Stella in 1997 with the wedding date to be set at a time in the following year. There was speculation after the proposal that the marriage was arranged by the two families and not the choosing of the couple, but both sides were quick to deny these allegations. Stella and Yorgos appeared on 'Good Morning Arcadia' to personally refute the story that had first appeared in the 'Morning Wood Star,' a popular Ajaxi tabloid.

The wedding was a grandiose affair. The entirety of the Lihnidosi nobility was invited and all but one member of the Crown Council attended the wedding. The duke that was absent, Fanis of Aenisos, was in the care of medical professionals after a fall at his home. While some claimed her absence to be a slight to Empress Teresa, the idea was only briefly entertained as the rest of the Iordanou family attended. Several foreign nobles were also in attendance.

After the marriage and up to the present neither of the couple have shown any sign of tiring of one another, often still being seen on date nights in the capital or appearing together at social events.

Issue

Stella's marriage to Yorgos has resulted in the couple having four children. The first children of the couple were twins, one male and one female. The following two children were both female.

Political Views

Unlike her mother, Stella has kept quiet on most political issues since her accession to the throne. It is believed that she is a social and economic conservative whose views align best with the Conservative-National Alliance, but at present she has made only a few of her political positions known.

Her mother was a vocal conservative who did not shy away from political discourse and would often be overheard disparaging members of the Democratic Coalition. Her mother’s die-hard conservative beliefs are likely to have influenced Stella’s own political beliefs having grown up hearing the opinions of her mother and being surrounded by conservative politicians.

She has argued publicly against abortion, specifically late-term abortions, expressing the view of the Fabrian Catholic Church that life begins at conception and that abortion is equivalent to murder. She has also advocated for conservative economic policies and has been a supporter of lower taxes and less regulation.

Stella reportedly has a distrust of the elected government, specifically the government of previous Prime Minister Lycaon Buros who served under her mother and later under her. Her relationship with the Buros Administration led to a number of behind-the-scenes struggles that only came to light after the government had left office. Significant differences in the political views of the crown and the elected Buros Administration were not made evident at the time, as the government appeared to be functioning with the crown efficiently. The relationship between Stella and the current Prime Minister Fotis Raptis is reportedly better than that of the previous prime minister.

Perception and Reputation

Stella is considered one of the more popular monarchs in recent Lihnidosi history. She consistently has approval ratings in the mid sixties, a contrast from her mother whose approval ratings at times were in the low forties.

In her youth Stella remained largely out of the public eye. Her mother refused to allow the press to interview her and insisted that press keep a distance and let her live out her childhood in peace stating that, "you lot will have plenty of time to harass her when she is empress." As she grew in age she voluntarily spoke to the press on a number of occasions at charity events and would often speak to friendly press off the record in what was deemed an attempt to make friends with some in journalistic circles. In the months following the death of her mother she would typically hold press conferences once a month, but as time went on she was replaced by her press secretary and eventually ceased having press conferences all together except on special occasions. Her attempt to largely stay out of the political arguments in the country have assisted in raising her popularity among some in the left-leaning population while her seemingly silent but conservative views have allowed her to experience high approval among most of the right-leaning populace.

Stella is perceived to be a kind and humble woman, her friends from primary and secondary education, as well as university, describing her as "one of the nicest people" they've ever met. She holds a reputation in the elected government to be someone that is easy to work with and talk to. While there are rumors that her and the current prime minister are not on the best of terms, nothing has been confirmed and when asked the prime minister denies any tension between the two.

Titles, styles, honors, and arms

Titles and styles

Styles of
The Empress of Lihnidos
LihnidosMonarchCypher.png
Reference styleHer Catholic and Imperial Majesty
Spoken styleYour Majesty
Alternative styleYour Grace
  • 4 May 1977 - 3 October 2000: Her Imperial Highness Princess Stella of Lihnidos
  • 3 October 2000 - 27 November 2007: Her Imperial Highness Princess Stella, Duchess of Rhithasa
  • 27 November 2007 - present: Her Catholic and Imperial Majesty Empress Stella II of Lihnidos

The traditional and full title of the Empress is: Her Catholic and Imperial Majesty, By the Grace of God, the Empress of Lihnidos, Queen of Thasos, of Ithaca, and of Messenia, Grand Princess of Arcadia, Duchess of Edaki, of Peirontum, of Talamis, of Olypes, of Selymna, of Pieria, of Andryn, of Evros, of Samos, of Ialocaea, and of Edacia, Countess of Lissidon, of Imbressos, and of Syros, Basileia and Savior of the Hellenic People, Most Noble Matriarch of Lihnidos, Imperial Overseer, Supreme Commander of the Lihnidosi Armed Forces, and Defender of the Faith

Honors

  • Grand Cross of the Most Holy Order of Saint Anastasios OrderAthanasios.png
  • Grand Cross of the Order of the Dolphin OrderDolphin.png
  • Grand Cross of the Most Honorable Order of the Phoenix OrderPhoenix.png
  • Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the Lihnidosi Empire LihnidosiOrder.png
  •  Latium: Grand Cross (formerly Commander) of the Most Noble Order of St. Maria Order of the Most Holy Annunciation BAR.svg 17 July 2010

Arms

StellaCOA.png CPDRhithasaCOA.png Coat of Arms of the Vasiliou Dynasty.png
Coat of Arms of Princess Stella
(1977–2000)
Coat of Arms of Crown Princess Stella, Duchess of Rhithasa
(2000–2007)
Coat of Arms of the Empress of Lihnidos
(2007–2018)

Ancestry

See also

Stella II of Lihnidos
Born: 4 May 1977
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Teresa of Lihnidos 		Empress of Lihnidos
2007–present 		Incumbent
Heir apparent:
Princess Efthymia, Duchess of Rhithasa
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