Louisa Treniotis: Difference between revisions
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In February 1919, the failure of the [[Airdale War|Strakonitz Doctrine]] in the [[Airdale War]] caused the government and royal family to relocate to the western capital of [[Georgehaven]], away from the [[Estmere|Estmerish]] border. To Louisa, the sudden move meant being separated from the palace staff she had learned to communicate somewhat through {{wp|home signs}}, and most importantly separation from the young daughter of the palace's {{wp|head chef}}, Olga Krausova, who was able to understand Louisa's signs to such an extent Louisa later called her "the first person that I felt truly understood me" in her autobiography. Highly distressed by the move from the only environment she had known, and unable to convince her father to bring some of the Coerz staff with them, she was inconsolable during the entire journey to Georgehaven, and remained so for several months. | In February 1919, the failure of the [[Airdale War|Strakonitz Doctrine]] in the [[Airdale War]] caused the government and royal family to relocate to the western capital of [[Georgehaven]], away from the [[Estmere|Estmerish]] border. To Louisa, the sudden move meant being separated from the palace staff she had learned to communicate somewhat through {{wp|home signs}}, and most importantly separation from the young daughter of the palace's {{wp|head chef}}, Olga Krausova, who was able to understand Louisa's signs to such an extent Louisa later called her "the first person that I felt truly understood me" in her autobiography. Highly distressed by the move from the only environment she had known, and unable to convince her father to bring some of the Coerz staff with them, she was inconsolable during the entire journey to Georgehaven, and remained so for several months. | ||
Eventually, Louisa | Eventually, Louisa settled pretty well in Georgehaven. Her health saw significant improvements attributed to the properties of {{wp|sea air}}, and she took an habit of escaping supervision to stroll in the {{wp|Peterhof Palace|Joannine Palace}}'s expansive gardens, an habit to which her mother ultimately relented in spite of her continuing worries about her daughter's health. The failure of [[Parsay's putsch]] in March 1919 to oust Waldriek's government reduced Adalbert XX's to the status of a mere figurehead almost imprisoned in his palace; his newfound isolation from governmental matters allowed him to spend time more time with his daughter, to whom he would start teaching {{wp|English language|Estmerish}} and come to form a close bond with. The stillbirth of her brother Prince Karl Adalbert in June 1919 – an event she later conceded not truly understanding at the time, yet still deeply saddening her – cemented her position as heir presumptive despite her disability, as her father's rivalry with his uncle grew worse. | ||
Helped by her quiet and observant demeanour, Louisa often snooped around the palace in her free time. While primarily eavesdropping on inconsequential conversations between palace staff, sometimes visitors', Louisa later recalled gleaning "hints that the situation in the east – in the war – was bewilderingly different from what my father was telling me". Most notably, she remembered an incident in October 1921 in which she heard two visiting military officers, one of which she identified as Eugen [von Strakonitz-Petrasch], as describing the situation as "nearing complete collapse, not only on the frontlines but in the whole of our Monarchy" before briefing what seemed to be the opposite of that description to Adalbert. Despite barely understanding the stakes of "the eastern conflict", Louisa still tried to warn her father of the radical discrepancy between what she heard and what he told her, to no avail. | Helped by her quiet and observant demeanour, Louisa often snooped around the palace in her free time. While primarily eavesdropping on inconsequential conversations between palace staff, sometimes visitors', Louisa later recalled gleaning "hints that the situation in the east – in the war – was bewilderingly different from what my father was telling me". Most notably, she remembered an incident in October 1921 in which she heard two visiting military officers, one of which she identified as Eugen [von Strakonitz-Petrasch], as describing the situation as "nearing complete collapse, not only on the frontlines but in the whole of our Monarchy" before briefing what seemed to be the opposite of that description to Adalbert. Despite barely understanding the stakes of "the eastern conflict", Louisa still tried to warn her father of the radical discrepancy between what she heard and what he told her, to no avail. | ||
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| Louisa Treniotis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Empress of Sunrosia and her constituent realms | |
| Reign | 25 December 1921 – 8 January 1922 |
| Predecessor | Adalbert XX |
| Successor | Monarchy abolished |
| Chancellor | Kaspar von Stenhofen |
| Born | Louisa Johanna Georgiana Theresa Elisabeth 30 November 1914 Coerz, Grand Duchy of Sunrosia, Sunrosian Monarchy |
| Died | 5 July 2010 (aged 95) Spálgleann, Caldia |
| House | Windenheim-Treniotis |
| Father | Adalbert XX |
| Mother | Sylviane of Gaullica |
| Religion | Solarian Catholic |
| Occupation | Linguist, author |
 | |
Louisa Treniotis (born Louisa Johanna Georgiana Theresa Elisabeth; 30 November 1914 – 5 July 2010) was the second female and final ruler of the Sunrosian Monarchy and and all of its constituent states for fifteeen days as Louisa. She took the name of Louisa Treniotis after her abdication, by which she become known for her linguistic work on sign languages, particularly on the Swetanian general sign language, and her disability rights activism. Louisa achieved popular recognition as "the Fortnight Queen" following the publication of her eponymous first autobiography in 1955.
Born with congenital muteness, Louisa was the only child of Adalbert XX and Sylviane of Gaullica and was merely seven when she succeeded her father following his death on 25 December 1921. Ascending to the throne in the midst of the Swetanian Revolution at a time by which most cities have already been lost to revolutionary forces, Louisa reigned only nominally as Empress for before the proclamation of the Panswetanian Council Republic brought an end to monarchical rule. She fled the country with her mother and close family members, first to neighbouring Werania and then to Caldia.
In exile in Caldia, Louisa continued her education and earned a Master of Arts degree from the University of Spálgleann. From 1930, she also attended Saint Agathe's School for the Deaf where she learned Caldish sign language and later met Deirdre Ní Síoda, who became her interpreter and lifelong companion. Having no interest in her restoration to the Sunrosian throne, she formally abdicated and renounced her claims on 9 January 1936 and remained in Caldia to continue her research on sign languages, eventually getting awarded with a PhD in linguistics in 1946.
Louisa returned to her homeland (now Swetania) in 1957 after relinquishing her last noble titles, the first member of the former House of Windenheim to be allowed to come back. Continuing her linguistic work here, she was a member of the Committee for a Common Sign Language responsible for the standardisation of the Swetanian general sign language in the 60s. Louisa also became a prominent voice for the rights of people with disabilities in Swetania and internationally, as well as an advocate for Caldish–Swetanian friendship and cooperation. She moved back to Caldia in 1995, where she died fifteen years later.
Early life
Louisa was born in the night of the 30 November 1914 in the Palace of the Grand Dukes in Coerz, then the capital of the Sunrosian Monarchy. She was the daughter of the ruling Sunriosan monarch Adalbert XX and Sylviane of Gaullica, a daughter of Albert III of Gaullica. She was baptised Louisa Johanna Georgiana Theresa Elisabeth on December 6 by the Archbishop of Coerz Johann de Weilbourg at the Coerz Cathedral. Her godfather was her maternal grandfather Albert III of Gaullica; her godmother was her paternal grandmother Georgiana of Estmere.
Being the first and only child of Adalbert XX, she became heir presumptive at birth according to the 1856 Edict of Succession. She held the title and style of "Her Imperial Highness the Crown Princess of Sunrosia and Her constituent realms". Her second name of Johanna was chosen to promote the choice of the regnal name Johanna VIII in continuation of the previous and only female Sunrosian monarch, Johanna VII Josepha, if she ever ascended to the throne. She was officially referred to as Princess Louisa Johanna for the same reason.
The public announcement of her birth was received with joy throughout the country: despite still suffering from the consequences of the Great Collapse, Adalbert XX remained a popular figure thanks of his steadfast support of the Constitutional Charter. In liberal and socialist circles, the news also brought relief as it meant that the former heir presumptive Prince Johann Friedrich, Adalbert XX's uncle known for his reactionary tendencies, was pushed one step back on the order of succession.
Louisa's early life was marked by a fragile health and recurring episodes of illnesses caused constant torment to her parents. At the age of 18 months, she contracted a throat infection that caused further medical complications and almost left her dead. While she eventually recovered with no long-term sequelae, the ordeal prompted doctors to discover the absence of vocal cords in her larynx, a condition believed to be a rare congenital anomaly. Louisa was then confirmed to be mute and that she would never be able to produce any voice.
While the discovery alleviated her parents' concerns about delayed speech acquisition and potential intellectual disability, it also caused her formingly loving father Adalbert, already under a lot of pressure caused by the events of the Great Collapse and his struggle for power with Rudolf von Waldriek, to grow increasingly distant. Conversely, she drew closer to her mother who became responsible for the great majority of decisions concerning Louisa; one of those being to have her taught reading and writing early, in Weranian first and later in Gaullican, so that she may be able to communicate with her family and the palace staff.
In Georgehaven
In February 1919, the failure of the Strakonitz Doctrine in the Airdale War caused the government and royal family to relocate to the western capital of Georgehaven, away from the Estmerish border. To Louisa, the sudden move meant being separated from the palace staff she had learned to communicate somewhat through home signs, and most importantly separation from the young daughter of the palace's head chef, Olga Krausova, who was able to understand Louisa's signs to such an extent Louisa later called her "the first person that I felt truly understood me" in her autobiography. Highly distressed by the move from the only environment she had known, and unable to convince her father to bring some of the Coerz staff with them, she was inconsolable during the entire journey to Georgehaven, and remained so for several months.
Eventually, Louisa settled pretty well in Georgehaven. Her health saw significant improvements attributed to the properties of sea air, and she took an habit of escaping supervision to stroll in the Joannine Palace's expansive gardens, an habit to which her mother ultimately relented in spite of her continuing worries about her daughter's health. The failure of Parsay's putsch in March 1919 to oust Waldriek's government reduced Adalbert XX's to the status of a mere figurehead almost imprisoned in his palace; his newfound isolation from governmental matters allowed him to spend time more time with his daughter, to whom he would start teaching Estmerish and come to form a close bond with. The stillbirth of her brother Prince Karl Adalbert in June 1919 – an event she later conceded not truly understanding at the time, yet still deeply saddening her – cemented her position as heir presumptive despite her disability, as her father's rivalry with his uncle grew worse.
Helped by her quiet and observant demeanour, Louisa often snooped around the palace in her free time. While primarily eavesdropping on inconsequential conversations between palace staff, sometimes visitors', Louisa later recalled gleaning "hints that the situation in the east – in the war – was bewilderingly different from what my father was telling me". Most notably, she remembered an incident in October 1921 in which she heard two visiting military officers, one of which she identified as Eugen [von Strakonitz-Petrasch], as describing the situation as "nearing complete collapse, not only on the frontlines but in the whole of our Monarchy" before briefing what seemed to be the opposite of that description to Adalbert. Despite barely understanding the stakes of "the eastern conflict", Louisa still tried to warn her father of the radical discrepancy between what she heard and what he told her, to no avail.
She was present beside her father when he gave his formal ascent to Kaspar von Stenhofen and his clique to remove Waldriek from power, which happened ten days later on 11 November 1921. She recalls her father being "in a state of shock, almost catatonic, as Kaspar listed one by one the catastrophes befalling his realm: the defeats, the economy, and the uprisings". On 30 November, Louisa celebrated her seventh birthday in an unusually austere ambiance with very few attendees, with her father being "present there in body but not in mind", as the battle of Georgehaven between government and revolutionary forces was raging a mere four kilometres from the palace. A week later, the remains of the Sunrosian government and the royal family moved north to the small Selosian city of Lellewarden, as the Monarchy lost control of its eastern capital.