Recent story with the new ruler spotlight
The House of Anjou was founded in 1310 by Margaret, a woman of formidable will who would rule for fifty-four years. She was beautiful and ruthless in equal measure, and her long tenure gave the dynasty its character—one of bold ventures and steady nerve. In 1346, Margaret staked the treasury on a distant venture with a merchant named Domingo of Rioja, who promised returns from the Rheingau. The gamble proved modest; when the venture returned six years later, it had yielded little more than the original stake. Yet the realm did not falter. Margaret’s courage—or perhaps her luck—held firm enough that by 1361, when she had reigned fifty years, the people gathered for a Jubilee to honor her reign. She died of old age in 1364, at seventy-one, having outlived three of her children: Margaret II, Philip, and Percival all reached adulthood, but only Margaret II would inherit the throne.
Margaret II, born in 1316, was plain and robust where her mother had been beautiful, but she possessed her mother’s bravery and added to it a merciful temperament. Her reign of thirty-six years was marked by the clash of arms and the settling of old scores. In 1388, she met Lady Sibyl of House Redfern in single combat and prevailed, a victory that secured her standing among the realm’s great houses. She bore three children—Mabel, Isabella, and Everard—and when she died at eighty-four, it was Mabel who took the throne.
Mabel reigned only eighteen years, from 1400 to 1418, but she was a figure of considerable force: robust, charismatic, and ruthless. She had married Lord Robert in 1367, and their union produced three children who would outlive her. In 1409, Mabel too proved herself in the duel-field, defeating Lord Roger of House Pendrake. Yet her reign ended in usurpation—a violent end for a violent woman—and she died at eighty-one in 1418. Her daughter Rohese succeeded her.
Rohese was sickly from birth, yet she reigned for forty-five years, longer than any ruler save her ancestor Margaret. She was beautiful and ruthless, and brave enough to face down her infirmities. In 1421 she married Geoffrey, and they had four children together. The reign saw both triumph and sorrow: her daughter Lettice was lost to a hunting accident in 1433, and Catherine died of fever in 1445. But that same year brought extraordinary fortune. In 1439, Rohese had staked the treasury on a venture with Hans of the Rheingau at Beaune—a venture that returned five-fold in 1445, fifty coffers flowing back into the royal coffers. In 1448, Rohese defeated Lord Reginald of House Marlowe in combat, cementing her authority. She died at eighty-seven in 1463, and her daughter Rohese II inherited the throne.
Rohese II was pious and brave, but sickly like her mother, and her reign proved less fortunate. In 1475, she staked the treasury once more on a distant venture, this time with Bertrand of Beaune, wagering on returns from Rioja. The venture collapsed entirely in 1481, and the whole stake was lost. The realm never recovered its footing. Rohese II’s reign ended in 1487, and with it the House of Anjou came to its close, having endured one hundred and seventy-seven years from its founding. The dynasty left behind a legacy of bold ventures—some triumphant, others ruinous—and a succession of women who ruled with the sword as readily as with the scepter.
The usurpation event, as well as the marriage choices, is a very nice touch. Although the Bookish trait is hard to pass on (which I want to, as it depletes the coffers much slower, and increases gains).