Isabelle II of Pracht

Isabella II (1630 - 1673) known as the Beloved, was a monarch of the House of Hochberg and ruled as Empress of Pracht with her husband starting from 1651 after the death of her father, Louis IV. She was succeeded by her son, Charles III, despite her many attempts to remove him from the line of succession.

She was known for her military policy mainly, doing drastic reforms to the structure of the Prachtian military and strengthening it in the long term. She was also known for her no-Imperial Chancellor policy. She had never had an Imperial Chancellor in all of her 22 year reign.

Reign of Louis IV - Son Altesse Imperiale, Madame la Dauphine
Isabelle II was born on October 4th, 1622 at the Chateau du Egmont in Brussels. She was the fourth child of the Emperor and in a normal situation would not be expected to inherit the throne. Unfortunately, her birth killed her mother from complications. However, just a year before her birth, all four of her older siblings had perished from an outbreak of tuberculosis. Her birth was celebrated lightly, and she was kept sealed away from courtiers and the public in fear of her being infected with tuberculosis in the same fashion as her ill-fated siblings.

She was immediately named Dauphine and first-in-line to the throne. Isabelle was given an excellent education in preparation for her rule, but the only thing she was interested in was military strategy and policy. She was still attentive to all her studies and grew into a very wise and intelligent woman.

Louis IV much cared for his daughter, it was said by courtiers that he would spoil her with the most extravagant gifts he could find. She even got an entire stable with horses and five horse trainers for one of her birthdays. Her attitude during her time as Dauphine was much reviled by the courtiers. Many courtiers claimed even as Dauphine she still acted far above her rank and expected to be treated as a goddess. Rumours would fly around court about her, some going so far as to say she had bedded her own mother. Isabelle herself was deeply saddened by the mood of her and persistently denied any rumours.

She married Auguste Louis de Lorraine in 1639 and would have two children with him, one of which would die young, the other being the future Charles III. Upon her fathers death in 1651, she was deeply upset, but kept any emotion hidden in order to keep up appearances. She was now heralded Empress of Pracht at age 21.

Personal Reign - Sa Majeste Tres Catholique, l'Imperatrice
Isabelle was crowned Empress on 14th September 1652 at the Cathedral of St. Gudala's and St. Michael's. Her first course of action was to reinstate most of the military policies abandoned by her father. Additionally, her once reviled attitude settled into one of maturity and solidarity.

When asked to appoint an Imperial Chancellor, she refused stating "I will take rule of my state into my own hands, I will not need an Imperial Chancellor to do it for me." Scandals flew around court about her, saying that she had bedded her son, others said she would not accept an Imperial Chancellor because she was greedy and wanted to harbor her power. All rumours were later quashed, though there were still jokes referring to them from time to time.

Her personal rule began with the combat of the Holy Roman Empire in 1654, with Pracht expanding into their northern provinces. Although the H.R.E initially won, in the peace deal for war reparations Pracht received its desired territories. She was well liked by the people for her generosity and understanding of the strife of the common person. Her rule was mostly uneventful and her rule was one of the most peaceful times in Prachtian History.

She died on July 4th, 1673, leaving behind a messy succession given her secret will to remove her son from the succession. Her son, however, located the document and destroyed it before it was found by anyone else. Her son became Charles III.

Issue

 * Charles III (19th December 1640 - 14th January 1699)
 * Marie Isabelle (18th January 1645 - 20th April 1645)

Titles and Styles
-4th October 1630 - 29th September 1651: Son Altesse Imperiale, Madame la Dauphine

-29th September 1651 - 17th July 1673: Sa Majeste Tres Catholique, l'Imperatrice