Historia Reiss initially appears to be one of the more mysterious members of the 104th Training Corps in Attack on Titan. Known publicly as the kind and selfless Krista Lenz, she eventually discovers that her real identity carries enormous political and supernatural significance. Historia is the illegitimate daughter of Rod Reiss, making her a direct descendant of the royal family that secretly ruled the people living inside the Walls. The revelation changes the direction of the story because the Reiss family had secretly inherited the Founding Titan for generations.
Their connection to the Founding Titan also explains why Historia’s bloodline is so important to Eren Yeager and the future of Paradis. However, Historia’s greatest contribution is not simply inheriting royal status. Her decision to reject her father’s wishes allows her to break away from the Reiss family’s tragic legacy and ultimately become the queen of the Walls.
How Historia’s Royal Blood Connects Her to the Reiss Family’s Secret
The Reiss family was the true royal family of Eldia inside the Walls, while the publicly recognized monarchy was essentially a front. The family descended from Karl Fritz, the king who established the Walls, and secretly controlled Paradis for generations. Their most important possession was the Founding Titan, which was passed from one Reiss heir to another and allowed its holder to manipulate Titans, alter the bodies of Subjects of Ymir, and modify their memories.
The Reiss family’s greatest secret was also their greatest limitation. Every royal inheritor who took the Founding Titan became influenced by the ideology of the First King, Karl Fritz, which prevented them from using its power to fight for Eldia’s freedom. This explains why successive rulers refused to eliminate the Titans or reveal the truth about the outside world, even though they possessed extraordinary power. Frieda Reiss, Historia’s older half-sister, inherited the Founding Titan before Grisha Yeager attacked the family and stole it.
Historia eventually learns that royal blood alone does not make her obligated to repeat her family’s choices. Rod Reiss wants her to transform into a Titan, eat Eren, and return the Founding Titan to the Reiss bloodline, but Historia rejects his plan. She destroys the Titan injection and chooses her own path, eventually killing Rod after his abnormal Titan transformation.
This decision becomes the defining moment of Historia’s character. Rather than becoming another vessel for the Reiss family’s inherited ideology, she accepts her identity and becomes Queen of the Walls. Her royal blood remains strategically important throughout the story, particularly because contact between Eren and someone of royal lineage can unlock aspects of the Founding Titan’s power.