Agnes of Merania
Encyclopedia
Agnes Maria of Andechs-Merania (died 1201), queen of France
, was the daughter of Bertold IV (died 1204), who was Count of Andechs
, a castle and territory near Ammersee
, Bavaria
and from 1183 duke of Merania (Istria
). Her mother was Agnes of Rochlitz
. She is called Marie by some of the French chroniclers.
In June 1196 Agnes married Philip II of France
, who had repudiated his second wife Ingeborg of Denmark
in 1193. Pope Innocent III
espoused the cause of Ingeborg; but Philip did not submit until 1200, when, nine months after interdict
had been added to excommunication
, he consented to a separation from Agnes. She died broken-hearted in July of the next year, at the castle of Poissy
, and was buried in the Convent of St Corentin, near Nantes
. Her two children by Philip II, Philip, count of Clermont (died 1234), and Mary
, who married Philip I of Namur
, were legitimized by the pope in 1201 at the request of the king. Little is known of the personality of Agnes, beyond the remarkable influence which she seems to have exercised over Philip II. She has been made the heroine of a tragedy
by François Ponsard
, Agnès de Méranie, and of an opera
by Vincenzo Bellini
, La straniera
.
Her sister Hedwig of Andechs
married Henry I, duke of Silesia and was canonized as Saint Hedwig in 1267. Another sister, Gertrude
, married Andrew II of Hungary
and was the mother of St. Elizabeth of Hungary.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, was the daughter of Bertold IV (died 1204), who was Count of Andechs
Andechs
The Benedictine abbey of Andechs is a place of pilgrimage on a hill east of the Ammersee in the Landkreis of Starnberg in Germany, in the municipality Andechs. Andechs Abbey is famed for its flamboyant Baroque church and its brewery...
, a castle and territory near Ammersee
Ammersee
Ammersee is a lake in Upper Bavaria, Germany located southwest of Munich between the towns of Herrsching and Dießen am Ammersee. With a surface area of approximately , it is the sixth largest lake in Germany. The lake is located at an elevation of , and has a maximum depth of . Like other Bavarian...
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
and from 1183 duke of Merania (Istria
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
). Her mother was Agnes of Rochlitz
Agnes of Rochlitz
Agnes of Rochlitz came from the Wettin family and was daughter of Dedi V, Count of Wettin and his wife, Matilda of Heinsburg. She is also known as Agnes of Wettin. Agnes married Berthold IV, Duke of Merania...
. She is called Marie by some of the French chroniclers.
In June 1196 Agnes married Philip II of France
Philip II of France
Philip II Augustus was the King of France from 1180 until his death. A member of the House of Capet, Philip Augustus was born at Gonesse in the Val-d'Oise, the son of Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne...
, who had repudiated his second wife Ingeborg of Denmark
Ingeborg of Denmark, Queen of France
Ingeborg was a Danish-born queen consort of France.She was a daughter of Valdemar I of Denmark and Sofia of Minsk. Her maternal grandparents were Volodar of Minsk and Richeza of Poland...
in 1193. Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....
espoused the cause of Ingeborg; but Philip did not submit until 1200, when, nine months after interdict
Interdict (Roman Catholic Church)
In Roman Catholic canon law, an interdict is an ecclesiastical censure that excludes from certain rites of the Church individuals or groups, who nonetheless do not cease to be members of the Church.-Distinctions in canon law:...
had been added to excommunication
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
, he consented to a separation from Agnes. She died broken-hearted in July of the next year, at the castle of Poissy
Poissy
Poissy is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the center.In 1561 it was the site of a fruitless Catholic-Huguenot conference, the Colloquy at Poissy...
, and was buried in the Convent of St Corentin, near Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
. Her two children by Philip II, Philip, count of Clermont (died 1234), and Mary
Marie of France, Duchess of Brabant
Marie of France was a daughter of Philip II of France and his disputed third wife Agnes of Merania. She was a member of the House of Capet. Marie was Duchess of Brabant by her marriage to Henry I, Duke of Brabant.- Early Life and Legitimacy :...
, who married Philip I of Namur
Philip I of Namur
Philip I , called the Noble, was the margrave of Namur from 1195 to his death. He was the second son of Baldwin V, Count of Hainault, and Margaret I, Countess of Flanders...
, were legitimized by the pope in 1201 at the request of the king. Little is known of the personality of Agnes, beyond the remarkable influence which she seems to have exercised over Philip II. She has been made the heroine of a tragedy
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
by François Ponsard
François Ponsard
François Ponsard , was a French dramatist, poet and author and was a member of the Académie française.-Literary career:...
, Agnès de Méranie, and of an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
by Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini was an Italian opera composer. His greatest works are I Capuleti ed i Montecchi , La sonnambula , Norma , Beatrice di Tenda , and I puritani...
, La straniera
La straniera
La straniera is an opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini, from a libretto by Felice Romani, based on L'étrangère by Charles-Victor Prévot, vicomte d'Arlincourt...
.
Her sister Hedwig of Andechs
Hedwig of Andechs
Saint Hedwig of Silesia , also Saint Hedwig of Andechs from the comital House of Andechs was Duchess of Silesia from 1201 and of Greater Poland from 1231 as well as High Duchess consort of Poland from 1232 until 1238.-Life:...
married Henry I, duke of Silesia and was canonized as Saint Hedwig in 1267. Another sister, Gertrude
Gertrude of Merania
Gertrude of Merania was the first wife of King Andrew II of Hungary and thereby Queen consort of Hungary from 1205 until her assassination.-Family:...
, married Andrew II of Hungary
Andrew II of Hungary
Andrew II the Jerosolimitan was King of Hungary and Croatia . He was the younger son of King Béla III of Hungary, who invested him with the government of the Principality of Halych...
and was the mother of St. Elizabeth of Hungary.