Elisabeth of Slavonia
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth of Slavonia was the second Empress consort of Philip II of Taranto
, titular Latin Emperor
of Constantinople
.
, and Margaret of Bavaria. Her only known sibling was John of Slavonia (1354–1363). John was designated heir presumptive
to their granduncle Casimir III of Poland
on 24 June 1355. He predeceased Casimir III.
Elizabeth herself was regarded as heiress presumptive to the throne of Hungary after the death of her father, for her uncle Louis had no children. Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
, wanted her to marry his son and heir, the future King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia
. However, the marriage negotiations were ended in 1370, when a daughter named Catherine was born to Elizabeth's uncle. Catherine was followed by two sisters, which meant that Elizabeth would not inherit the Holy Crown of Hungary.
since 1364. His previous wife Maria of Calabria
had died on 20 May 1366. Philip had just concluded a civil war against his former sister-in-law Marie of Bourbon. The two were struggling for control over the Principality of Achaea
. Marie sold her rights to Philip II for 6,000 gold pieces.
Philip was forty-one-years-old at the time of his second marriage, Elizabeth only eighteen. Philip had survived his children by his previous marriage and was in need of heirs. As a marriage gift, Philip granted her Corfu
as her personal fiefdom. They only had one known son:
. He died on 25 November 1374 in Taranto. Elizabeth survived him and seems to have died before the end of the 1370s.
Their heir in the Principality of Taranto
and the Latin Empire was James of Baux
, a nephew of Philip II.
Philip II of Taranto
Philip II of Taranto of the Angevin house, was Prince of Achaea and Taranto, and titular Emperor of Constantinople from 1364 to his death in 1374....
, titular Latin Emperor
Latin Empire
The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople is the name given by historians to the feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. It was established after the capture of Constantinople in 1204 and lasted until 1261...
of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
.
Heiress of the Crown of Hungary
Elizabeth was the only daughter of Stephen, Duke of SlavoniaStephen, Duke of Slavonia
Stephen, Duke of Slavonia was a Hungarian Angevin prince who served as governor of Transylvania, Slavonia, Dalmatia and Croatia during the reign of his brother, King Louis I of Hungary. -Family:...
, and Margaret of Bavaria. Her only known sibling was John of Slavonia (1354–1363). John was designated heir presumptive
Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
to their granduncle Casimir III of Poland
Casimir III of Poland
Casimir III the Great , last King of Poland from the Piast dynasty , was the son of King Władysław I the Elbow-high and Hedwig of Kalisz.-Biography:...
on 24 June 1355. He predeceased Casimir III.
Elizabeth herself was regarded as heiress presumptive to the throne of Hungary after the death of her father, for her uncle Louis had no children. Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
, wanted her to marry his son and heir, the future King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia
Wenceslaus, King of the Romans
Wenceslaus ) was, by election, German King from 1376 and, by inheritance, King of Bohemia from 1378. He was the third Bohemian and second German monarch of the Luxembourg dynasty...
. However, the marriage negotiations were ended in 1370, when a daughter named Catherine was born to Elizabeth's uncle. Catherine was followed by two sisters, which meant that Elizabeth would not inherit the Holy Crown of Hungary.
Marriage
In October, 1370, Elizabeth married Philip II, Prince of Taranto. He was titular Emperor of the Latin EmpireLatin Empire
The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople is the name given by historians to the feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. It was established after the capture of Constantinople in 1204 and lasted until 1261...
since 1364. His previous wife Maria of Calabria
Maria of Calabria
Maria of Calabria was the first Empress consort of Philip II of Taranto, titular Latin Emperor of Constantinople.-Family:...
had died on 20 May 1366. Philip had just concluded a civil war against his former sister-in-law Marie of Bourbon. The two were struggling for control over the Principality of Achaea
Principality of Achaea
The Principality of Achaea or of the Morea was one of the three vassal states of the Latin Empire which replaced the Byzantine Empire after the capture of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. It became a vassal of the Kingdom of Thessalonica, along with the Duchy of Athens, until Thessalonica...
. Marie sold her rights to Philip II for 6,000 gold pieces.
Philip was forty-one-years-old at the time of his second marriage, Elizabeth only eighteen. Philip had survived his children by his previous marriage and was in need of heirs. As a marriage gift, Philip granted her Corfu
Corfu
Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
as her personal fiefdom. They only had one known son:
- Philip of Taranto (1371). Died young.
Succession
In 1373, Philip II resigned his rights to the Principality of Achaea to Queen Joan I of NaplesJoan I of Naples
Joan I , born Joanna of Anjou, was Queen of Naples from 1343 until her death. She was also Countess of Provence and Forcalquier, Queen consort of Majorca and titular Queen of Jerusalem and Sicily 1343–82, and Princess of Achaea 1373/5–81....
. He died on 25 November 1374 in Taranto. Elizabeth survived him and seems to have died before the end of the 1370s.
Their heir in the Principality of Taranto
Principality of Taranto
The Principality of Taranto was a state in southern Italy created in 1088 for Bohemond I, eldest son of Robert Guiscard, as part of the peace between him and his younger brother Roger Borsa after a dispute over the succession to the Duchy of Apulia....
and the Latin Empire was James of Baux
James of Baux
James of Baux , Duke of Andria, was the last titular Latin Emperor of Constantinople from 1374 to 1383 and Prince of Achaea from 1382 to 1383....
, a nephew of Philip II.