Isabel of Aragon
Encyclopedia
Isabella of Aragon was the daughter of James II of Aragon
and his second wife Blanche of Anjou
. Queen consort
of Frederick I of Austria
. She was a member of the House of Aragon
and Maria of Aragon.
Her paternal grandparents were Peter III of Aragon
and Constance of Sicily. Her maternal grandparents were Charles II of Naples
and Maria Arpad of Hungary
.
Isabella was originally betrothed to Oshin, King of Armenia, son of Leo II, King of Armenia and his wife Queen Keran. Her father planned her betrothal to Oshin of Armenia in exchange for religious relics of St Thecla, located at Sis
in Armenia
, which he was anxious to acquire for the cathedral of Tarragona
. Negotiations for the marriage broke down in the face of Armenian opposition to increased close ties with the Catholic western powers.
On 11 May 1315, Isabella married Frederick I of Austria
, King of Germany in Ravensburg
. From then onwards, Isabella was known as Elisabeth in Germany and Austira. Her husband had been elected as one of two rival Kings of Germany in October, 1314. His rival was Louis IV of Bavaria
. With her marriage, Isabel became one of two Queens of Germany with Beatrix von Silesia-Glogau, wife of Louis IV.
It is said that Isabella was blind in the last six years of her life; this could explain a lack of children born to the royal couple after their younger daughter Anna.
Isabel and Frederick had at least three children:
On 5 September 1325, Frederick I and Louis IV resolved their conflict by agreeing to serve as co-rulers. However Frederick soon became the junior co-ruler and retired to Austria until his death on 13 January 1330. Isabella survived him by almost six months. She was buried in Vienna
.
James II of Aragon
James II , called the Just was the King of Sicily from 1285 to 1296 and King of Aragon and Valencia and Count of Barcelona from 1291 to 1327. In 1297 he was granted the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica...
and his second wife Blanche of Anjou
Blanche of Anjou
Blanche of Anjou was the second Queen consort of James II of Aragon. She was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou, she is also known as Blanche of Naples-Family:...
. Queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of Frederick I of Austria
Frederick I of Austria (Habsburg)
Frederick the Handsome or the Fair , from the House of Habsburg, was Duke of Austria and Styria from 1308 as Frederick I as well as King of Germany from 1314 as Frederick III until his death.-Biography:He was the second son of King Albert I of Germany with his wife Elisabeth of...
. She was a member of the House of Aragon
House of Aragon
The House of Aragon is the name given several royal houses that ruled the County, the Kingdom or the Crown of Aragon.Some historiansGuillermo Fatás y Guillermo Redondo, Alberto Montaner Frutos, Faustino Menéndez Pidal de Navascués...
Life
Isabella was the sixth of ten children, her siblings included Alfonso IV of AragonAlfonso IV of Aragon
Alfonso IV, called the Kind was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1327 to his death. He was the second son of James II and Blanche of Anjou...
and Maria of Aragon.
Her paternal grandparents were Peter III of Aragon
Peter III of Aragon
Peter the Great was the King of Aragon of Valencia , and Count of Barcelona from 1276 to his death. He conquered Sicily and became its king in 1282. He was one of the greatest of medieval Aragonese monarchs.-Youth and succession:Peter was the eldest son of James I of Aragon and his second wife...
and Constance of Sicily. Her maternal grandparents were Charles II of Naples
Charles II of Naples
Charles II, known as "the Lame" was King of Naples, King of Albania, Prince of Salerno, Prince of Achaea and Count of Anjou.-Biography:...
and Maria Arpad of Hungary
Maria Arpad of Hungary
Mary of Hungary , of the Árpád dynasty, was Queen consort of the Kingdom of Naples. She was a daughter of Stephen V of Hungary and his wife Elizabeth the Cuman.-Family:Mary's mother followed the Shamanist religion, like other Cumans...
.
Isabella was originally betrothed to Oshin, King of Armenia, son of Leo II, King of Armenia and his wife Queen Keran. Her father planned her betrothal to Oshin of Armenia in exchange for religious relics of St Thecla, located at Sis
Sis, Armenia
Sis is a town in the Ararat Province of Armenia.- References :* – World-Gazetteer.com...
in Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, which he was anxious to acquire for the cathedral of Tarragona
Tarragona
Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia on the north-east of Spain, by the Mediterranean. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the capital of the Catalan comarca Tarragonès. In the medieval and modern times it was the capital of the Vegueria of Tarragona...
. Negotiations for the marriage broke down in the face of Armenian opposition to increased close ties with the Catholic western powers.
On 11 May 1315, Isabella married Frederick I of Austria
Frederick I of Austria (Habsburg)
Frederick the Handsome or the Fair , from the House of Habsburg, was Duke of Austria and Styria from 1308 as Frederick I as well as King of Germany from 1314 as Frederick III until his death.-Biography:He was the second son of King Albert I of Germany with his wife Elisabeth of...
, King of Germany in Ravensburg
Ravensburg
Ravensburg is a town in Upper Swabia in Southern Germany, capital of the district of Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg.Ravensburg was first mentioned in 1088. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City and an important trading centre...
. From then onwards, Isabella was known as Elisabeth in Germany and Austira. Her husband had been elected as one of two rival Kings of Germany in October, 1314. His rival was Louis IV of Bavaria
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the King of Germany from 1314, the King of Italy from 1327 and the Holy Roman Emperor from 1328....
. With her marriage, Isabel became one of two Queens of Germany with Beatrix von Silesia-Glogau, wife of Louis IV.
It is said that Isabella was blind in the last six years of her life; this could explain a lack of children born to the royal couple after their younger daughter Anna.
Isabel and Frederick had at least three children:
- Frederick of Austria (1316–1322).
- Elisabeth of Austria (1317 – 23 October 1336).
- Anna of AustriaAnna of Austria (1318–1343)Anna of Austria was the youngest daughter of Frederick the Fair, of Austria and his wife, Isabella of Aragon. Her paternal grandparents were Albert I of Germany and Elisabeth of Tirol...
(1318 – 14 December 1343). Married first Henry XV, Duke of BavariaHenry XV, Duke of BavariaHenry XV, duke of Bavaria, as duke of Lower Bavaria also called Henry III, .- Biography :...
and secondly John Henry, Count of Gorizia.
On 5 September 1325, Frederick I and Louis IV resolved their conflict by agreeing to serve as co-rulers. However Frederick soon became the junior co-ruler and retired to Austria until his death on 13 January 1330. Isabella survived him by almost six months. She was buried in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.