Margaret, Duchess of Austria
Encyclopedia
Margaret of Austria was a Queen Consort of the Romans
1225–35, titular Duchess
of Austria
in 1252–60, and Queen consort
of Bohemia
1253–60.
She was the eldest daughter of Leopold VI, Duke of Austria
and Theodora Angelina
, member of the Byzantine
Imperial family.
, King elected of Germany and eldest son of the Emperor Frederick II
. The groom was only fourteen years old and the bride already twenty-one.
Her coronation as German Queen took place sixteen months later, on 23 March 1227 in Aachen
. Henry and Margaret had two sons, Henry (who died young ca. 1242/1245) and Frederick (who also died young ca. 1251/1252).
In 1235, Henry rebelled against his father, but was defeated and dethroned. Confined in several castles in Apulia
, he died possibly on 12 February 1242 after a fall from his horse, in a possible attempted suicide. In the meanwhile, Margaret (who possibly never saw her husband again) moved to Würzburg
, where she lived in seclusion in the Markuskloster.
Margaret's brother Frederick II, Duke of Austria
, last Duke from the Babenberg
dynasty, died childless in the Battle of Leitha (1246), leaving a succession crisis. The two principal claimants over the succession in the duchies of Austria and Styria were the husbands of two women: the husband of Margaret (who, as the eldest sister of the late Duke, claimed proximity of blood
) and the husband of Margaret's niece Gertrude, who claimed primogeniture
, as the only daughter of Henry of Mödling, the eldest brother of Duke Frederick II (who had predeceased his father, Duke Leopold VI).
Wenceslaus I, King of Bohemia wanted to take control over the duchies by the wedding of his eldest son and heir, Vladislav with Gertrude. The couple were proclaimed Duke and Duchess of Austria, but Vladislav died in the following year (1247). The next ruler of Austria was Gertrude's second husband, Hermann VI, Margrave of Baden, who died in 1250, leaving Austria and Styria without a ruler again.
The Austrian aristocracy offered the government of the duchies to Ottokar II of Bohemia
, second son and new heir of King Wenceslaus I. However, one condition was imposed by the nobles: Ottokar only can take the control over Austria and Styria if he married one of the Babenberg heiresses. Ottokar refused a wedding with the widow of his brother and decided to marry Margaret. The ceremony took place on 11 February 1252 in the Castle Chapel (German: Burgkapelle) of Hainburg an der Donau
. She was about twenty-six years his senior.
Ottokar acquired the imperial privileges sealed with a Golden Bull
on the basis of the Privilegium Minus
, which legitimazed his claim over the duchies of Austria and Styria, since Margaret was the heiress of the last duke by proximity of blood. Thereby she transferred the government of the duchies to Austria and Styria to her husband. Pope Innocent IV
, who had previously changed sides several times between Gertrude and Margaret, confirmed the lawful government of Margaret and Ottokar over both duchies on 6 May 1252. Bohemian administrators ruled the duchies in their names.
One year later, on 23 September 1253, King Wenceslaus I died. Ottokar became King of Bohemia as Ottokar II and Margaret as his Queen consort. However, by this time, it was evident that Margaret (who was already fifty-years-old), was barren. King Ottokar II tried tried to gain from the Pope the recognizion of the illegitimate son whom he had with one of Margaret's ladies-in-waiting as his lawful successor. After the Pope refused this, in 1261 the King obtained the annulment of his marriage with Margaret. The repudiated Queen left Bohemia and returned to Austria, settled her residence in Krumau am Kamp
and, during the winters, in Krems.
Ottokar II kept Austria, Styria, Carinthia
, and Carniola
, claiming to be the heir designated by Margaret in their divorce settlement. He held the duchies until deposed by king Rudolf I of Germany in 1276.
After her divorce she was called Romanorum quondam Regina (Queen of the Romans); however, she maintained the title ducissa Austrie et Stirie (Duchess of Austria and Styria). In 1266 she changed her title as quondam filia Livpoldi illustris ducis Austrie et Stirie et Romanorum Regina as a reference of her father.
Prior to her death, she chose the Lilienfeld Abbey
as her burial place. The date of her death is controversial. Some sources state 1266, while others state 2/12 October 1267 as the real date. According to her wish, she was buried in the Lilienfeld Abbey next to her father.
King of the Romans
King of the Romans was the title used by the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire following his election to the office by the princes of the Kingdom of Germany...
1225–35, titular Duchess
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
in 1252–60, and 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 Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
1253–60.
She was the eldest daughter of Leopold VI, Duke of Austria
Leopold VI, Duke of Austria
Leopold VI , called the Glorious, from the House of Babenberg, was Duke of Austria from 1198 to 1230 and of Styria from 1194 to 1230....
and Theodora Angelina
Theodora Angelina (wife of Leopold VI of Austria)
Theodora Angelina was the wife of Leopold VI of Austria, by whom she had several children.-Birth and parentage and early life:...
, member of the Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
Imperial family.
Life
In Nürnberg on 29 November 1225 she married HenryHenry (VII) of Germany
Henry was King of Sicily from 1212, Duke of Swabia from 1216, and King of Germany from 1220. He was the son and co-king of Emperor Frederick II and elder brother of Conrad IV of Germany...
, King elected of Germany and eldest son of the Emperor Frederick II
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
. The groom was only fourteen years old and the bride already twenty-one.
Her coronation as German Queen took place sixteen months later, on 23 March 1227 in Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
. Henry and Margaret had two sons, Henry (who died young ca. 1242/1245) and Frederick (who also died young ca. 1251/1252).
In 1235, Henry rebelled against his father, but was defeated and dethroned. Confined in several castles in Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
, he died possibly on 12 February 1242 after a fall from his horse, in a possible attempted suicide. In the meanwhile, Margaret (who possibly never saw her husband again) moved to Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
, where she lived in seclusion in the Markuskloster.
Margaret's brother Frederick II, Duke of Austria
Frederick II, Duke of Austria
Frederick II, known as the Quarrelsome or the Warlike , from the House of Babenberg, was the duke of Austria and Styria from 1230 to 1246....
, last Duke from the Babenberg
Babenberg
Originally from Bamberg in Franconia, now northern Bavaria, an apparent branch of the Babenbergs or Babenberger went on to rule Austria as counts of the march and dukes from 976–1248, before the rise of the house of Habsburg.-One or two families:...
dynasty, died childless in the Battle of Leitha (1246), leaving a succession crisis. The two principal claimants over the succession in the duchies of Austria and Styria were the husbands of two women: the husband of Margaret (who, as the eldest sister of the late Duke, claimed proximity of blood
Proximity of blood
Proximity of blood, or closeness in degree of kinship, is one of the ways to determine hereditary succession based on genealogy. It was at loggerheads with primogeniture in numerous medieval succession disputes....
) and the husband of Margaret's niece Gertrude, who claimed primogeniture
Primogeniture
Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...
, as the only daughter of Henry of Mödling, the eldest brother of Duke Frederick II (who had predeceased his father, Duke Leopold VI).
Wenceslaus I, King of Bohemia wanted to take control over the duchies by the wedding of his eldest son and heir, Vladislav with Gertrude. The couple were proclaimed Duke and Duchess of Austria, but Vladislav died in the following year (1247). The next ruler of Austria was Gertrude's second husband, Hermann VI, Margrave of Baden, who died in 1250, leaving Austria and Styria without a ruler again.
The Austrian aristocracy offered the government of the duchies to Ottokar II of Bohemia
Ottokar II of Bohemia
Ottokar II , called The Iron and Golden King, was the King of Bohemia from 1253 until 1278. He was the Duke of Austria , Styria , Carinthia and Carniola also....
, second son and new heir of King Wenceslaus I. However, one condition was imposed by the nobles: Ottokar only can take the control over Austria and Styria if he married one of the Babenberg heiresses. Ottokar refused a wedding with the widow of his brother and decided to marry Margaret. The ceremony took place on 11 February 1252 in the Castle Chapel (German: Burgkapelle) of Hainburg an der Donau
Hainburg an der Donau
Hainburg an der Donau is a town in the Bruck an der Leitha district, Lower Austria, Austria.-Geography:The city Hainburg is located next to the Danube river and Bratislava in Slovakia and 50 km east of Vienna. It is part of the Industrial Quarter Industrieviertel in Lower Austria.45.87% of the...
. She was about twenty-six years his senior.
Ottokar acquired the imperial privileges sealed with a Golden Bull
Golden Bull
A Golden Bull or chrysobull was a golden ornament representing a seal , attached to a decree issued by Byzantine Emperors and later by monarchs in Europe during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The term was originally coined for the golden seal itself but came to be applied to the entire decree...
on the basis of the Privilegium Minus
Privilegium Minus
The Privilegium Minus is a document issued by Emperor Frederick I on September 17, 1156. It included the elevation of the Margraviate of Austria to a Duchy, which was given as an inheritable fief to the House of Babenberg. Its recipient was Frederick's paternal uncle Margrave Henry II Jasomirgott...
, which legitimazed his claim over the duchies of Austria and Styria, since Margaret was the heiress of the last duke by proximity of blood. Thereby she transferred the government of the duchies to Austria and Styria to her husband. Pope Innocent IV
Pope Innocent IV
Pope Innocent IV , born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was pope from June 25, 1243 until his death in 1254.-Early life:...
, who had previously changed sides several times between Gertrude and Margaret, confirmed the lawful government of Margaret and Ottokar over both duchies on 6 May 1252. Bohemian administrators ruled the duchies in their names.
One year later, on 23 September 1253, King Wenceslaus I died. Ottokar became King of Bohemia as Ottokar II and Margaret as his Queen consort. However, by this time, it was evident that Margaret (who was already fifty-years-old), was barren. King Ottokar II tried tried to gain from the Pope the recognizion of the illegitimate son whom he had with one of Margaret's ladies-in-waiting as his lawful successor. After the Pope refused this, in 1261 the King obtained the annulment of his marriage with Margaret. The repudiated Queen left Bohemia and returned to Austria, settled her residence in Krumau am Kamp
Krumau am Kamp
Krumau am Kamp is a town in the district of Krems-Land in the Austrian state of Lower Austria....
and, during the winters, in Krems.
Ottokar II kept Austria, Styria, Carinthia
Duchy of Carinthia
The Duchy of Carinthia was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, then the first newly created Imperial State beside the original German stem duchies....
, and Carniola
Carniola
Carniola was a historical region that comprised parts of what is now Slovenia. As part of Austria-Hungary, the region was a crown land officially known as the Duchy of Carniola until 1918. In 1849, the region was subdivided into Upper Carniola, Lower Carniola, and Inner Carniola...
, claiming to be the heir designated by Margaret in their divorce settlement. He held the duchies until deposed by king Rudolf I of Germany in 1276.
After her divorce she was called Romanorum quondam Regina (Queen of the Romans); however, she maintained the title ducissa Austrie et Stirie (Duchess of Austria and Styria). In 1266 she changed her title as quondam filia Livpoldi illustris ducis Austrie et Stirie et Romanorum Regina as a reference of her father.
Prior to her death, she chose the Lilienfeld Abbey
Lilienfeld Abbey
Lilienfeld Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in Lilienfeld to the south of Sankt Pölten in Lower Austria.- History :It was founded in 1202 by Leopold VI, Duke of Austria and Styria, as a daughter house of Heiligenkreuz Abbey...
as her burial place. The date of her death is controversial. Some sources state 1266, while others state 2/12 October 1267 as the real date. According to her wish, she was buried in the Lilienfeld Abbey next to her father.