Matilda of Habsburg
Encyclopedia
Matilda of Habsburg or Melchilde (Rheinfelden
, 1253 – Munich
, Bavaria
, 23 December 1304) was the eldest daughter of Rudolph I of Germany
and Gertrude of Hohenburg
. She was regent of Bavaria
in the minority of her son.
married Wenceslaus II of Bohemia was the mother of ten children, among them were Wenceslaus III of Bohemia
and Elisabeth, Queen of Bohemia. Her sister Clementia married Charles Martel of Anjou
and was mother of Charles I of Hungary
.
Matilda's maternal grandparents were Burchard V, Count of Hohenberg and his wife Mechtild of Tübingen. Her paternal grandparents were Albert IV, Count of Habsburg
and his wife Hedwig of Kyburg.
in Aachen
, she was his third and final wife. There was a large age difference, Louis was twenty three years older than Matilda.
Matilda and Louis had the following children:
while her son took the cities such as: Ingolstadt
, Neuberg
, Langenfeld
and Rietberg
. Within a couple of years her son came of age and ruled the kingdom by himself.
Though Matilda had her younger son, Louis partly educated in Vienna
and became co-regent of his brother Rudolf I
in Upper Bavaria
in 1301 with the support of Matilda and her brother King Albert I, he quarrelled with the Habsburgs from 1307 over possessions in Lower Bavaria
. A civil war against his brother Rudolf due to new disputes on the partition of their lands was ended in 1313, when peace was made at Munich
.
Matilda and Rudolf continued to be at odds and in 1302 Matilda was arrested by Rudolf and brought to München, where she signed an agreement promising never to interfere in the government again, but as soon as she was outside the boarders of Bavaria
, Matilda declared the agreement null and void, and got the support of her brother, Albert, Louis the Bavarian and others.
Matilda's son, Louis defeated his Habsburg cousin Frederick the Handsome
. Originally, he was a friend of Frederick, with whom he had been raised. However, armed conflict arose when the tutelage over the young Dukes of Lower Bavaria
(Henry XIV
, Otto IV
and Henry XV
) was entrusted to Frederick.
On November 9, 1313, Frederick was beaten by Louis in the Battle of Gamelsdorf
and had to renounce the tutelage.
Matilda died on 23 December 1304 at Munich
, Bavaria.
Rheinfelden
Rheinfelden is a municipality in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland, seat of the district of Rheinfelden. It is located 15 kilometres east of Basel. The name means the fields of the Rhine, as the town is located on the Hochrhein. It is home to Feldschlösschen, the most popular beer in...
, 1253 – Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, 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...
, 23 December 1304) was the eldest daughter of Rudolph I of Germany
Rudolph I of Germany
Rudolph I was King of the Romans from 1273 until his death. He played a vital role in raising the Habsburg dynasty to a leading position among the Imperial feudal dynasties...
and Gertrude of Hohenburg
Gertrude of Hohenburg
Gertrude of Hohenzollern was the first Queen consort of Rudolph I of Germany.-Family:She was born to Burckhard III of Hohenzollern, Count of Hohenberg and his wife Mechtild of Tübingen....
. She was regent of 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...
in the minority of her son.
Family
Matilda was the fourth of nine children, her younger sister, JudithJudith of Habsburg
Judith of Habsburg was the youngest daughter of Rudolph I of Germany and his wife Gertrude of Hohenburg. Judith was a member of the Habsburg family.-Biography:When Judith was five, she became the object of her father's political plans...
married Wenceslaus II of Bohemia was the mother of ten children, among them were Wenceslaus III of Bohemia
Wenceslaus III of Bohemia
Wenceslaus III Premyslid was the King of Hungary , King of Bohemia and the king of Poland ....
and Elisabeth, Queen of Bohemia. Her sister Clementia married Charles Martel of Anjou
Charles Martel of Anjou
Charles Martel of the Angevin dynasty, also known as Charles I Martel, was the eldest son of king Charles II of Naples and Maria of Hungary, the daughter of King Stephen V of Hungary....
and was mother of Charles I of Hungary
Charles I of Hungary
Charles I , also known as Charles Robert , was the first King of Hungary and Croatia of the House of Anjou. He was also descended from the old Hungarian Árpád dynasty. His claim to the throne of Hungary was contested by several pretenders...
.
Matilda's maternal grandparents were Burchard V, Count of Hohenberg and his wife Mechtild of Tübingen. Her paternal grandparents were Albert IV, Count of Habsburg
Albert IV, Count of Habsburg
Albert IV was Count of Habsburg in the Aargau and a progenitor of the royal House of Habsburg....
and his wife Hedwig of Kyburg.
Marriage
On the 24 October 1273, Matilda married Louis II, Duke of BavariaLouis II, Duke of Bavaria
Duke Louis II of Bavaria was Duke of Bavaria and Count Palatine of the Rhine from 1253. Born in Heidelberg, he was a son of duke Otto II and Agnes of the Palatinate...
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, ...
, she was his third and final wife. There was a large age difference, Louis was twenty three years older than Matilda.
Matilda and Louis had the following children:
- Agnes (d.1345), married to:
- 1290 in DonauwörthDonauwörthDonauwörth is a city in the German State of Bavaria , in the region of Swabia . It is said to have been founded by two fisherman where the Danube and Wörnitz rivers meet...
Landgrave Henry II of Hesse; - 1298/1303 Heinrich I "Ohneland" ("Lackland"), Margrave of Brandenburg.
- 1290 in Donauwörth
- Rudolf IRudolf I, Duke of BavariaRudolf I of Bavaria , a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty, was Duke of Bavaria and Count Palatine of the Rhine...
(4 October 1274, Basle–12 August 1319). - Mechthild (1275–28 March 1319, LüneburgLüneburgLüneburg is a town in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of fellow Hanseatic city Hamburg. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, and one of Hamburg's inner suburbs...
), married 1288 to Duke Otto II of Braunschweig-Lüneburg. - Ludwig IV (1 April 1282, MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
–11 October 1347, Puch bei Fürstenfeldbruck).
Widowhood and Regency
On her husband's death in 1294, Matilda acted as regent for her young son Rudolf. A decision was made for Matilda to take part of the duchy and her son to take the other part. Matilda took a large part of Upper BavariaUpper Bavaria
Upper Bavaria is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany.- Geography :Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered around the city of Munich. It is subdivided into four regions : Ingolstadt, Munich, Bayerisches Oberland , and Südostoberbayern...
while her son took the cities such as: Ingolstadt
Ingolstadt
Ingolstadt is a city in the Free State of Bavaria, in the Federal Republic of Germany. It is located along the banks of the Danube River, in the center of Bavaria. As at 31 March 2011, Ingolstadt had 125.407 residents...
, Neuberg
Neuberg
Neuberg may refer to:* Neuberg , a castle from 13th century in Podhradí, Czech Republic*Neuberg, Hesse, a municipality in the district Main-Kinzig-Kreis, Hesse, Germany*Neuberg an der Mürz, a municipality in Styria, Austria...
, Langenfeld
Langenfeld
There are communes and places that have the name Langenfeld in Germany:*Langenfeld, Bavaria, in the Neustadt district, Mittelfranken, Bavaria*Langenfeld, Mayen-Koblenz, in the Mayen-Koblenz district, Rhineland-Palatinate...
and Rietberg
Rietberg
Rietberg is a town in the district of Gütersloh in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approx. 10 km south of Gütersloh and 25 km north-west of Paderborn in the region Ostwestfalen-Lippe. The town is located at the river Ems. There are 28,878 people living in...
. Within a couple of years her son came of age and ruled the kingdom by himself.
Though Matilda had her younger son, Louis partly educated 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...
and became co-regent of his brother Rudolf I
Rudolf I, Duke of Bavaria
Rudolf I of Bavaria , a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty, was Duke of Bavaria and Count Palatine of the Rhine...
in Upper Bavaria
Upper Bavaria
Upper Bavaria is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany.- Geography :Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered around the city of Munich. It is subdivided into four regions : Ingolstadt, Munich, Bayerisches Oberland , and Südostoberbayern...
in 1301 with the support of Matilda and her brother King Albert I, he quarrelled with the Habsburgs from 1307 over possessions in Lower Bavaria
Lower Bavaria
Lower Bavaria is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany, located in the east of the state.- Geography :Lower Bavaria is subdivided into two regions - Landshut and Donau-Wald. Recent election results mark it as the most conservative part of Germany, generally giving huge...
. A civil war against his brother Rudolf due to new disputes on the partition of their lands was ended in 1313, when peace was made at Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
.
Matilda and Rudolf continued to be at odds and in 1302 Matilda was arrested by Rudolf and brought to München, where she signed an agreement promising never to interfere in the government again, but as soon as she was outside the boarders of 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...
, Matilda declared the agreement null and void, and got the support of her brother, Albert, Louis the Bavarian and others.
Matilda's son, Louis defeated his Habsburg cousin Frederick the Handsome
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...
. Originally, he was a friend of Frederick, with whom he had been raised. However, armed conflict arose when the tutelage over the young Dukes of Lower Bavaria
Lower Bavaria
Lower Bavaria is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany, located in the east of the state.- Geography :Lower Bavaria is subdivided into two regions - Landshut and Donau-Wald. Recent election results mark it as the most conservative part of Germany, generally giving huge...
(Henry XIV
Henry XIV, Duke of Bavaria
Henry XIV, duke of Bavaria, as duke of Lower Bavaria also called Henry II., .- Family :He was a son of Stephen I, Duke of Bavaria and Jutta of Schweidnitz....
, Otto IV
Otto IV, Duke of Lower Bavaria
Otto IV was a Duke of Lower Bavaria.-Family:He was a son of Stephen I, Duke of Bavaria and Jutta of Schweidnitz....
and Henry XV
Henry XV, Duke of Bavaria
Henry XV, duke of Bavaria, as duke of Lower Bavaria also called Henry III, .- Biography :...
) was entrusted to Frederick.
On November 9, 1313, Frederick was beaten by Louis in the Battle of Gamelsdorf
Battle of Gamelsdorf
The Battle of Gammelsdorf was fought at Gammelsdorf on 9 November 1313 between Bavaria and Austria. The Bavarians were led by Louis the Bavarian, while the Austrians were led by Frederick I, Louis' cousin. The Bavarians were victorious, forcing Frederick to renounce his tutelage over the Lower...
and had to renounce the tutelage.
Matilda died on 23 December 1304 at Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Bavaria.