Catherine of Poděbrady

Biography

Catherine and her twin sister

Matthias Corvinus had lost his wife, Elisabeth of Cilli, at a young age.^[1] On 1 May 1463 he married Catherine at Matthias Church^[2] in Buda. Matthias was eighteen, his bride thirteen. The wedding negotiations had begun in 1458 when Catherine was nine years old. Soon after the marriage, Catherine left her family and went to live in Hungary with her new husband. Janus Pannonius helped teach Catherine Latin.^{[citation needed]}

The queen died in childbirth at the age of 14. Her child died as well. The event caused Matthias to lose hope of siring a legitimate heir. He eventually married Beatrice of Naples, but that marriage also failed to produce an heir. Matthias's only surviving offspring was an illegitimate son, John Corvinus, by his mistress Barbara Edelpöck.

References

Bibliography

• Kubinyi, András (2008). Matthias Rex (in Hungarian). Balassi Kiadó.
  ISBN 978-963-506-767-1
  .