Constance of Aragon
| Constance of Aragon | |
|---|---|
Holy Roman Empress | |
| Tenure | 22 November 1220 – 23 June 1222 |
| Coronation | 22 November 1220 (Rome) |
| Born | 1179 Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Died | 23 June 1222 (aged 42–43) Catania, Kingdom of Sicily |
| Burial | Cathedral of Palermo |
| Spouses | Emeric, King of Hungary Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor |
| Issue | Ladislaus III of Hungary Henry (VII) of Germany |
| House | Barcelona |
| Father | Alfonso II of Aragon |
| Mother | Sancha of Castile |
Constance of Aragon (1179 – 23 June 1222) was an Aragonese
She was the second child and eldest daughter of the nine children of Alfonso II of Aragon and Sancha of Castile.
Queen of Hungary
Her father died in 1196 and Constance's fate was decided by the new King, her brother
When King Emeric was dying, he crowned his son Ladislaus co-ruler on 26 August 1204. The King wanted to secure his succession and had his brother Andrew promise to protect the child and help him govern the Kingdom of Hungary until reaching adulthood. Emeric died three months later, on 30 November.
Ladislaus succeeded him as King while Andrew became his Regent. Andrew soon took over all regal authority while Ladislaus and Constance were little more than his prisoners. Constance managed to escape to Vienna with Ladislaus.
The two found refuge in the court of Leopold VI, Duke of Austria, but Ladislaus would soon die (7 May 1205). The former Regent and now King Andrew II of Hungary took the body of his nephew and buried him in the Royal Crypt of Székesfehérvár. Duke Leopold sent Constance back to Aragon.
Queen of Sicily and Holy Roman Empress
When Constance returned to Aragon, she took up residence with her mother, Queen Sancha, in the Abbey of Nuestra Senora, at
Peter II wanted to be on good terms with Pope Innocent III, since he wanted an annulment of his marriage with Maria of Montpellier, and needed the blessing of the Pope. The Pope solicited the hand of the Dowager Queen of Hungary for his pupil, the young King Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor. The Aragonese King accepted the proposal; Constance left her mother and the abbey of Nuestra Senora and began her trip to Sicily (1208). She never returned to Aragon or saw her mother again. Sancha died shortly after the departure of her daughter.
Constance and Frederick were married in the Sicilian city of Messina on 15 August 1209. In the ceremony, she was crowned Queen of Sicily. By this time, Constance was thirty years old and her new husband only fourteen. Two years later, in 1211, Constance gave birth to a son, called Henry, who later had a tragic end.
On 9 December 1212, Frederick was crowned King of Germany in opposition to Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor. During the absence of her husband, Constance stayed in Sicily as regent of the Kingdom until 1220.
At first Frederick controlled Southern Germany and Otto IV was effectively deposed on 5 July 1215. This time Constance was crowned German Queen with her husband.
References
- Kamp, Norbert (1984). "Costanza d'Aragona, imperatrice, regina d'Ungheria e di Sicilia". ISBN 978-8-81200032-6.
- Jacqueline Alio: Queens of Sicily 1061-1266, Trinacria, New York 2018.
- Uwe A. Oster: Die Frauen Kaiser Friedrichs II, Piper Verlag, Munich 2008.
- Ingo Runde: Konstanze von Aragón, in: Die Kaiserinnen des Mittelalters, hrsg. von Amalie Fößel, Pustet, Regensburg 2011, pp. 232–248.
- Austin Lane Poole: Filippo di Svevia e Ottone IV, in: Storia del mondo medievale, vol. V, 1999, pp. 54–93.
- E.F. Jacob: Innocenzo III, in: Storia del mondo medievale, vol. V, 1999, pp. 5–53.
- Michelangelo Schipa: L'Italia e la Sicilia sotto Federico II, in: Storia del mondo medievale, vol. V, 1999, pp. 153–197.
- Maria Amalia Mastelloni: Il sarcofago antico di Costanza d'Aragona, in Federico e la Sicilia, dalla terra alla corona. Arti figurative e arti suntuarie, a cura di M. Andaloro, Palermo 1995, pp. 46–52.
- Marek, Miroslav. "A listing of descendant of Petronilla I of Aragon". Genealogy.EU.