Margaret of Austria, Queen of Bohemia
This article includes a improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (October 2018) ) |
Margaret of Austria | |
---|---|
Theodora Angelina |
Margaret of Austria (
Biography
Margaret was the eldest daughter of Duke
First marriage
In the Imperial City of Nuremberg, on 29 November 1225, the 21-year-old Margaret was married to the 14-year-old Henry, eldest son of Emperor Frederick II and elected King of the Romans since 1222. Frederick's counsellor Archbishop Engelbert of Cologne had initially planned for a bride from the English royal Angevin dynasty, however, the attempt failed, as did Henry's former engagement with the Přemyslid princess Agnes, daughter of King Ottokar I of Bohemia.
Margaret's coronation as Queen of the Romans took place on 23 March 1227 in
In 1235, Henry allied with the princely opposition and openly rebelled against the emperor, however, was defeated by his father's forces and dethroned. Frederick had him confined in several castles in Apulia, where he died on 12 February 1242 after a fall from his horse, probably in an attempted suicide. In the meanwhile, his wife Margaret (who possibly never saw her husband again) retired to the Dominican monastery in Trier and in 1244 moved to Würzburg, where she lived in seclusion in St Marcus Abbey.
Claim to Austria and Styria
In 1246 Margaret's brother Duke Frederick II of Austria, last scion of the Babenberg dynasty, died childless in the Battle of the Leitha River, leaving a succession crisis. The two principal claimants over the succession in the duchies of Austria and Styria were two women: Margaret (who, as the eldest sister of the late Duke, claimed proximity of blood) and her niece Gertrude, who claimed primogeniture, as the only daughter of Henry of Mödling, the eldest brother of the late Duke Frederick II, who had predeceased their father Duke Leopold VI.
As King
Second marriage
The Austrian aristocracy offered the government of the duchies to King Wenceslaus' second son and new heir apparent Ottokar II. However, one condition was imposed by the nobles: Ottokar could only take control of Austria and Styria if he married one of the Babenberg heiresses. Ottokar refused to marry his brother's widow, such marriage being prohibited by the Book of Leviticus, and decided to marry Margaret, 26 years his senior. The ceremony took place on 11 February 1252 in the Castle Chapel (German: Burgkapelle) of Hainburg an der Donau.
Ottokar acquired the imperial privileges sealed with a
One year later, on 23 September 1253, King Wenceslaus I died, and Ottokar and Margaret became King and Queen of Bohemia. Once he had obtained the Babenberg duchies, it was evident to Ottokar that Margaret, already 50 years old, would not bear children. The king tried to gain from the Pope the recognition of the illegitimate son whom he had with Agnes of Kuenring, one of Margaret's ladies-in-waiting, as his lawful successor. After the Pope refused this, in 1261 Ottokar obtained the annulment of his marriage with Margaret.
Later life
While Ottokar married Kunigunda of Halych, a grand-daughter of King Béla IV of Hungary, the repudiated Queen Margaret left Bohemia and returned to her Austrian homeland. She took her residence in Krumau am Kamp, spending the winters in Krems. After the annulment she was called Romanorum quondam Regina ("former Queen of the Romans"); however, she maintained the title ducissa Austrie et Stirie (Duchess of Austria and Styria). In 1266 she changed her title to quondam filia Livpoldi illustris ducis Austrie et Stirie et Romanorum Regina as a reference to her father.
Prior to her death in Krumau, she chose Lilienfeld Abbey as her burial place, next to her father. The date of her death is controversial. Some sources state 1266, while others state 2/12 October 1267 as the real date. King Ottokar II kept Austria, Styria; he also acquired the Duchy of Carinthia with the March of Carniola in 1269, claiming to be the heir designated by Margaret in their divorce settlement. He even stood as a candidate for the Imperial Crown several times, until he was deposed by King Rudolf I of Germany in 1276 and killed in the Battle on the Marchfeld two years later.
References
- Heinrich Ritter von Zeissberg: Margarethe von Österreich. In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Band 20. Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1884, p. 320.
- Heide Dienst: Margarethe von Österreich. In: ISBN 3-428-00197-4
- Karl Lechner: Die Babenberger. Markgrafen und Herzoge von Österreich 976–1246. In: Institut für Österreichische Geschichtsforschung, Wien (Hrsg.): Veröffentlichungen des Instituts für Österreichische Geschichtsforschung. 6., Band 23, Böhlau, Vienna / Köln / Weimar 1996, ISBN 3-205-98569-9.