Agnes of Austria (1150s–1182)
Agnes of Austria (c. 1151/54 – 13 January 1182), a member of the House of Babenberg, was Queen of Hungary from 1168 until 1172 by her first marriage with King Stephen III of Hungary and Duchess of Carinthia by her second marriage with Duke Herman of Carinthia from 1173 until 1181.
| Agnes of Austria | |
|---|---|
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| Queen consort of Hungary | |
| Tenure | 1168 – 4 March 1172 |
| Duchess consort of Carinthia | |
| Tenure | 1173 – 4 October 1181 |
| Born | c. 1154 Austria |
| Died | 13 January 1182 Austria |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Stephen III of Hungary Herman, Duke of Carinthia |
| Issue | Ulrich II, Duke of Carinthia Bernhard von Spanheim |
| House | Babenberg |
| Father | Henry II, Duke of Austria |
| Mother | Theodora Komnene |
Life
Agnes was the eldest child of the Babenberg duke Henry II of Austria and his second wife, the Byzantine princess Theodora Komnene.
Queen
In 1166, Duke Henry II, who was mediating a peace between King Stephen III of Hungary and Emperor Manuel I Komnenos, proposed a marriage between his daughter, Agnes and the young king. However, the King decided to marry Princess Yaroslavna of Halych (1167); nevertheless, this marriage ended soon: the princess was repudiated and sent back to her father in 1168. The negotiations with Austria were renewed and Agnes was married to King Stephen III in the same year.[1][2][3]
She gave birth to a son, Béla, who died shortly afterwards (1168). Her husband fell suddenly ill and died on 4 March 1172 during a meeting with her father. Apparently, shortly before the death of Stephen, Agnes gave birth a second son, but the child was either stillborn or died shortly after birth.
Later life
Just after her husband's funeral, the widowed Agnes left for the Duchy of Austria with her father. One year later (1173) she was married again, to the Sponheim duke Herman of Carinthia. They had two sons: Ulrich II (born in 1176) and Bernhard II (born in 1180) who were later Dukes of Carinthia.
Duke Herman died in 1181. Agnes survived him only one year. She was buried in the Crypt of the Schottenstift in Vienna, next to her parents.
Sources
- Soltész, István: Árpád-házi királynék (Gabo, 1999)
- Kristó, Gyula - Makk, Ferenc: Az Árpád-ház uralkodói (IPC Könyvek, 1996)
References
- https://books.google.com/books?q=agnes+of+austria+stephen+III&lr=&sa=N&start=0 "Henry gave his daughter [Agnes] in marriage to the king of Hungary [Stephen III]." Otto, Rahewin, Charles Christopher Mierow, Medieval Academy of America, Richard Emery: The deeds of Frederick Barbarossa. University of Toronto Press, in association with the Medieval Academy of America, 1995, ISBN 0-8020-7574-6
- "Stephen III - king of Hungary". Retrieved 18 January 2017.
- Comyn, Sir Robert Buckley (1 January 1851). "The history of the Western empire: from its restoration by Charlemagne to the accession of Charles V." W. H. Allen.
Agnes of Austria (1150s–1182) Born: c. 1151/54 Died: 1182 | ||
| Royal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Yaroslavna of Halych |
Queen consort of Hungary 1168–1172 |
Succeeded by Maria Komnene |
| Preceded by Maria of Bohemia (?) |
Duchess consort of Carinthia 1173–1181 |
Succeeded by Judith of Bohemia (from 1202) |