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
Queen consort of Hungary
Tenure1168 – 4 March 1172
Duchess consort of Carinthia
Tenure1173 – 4 October 1181
Bornc. 1154
Austria
Died13 January 1182
Austria
Burial
SpouseStephen III of Hungary
Herman, Duke of Carinthia
IssueUlrich II, Duke of Carinthia
Bernhard von Spanheim
HouseBabenberg
FatherHenry II, Duke of Austria
MotherTheodora 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

  1. 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
  2. "Stephen III - king of Hungary". Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  3. 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)
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