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Agnes of Austria (1281-1364)
Encyclopedia
Agnes of Austria was a daughter of Albert I of Germany
and his wife Elisabeth of Tirol
. She was Queen of Hungary by marriage. She was a member of the House of Habsburg.
, Frederick the Fair, Leopold I, Duke of Austria
, Albert II, Duke of Austria
, Otto, Duke of Austria
, Elisabeth, Duchess of Lorraine
, Catherine, Duchess of Calabria
and Anna, Margravine of Brandenburg
.
Her maternal grandparents were Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia
and Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of Germany
. Her paternal grandparents were Rudolph I of Germany
and his first wife, Gertrude of Hohenburg
. Elisabeth of Bavaria was daughter of Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria
and his wife Agnes of the Palatinate
.
, Agnes married Andrew III of Hungary. Afterwards, with his father-in-law's support, Andrew managed to defeat the revolt of Miklós Kőszegi and Máté Csák, and occupy the castles of Kőszeg
and Pozsony. In 1298 Andrew supported with troops his father-in-law's revolt against King Adolf of Germany.
She disliked tournaments, but liked sermons. Since she was small of stature, she used to wear dresses her sisters no longer wanted, which gained her praise for modesty.
The death of Andrew III on 14 January 1301, at Buda, ended the male line of the Árpáds. One of his contemporaries called him "the last golden twig of the Árpáds".
. However Agnes was only nineteen so was still able to remarry and have children but she never did. Agnes became a patroness of Königsfelden Abbey
, which had been founded by her mother in memory of Agnes' late father. She took her stepdaughter, Elisabeth with her and went to live there in a small house. Elisabeth was one of the final members of the Arpad family. Elisabeth was also due to marry Wenceslaus III of Bohemia
, but the wedding never happened since Wenceslaus instead married Viola Elisabeth of Cieszyn
.
Agnes was depicted as a pious woman. On the other hand, according to the 16th century Chronicon helveticum of Aegidius Tschudi, she avenged her father's murder by ordering the execution and expulsion of 1000 people (families and followers of his murderers), but it appears this report was to a large extent based on Swiss anti-Habsburg propaganda. Because of her good reputation, she was asked several times to act as mediator. In 1333, she established a treaty between Austria
and a number of Swiss towns and regions. In 1351, she solved a dispute between Basel
and Bremen
and did the same in the same year for Albert II, Duke of Austria
and the Swiss Confederacy
. Her brothers often came to see her in Königsfelden to ask for advice.
Agnes died on 10 June 1364 and was buried at Königsfelden.
Albert I of Germany
Albert I of Habsburg was King of the Romans and Duke of Austria, the eldest son of German King Rudolph I of Habsburg and his first wife Gertrude of Hohenburg.-Life:...
and his wife Elisabeth of Tirol
Elisabeth of Tirol
Elisabeth of Gorizia-Tyrol from the House of Meinhardin was Queen of the Romans, Queen of Germany and Duchess of Austria by marriage...
. She was Queen of Hungary by marriage. She was a member of the House of Habsburg.
Family
Agnes was one of twelve children. Her siblings included: Rudolph I of BohemiaRudolph I of Bohemia
Rudolf I of Habsburg was Duke of Austria and Styria from 1298 and King of Bohemia and titular King of Poland from 1306 until his death...
, Frederick the Fair, Leopold I, Duke of Austria
Leopold I, Duke of Austria
Leopold I from the House of Habsburg was Duke of Austria and Styria – as co-ruler with his elder brother Frederick the Fair – from 1308 until his death...
, Albert II, Duke of Austria
Albert II, Duke of Austria
Albert II of Austria , known as the Wise or the Lame, was Duke of Austria.-Life:Albert II was born at Habsburg, the son of Albert I of Germany, Rex Romanorum, and Elisabeth of Tirol...
, Otto, Duke of Austria
Otto, Duke of Austria
Otto IV, the Merry was a Duke of Austria and the youngest son of Albert I of Germany and Elisabeth of Tirol.Otto was born in Vienna. He had two brothers, namely Frederick the Handsome and Albert II...
, Elisabeth, Duchess of Lorraine
Elisabeth of Austria (d.1353)
Elisabeth of Austria , also known as Isabelle, was a daughter of Albert I of Germany and his wife Elisabeth of Gorizia-Tyrol. She was a member of the House of Habsburg.- Family :Elisabeth was the tenth of twelve children...
, Catherine, Duchess of Calabria
Catherine of Austria (1295–1323)
Catherine of Austria was a daughter of Albert I of Germany and his wife Elisabeth of Tirol. She was a member of the powerful House of Habsburg. She was Duchess of Calabria by her marriage.- Family :...
and Anna, Margravine of Brandenburg
Anna of Austria (1275–1327)
Anna of Austria was a daughter of Albert I of Germany and his wife Elisabeth of Tirol. She was a member of the House of Habsburg.- Family :Anna was born in Vienna the eighth of twelve children...
.
Her maternal grandparents were Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia
Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia
Meinhard II from the House of Meinhardin was ruling Count of Gorizia from 1258 until 1271 and Count of Tyrol from 1258 until his death...
and Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of Germany
Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of Germany
Elisabeth of Bavaria was the queen consort of Conrad IV of Germany.-Family:She was the eldest daughter of Otto II, Duke of Bavaria and Agnes of the Palatinate...
. Her paternal grandparents were Rudolph I of Germany
Rudolph I of Germany
Rudolph I was King of the Romans from 1273 until his death. He played a vital role in raising the Habsburg dynasty to a leading position among the Imperial feudal dynasties...
and his first wife, Gertrude of Hohenburg
Gertrude of Hohenburg
Gertrude of Hohenzollern was the first Queen consort of Rudolph I of Germany.-Family:She was born to Burckhard III of Hohenzollern, Count of Hohenberg and his wife Mechtild of Tübingen....
. Elisabeth of Bavaria was daughter of Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria
Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria
Otto II of Bavaria was the Duke of Bavaria and Count Palatine of the Rhine . He was a son of Louis I and Ludmilla of Bohemia and a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty.- Biography :...
and his wife Agnes of the Palatinate
Agnes of the Palatinate
Agnes of the Palatinate was a daughter of Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine and his first wife Agnes, daughter of Conrad, Count Palatine of the Rhine . Agnes was Duchess of Bavaria by her marriage to Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria....
.
Marriage
On 13 February 1296 in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Agnes married Andrew III of Hungary. Afterwards, with his father-in-law's support, Andrew managed to defeat the revolt of Miklós Kőszegi and Máté Csák, and occupy the castles of Kőszeg
Koszeg
----Kőszeg is a town in Vas county, Hungary. The town is famous for its historical character.- History :The origins of the only free royal town in the historical garrison county of Vas go back to the third quarter of the 13th century...
and Pozsony. In 1298 Andrew supported with troops his father-in-law's revolt against King Adolf of Germany.
She disliked tournaments, but liked sermons. Since she was small of stature, she used to wear dresses her sisters no longer wanted, which gained her praise for modesty.
The death of Andrew III on 14 January 1301, at Buda, ended the male line of the Árpáds. One of his contemporaries called him "the last golden twig of the Árpáds".
Later Life and Reputation
Now, Agnes was a widow and she had no children to carry on the Arpad DynastyÁrpád dynasty
The Árpáds or Arpads was the ruling dynasty of the federation of the Hungarian tribes and of the Kingdom of Hungary . The dynasty was named after Grand Prince Árpád who was the head of the tribal federation when the Magyars occupied the Carpathian Basin, circa 895...
. However Agnes was only nineteen so was still able to remarry and have children but she never did. Agnes became a patroness of Königsfelden Abbey
Königsfelden Abbey
Königsfelden Abbey is a former Franciscan monastery and former Clarisse convent in the municipality of Windisch in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. It was founded in 1308 by the Habsburgs and during the Reformation in 1528 it was secularized. The complex was then the residence of the bailiffs...
, which had been founded by her mother in memory of Agnes' late father. She took her stepdaughter, Elisabeth with her and went to live there in a small house. Elisabeth was one of the final members of the Arpad family. Elisabeth was also due to marry Wenceslaus III of Bohemia
Wenceslaus III of Bohemia
Wenceslaus III Premyslid was the King of Hungary , King of Bohemia and the king of Poland ....
, but the wedding never happened since Wenceslaus instead married Viola Elisabeth of Cieszyn
Viola Elisabeth of Cieszyn
Viola Elisabeth of Cieszyn was a Polish princess member of the House of Piast in the Cieszyn branch and by marriage Queen of Bohemia and Poland....
.
Agnes was depicted as a pious woman. On the other hand, according to the 16th century Chronicon helveticum of Aegidius Tschudi, she avenged her father's murder by ordering the execution and expulsion of 1000 people (families and followers of his murderers), but it appears this report was to a large extent based on Swiss anti-Habsburg propaganda. Because of her good reputation, she was asked several times to act as mediator. In 1333, she established a treaty between Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and a number of Swiss towns and regions. In 1351, she solved a dispute between Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
and Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
and did the same in the same year for Albert II, Duke of Austria
Albert II, Duke of Austria
Albert II of Austria , known as the Wise or the Lame, was Duke of Austria.-Life:Albert II was born at Habsburg, the son of Albert I of Germany, Rex Romanorum, and Elisabeth of Tirol...
and the Swiss Confederacy
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
. Her brothers often came to see her in Königsfelden to ask for advice.
Agnes died on 10 June 1364 and was buried at Königsfelden.