Beatrix of Rethel
Encyclopedia
Beatrice of Rethel was a French noblewoman, and the third Queen consort
of King Roger II of Sicily
.
from 1158 to 1171.
, making her a Queen consort of Sicily. Her tenure as consort lasted only about three years as Roger died on 26 February 1154. Beatrice was a little over three weeks pregnant at the time of his death, and their only daughter was born the following November:
The Queen Dowager
survived her husband by thirty-one years but there is no record of her having married again. Her daughter Constance became Queen regnant
of the Kingdom of Sicily
on 25 December 1194.
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of King Roger II of Sicily
Roger II of Sicily
Roger II was King of Sicily, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, later became Duke of Apulia and Calabria , then King of Sicily...
.
Family
Beatrice was born sometime between 1130 and 1132, the eldest daughter and one of the nine children of Ithier, Count of Rethel and Beatrix of Namur. Her father was Count of RethelCounts and dukes of Rethel
This is a list of counts and dukes of Rethel. The first counts of Rethel ruled independently, before the county passed first to the Counts of Nevers, then to the Counts of Flanders, and finally to the Dukes of Burgundy. In 1405 the County became part of the Peerage of France, and in 1581 it was...
from 1158 to 1171.
Marriage, Issue and Widowhood
In 1151, Beatrice married as his third wife, King Roger IIRoger II of Sicily
Roger II was King of Sicily, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, later became Duke of Apulia and Calabria , then King of Sicily...
, making her a Queen consort of Sicily. Her tenure as consort lasted only about three years as Roger died on 26 February 1154. Beatrice was a little over three weeks pregnant at the time of his death, and their only daughter was born the following November:
- Constance of SicilyConstance of SicilyConstance of Hauteville was the heiress of the Norman kings of Sicily and the wife of Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor...
(2 November 1154 – 27 November 1198). Married Henry VI, Holy Roman EmperorHenry VI, Holy Roman EmperorHenry VI was King of Germany from 1190 to 1197, Holy Roman Emperor from 1191 to 1197 and King of Sicily from 1194 to 1197.-Early years:Born in Nijmegen,...
, by whom she had one son, Frederick II, Holy Roman EmperorFrederick II, Holy Roman EmperorFrederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
.
The Queen Dowager
Queen Dowager
A queen dowager or dowager queen is a title or status generally held by the widow of a deceased king. In the case of the widow of a deceased emperor, the title of empress dowager is used...
survived her husband by thirty-one years but there is no record of her having married again. Her daughter Constance became Queen regnant
Queen regnant
A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....
of the Kingdom of Sicily
Kingdom of Sicily
The Kingdom of Sicily was a state that existed in the south of Italy from its founding by Roger II in 1130 until 1816. It was a successor state of the County of Sicily, which had been founded in 1071 during the Norman conquest of southern Italy...
on 25 December 1194.