Constance of Austria
Encyclopedia
Archduchess Constance of Austria (Constance Renate of Habsburg
, in German
Konstanze Renate von Österreich, in Polish
Konstancja Austriaczka or Konstancja Rakuszanka) (December 24, 1588 – July 10, 1631) was a Queen consort
of Poland
.
. Her paternal grandparents were Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary
(1503–1547). Anne was the only daughter of King Ladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary and his wife Anne de Foix. Her maternal grandparents were Albert V, Duke of Bavaria
and Anne Habsburg of Austria.
Constance was also a younger sister of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor
, Margaret of Austria, Leopold V of Austria and Anna of Austria.
Her older sister Anna was the first wife of king Sigismund III Vasa
. After her death Constance and Sigismund III Vasa were married on December 11, 1605.
They had seven children:
Queen Constance was an ambitious politician. Immediately after the wedding, she made efforts to influence policy. She built a strong faction of followers by arranging marriages between her handmaidens to powerful nobles. She represented the interests of the Habsburg family in Poland, and influenced the appointments of positions in the court, government and church. Her closest confidant was Urszula Mayerin
.
Constance spoke Spanish, Latin and Italian. She learned Polish after the wedding but did not like to use it. She was very religious and went to Mass
twice a day. She also was a patron of clerics, painters and architects. She financed the buildings of several palaces for her children, but she was also described as an economic person.
In 1623 Constance bought Żywiec
from Mikołaj Komorowski, which was forbidden by law to the members of the Royal Family and caused misunderstandings with the Parliament. Some time later (in 1626) she made it forbidden for Jews
to settle in the city (de non tolerandis Judaeis).
Constance wished to secure the succession of her own son to the throne rather than the son of her husband's earlier marriage, but she did not succeed. She died of a stroke.
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
, in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
Konstanze Renate von Österreich, in Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
Konstancja Austriaczka or Konstancja Rakuszanka) (December 24, 1588 – July 10, 1631) was a Queen consort
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 Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
Biography
Constance was a daughter of Charles II of Austria and Maria Anna of BavariaMaria Anna of Bavaria (Archduchess of Austria)
Maria Anna of Bavaria was the daughter of Albert V, Duke of Bavaria and Anna of Austria , and the wife of Archduke Charles II of Austria.-Family:...
. Her paternal grandparents were Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand I was Holy Roman Emperor from 1558 and king of Bohemia and Hungary from 1526 until his death. Before his accession, he ruled the Austrian hereditary lands of the Habsburgs in the name of his elder brother, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.The key events during his reign were the contest...
and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary
Anna of Bohemia and Hungary
Anna of Bohemia and Hungary, also sometimes known as Anna Jagellonica was, by marriage to Ferdinand I, King of the Romans and later Holy Roman Emperor, Queen of the Romans.-Family:She was the elder child and only daughter of king Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary and his third...
(1503–1547). Anne was the only daughter of King Ladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary and his wife Anne de Foix. Her maternal grandparents were Albert V, Duke of Bavaria
Albert V, Duke of Bavaria
Albert V was Duke of Bavaria from 1550 until his death. He was born in Munich to William IV and Marie Jacobaea of Baden.-Early life:Albert was educated at Ingolstadt under good Catholic teachers...
and Anne Habsburg of Austria.
Constance was also a younger sister of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand II , a member of the House of Habsburg, was Holy Roman Emperor , King of Bohemia , and King of Hungary . His rule coincided with the Thirty Years' War.- Life :...
, Margaret of Austria, Leopold V of Austria and Anna of Austria.
Her older sister Anna was the first wife of king Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, a monarch of the united Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1587 to 1632, and King of Sweden from 1592 until he was deposed in 1599...
. After her death Constance and Sigismund III Vasa were married on December 11, 1605.
They had seven children:
- John Casimir (25 Dec 1607-14 Jan 1608)
- John Casimir (1609–1672), (reigned 1648-1668 as John Casimir II Vasa of Poland)
- John AlbertJohn Albert VasaJohn Albert Vasa , was a Polish cardinal, and a Prince-Bishop of Warmia and Kraków. He was the son of Swedish and Polish King Sigismund III Vasa and Austrian archduchess Constance of Austria....
(1612–1634) - Charles FerdinandCharles Ferdinand, Duke of OpoleCharles Ferdinand Vasa , was Prince-Bishop of Breslau/Wrocław from 1625, bishop of Płock from 1640 and Duke of Oppeln Opole from 1648 to 1655.-Biography:...
(1613–1655) - Alexander CharlesAlexander Charles VasaAlexander Charles Vasa , , was the fifth son of King Sigismund III Vasa and his wife Constance of Austria....
(1614–1634) - Anna Constance (26 Jan 1616-24 May 1616)
- Anna Catherine Constance (1619–1651)
Queen Constance was an ambitious politician. Immediately after the wedding, she made efforts to influence policy. She built a strong faction of followers by arranging marriages between her handmaidens to powerful nobles. She represented the interests of the Habsburg family in Poland, and influenced the appointments of positions in the court, government and church. Her closest confidant was Urszula Mayerin
Urszula Mayerin
Urszula Mayerin was mistress to King Sigismund III of Poland and a politically influential woman. Her real name might have been Gienger, but it is still a matter of dispute among historians; she signed all her letters as Urszula Meyerin...
.
Constance spoke Spanish, Latin and Italian. She learned Polish after the wedding but did not like to use it. She was very religious and went to Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
twice a day. She also was a patron of clerics, painters and architects. She financed the buildings of several palaces for her children, but she was also described as an economic person.
In 1623 Constance bought Żywiec
Zywiec
Żywiec is a town in south-central Poland with 32,242 inhabitants . Between 1975 and 1998, it was located within the Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship, but has since become part of the Silesian Voivodeship....
from Mikołaj Komorowski, which was forbidden by law to the members of the Royal Family and caused misunderstandings with the Parliament. Some time later (in 1626) she made it forbidden for Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
to settle in the city (de non tolerandis Judaeis).
Constance wished to secure the succession of her own son to the throne rather than the son of her husband's earlier marriage, but she did not succeed. She died of a stroke.
Ancestors
External links
- The Stockholm Roll, Entry of the Wedding Procession of Constance of Austria and Sigismund III into Kraków in 1605.