Maria Laskarina
Encyclopedia
Maria Laskarina was a daughter of Theodore I Laskaris
and his first wife Anna Angelina
.
, first Empress consort of John III Doukas Vatatzes
. Theodore married his eldest daughter to his designated heir in 1212. Theodore was widowed in the same year and proceeded to marriages with Philippa of Armenia
and Marie de Courtenay
. However John was never displaced in succession.
As a younger daughter, the marriage of Maria was not intended to add a potential husband in the line of succession to the throne. Instead it secured a marital alliance with the Kingdom of Hungary
.
In 1218, Maria was married to prince Béla of Hungary
. Bride and groom were about twelve-years-old. Her husband was the eldest son of Andrew II of Hungary
and Gertrude of Merania
.
Andrew II died on 26 October 1235. The crown prince succeeded him as Béla IV and Maria became his Queen consort. Béla reigned for thirty-five years and died on 3 May 1270. Maria survived him by about two months.
had ten children:
Theodore I Laskaris
Theodoros I Komnenos Laskaris was emperor of Nicaea .-Family:Theodore Laskaris was born to the Laskaris, a noble but not particularly renowned Byzantine family of Constantinople. He was the son of Manuel Laskaris and wife Ioanna Karatzaina . He had four older brothers: Manuel Laskaris Theodoros...
and his first wife Anna Angelina
Anna Angelina
Anna Komnene Angelina or Comnena Angelina was a daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Alexios III Angelos and of Euphrosyne Doukaina Kamatera....
.
Life
She was a younger sister of Irene LascarinaIrene Lascarina
Irene Lascarina was a daughter of Theodore I Laskaris, emperor of Nicaea and Anna Angelina. Her maternal grandparents were Emperor Alexios III Angelos and Euphrosyne Doukaina Kamaterina...
, first Empress consort of John III Doukas Vatatzes
John III Doukas Vatatzes
John III Doukas Vatatzes, Latinized as Ducas Vatatzes |Nymphaion]]) was emperor of Nicaea 1221–1254.-Life:John Doukas Vatatzes was probably the son of the general Basileios Vatatzes, Duke of Thrace, who died in 1193, and his wife, an unnamed daughter of Isaakios Angelos and cousin of the Emperors...
. Theodore married his eldest daughter to his designated heir in 1212. Theodore was widowed in the same year and proceeded to marriages with Philippa of Armenia
Philippa of Armenia
Philippa of Armenia was a daughter of Ruben III of Armenia and Isabella of Toron. Her maternal grandparents were Humphrey III of Toron and Stephanie of Milly.-Princess of Armenia:...
and Marie de Courtenay
Marie de Courtenay
Marie de Courtenay was a daughter of Peter II of Courtenay and Yolanda of Flanders. She married Theodore I of Nicaea. Marie served as regent for her younger brother Baldwin II of Courtenay and styled herself as the Empress of Constantinople.-Family and background:Her parents were successive rulers...
. However John was never displaced in succession.
As a younger daughter, the marriage of Maria was not intended to add a potential husband in the line of succession to the throne. Instead it secured a marital alliance with the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary in the Middle Ages
The Kingdom of Hungary was formed from the previous Principality of Hungarywith the coronation of Stephen I in AD 1000. This was a result of the conversion of Géza of Hungary to the Western Church in the 970s....
.
In 1218, Maria was married to prince Béla of Hungary
Béla IV of Hungary
Béla IV , King of Hungary and of Croatia , duke of Styria 1254–58. One of the most famous kings of Hungary, he distinguished himself through his policy of strengthening of the royal power following the example of his grandfather Bela III, and by the rebuilding Hungary after the catastrophe of the...
. Bride and groom were about twelve-years-old. Her husband was the eldest son of Andrew II of Hungary
Andrew II of Hungary
Andrew II the Jerosolimitan was King of Hungary and Croatia . He was the younger son of King Béla III of Hungary, who invested him with the government of the Principality of Halych...
and Gertrude of Merania
Gertrude of Merania
Gertrude of Merania was the first wife of King Andrew II of Hungary and thereby Queen consort of Hungary from 1205 until her assassination.-Family:...
.
Andrew II died on 26 October 1235. The crown prince succeeded him as Béla IV and Maria became his Queen consort. Béla reigned for thirty-five years and died on 3 May 1270. Maria survived him by about two months.
Children
Maria and Béla IV of HungaryBéla IV of Hungary
Béla IV , King of Hungary and of Croatia , duke of Styria 1254–58. One of the most famous kings of Hungary, he distinguished himself through his policy of strengthening of the royal power following the example of his grandfather Bela III, and by the rebuilding Hungary after the catastrophe of the...
had ten children:
- Margaret of Hungary (c. 1220 – 20 April 1242). Married Guillaume de Saint-Omer. Her husband is often listed in genealogies as "Lord of Thebes". However he might be confused with Bela de Saint-Omer, an older brother who held the title jure uxorisJure uxorisJure uxoris is a Latin term that means "by right of his wife" or "in right of a wife". It is commonly used to refer to a title held by a man whose wife holds it in her own right. In other words, he acquired the title simply by being her husband....
. - Saint Kunegunda of HungaryKinga of PolandSaint Kinga of Poland is a saint in the Catholic Church and patroness of Poland and Lithuania....
(5 March 1224 – 24 July 1292), also known as Kinga. She was married to King Boleslaus V of Poland, after his death becoming a nun and abbess; she was canonizedCanonizationCanonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
by Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul IIBlessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
in 1999. - Anna of Hungary (c. 1226 – after 1270). Married Rostislav of SlavoniaRostislav of SlavoniaRostislav Mikhailovich was a Rus' prince , and a dignitary in the Kingdom of Hungary....
. - Catherine of Hungary (c. 1229–1242). She died while fleeing with her family following the Battle of MohiBattle of MohiThe Battle of Mohi , or Battle of the Sajó River, was the main battle between the Mongol Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary during the Mongol invasion of Europe. It took place at Muhi, Southwest of the Sajó River. After the invasion, Hungary lay in ruins. Nearly half of the inhabited places had...
. - Elizabeth of HungaryElisabeth of Hungary (d.1271)Elisabeth of Hungary was a daughter of Béla IV of Hungary and his wife Maria Laskarina. She was a member of the Árpád dynasty.- Family :...
(c. 1236 – 24 October 1271). Married Henry XIII, Duke of BavariaHenry XIII, Duke of BavariaHenry XIII of Bavaria, member of the Wittelsbach dynasty was Duke of Lower Bavaria. As Duke of Lower Bavaria he is also called Henry I.- Family :...
. - Constance of Hungary (c. 1237 – after 1252). Married Leo I of HalychLeo I of HalychLev I of Galicia became in turn Knyaz of Belz , Knyaz of Peremyshl, king of Halych and King of Rus' , Grand Prince of Kiev .-Family:...
. - Blessed Yolanda of HungaryJolenta of PolandJolenta of Poland was the daughter of Béla IV of Hungary and Maria Laskarina. She was the sister of Saint Margaret of Hungary and Saint Kinga...
(c. 1238–1298). Married Boleslaus of Greater PolandBoleslaus of Greater PolandBolesław the Pious was a Duke of Greater Poland during 1239–1247 , Duke of Kalisz during 1247–1249, Duke of Gniezno during 1249–1250, Duke of Gniezno-Kalisz during 1253–1257, Duke of whole Greater Poland and Poznań during 1257–1273, in 1261 ruler over Ląd, regent of the Duchies of Masovia, Płock...
. Later became a nun and abbess, who has been declared as a candidate for saintSaintA saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
hood. - Stephen V of HungaryStephen V of HungaryStephen V , was King of Hungary from 1270 to 1272.-Early years:...
(December 1239 – 6 August 1272). - Saint Margaret of HungarySaint Margaret of HungarySaint Margaret was a nun and the daughter of King Béla IV and Maria Laskarina. She was the niece of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary and the younger sister of Saint Kinga and Blessed Yolanda.-Early life:...
(27 January 1242 – 18 January 1271). Named after an older sister. Canonized by the Roman Catholic Church in 1943, for whom Margaret Island in BudapestBudapestBudapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
is named, having been the place where a royal monastery was established by her parents for her. - Béla, Duke of Slavonia, Croatia and Dalmatia (c. 1243–1269). Married Kunigunde of Brandenburg, a daughter of Otto III, Margrave of Brandenburg. His widow married Waleran IV of LimburgWaleran IV of LimburgWaleran IV was the duke of Limburg from 1247 to his death. He was the son and successor of Henry IV and Ermengarde, countess of Berg....
.