- Constance of Aragon
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Constance of Aragon Queen consort of Hungary Tenure 1198–1204 Queen consort of Germany Tenure 9 December 1212/5 July 1215 – 23 April 1220 Holy Roman Empress Tenure 22 November 1220 – 23 June 1222 Coronation 22 November 1220 (Rome) Spouse Emeric of Hungary
Frederick II, Holy Roman EmperorIssue Ladislaus III of Hungary
Henry (VII) of GermanyHouse House of Arpad (by first marriage)
Hohenstaufen Dynasty (by second marriage)
House of Aragon (by birth)Father Alfonso II of Aragon Mother Sancha of Castile Born 1179 Died 23 June 1222 (aged 42–43) Italy
Constance of Aragon (1179 – 23 June 1222) was an Aragonese infanta who was by marriage firstly Queen consort of Hungary, and secondly Queen consort of Germany and Sicily and Holy Roman Empress. She was regent of Sicily from 1212–1220.
She was the second child and eldest daughter of the nine children of Alfonso II of Aragon and Sancha of Castile.
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Queen of Hungary
Her father died in 1196 and Constance's fate was decided by the new King, her brother Peter II. Peter arranged her marriage with King Emeric of Hungary, and the nineteen-year-old Constance left Aragon for Hungary. The wedding took place in 1198. The next year (1199), the Queen gave birth to a son, called Ladislaus.
When King Emeric was dying, he crowned his son Ladislaus co-ruler on 26 August 1204. The King wanted to secure his succession and had his brother Andrew promise to protect the child and help him govern the Kingdom of Hungary until reaching adulthood. Emeric died three months later, on 30 November.
Ladislaus succeeded him as King while Andrew became his Regent. Andrew soon took over all regal authority while Ladislaus and Constance were little more than his prisoners. Constance managed to escape to Vienna with Ladislaus.
The two found refuge in the court of Leopold VI, Duke of Austria, but Ladislaus would soon die (7 May 1205). The former Regent and now King Andrew II of Hungary took the body of his nephew and buried him in the Royal Crypt of Székesfehérvár. Duke Leopold sent Constance back to Aragon.
Holy Roman Empress
When Constance returned to Aragon, she took up residence with her mother, Queen Sancha, in the Abbey of Nuestra Senora, at Sijena; Sancha had founded the abbey after her husband's death, and now lived there in retirement. Constance spent the next five years in the abbey with her mother, until her fate, again, was changed by her brother.
Pedro II wanted to be on good terms with Pope Innocent III, since he wanted an annulment of his marriage with Maria of Montpellier, and needed the blessing of the Pope. The Pope solicited the hand of the Dowager Queen of Hungary for his pupil, the young King Frederick I of Sicily. The Aragonese King accepted the proposal; Constance left her mother and the abbey of Nuestra Senora and began her trip to Sicily (1208). She never returned to Aragon or saw her mother again. Sancha died shortly after the departure of her daughter.
Constance and Frederick were married in the Sicilian city of Messina on 15 August 1209. In the ceremony, she was crowned Queen of Sicily. By this time, Constance was thirty years old and her new husband only fourteen. Two years later, in 1211, Constance gave birth a son, called Henry, who later had a tragic end.
On 9 December 1212, Frederick was crowned King of Germany in opposition to Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor. During the absence of her husband, Constance stayed in Sicily as regent of the Kingdom until 1220.
At first Frederick controlled Southern Germany but Otto IV was effectively deposed on 5 July 1215. This time Constance was crowned German Queen with her husband.
Pope Honorius III crowned Frederick Holy Roman Emperor on 22 November 1220. Constance was crowned Holy Roman Empress while their son Henry became the new King of Germany. She died of malaria less than two years later in Catania and was buried in the Cathedral of Palermo, in a Roman sarcophagus with a beautiful oriental tiara.
Ancestry
Ancestors of Constance of Aragon 16. Ramon Berenguer II, Count of Barcelona 8. Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona 17. Maud of Apulia 4. Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona 18. Gilbert I, Count of Gévaudan 9. Douce I, Countess of Provence 19. Gerberga, Countess of Provence 2. Alfonso II of Aragon 20. Sancho V of Aragon and Navarre 10. Ramiro II of Aragon 21. Felicia of Roucy 5. Petronila of Aragon 22. William IX, Duke of Aquitaine 11. Agnes of Aquitaine 23. Philippa, Countess of Toulouse 1. Constance of Aragon 24. William I, Count of Burgundy 12. Raymond of Burgundy 25. Etiennete 6. Alfonso VII of León and Castile 26. Alfonso VI of León and Castile 13. Urraca of León and Castile 27. Constance of Burgundy 3. Sancha of Castile 28. Bolesław III Wrymouth 14. Władysław II the Exile 29. Zbyslava of Kiev 7. Richeza of Poland 30. Leopold III, Margrave of Austria 15. Agnes of Babenberg 31. Agnes of Germany External links
Constance of AragonBorn: 1179 Died: 1222Royal titles Vacant Title last held byMargaret of FranceQueen consort of Hungary
1198–1204Succeeded by
Gertrude of MeraniaPreceded by
Maria of BrabantQueen consort of Germany
9 December 1212/5 July 1215 – 23 April 1220Succeeded by
Margaret of AustriaEmpress consort of
the Holy Roman Empire
22 November 1220 – 23 June 1222Vacant Title next held byIsabella II of JerusalemVacant Title last held bySibylla of AcerraQueen consort of Sicily
1209 – 23 June 1222Infantas of Aragon 1st Generation Sancha, Countess of Urgell · Urraca · Teresa, Countess of Provence2nd Generation none3rd Generation Isabella · Petronila4th Generation 5th Generation Constance, Holy Roman Empress · Eleanor, Countess of Toulouse · Dulce6th Generation Sancha7th Generation Violant, Queen of Castile · Constance, Lady of Villena · Sancha · Isabella, Queen of France · Maria · Eleanor8th Generation Elizabeth, Queen of Portugal · Yolanda, Duchess of Calabria · Sancha, Queen of Naples* · Isabella* · Blanca of Ayerbe · Teresa, Lady of Fraga9th Generation Maria, Lady of Cameros · Constance, Duchess of Peñafiel · Isabella, Duchess of Austria · Blanca · Violante, Lady of Segorbe · Constance, Queen of Cyprus** · Elisabeth, Duchess of Bavaria** · Catherine** · Margaret, Countess Palatine of the Rhine** · Beatrice, Lady of Marchena · Maria, Countess of Ampurias · Teresa of Jérica · Constanza of Ayerbe · Maria, Laby of Ayerbe10th Generation Constance, Queen of Majorca · Isabella · Eleanor, Queen of Cyprus · Juana, Lady of Villena · Blanca, Countess of Cardona · Eleanor, Queen of Aragon** · Beatrice, Countess Palatine of the Rhine** · Constance** · Euphemia** · Violante** · Blanca, Countess of Ampurias** · Eleonor, Countess of Caltabellotta** · Constance** · Isabella, Marchioness of Montferrat* · Esclaramunda* · Alice, Countess of Ibelin* · Beatrice, Lady of Cocentaina · Ventura, Viscountess of Illa and Canet · Elsa, Lady of Almonacid · Juana, Countess of Carrión11th Generation Constance, Queen of Sicily · Joanna, Countess of Ampurias · Maria · Beatrice · Eleanor, Queen of Castile · Isabella, Countess of Urgell · Isabella, Countess of Cardona · Blanca of Ribagorza · Joanna, Countess of Cardona · Violante, Countess of Prades · Joanna of Prades · Constance of Prades · Eleanor of Prades · Timbor, Viscountess of Cabrera · Eleanor of Ampurias · Maria of Sicily**12th Generation Joanna, Countess of Foix · Yolande, Duchess of Anjou · Eleanor · Antonia · Margaret · Beatrice of Urgell · Eleanor of Urgell · Cecilia, Countess of Modica · Isabella of Urgell · Eleanor of Prades · Isabella of Prades · Joanna, Countess of Prades · Margarida, Queen of Aragon · Timbor of Prades13th Generation Isabella of Urgell, Duchess of Coimbra · Eleanor, Princess of Salerno · Joanna, Countess of Cardona · Catherine of Urgell14th Generation 15th Generation 16th Generation 17th Generation Eleanor, Queen of France · Isabella, Queen of Denmark-Norway · Mary, Queen of Hungary · Catherine, Queen of Portugal*also a princess of Majorca
**also a princess of SicilyHungarian queens Gisela of Bavaria (1000–1038) · Anastasia of Kiev (1046–1060) · Richeza of Poland (1060–1063) · Judith of Swabia (1063–1074) · Synadene (1074–1077) · Adelaide of Rheinfelden (1077–1090) · Felicia of Sicily (1097–1102) · Euphemia of Kiev (1112–1113) · Cristiana of Capua (1120–1121) · Adelaide of Riedenburg (1121–1131) · Helena of Rascia (1131–1141) · Euphrosyne of Kiev (1146–1162) · Yaroslavna of Halych (1167–1168) · Agnes of Babenberg (1168–1172) · Maria Komnene (1163–1165) · Agnes of Antioch (1172–1184) · Margaret of France (1186–1196) · Constance of Aragon (1198–1204) · Gertrude of Merania (1203–1213) · Yolanda de Courtenay (1215–1233) · Beatrice d'Este (1234–1235) · Maria Laskarina (1235–1270) · Elizabeth the Cuman (1270–1272) · Elizabeth of Sicily (1269–1290) · Fenenna of Kuyavia (1290–1295) · Agnes of Habsburg (1296–1301) · Viola Elisabeth of Cieszyn (1305–1306) · Maria of Bytom (1306–1317) · Beatrice of Luxembourg (1318–1319) · Elisabeth of Poland (1320–1342) · Margaret of Bohemia (1342–1349) · Elizabeth of Bosnia (1353–1382) · Margaret of Durazzo (1385–1386) · Barbara of Cilli (1405–1437) · Elizabeth of Luxembourg (1437–1442) · Catherine of Poděbrady (1461–1464) · Beatrice of Naples (1476–1490) · Barbara of Brandenburg (1490–1491) · Beatrice of Naples (1491–1500) · Anne of Foix-Candale (1502–1506) · Maria of Austria (1515–1526) · Isabella Jagiellon (1539–1540) · Anne Jagiellon (1526–1547) · Maria of Austria (1563–1576) · Anna of Tyrol (1608–1618) · Eleonora Gonzaga (1622–1625) · Maria Anna of Spain (1631–1646) · Maria Leopoldine of Austria (1648–1649) · Eleonora Gonzaga (1651–1657) · Margaret Theresa of Spain (1666–1673) · Claudia Felicitas of Austria (1673–1676) · Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg (1676–1705) · Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1699–1711) · Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1711–1740) · Maria Luisa of Spain (1790–1792) · Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily (1792–1807) · Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este (1808–1816) · Caroline Augusta of Bavaria (1816–1830) · Maria Anna of Savoy (1831–1848) · Elisabeth of Bavaria (1854–1898) · Zita of Bourbon-Parma (1916–1918)Categories:- Hungarian queens consort
- 1179 births
- 1222 deaths
- Italian queens consort
- Royal consorts of Sicily
- German queens consort
- Women of medieval Italy
- Burials at Palermo Cathedral
- House of Aragon
- Duchesses of Swabia
- Female regents
- Aragonese infantas
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