Empress Beatrice of Hohenstaufen

Beatrice of Hohenstaufen (1198 – 11 August, 1212) was the first Queen consort of Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor.

Family

She was the eldest daughter of Philip of Swabia and his wife Irene Angelina.

Her paternal grandparents were Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor and Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy. Her maternal grandparents were Byzantine emperor Isaac II Angelos and his first wife Herina.

Marriage

Her father Philip of Swabia had been elected King of Germany on 6 March, 1198. Her husband Otto IV was elected rival King of Germany on 29 March, 1198. The two rival Kings continued to war against each other until the assassination of Philip on 21 June, 1208. The assassin was Count Otto VIII of Wittelsbach who had asked for the hand of either Beatrice or one of her three younger sisters. His request had been denied and he reacted violently.

Otto IV had by this point lost the support of his two main allies, Pope Innocent III and John of England. He had been forced to retire to his hereditary lands near Braunschweig. However the assassination left him the only King of Germany. He took advantage to make amends with the remaining members and supporters of the House of Hohenstaufen. Their new alliance was sealed with the betrothal of Beatrice to Otto IV.

On 11 November, 1208, Otto IV was again elected King of Germany in Frankfurt. This time he was supported by members of both sides of the previous civil war. He was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Innocent III on 4 October, 1209. Beatrice was only eleven years old and remained betrothed to Otto IV, approximately thirty-four years old.

They were married in Nordhausen on 23 July, 1212. The bride was fourteen years old and the groom about thirty-seven. However Beatrice soon fell sick and died only nineteen days after the marriage. She was childless at the time of her death.

External links

* [http://genealogy.euweb.cz/hohst/hohenstauf.html#BF A listing of descendants of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia]