Kunigunde of Austria (16 March 1465 – 6 August 1520), a member of the
House of Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
, was
Duchess of Bavaria from 1487 to 1508, by her marriage to the
Wittelsbach
The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate o ...
duke
Albert IV.
Biography
Early life
Kunigunde was born in
Wiener Neustadt
Wiener Neustadt (; ; Central Bavarian: ''Weana Neistod'') is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administration of Wiener Neustadt-Land Distr ...
, the fourth of five children to Emperor
Frederick III and his wife
Eleanor
Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages.
The name was introd ...
, daughter of King
Edward of Portugal
Edward ( pt, Duarte (; 31 October 1391 – 9 September 1438), also called Edward the King Philosopher (''Duarte o Rei-Filósofo'') or the Eloquent (''o Eloquente''), was the King of Portugal from 1433 until his death. He was born in Viseu, the son ...
. However, only she and her elder brother
Maximilian
Maximilian, Maximillian or Maximiliaan (Maximilien in French) is a male given name.
The name " Max" is considered a shortening of "Maximilian" as well as of several other names.
List of people
Monarchs
*Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (1459� ...
survived to adulthood. Frederick blamed her mother for the deaths of her older siblings, saying that she had fed them too much Portuguese sweet food. When Kunigunde fell ill, Frederick rushed into the women's quarter, took the baby from the cradle and moved her to his own bedchamber, removing her from the mother's supposed harmful care. Eleanor quickly fell ill herself. It is unknown whether mother and child ever saw each other again before her death.
She was raised in Wiener Neustadt and at the
Inner Austrian court in
Graz
Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popula ...
,
Styria
Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...
, where she grew up in an informal and open atmosphere, without rigid court etiquette. Contrary to former practice, she learned not only to read, write, and embroider, but also received instruction in riding and
hunting
Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler ...
,
astronomy
Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, gala ...
and
mathematics.
Kunigunde's family had left the Imperial residence at the
Hofburg
The Hofburg is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty. Located in the centre of Vienna, it was built in the 13th century and expanded several times afterwards. It also served as the imperial winter residence, as Schönbrun ...
in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
after lengthy quarrels with Frederick's younger brother Archduke
Albert VI of Austria
Albert VIKonstantin Moritz A. Langmaier: Erzherzog Albrecht VI. von Österreich (1418–1463). Ein Fürst im Spannungsfeld von Dynastie, Regionen und Reich (= Forschungen zur Kaiser- und Papstgeschichte des Mittelalters. Bd. 38). Böhlau, Köln ...
. Though Albert had unexpectedly died in 1463 and the emperor proclaimed a general ''
Landfrieden
Under the law of the Holy Roman Empire, a ''Landfrieden'' or ''Landfriede'' ( Latin: ''constitutio pacis'', ''pax instituta'' or ''pax jurata'', variously translated as "land peace", or "public peace") was a contractual waiver of the use of legi ...
'' peace, armed hostilities in the
Austrian lands continued.
Like most daughters of royal families, since her early years Kunigunde was involved in the political intrigues of her time. In 1470 the
Hungarian king
Matthias Corvinus
Matthias Corvinus, also called Matthias I ( hu, Hunyadi Mátyás, ro, Matia/Matei Corvin, hr, Matija/Matijaš Korvin, sk, Matej Korvín, cz, Matyáš Korvín; ), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490. After conducting several mi ...
requested her hand; however, Emperor Frederick, a rival for the
Crown of Saint Stephen and also for the
Lands of the Bohemian Crown
The Lands of the Bohemian Crown were a number of incorporated states in Central Europe during the medieval and early modern periods connected by feudal relations under the Bohemian kings. The crown lands primarily consisted of the Kingdom of Bo ...
, refused him. As her mother had died in 1467, Kunigunde made her formal presentation at the side of her father at the age of fifteen, in 1480, during the visit of Duke
George of Bavaria, called "the Rich", to Frederick's court in Vienna. George was solemnly
enfeoff
In the Middle Ages, especially under the European feudal system, feoffment or enfeoffment was the deed by which a person was given land in exchange for a pledge of service. This mechanism was later used to avoid restrictions on the passage of ...
ed with the Imperial estate of
Bavaria-Landshut
Bavaria-Landshut (german: Bayern-Landshut) was a duchy in the Holy Roman Empire from 1353 to 1503.
History
The creation of the duchy was the result of the death of Emperor Louis IV the Bavarian. In the Treaty of Landsberg 1349, which divided ...
and after the celebrations Kunigunde was sent to Burggraf
Ulrich III von Graben to Graz for her safety; however, after a plot against the emperor was discovered, he moved to
Linz
Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846.
In 2009, it was a European Capital of ...
and sent Kunigunde to the
Tyrolean court in
Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label= Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol and the fifth-largest city in Austria. On the River Inn, at its junction with the Wipp Valley, which provides access to the Brenner Pass to the south, it had a ...
with Archduke
Sigismund of Austria, Frederick's first cousin and former ward.
Duchess of Bavaria-Munich
In Innsbruck Kunigunde met Duke George's cousin, Albert IV, then ruler of
Bavaria-Munich
Bavaria-Munich (german: Bayern-München) was a duchy that was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages a ...
and about 18 years her senior, who she married on 2 January 1487. Her father had initially given his consent, however, when Albert's forces occupied the Imperial City of
Regensburg
Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is t ...
, he changed his mind. The couple wed at the Innsbruck
Hofburg
The Hofburg is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty. Located in the centre of Vienna, it was built in the 13th century and expanded several times afterwards. It also served as the imperial winter residence, as Schönbrun ...
residence, against the will of Kunigunde's father. Her brother Maximilian mediated between her and Emperor Frederick; he was able to prevent an
imperial ban
The imperial ban (german: Reichsacht) was a form of outlawry in the Holy Roman Empire. At different times, it could be declared by the Holy Roman Emperor, by the Imperial Diet, or by courts like the League of the Holy Court (''Vehmgericht'') or t ...
.
Kunigunde followed her husband to Bavaria and served as joint regent for their eldest son
William IV
William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded ...
, born in 1493. In spite of her resignation from the Imperial court, she tried to influence the politics of the state as she acted in favour of the rights of her younger sons. She stayed in close contact with her brother, Emperor Maximilian I, and with other rulers and relatives in Europe.
After the death of Albert in 1508 she later joined the
Convent
A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican C ...
of
Püttrich which she favoured and lived there until her death in 1520.
She was very pious and able to exert influence in her brother on religious matters. In 1509, relying on the influence of Kunigunde, and the Cologne Dominicans, the anti-Jewish agitator
Johannes Pfefferkorn was authorized by Maximilian to confiscate all offending Jewish books (including prayer books), except the Bible. The confiscations happened in Frankfurt, Bingen, Mainz and other German cities. Responding to the order, the archbishop of Mainz, the city council of Frankfurt and various German princes tried to intervene in defense the Jews. Maximilian consequently ordered the confiscated books to be returned. On May 23, 1510 though, influenced by a supposed "host desecration" and blood libel in Brandenburg, as well as pressure from Kunigunde, he ordered the creation of an investigating commission and asked for expert opinions from German universities and scholars. The prominent humanist
Johann Reuchlin
Johann Reuchlin (; sometimes called Johannes; 29 January 1455 – 30 June 1522) was a German Catholic humanist and a scholar of Greek and Hebrew, whose work also took him to modern-day Austria, Switzerland, and Italy and France. Most of Reuchlin's ...
argued strongly in defense of the Jewish books, especially the Talmud.
In 1512, Kunigunde exposed the fraud of the self-appointed saint
Anna Laminit (1480-1518) of Augsburg, who had duped the population and enriched herself using her fame as a "hunger saint" for decades. Laminit had managed to approach even Maximilian himself, who paid personal visits to her and provided her and her maid with clothing. In 1503, Laminit attained her greatest success in persuading
Bianca Maria Sforza
Bianca Maria Sforza (5 April 1472 – 31 December 1510) was Queen of Germany and Italy, and Empress of the Holy Roman Empire as the third spouse of Maximilian I. She was the eldest legitimate daughter of Duke Galeazzo Maria Sforza of Milan by h ...
, her brother's Queen (later Empress), to lead a penitent procession with the city's leading officials – probably the largest one the city had ever seen. Rumours arose though, that some people had seen the "saint" eat. Kunigunde decided to carry out an investigation herself. She invited Laminit to her monastery. When Laminit arrived on 16 October 1512, she was quartered in a guest room, which had been prepared beforehand with peepholes. As soon as the door was locked, Laminit unpacked bags of fruit that she had hidden under the bed. Despite Laminit tried to cover the scandal, on 13 October 1513, Kunigunde demanded a just punishment from the Imperial City Council Of Augsburg. On 30 January 1514, Maximilian personally decreed that Laminit would not be allow to approach him or the city within a day's travel distance. Laminit then arrogantly left Augsburg and moved to Freiburg, where she married a widowed crossbow-maker and established herself as a herbalist. After a new fraud was exposed and one of her herbal drinks caused the death of a person in Freiburg though, she was condemned as a witch and executed by drowning.
Among her four daughters, Sidonie died young, so her sister Sibylle married Ludwig von der Pfalz who had been betrothed to Sidonie. Susanne married twice – the first husband was a Margrave of Brandenburg, the second a Count Palatine.
Sabine
The Sabines (; lat, Sabini; it, Sabini, all exonyms) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome.
The Sabines divi ...
was married to
Duke Ulrich of Württemberg, as a reward for having supported Albert in the war against George. The marriage turned out to be a disaster. Ulrich was a lazy ruler and a dissolute man who got into debt and physically abused Sabine. When he murdered the husband of his lover in broad daylight in 1515, it was too much for Kunigunde. She called Sabine back to her and told Maximilian to impose an imperial ban on Ulrich, which her brother did in 1516.
She lived her last years in "quiet meditations and pious prayers", also for her brother who died in 1519 (she outlived him for a year).
Issue
With Duke Albert IV of Bavaria, Kunigunde had seven children:
#
Sidonie (1 May 1488 – 27 March 1505). Betrothed to
Louis V, Elector Palatine, she died before the wedding took place.
#
Sibylle (16 June 1489 – 18 April 1519), married in 1511 to
Louis V, Elector Palatine.
#
Sabina (24 April 1492 – 30 April 1564), married in 1511 to Duke
Ulrich I of Württemberg.
#
William IV, Duke of Bavaria
William IV (german: Wilhelm IV; 13 November 1493 – 7 March 1550) was Duke of Bavaria from 1508 to 1550, until 1545 together with his younger brother Louis X, Duke of Bavaria.
He was born in Munich to Albert IV and Kunigunde of Austria, a dau ...
(13 November 1493 – 7 March 1550).
#
Louis X, Duke of Bavaria
Louis X (German: Ludwig X, Herzog von Bayern), ( Grünwald, 18 September 1495 – 22 April 1545 in Landshut) was Duke of Bavaria (1516–1545), together with his older brother William IV, Duke of Bavaria. His parents were Albert IV and Kunig ...
(18 September 1495 – 22 April 1545).
#
Ernest
Ernest is a given name derived from Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious". Notable people and fictional characters with the name include:
People
* Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor
* Ernest ...
(13 June 1500 – 7 December 1560), an ecclesiastical official in
Passau
Passau (; bar, label=Central Bavarian, Båssa) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany, also known as the Dreiflüssestadt ("City of Three Rivers") as the river Danube is joined by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north.
Passau's po ...
(1517–40),
Archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
in
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the ...
(1540–54) and
Eichstädt.
#
Susanna (2 April 1502 – 23 April 1543), married firstly in 1518 to Margrave
Casimir of Brandenburg and secondly in 1529 to
Otto Henry, Count Palatine of Neuburg, since 1556 Elector Palatine.
Ancestry
References
External links
*
Women in power*
Cloister of Püttrich*
*
Article in the Biographische Lexikon des Kaiserthums Österreich
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kunigunde Of Austria
Habsburg, Kunigunde of Austria
Habsburg, Kunigunde of Austria
16th-century women rulers
Duchesses of Bavaria
House of Wittelsbach
15th-century House of Habsburg
16th-century House of Habsburg
Austrian princesses
Daughters of kings
Daughters of emperors
Burials at Munich Frauenkirche