Constance of Hungary (in Hungarian, ''Konstancia''; in Czech, ''Konstancie''; c. 1180 – 6 December 1240) was the second

Queen consort A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, and usually shares her spouse's social Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles and may be crowned and anointed, but hi ...

Ottokar I of Bohemia Ottokar I (; 1155 – 1230) was Duke of Bohemia periodically beginning in 1192, then acquired the title of King of Bohemia, first in 1198 from Philip of Swabia, later in 1203 from Otto IV of Brunswick and in 1212 (as hereditary) from ...

Family

Constance was a daughter of

Béla III of Hungary Béla III (, , ; 114823 April 1196) was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia between 1172 and 1196. He was the second son of King Géza II of Hungary, Géza II and Géza's wife, Euphrosyne of Kiev. Around 1161, Géza granted Béla a du ...

and his first wife

Agnes of Antioch Agnes of Antioch ( 1154 – c. 1184), also known as Anna of Antioch and Anne de Châtillon, was Queen of Hungary from 1172 until 1184 as the first wife of Béla III. The accidental discovery of her intact tomb during the Hungarian Revolution o ...

. Her older siblings included

Emeric, King of Hungary Emeric, also known as Henry or Imre (, , ; 117430 November 1204), was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia between 1196 and 1204. In 1184, his father, Béla III of Hungary, ordered that he be crowned king, and appointed him as ruler of K ...

Margaret of Hungary Margaret of Hungary (''Margit'' in Hungarian; b. 1175 – d. after 1229) was a Hungarian princess from the House of Árpád. She was a Byzantine Empress by marriage to Isaac II Angelos (d. 1204), and Queen of Thessalonica by marriage to Boni ...

and

Andrew II of Hungary Andrew II (, , , ; 117721 September 1235), also known as Andrew of Jerusalem, was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia between 1205 and 1235. He ruled the Principality of Halych from 1188 until 1189/1190, and again between 1208/1209 and ...

Marriage and children

In 1199, Ottokar I divorced his first wife,

Adelaide of Meissen Adelaide of Meissen (, ; – 2 February 1211), a member of the House of Wettin, was Queen of Bohemia from 1198 to 1199 as the first wife of King Ottokar I. When her husband declared their marriage null and void, she began a longstanding legal d ...

, on grounds of

consanguinity Consanguinity (from Latin '':wikt: consanguinitas, consanguinitas'' 'blood relationship') is the characteristic of having a kinship with a relative who is descended from a common ancestor. Many jurisdictions have laws prohibiting people who are ...

. He married Constance later in the same year. Together with Ottokar, she had nine children. Queen Constance is regularly noted as a co-donator with her husband in various documents of his reign. Her petitions to her husband for various

donation A donation is a gift for Charity (practice), charity, humanitarian aid, or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including money, alms, Service (economics), services, or goods such as clothing, toys, food, or vehicles. A donati ...

s are also recorded. She is considered to have sold the city

Boleráz Boleráz () is a municipality of Trnava District in the Trnava region of Slovakia. Early history The first signs of settlement are known from the Old Stone Age. The fortress "Zámok" (Castle), which has not been preserved, also dates from this ...

to her nephew

Béla IV of Hungary Béla IV (1206 – 3 May 1270) was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia between 1235 and 1270, and Duke of Styria from 1254 to 1258. As the oldest son of Andrew II of Hungary, King Andrew II, he was crowned upon the initiative of a group ...

. In 1247, Béla conferred said city to the nuns of

Trnava Trnava (, , ; , also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, to the northeast of Bratislava, on the Trnávka river. It is the capital of the Trnava Region and the Trnava District. It is the seat o ...

. An epistle by which Constance supposedly grants freedom to the cities of

Břeclav Břeclav (; ) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 25,000 inhabitants. Located at the Czech-Austrian state border and near the Czech–Slovak state border, it is an important railway hub. Administrative divis ...

and

Olomouc Olomouc (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants, making it the Statutory city (Czech Republic), sixth largest city in the country. It is the administrative centre of the Olomouc Region. Located on the Morava (rive ...

is considered a false document. The same epistle grants lands in

Ostrovany Ostrovany is a village and municipality in Sabinov District in the Prešov Region of north-eastern Slovakia. History In history, historical records the village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but s ...

to the monastery of St. Stephen of Hradište. Another epistle has the queen settling "honorable Teutonic men" (viros honestos Theutunicos) in the city of

Hodonín Hodonín (; ) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 24,000 inhabitants. Geography Hodonín is located about southeast of Brno, on the border with Slovakia. It lies in a flat landscape of the Lower Morava Va ...

and is also considered a

forgery Forgery is a white-collar crime that generally consists of the false making or material alteration of a legal instrument with the specific mens rea, intent to wikt:defraud#English, defraud. Tampering with a certain legal instrument may be fo ...

. In 1230, Ottokar I died and their son Wenceslaus succeeded him. Constance survived her husband by a decade. In 1231,

Pope Gregory IX Pope Gregory IX (; born Ugolino di Conti; 1145 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and the ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decretales'' and instituting the Pa ...

set Queen Constance and her

dower Dower is a provision accorded traditionally by a husband or his family, to a wife for her support should she become widowed. It was settlement (law), settled on the bride (being given into trust instrument, trust) by agreement at the time of t ...

possessions under the protection of the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

. His letter to Constance clarifies said possessions to include the provinces of

(Brecyzlaviensem), Pribyslavice (Pribizlavensem), Dolni Kunice (Conowizensem), Godens (Godeninensem),

Bzenec Bzenec (; ) is a town in Hodonín District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,600 inhabitants. Geography Bzenec is located about northeast of Hodonín. Larger part of the municipal territory lies in a flat landsca ...

(Bisenzensem) and Budějovice (Budegewizensem). In 1232, Constance founded Cloister Porta Coeli near

Tišnov Tišnov (; ) is a town in Brno-Country District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,200 inhabitants. Administrative division Tišnov consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 cens ...

and retired to it as a nun. She died within the Cloister.

Issue

*Vratislav (c. 1200 – before 1209) *Judith (c. 1202 – 2 June 1230), who married

Bernhard von Spanheim Bernhard von Spanheim (or Sponheim; 1176 or 1181 – 4 January 1256), a member of the noble House of Sponheim, was Duke of Carinthia for 54 years from 1202 until his death. A patron of chivalry and minnesang, Bernhard's reign marked the eme ...

Duke of Carinthia The Duchy of Carinthia (; ; ) was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, and was the first newly created Imperial State after the original German stem duchy, stem duc ...

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna of East Anglia, King (died c.654) * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th c ...

(c. 1204 – 23 June 1265), who married

Henry II the Pious Henry II the Pious (; 1196 – 9 April 1241) was Duke of Silesia and High Duke of Poland as well as Duke of South-Greater Poland from 1238 until his death. Between 1238 and 1239 he also served as regent of Sandomierz and Opole– Racibórz. He ...

Duke of Wrocław The Duke of Silesia was the title of sons and descendants of the Polish people, Polish Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth. In accordance with the Testament of Bolesław III Krzywousty, last will and testament of Bolesław, upon his death his lands were d ...

*Agnes, thought to have died young *

Wenceslaus I of Bohemia Wenceslaus I (; c. 1205 – 23 September 1253), called One-Eyed, was King of Bohemia from 1230 to 1253. Wenceslaus was a son of Ottokar I of Bohemia and his second wife Constance of Hungary. Marriage and children In 1224, Wenceslaus married ...

(c. 1205 – 23 September 1253) * Vladislaus,

Margrave of Moravia The Margraviate of Moravia (; ) was one of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown within the Holy Roman Empire and then Austria-Hungary, existing from 1182 to 1918. It was officially administered by a margrave in cooperation with a provincial diet. I ...

(1207 – 10 February 1228) *Přemysl, Margrave of Moravia (1209 – 16 October 1239), who married Margaret, daughter of Otto I, Duke of Merania, and Beatrice II, Countess of Burgundy * Agnes (20 January 1211 – 6 March 1282), Mother Superior of the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

Poor Clares The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare (Latin language, Latin: ''Ordo Sanctae Clarae''), originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and also known as the Clarisses or Clarissines, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Or ...

nuns of

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

The Milanese mystic Guglielma (1210s – 24 October 1281) claimed to be a Princess of Bohemia and has therefore been identified as a daughter of Ottokar and Constance with the name Vilemína or Božena, but there is an absence of any corroborating Bohemian documents.

References

Sources

External links

''Women's Biography: Constance of Hungary''
contains several letters sent and received by Constance. , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Constance of Hungary 1180s births 1240 deaths Daughters of kings Year of birth uncertain House of Árpád Queens consort of Bohemia Hungarian princesses 12th-century Hungarian women 12th-century Hungarian people 13th-century Hungarian women 13th-century Hungarian people 12th-century people from Bohemia 12th-century women from Bohemia 13th-century women from Bohemia 13th-century people from Bohemia Bohemian queen mothers