Kunigunde of Austria

Kunigunde of Austria
Duchess of Bavaria-Münich
Tenure 1487–1508
Duchess of Bavaria-Landshut
Tenure 1503–1508
Born 16 March 1465
Wiener Neustadt
Died 6 August 1520
Convent of Püttrich
Spouse Albert IV, Duke of Bavaria
Issue Sidonie of Bavaria
Sibylle, Electress Palatine
Sabina, Duchess of Württemberg
William IV, Duke of Bavaria
Louis X, Duke of Bavaria
Ernest, Archbishop in Salzburg
Susanna, Margravine of Bayreuth and Countess Palatine of Neuburg
House House of Habsburg
Father Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
Mother Eleanor of Portugal
Religion Roman Catholicism

Kunigunde of Austria (German: Kunigunde von Österreich) (16 March 1465 – 6 August 1520) was an Austrian Archduchess member of the House of Habsburg and by marriage Duchess of Bavaria-Munich and since 1503 over all Bavaria.

She was the daughter of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor and his wife Eleanor of Portugal, daughter of King Edward of Portugal.

Biography

Kunigunde of Austria

Early life

Born in Wiener Neustadt, Kunigunde was the fourth of five children born to the Imperial couple; however, only she and her older brother Maximilian survived to adulthood.[1][2] 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, astronomy and mathematics.[3]

Like most daughters of royal families, since her early years Kunigunde was involved in the political intrigues of her time. In 1470 King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary requested her hand; however, Frederick III refused him. At the age of fifteen, in 1480, Kunigunde made her formal presentation in Vienna during the visit of George, Duke of Bavaria, called "the Rich" to Frederick III's court. After the celebrations she 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 and sent Kunigunde to Innsbruck with Sigismund, Archduke of Further Austria and ruler of Tirol, Frederick III's first cousin and former guardian.

Marriage

Kunigunde married Albert IV, Duke of Bavaria-Munich in 1487 against the will of her own father, and served as joint regent for son Wilhelm IV. In spite of her resignation from court life, she tried to influence the politics of the state as she acted in favour of the rights of her younger sons. She was in close contact with her brother, Emperor Maximilian I, and with other rulers and relatives in Europe.

With Albert IV, Duke of Bavaria-Munich she had Seven children:

  1. Sidonie (1 May 1488 – 27 March 1505). Betrothed to Louis V, Elector Palatine, she died before the wedding took place.
  2. Sibylle (16 June 1489 – 18 April 1519), married in 1511 to Louis V, Elector Palatine.
  3. Sabina (24 April 1492 – 30 April 1564), married in 1511 to Duke Ulrich I of Württemberg.
  4. William IV, Duke of Bavaria (13 November 1493 – 7 March 1550).
  5. Louis X, Duke of Bavaria (18 September 1495 – 22 April 1545).
  6. Ernest (13 June 1500 – 7 December 1560), an ecclesiastical official in Passau (1517–40), Archbishop in Salzburg (1540–54) and Eichstädt.
  7. 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.

After the death of Albert in 1508 she later joined the Convent of Püttrich which she favoured and lived there until her death in 1520.

Ancestry

References

  1. ↑ Marek, Miroslav. "Complete Genealogy of the House of Habsburg". Genealogy.EU.
  2. ↑ Cawley, Charles, AUSTRIA, Medieval Lands database, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy,
  3. ↑ Sigrid-Maria Größing: Um Krone und Liebe. Amalthea Verlag.
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