Beatrix of Burgundy

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Beatrix of Burgundy (* around 1140 or shortly after; † November 15, 1184 in Jouhe near Dole ) was the Roman-German Queen (since 1156) and Empress (since 1167) of the Roman-German Empire . She was the second wife of Friedrich I Barbarossa and the grandmother of Friedrich II.

Life

Beatrix was the only daughter of Count Rainald III. of Burgundy (* around 1093; † 1148) and Agathe of Lorraine (* 1115; † 1147), daughter of Duke Simon I of Lorraine (* around 1076; † 1138/1141).

Grave of Beatrix of Burgundy and her daughter Agnes in the Speyer Cathedral

On June 17, 1156, she married at a very young age (the exact age is unknown, but she was by no means older than 16 years) in Würzburg, about 20 years older than Emperor Friedrich I Barbarossa , after he had separated from Adela von Vohburg three years earlier would have. On October 9 of the same year, Hillin von Fallemanien , the Archbishop of Trier , crowned her queen. The Free County of Burgundy, which Beatrix brought into the marriage , strengthened Barbarossa's power in the Kingdom of Burgundy , where the influence of the Roman-German kings was traditionally weak. On the one hand, Barbarossa gained important access to Italy, which was under his military control, on the other hand, the income from this part of the empire increased Barbarossa's opportunities to recruit mercenaries for his military ventures. Furthermore, increased the prestige of high-ranking family of Beatrix the Prestige Barbarossa.

After a long and bloody campaign through Italy in 1167, Barbarossa besieged the city of Rome to have his wife Beatrix crowned empress by the Pope. Pope Alexander III However, due to the previous brutality Barbarossa refused to give his wife the emperor. In addition, Barbarossa had supported the antipope since 1159 . Paschal III. , who accompanied the Italian campaign, Beatrix crowned Empress on August 1, 1167 after conquering St. Peter's Church and eliminating the enemy troops.

In August 1178 Beatrix was crowned Queen of Burgundy in Vienne . The educated and intelligent Beatrix is ​​described in contemporary sources as a real beauty. The relationship with Barbarossa is also portrayed in these sources as happy and loving, and dealing with one another went far beyond the respectful and polite interaction that was otherwise customary. Beatrix spent the last years of her life almost exclusively in her Burgundian homeland. She ruled there completely independently, had her own court with her own chancellery, and tried to secure the rights of a future Count of Burgundy.

After her death in 1184, she was transferred to Speyer and probably buried in the royal choir of the imperial cathedral at the end of November 1184 . After being reburied at the beginning of the 20th century, she rests in a double grave together with her daughter Agnes, who died that same year, next to the single grave of her son Philipp von Schwaben in the then newly created crypt of the cathedral.

children

  • Beatrix (* around the end of 1162 / beginning of 1163; † at the latest at the beginning of 1174), buried in the Lorch Monastery
  • Friedrich (* July 16, 1164 in Pavia ; † 1169/1170), 1167 as Friedrich V Duke of Swabia, buried in Lorch Monastery
  • Henry VI. (* 1165 - 28 September 1197 in Messina ), German King and Emperor, King of Sicily , buried in the Cathedral of Palermo, ⚭ 1186 Constanze of Sicily (* 1154 - † 1198), daughter of King Roger II.
  • Konrad (* probably 1167; † January 20, 1191 near Akkon ), 1169/70 as Friedrich VI. Duke of Swabia, buried in front of Acre
  • Daughter , possibly "Gisela" (* probably October / November 1168; † late 1184), ⚭ 1184 Richard the Lionheart
  • Otto (* probably June / July 1170; † 1200), as Otto I Count Palatine of Burgundy , buried in the Church of St. Etienne in Besançon , ⚭ around 1190 Margaret of Blois († 1230)
  • Konrad (* probably February / March 1172; † August 15, 1196), 1189 Duke of Rothenburg, 1191 as Conrad II Duke of Swabia, buried in Lorch Monastery
  • Rainald (* probably October / November 1173; † died early), buried in Lorch Abbey
  • Wilhelm (* probably June / July 1176; † died early), buried in Lorch Monastery
  • Philipp (February or March 1177; † 1208), Duke of Swabia, German King, buried in Bamberg Cathedral, transferred to Speyer in December 1213 and buried there in the cathedral's royal choir, ⚭ 1197 Irene von Byzantium († 1208, buried in Lorch Monastery )
  • Agnes († October 8, 1184), engaged to the future King Emmerich of Hungary , buried in the Speyer Cathedral , since 1903 in the double grave with her mother

literature

Web links

Commons : Beatrix of Burgundy  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ^ Heinrich Appelt : Empress Beatrix and the legacy of the Counts of Burgundy . In: Hubert Mordek (Ed.): From Church and Empire. Studies on theology, politics and law in the Middle Ages. Festschrift for Friedrich Kempf. Sigmaringen 1983, pp. 279-283. on-line
  2. ^ Sources and literature are compiled in Regesta Imperii , IV, 2,4, no. 2818 .
  3. ^ Erwin Assmann : Friedrich Barbarossa's children . In: German Archive for Research into the Middle Ages , Vol. 33 (1977), pp. 435–472. Here: pp. 451–452, 456–457 u. 459
predecessor Office successor
Rainald III. (Burgundy) Queen of Burgundy
1148 (coronation 1178) until November 15, 1184 		until 1190 Friedrich I. (HRR)
Adela von Vohburg and Gertrud von Sulzbach Roman-German Queen
October 9, 1156 to November 15, 1184 		Constance of Sicily
Richenza from Northeim Roman-German Empress
August 1, 1167 to November 15, 1184 		Constance of Sicily
personal data
SURNAME Beatrix of Burgundy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Béatrice Ire de Bourgogne
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German Queen and Empress of the Holy Roman Empire
DATE OF BIRTH around 1140
DATE OF DEATH November 15, 1184
Place of death Jouhe at Dole