Konstanze von Staufen

Konstanze von Staufen (Costanza) (* 1230 ; † April 1307 in Valencia ) was Empress of Byzantium and wife of the Byzantine Emperor John III.

She was the eldest daughter of Emperor Frederick II by his lover and later wife Bianca Lancia and was subsequently legitimated ( legitimatio per matrimonium ) by the marriage that Friedrich and Bianca entered into in 1233/34 shortly before Bianca's death ( confirmatio matrimonii in articulo mortis ) consequently ).

In 1244, at the age of 14, she was married to the 52-year-old John III, Emperor of Byzantium in exile in Nicaea , who had been a widower since 1241. According to an old custom, she took on a different name on this occasion, in her case "Anna". The connection between Konstanze and the schismatic Johannes aroused the displeasure of Pope Innocent IV so much that it became one of the reasons why Pope Friedrich deposed the following year, namely 1245.

Constance's marriage was not a happy one, as Johannes soon turned to a young woman from Constance's entourage, who pushed the Empress into the background and also played her role in public. Frederick did not react to this development, as he appreciated the financial and military support of the Byzantines. When the Pope came to an understanding with John, Konstanze was completely isolated, which did not change when John died on November 3rd, 1254 and his son from his first marriage, Theodor II , ascended the throne.

Only after Theodor died in 1258 and his son Johannes IV was deposed by his regent, co-emperor and finally successor Michael VIII in 1261, did Constance's situation change: the new emperor fell in love with the now 31-year-old and applied for a divorce from his Wife in order to be able to marry Konstanze. However, the Council of State and the Patriarch of Constantinople refused. It is not clear whether Konstanze was Michael's lover at the time or whether she permanently rejected his advances.

Coffin of Constance in the Capilla Real de Santa Barbara of San Juan del Hospital in Valencia

Constance's stay at the Byzantine court ended when she was exchanged for General Alexios Strategopoulos , who was in the custody of her brother Manfred , King of Sicily since 1258 .

The move back to southern Italy, however, made their situation even worse when Manfred was defeated and fell in the battle of Benevento against Charles of Anjou in 1266 . Most of her family fell into Karl's hands, but Konstanze was able to flee and stayed with her niece of the same name , Manfred's daughter and wife of King Peter III. of Aragón , who later became King of Sicily himself.

She entered a hospitaller convent in Valencia , where she died of old age in 1307. Her wooden coffin is now in the church of San Juan del Hospital in Valencia.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h} Hans-Wolfgang Bächle : The legacy of the Hohenstaufen . Schwäbisch Gmünd 2008, pp. 55–58
2. ^ Peter Koblank: Staufer graves. Only a few of the most prominent Hohenstaufen are buried in Germany on stauferstelen.net. Retrieved July 12, 2014.

predecessor	Office	Successor
as Empress in exile Irene Laskarina or the Empress of the defeated Latin Empire ; Mary of Brienne	Empress of Byzantium 1244 to 1254	Theodora Dukaina Komnene Batatzaina (1240–1303) ∞ (1253) Michael VIII.