Maria Christina of Austria (1574–1621)

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Portrait of Maria Christina by an unknown artist, oil on canvas, around 1592

Maria Christina of Austria (born November 10, 1574 in Graz , † April 6, 1621 in Hall in Tirol ) was an archduchess of Austria and, by marriage, princess of Transylvania .

Life

Maria Christina was a daughter of Archduke Karl II of Austria-Styria (1540–1590) from his marriage to Maria Anna (1551–1608), daughter of the Bavarian Duke Albrecht V.

At the age of 20 she was married to Prince Sigismund Báthory (1572-1613) on August 6, 1595 in Weißenburg . The courtship took place in Graz on February 7th, 1595 by Stephan Bocskai , the marriage contract was already negotiated a month later and the bride left Graz on June 15th, accompanied by her mother and Prince-Bishop Georg von Lavant and 6,000 horsemen led by the Deutschmeister. In Košice, Maria Christina fell ill with a fever, which delayed the onward journey.

The marriage was seen as a great political gain, as Sigismund, previously a vassal of the Ottoman Empire, tied himself more closely to the empire. Emperor Rudolf II appointed Sigismund as imperial prince and he assured Austria of his possession if he were to remain without heirs. The treaty was confirmed on January 16, 1595 by the Hungarian Diet in Pressburg.

The unhappy marriage, which has been proven never to have been consummated, was however annulled in 1599 by Pope Clement VIII . After the cancellation, she and her sister Eleonore entered the noble women's monastery in Hall in Tirol in 1607 and became a colonel there in 1612.

literature

  • Georg Heilingsetzer : Maria Christierna . In: Brigitte Hamann (Ed.): The Habsburgs. A biographical lexicon . 2nd corrected edition. Ueberreuter, Vienna 1988, ISBN 3-492-03163-3 , p. 312.
  • Karl Reißenberger: Princess Christierna of Inner Austria (1574–1621) . In: Mittheilungen des Historisches Verein für Steiermark 30, 1882, p. 27ff.
  • Academy of Sciences in Vienna. Historical Commission: Archive for Austrian History , Volume 15, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften., 1856, S. 113 f.
  • Count Joseph Kemény: German Treasures of the History of Transylvania , Volume 1, J. Tilsch and Son, 1839, p. 153 ff.

Web links

Commons : Maria Christina von Österreich (1574–1621)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Johannes Voigt: History of the German Knight Order in its twelve balles in Germany , Volume 2, G. Reimer, 1859, p. 281.
  2. ^ Leopold Hassler: History of the Austrian Imperial State , I. Klang, 1842, p. 253.
  3. ^ Johann Sporschil: The history of the Germans from the oldest times up to our days , Volume 3, GJ Manz, 1859, p. 209.
personal data
SURNAME Maria Christina of Austria
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Maria Christina of Inner Austria; Maria Christierna of Austria
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Princess of Transylvania
DATE OF BIRTH November 10, 1574
PLACE OF BIRTH Graz
DATE OF DEATH April 6, 1621
Place of death Hall in Tirol