Elizabeth of Sicily, Queen of Hungary

Elizabeth of Sicily
Elizabeth of Sicily
Queen consort of Hungary
Tenure	1272–1290
Born	1261; Naples, Kingdom of Naples
Died	1303 (aged 41–42); Naples, Kingdom of Naples
Burial	Monastery of St Peter's, Naples
Spouse	Ladislaus IV of Hungary (m. 1270; died 1290)
House	Anjou-Sicily
Father	Charles I of Naples
Mother	Beatrice of Provence

Elisabeth of Sicily (1261–1303) was Queen of Hungary by marriage to Ladislaus IV of Hungary.^[1]

Life

She was the youngest child of Charles I of Naples^[2] and his first wife Beatrice of Provence.

Elisabeth married Ladislaus IV of Hungary in 1270.^[2] They had no children. Ladislaus had neglected Elisabeth for the sake of his semi-pagan tribe, the Cumans; his mother Elizabeth was a member of the Cuman tribe. Ladislaus always wore Cuman dress and many of his friends were Cumans.

Queen

Ladislaus spent most of his marriage to Elisabeth chasing after the Cumans, encouraging them to come and live in Hungary. Ladislaus clearly preferred the society of the semi-heathen Cumans to that of the Christians; he wore, and made his court wear, Cuman dress; surrounded himself with Cuman concubines, and neglected and ill-used his ill-favoured Neapolitan consort.^[1] When they wanted to leave Hungary, Ladislaus used his forces to make them stay. Elisabeth was arrested in 1286 so that Ladislaus could live with a Cuman mistress. She was imprisoned at Margaret Island, where she stayed for the next three years. Ladislaus finally reconciled with Elisabeth in 1289. When he found he did not have enough power to rule over his barons, he rejoined the Cumans.

Ladislaus died in 1290, childless, and he was succeeded by Andrew III of Hungary; Andrew was a distant cousin of Ladislaus.

Later life

After her husband's death, Elisabeth returned to Naples, but she came back to Hungary. In the year 1294 Queen Fenenna confirmed on her the privilege to collect the donations of the church in the Veszprém County. In 1301 she returned to Naples, where she became a Dominican nun at St Peter's monastery (San Pietro a Castello), which had been founded by her sister-in-law Queen Mary. Queen Elisabeth (Isabella d'Anjou) died in 1303 and was buried at the monastery of St Peter's.^[3]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Elizabeth of Sicily, Queen of Hungary

16. Louis VII of France

8. Philip II of France

17. Adèle of Champagne

4. Louis VIII of France

18. Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut

9. Isabelle of Hainaut

19. Margaret I, Countess of Flanders

2. Charles I of Naples

20. Sancho III of Castile

10. Alfonso VIII of Castile

21. Blanca of Navarre

5. Blanche of Castile

22. Henry II of England

11. Leonora of England

23. Eleanor of Aquitaine

1. Elisabeth of Sicily

24. Alfonso II of Aragon

12. Alfonso II, Count of Provence

25. Sancha of Castile

6. Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence

26. Rainou, Count of Forcalquier

13. Garsenda, Countess of Forcalquier

27. Gersend of Forcalquier

3. Beatrice of Provence

28. Humbert III of Savoy

14. Thomas I of Savoy

29. Beatrice of Viennois

7. Beatrice of Savoy

30. William I of Geneva

15. Marguerite of Geneva

31. Beatrice de Valperge

Sources

^ ^a ^b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ladislaus IV." . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 59.
^ ^a ^b Steven Runciman, The Sicilian Vespers, (Cambridge University Press, 2000), 138.
^ Memoria und Repräsentation, Band 157 von Veröffentlichungen des Max-Planck-Instituts für Geschichte Kritische Studien Zur Geschichtswissenschaft, Seite 267, Tanja Michalsky, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2000. (ISBN 9783525354735)

Royal titles
Elizabeth of Sicily, Queen of Hungary House of Anjou Cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty Born: 1261 Died: 1303
Preceded by Elizabeth the Cuman	Queen consort of Hungary 1272–1290	Succeeded by Fennena of Kujavia