Beatrix von Nürnberg

Beatrix of Nuremberg, also known as Beatrix of Hohenzollern, was born in Nuremberg in 1362 and died on June 10, 1414, in Perchtoldsdorf, Lower Austria. Through her marriage to Albert III of Austria, she became Duchess of Austria and thus played a role in the dynastic politics of the late 14th century. She was the second-born daughter of Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg, and his wife, Elisabeth of Meissen. Her paternal grandparents were John II of Nuremberg and Elisabeth of Henneberg, while on her mother’s side she was descended from Margrave Frederick II of Meissen and Matilda of Bavaria. Beatrix grew up in a large and politically influential family. Her ten siblings included Elisabeth, who became queen of the Roman-German Empire as the wife of Rupert of the Palatinate, as well as several women who served as nuns or abbesses in the convents of Santa Clara and Seusslitz. Her brother John III of Nuremberg married Margaret of Bohemia, a daughter of Emperor Charles IV, while Frederick I of Brandenburg was married to Elisabeth of Bavaria-Landshut. The marriage contract between Beatrix and Albert was concluded in Passau on December 11, 1374. Albert was a son of Albert II of Austria and Joanna of Pfirt. The wedding took place a few months later, on March 4, 1375, in Vienna. Albert had previously been married to Elisabeth of Bohemia, a daughter of Emperor Charles IV. That first marriage had remained childless when Elisabeth died in 1373. After her marriage, Beatrix ruled as duchess alongside her sister-in-law Viridis Visconti, the wife of Leopold III. The two women were thus part of a ruling family whose possessions and political responsibilities were being reorganized during this period. In 1379, Beatrix lost her rank as duchess over all the Austrian lands as a result of the Treaty of Neuberg. This treaty divided the Habsburg possessions between her husband and his brother Leopold III. Leopold received Austria above the Enns, the area known as Further Austria, as well as the duchies of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola, which were already connected to the Habsburg lands. Albert III, by contrast, retained Upper Austria and Lower Austria. Beatrix and Albert had only one son, Albert IV of Austria, who was born on September 19, 1377. He later succeeded his father. Albert IV married Joanna Sophia of Bavaria, and they had two children. Through this marriage, Beatrix continued the dynastic line of the Austrian ducal house. Beatrix died on June 10, 1414, in Perchtoldsdorf. She was buried in St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna. Her husband did not remarry after her death. Albert III died on August 29, 1475, and was also buried in St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Their shared burial place thus remained a visible sign of the bond established by their marriage and of its continuing place in the history of the Austrian house.