Elisabeth von Aragón

Isabella of Aragon was born in 1302 as the daughter of King James II of Aragon and his second wife, Blanche of Naples. Her father ruled Aragon and Valencia, was Count of Barcelona and the other Catalan counties, and was also King of Sardinia; for a time, he additionally held the titles of King of Sicily and Mallorca. Isabella therefore belonged to an extensive European ruling family. Her mother was a daughter of Charles II of Anjou and Mary of Hungary. Through her father, Isabella was also a granddaughter of Peter III of Aragon and Constance, who came from the Sicilian royal house. Isabella grew up with her sister Constance in the royal palace of Valencia. Their education was overseen by their great-aunt Constance, who had once been empress of Nicaea and the widow of Emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes. After the death of her brother Manfred, she had found refuge in Aragon and lived there near her relatives. This family environment shaped Isabella’s early years and connected her Aragonese origins with the political and dynastic relationships of the Mediterranean world. When Isabella was about eleven years old, her father planned her marriage to Oshin, king of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. The negotiations were intended not only to establish a dynastic alliance. James II also hoped to obtain the relics of Saint Thecla, which were kept in Sis and which he wanted to place in Tarragona Cathedral. The Armenian side, however, rejected closer ties with the Catholic powers, so the marriage did not take place. Negotiations were then opened with Frederick I of Habsburg, Duke of Austria and Styria. Frederick was the son of Albert I of Habsburg and Elizabeth of Tyrol-Gorizia. The marriage was initially celebrated by proxy in Barcelona in 1313. On 31 January 1315, Isabella married Frederick in person at Judenburg. She brought a rich dowry to the marriage. In the German-speaking lands, she was known by the name Elisabeth. Later that same year, at Pentecost, she was crowned empress in Basel. Her marriage took place during a period of political unrest. In 1314, Frederick had been elected emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and crowned in Bonn by the archbishop of Cologne. At the same time, however, his cousin Louis the Bavarian claimed the imperial title and was crowned in Aachen. Louis had received four votes from the prince-electors, while Frederick had received three; nevertheless, both regarded themselves as the legitimate rulers. Their rival claims led to a war that lasted eight years. On 28 September 1322, Frederick was defeated at the Battle of Mühldorf and taken prisoner. An agreement was not reached until 5 September 1325. Frederick renounced the imperial title but was allowed to retain the title of King of the Romans, which was equivalent to king of Germany. Louis, for his part, gave up the title of King of the Romans and was recognized as emperor. He was later crowned in Rome, on 17 January 1328. Isabella lived in Vienna and also left a religious mark there. She had a church built and dedicated to her uncle, Louis of Toulouse, who had been canonized. Despite the political pressures surrounding them, her relationship with Frederick was regarded as harmonious. The war against Louis, however, imposed heavy costs. Isabella repeatedly had to sacrifice her own jewelry to help relieve her husband’s financial difficulties. During Frederick’s imprisonment, Isabella devoted herself particularly intensely to religious life. She subjected herself to severe penitential practices and physical privations that seriously damaged her health. Her eyesight suffered especially. When Frederick returned to Vienna after approximately three years, Isabella’s vision had deteriorated so badly that she reportedly had difficulty recognizing her own husband. Some chroniclers also reported that, after his return, Frederick distanced himself from her and maintained a lasting relationship with a woman who lived in a monastery as though she were a religious sister. Isabella and Frederick had three children. Their son Frederick was born in 1316 but died as a child in 1322. Their daughter Elisabeth was born in 1317 and died on 23 October 1336; she was buried at Mauerbach. Their younger daughter Anna, born in 1318, married Henry XV, Duke of Bavaria. After his death, she entered a second marriage with John Henry IV of Gorizia. When her second husband also died, Anna returned to Vienna and entered a convent as a Poor Clare. Frederick died on 13 January 1330 at Gutenstein Castle in the Vienna Woods. Isabella survived him by only about six months. She died on 12 July 1330 in Styria, almost completely blind. She was buried in the Minorite Church in Vienna. As an Aragonese princess, a Habsburg duchess, and the wife of Frederick I, Isabella stood at the center of the dynastic and political connections that shaped Europe in the early fourteenth century.