Kunigunde von Österreich

Kunigunde of Austria was born on 16 March 1465 in Wiener Neustadt, the fourth of five children of Emperor Frederick III and his wife Eleanor. However, only she and her elder brother Maximilian reached adulthood. Frederick blamed Eleanor for the early deaths of their older children, believing that she had given them too many Portuguese sweets. When Kunigunde once fell ill, he even took the child from the women’s quarters and brought her to his own chamber to remove her from her mother’s supposedly harmful care. Eleanor soon fell ill herself; it is unknown whether mother and daughter saw each other again before Eleanor’s death in 1467. Kunigunde initially grew up in Wiener Neustadt and later at the Inner Austrian court in Graz, in a comparatively informal environment. Unlike many noblewomen of her time, she received instruction not only in reading, writing, and embroidery, but also learned riding and hunting, as well as the basics of astronomy and mathematics. Nevertheless, her youth was shaped by political tensions within the House of Habsburg. The family had left the Vienna Hofburg after prolonged disputes between Frederick and his younger brother, Archduke Albert VI. Although Albert had died unexpectedly in 1463 and Frederick had proclaimed a general peace, armed conflicts continued in the Austrian lands. Like many daughters of European ruling houses, Kunigunde was drawn into marriage and power politics at an early age. In 1470, King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary sought her hand. Frederick refused, however, because he was competing with Matthias both for the Crown of Saint Stephen and for the Bohemian lands. After her mother’s death, Kunigunde was formally presented at court for the first time in 1480, at the age of fifteen, beside her father. The occasion was the visit to Vienna of Duke George of Bavaria-Landshut, known as “the Rich.” After the celebrations, Kunigunde was sent to Burggraf Ulrich III von Graben in Graz, apparently for her safety. When a conspiracy against the emperor was uncovered there, Ulrich first took her to Linz and finally sent her to the Tyrolean court in Innsbruck, to Archduke Sigismund, Frederick’s cousin and former guardian. In Innsbruck, Kunigunde met Duke Albert IV of Bavaria-Munich, a relative of George who was about eighteen years her senior. The two married on 2 January 1487 at the Innsbruck Hofburg. Frederick III had initially approved the match, but changed his position after Albert’s troops occupied the Imperial City of Regensburg. The wedding therefore took place against the emperor’s wishes. Kunigunde’s brother Maximilian mediated between the couple and Frederick and prevented an imperial ban from being imposed on them. After moving to Bavaria, Kunigunde continued to influence political affairs. She served as co-regent for her eldest son, William IV, who was born in 1493, and advocated especially for the rights of her younger sons. She remained in close contact with her brother Maximilian, who later became Emperor Maximilian I, as well as with numerous rulers and relatives throughout Europe. Her position as Duchess of Bavaria was therefore based not only on her marriage, but also on her dynastic connections and political experience. Kunigunde and Albert IV had seven children. Their eldest daughter, Sidonie, died in 1505 before her planned marriage to Louis V, who later became Elector Palatine. Her sister Sibylle married Louis in 1511. In the same year, Sabina married Duke Ulrich of Württemberg, partly as a reward for his support of Albert in the war against George of Bavaria-Landshut. The marriage, however, became disastrous. Ulrich was regarded as idle and dissolute, fell into debt, and abused his wife. After he publicly murdered the husband of his lover in 1515, Kunigunde brought Sabina back to her. At her request, Maximilian imposed an imperial ban on Ulrich in 1516. Kunigunde’s other children were William IV and Louis X, both of whom became dukes of Bavaria, the churchman Ernest, and her youngest daughter Susanna, who married twice. After Albert’s death in 1508, Kunigunde entered the Püttrich Convent, which she particularly favored, and remained there for the rest of her life. She was deeply religious and was able to influence her brother on ecclesiastical political matters. This influence was especially evident in the case of Johannes Pfefferkorn, an opponent of the Jews, who received Maximilian’s approval to confiscate Jewish books. After protests from various religious and secular authorities, Maximilian initially ordered the books to be returned. Later, influenced by further anti-Jewish accusations and also by pressure from Kunigunde, he established an investigating commission. The humanist Johannes Reuchlin defended the Jewish books, particularly the Talmud. In 1512, Kunigunde also intervened in the case of Anna Laminit of Augsburg, who had spent decades presenting herself as an exceptionally devout “fasting saint” and had gained prestige and wealth as a result. When rumors arose that Laminit was secretly eating, Kunigunde invited her to the convent and had the guest room prepared with concealed observation openings. Laminit was indeed found to have hidden bags of fruit under the bed. Kunigunde later demanded that she be punished justly. Maximilian then prohibited Laminit from approaching him or Augsburg within a day’s journey. After further fraud in Freiburg, Laminit was eventually convicted as a witch and drowned. Kunigunde spent her final years in quiet contemplation and prayer, including prayers for her brother Maximilian, who died in 1519. She outlived him by only one year and died on 6 August 1520. As a member of the House of Habsburg, Duchess of Bavaria, and a religiously influential princess, she combined dynastic politics, personal care for her children, and a strong interest in the religious and social issues of her time.