Agnes of Antioch
Encyclopedia
Agnes of Antioch, Queen Consort of Hungary.
Agnes was the daughter of Raynald of Châtillon
, Prince of Antioch
by right of his wife, and his first wife, Constance of Antioch
. Her father was captured by the Muslims in Nov 1160 and was confined in Aleppo
for the next seventeen years.
In 1170, Ágnes went to Constantinople
, where her sister Maria
had been living as the wife of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Comnenus. She received the name Anna in the imperial court. On the Emperor's request, Agnes was married to kaiszar Alexius
, who had been engaged to the Emperor's daughter, Maria Comnena until the birth of Manuel's son, Alexius in 1166.
The new couple went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem
where they made a donation for the Knights Hospitaller
. In the summer, after the death of King Stephen III of Hungary
, her husband ascended the throne as King Béla III
, and they moved to Hungary. Here the queen was known as Anna, as the name Agnes was rare at that time.
Agnes died in 1184, aged around thirty. She was buried in Székesfehérvár
. Her remains were confidently identified by archeologists during late 19th century excavations at the ruined cathedral of Székesfehérvár. Her remains were afterwards reinterred at the Mathias Church in Budapest
, with those of her husband.
(c. 1148 – 23 April 1196),
Agnes was the daughter of Raynald of Châtillon
Raynald of Chatillon
Raynald of Châtillon was a knight who served in the Second Crusade and remained in the Holy Land after its defeat...
, Prince of Antioch
Principality of Antioch
The Principality of Antioch, including parts of modern-day Turkey and Syria, was one of the crusader states created during the First Crusade.-Foundation:...
by right of his wife, and his first wife, Constance of Antioch
Constance of Antioch
Constance of Antioch was the only daughter of Bohemund II of Antioch by his wife Alice, princess of Jerusalem. She was also Princess regnant of the Principality of Antioch from 1130 to her death.-Early life:...
. Her father was captured by the Muslims in Nov 1160 and was confined in Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
for the next seventeen years.
In 1170, Ágnes went to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, where her sister Maria
Maria of Antioch
Maria of Antioch was a Byzantine empress as the wife of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos. She was the daughter of Constance of Antioch and her first husband Raymond of Poitiers...
had been living as the wife of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Comnenus. She received the name Anna in the imperial court. On the Emperor's request, Agnes was married to kaiszar Alexius
Béla III of Hungary
Béla III was King of Hungary and Croatia . He was educated in the court of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I who was planning to ensure his succession in the Byzantine Empire till the birth of his own son...
, who had been engaged to the Emperor's daughter, Maria Comnena until the birth of Manuel's son, Alexius in 1166.
The new couple went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
where they made a donation for the Knights Hospitaller
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
. In the summer, after the death of King Stephen III of Hungary
Stephen III of Hungary
Stephen III , King of Hungary King of Croatia and Dalmatia . He ascended the throne as a child and he had to stand up against his uncles who usurped the crown supported by the Byzantine Empire...
, her husband ascended the throne as King Béla III
Béla III of Hungary
Béla III was King of Hungary and Croatia . He was educated in the court of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I who was planning to ensure his succession in the Byzantine Empire till the birth of his own son...
, and they moved to Hungary. Here the queen was known as Anna, as the name Agnes was rare at that time.
Agnes died in 1184, aged around thirty. She was buried in Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár is a city in central Hungary and is the 9th largest in the country. Located around southwest of Budapest. It is inhabited by 101,973 people , with 136,995 in the Székesfehérvár Subregion. The city is the centre of Fejér county and the regional centre of Central Transdanubia...
. Her remains were confidently identified by archeologists during late 19th century excavations at the ruined cathedral of Székesfehérvár. Her remains were afterwards reinterred at the Mathias Church in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, with those of her husband.
Marriages and children
# c. 1170: King Béla III of HungaryBéla III of Hungary
Béla III was King of Hungary and Croatia . He was educated in the court of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I who was planning to ensure his succession in the Byzantine Empire till the birth of his own son...
(c. 1148 – 23 April 1196),
- King Emeric of HungaryEmeric of HungaryEmeric I , , King of Hungary and Croatia . He was crowned during his father's lifetime, but after his father's death he had to fight against his brother, Andrew, who forced Emeric to assign the government of Croatia and Dalmatia to him...
(1174 – 30 September/November 1204) - MargaretMargaret of HungaryMargaret of Hungary was the Empress consort of Isaac II Angelos, Byzantine Emperor.- Family :Margaret was the eldest daughter of Béla III of Hungary and his first wife Agnes of Antioch. She was a younger sister of Emeric, King of Hungary. Her younger siblings were Andrew II of Hungary and...
(1175 – after 1223), wife firstly of Emperor Isaac II AngelosIsaac II AngelosIsaac II Angelos was Byzantine emperor from 1185 to 1195, and again from 1203 to 1204....
, secondly of King Boniface I of Thessalonica and thirdly of Nicolas of Saint-Omer - King Andrew II of HungaryAndrew II of HungaryAndrew II the Jerosolimitan was King of Hungary and Croatia . He was the younger son of King Béla III of Hungary, who invested him with the government of the Principality of Halych...
(c. 1177 – 21 September 1235) - ConstanceConstance of HungaryConstance of Hungary was the second Queen consort of Ottokar I of Bohemia.-Family:Constance was a daughter of Béla III of Hungary and his first wife Agnes of Antioch. Her older siblings included Emeric, King of Hungary, Margaret of Hungary and Andrew II of Hungary...
(c. 1180 – 6 December 1240), wife of king Ottokar I of BohemiaOttokar I of Bohemia-External links:...
Sources
- Korai Magyar Történeti Lexikon (9-14. század), főszerkesztő: Kristó Gyula, szerkesztők: Engel Pál és Makk Ferenc (Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1994)