Beatrice of Naples
Encyclopedia
Beatrice of Naples was the daughter of Ferdinand I of Naples
and Isabella of Taranto. She was queen consort to both Matthias Corvinus of Hungary
and Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary
so she was Queen of Hungary and Bohemia
.
.
Beatrice was engaged in 1474 and married Matthias in Hungary
22 December 1476: she was crowned Queen of Hungary ten days later.
The marriage secured an alliance between Hungary and Naples: In 1480, when an Ottoman fleet seized Otranto in the Kingdom of Naples, at the earnest solicitation of the pope he sent the Hungarian general, Balázs Magyar, to recover the fortress, which surrendered to him on 10 May 1481. Again in 1488, Matthias took Ancona
under his protection for a while, occupying it with a Hungarian garrison
. Beatrice exerted some influence in the policy of Hungary. She also had a cultural importance by introducing the Italian renaissance in to the court of Hungary, an interest she shared with Matthew: she encouraged his work with the Bibliotheca Corviniana
, build the palace Visegrád
as a residence for the court, and created an Academy. She wished to participate in policy: in 1477, she accompanied Matthew during the invasion of Austria, and in 1479, she was present during the peace treaty between Matthew and Vladislav II.
In 1479, their relationship became tense when Matthew awarded his illegitimate son John (János) Corvinus with a fief and invited John's mother to court. Matthias died before Beatrice ever conceded that his son János, who is the son of Barbara Edelpock, should be the rightful heir. Upon his death in 1490, Beatrice managed to keep a power position by the support of the Hungarian nobility and continue as queen of Hungary by marriage to the next monarch. After the death of Matthias Corvinus, she wrote a letter to Simon Keglevich
, she addressed this letter to king Simon Keglevich, then only the commander of Matthias Corvinus. She offered him in this letter to become as a mother to his children. He declined this offer, he delivered this letter to the parliament, and he became the ambassador of the parliament to the king. She presided as a royal representative at the parliament where the next king was elected, with the Hungarian crown placed at her side. It is believed she could not control Janos and was claimed illegitimate by her second husband but these claims all cannot be verified nor can they be completely ignored.
Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary
wrote in the same year 1490 many letters with the same text to many of the Hungarian nobility. He wrote that Beatrice had written to him, that Matthias Corvinus and Beatrice had decided, that Stephen Zapolya, the father of John Zapolya
, should become the next duke of Austria after Matthias Corvinus.
Beatrice married her second husband, Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary
in 1491. Beatrice had great support by the Hungarian nobility, and the nobility had demanded of Vladislav that he marry her. This marriage was yet again childless. Formally, the marriage was questioned, as her spouse was not granted as divorce from his first wife by the pope. Her husband claimed, that he did not regard the marriage as legal, and that he had been forced to marry her against his will, and in 1493, a commission was issued to investigate. In 1500, the pope declared the marriage to be illegal, and Beatrice was forced to pay the costs of the trial. Beatrice returned to Naples, where she arrived in 1501, and in 1502, Vladislaus could marry Anne de Foix. Beatrice died in Naples.
Ferdinand I of Naples
Ferdinand I , also called Don Ferrante, was the King of Naples from 1458 to 1494. He was the natural son of Alfonso V of Aragon by Giraldona Carlino.-Biography:...
and Isabella of Taranto. She was queen consort to both Matthias Corvinus of Hungary
Matthias Corvinus of Hungary
Matthias Corvinus , also called the Just in folk tales, was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458, at the age of 14 until his death...
and Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary
Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary
Vladislaus II, also known as Ladislaus Jagiellon ; was King of Bohemia from 1471 and King of Hungary from 1490 until his death in 1516...
so she was Queen of Hungary and Bohemia
Royal Consorts of Bohemia
This is a list of the royal consorts of the rulers of Bohemia.The first Duchess of Bohemia was St. Ludmila, while the first Queen of Bohemia was Świętosława of Poland. Some of them were not crowned.There was only one queen regnant in Czech history - Maria Theresa...
.
Biography
Beatrice received a good education at her father's court in NaplesNaples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
.
Beatrice was engaged in 1474 and married Matthias in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
22 December 1476: she was crowned Queen of Hungary ten days later.
The marriage secured an alliance between Hungary and Naples: In 1480, when an Ottoman fleet seized Otranto in the Kingdom of Naples, at the earnest solicitation of the pope he sent the Hungarian general, Balázs Magyar, to recover the fortress, which surrendered to him on 10 May 1481. Again in 1488, Matthias took Ancona
Ancona
Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....
under his protection for a while, occupying it with a Hungarian garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
. Beatrice exerted some influence in the policy of Hungary. She also had a cultural importance by introducing the Italian renaissance in to the court of Hungary, an interest she shared with Matthew: she encouraged his work with the Bibliotheca Corviniana
Bibliotheca Corviniana
Bibliotheca Corviniana was one of the most renowned libraries of the Renaissance world, established by Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary and Croatia between 1458 and 1490.-History:...
, build the palace Visegrád
Visegrád
Visegrád is a small castle town in Pest County, Hungary.Situated north of Budapest on the right bank of the Danube in the Danube Bend, Visegrád has a population 1,654 as of 2001...
as a residence for the court, and created an Academy. She wished to participate in policy: in 1477, she accompanied Matthew during the invasion of Austria, and in 1479, she was present during the peace treaty between Matthew and Vladislav II.
In 1479, their relationship became tense when Matthew awarded his illegitimate son John (János) Corvinus with a fief and invited John's mother to court. Matthias died before Beatrice ever conceded that his son János, who is the son of Barbara Edelpock, should be the rightful heir. Upon his death in 1490, Beatrice managed to keep a power position by the support of the Hungarian nobility and continue as queen of Hungary by marriage to the next monarch. After the death of Matthias Corvinus, she wrote a letter to Simon Keglevich
House of Keglević
The House of Keglević is a Croatian noble family originally from Dalmatia, their members were pointed out in public life, also as soldiers...
, she addressed this letter to king Simon Keglevich, then only the commander of Matthias Corvinus. She offered him in this letter to become as a mother to his children. He declined this offer, he delivered this letter to the parliament, and he became the ambassador of the parliament to the king. She presided as a royal representative at the parliament where the next king was elected, with the Hungarian crown placed at her side. It is believed she could not control Janos and was claimed illegitimate by her second husband but these claims all cannot be verified nor can they be completely ignored.
Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary
Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary
Vladislaus II, also known as Ladislaus Jagiellon ; was King of Bohemia from 1471 and King of Hungary from 1490 until his death in 1516...
wrote in the same year 1490 many letters with the same text to many of the Hungarian nobility. He wrote that Beatrice had written to him, that Matthias Corvinus and Beatrice had decided, that Stephen Zapolya, the father of John Zapolya
John Zápolya
John Zápolya was King of Hungary from 1526 to 1540. His rule was disputed by Archduke Ferdinand I, who also claimed the title King of Hungary between 1526 and 1540. He was the voivode of Transylvania before his coronation.- Biography :...
, should become the next duke of Austria after Matthias Corvinus.
Beatrice married her second husband, Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary
Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary
Vladislaus II, also known as Ladislaus Jagiellon ; was King of Bohemia from 1471 and King of Hungary from 1490 until his death in 1516...
in 1491. Beatrice had great support by the Hungarian nobility, and the nobility had demanded of Vladislav that he marry her. This marriage was yet again childless. Formally, the marriage was questioned, as her spouse was not granted as divorce from his first wife by the pope. Her husband claimed, that he did not regard the marriage as legal, and that he had been forced to marry her against his will, and in 1493, a commission was issued to investigate. In 1500, the pope declared the marriage to be illegal, and Beatrice was forced to pay the costs of the trial. Beatrice returned to Naples, where she arrived in 1501, and in 1502, Vladislaus could marry Anne de Foix. Beatrice died in Naples.