 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(March 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Judith of Habsburg | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Queen consort of Bohemia | |
| Tenure | 1285–1297 |
| Coronation | 2 June 1297, Prague |
| Queen consort of Poland | |
| Tenure | 1296–1297 |
| Born | 13 March 1271 Rheinfelden,Swabia |
| Died | 18 June 1297(1297-06-18) (aged 26) Prague,Bohemia |
| Burial | Royal Crypt inSt. Vitus Cathedral, Prague |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | |
| House | Habsburg |
| Father | Rudolf I of Germany |
| Mother | Gertrude of Hohenberg |
Judith of Habsburg (German:Guta; 13 March 1271 – 21 May 1297) wasqueen of Bohemia andPoland from 1285 until her death as the wife of thePřemyslid kingWenceslaus II.
Judith was the youngest daughter of KingRudolf I of Germany andGertrude of Hohenberg.[1] She was born in theSwabian town ofRheinfelden, where her father still resided as a count before he was electedking of Germany in 1273. When she was five, she became the object of her father's political plans: on 21 October 1276 King Rudolf accepted thehomage of his bitter rival KingOttokar II of Bohemia in theAustrian capitalVienna, and to seal the peace, both decided that Judith should marry Ottokar's son Wenceslaus. The agreement, however, did not last and the conflict erupted again, ending with King Ottokar's final defeat and death in the 1278Battle on the Marchfeld.
After King Ottokar's death, theBrandenburg margraveOtto V had guardianship over minor King Wenceslaus II, acting asBohemian regent. After conflicts arose with Ottokar's widowKunigunda of Halych, Margrave Otto temporarily held Wenceslaus as a prisoner atBezděz Castle and in the Ascanian fortress ofSpandau inBrandenburg. He did not return toPrague until 1283.As part of a reconciliation process, the formal engagement between Judith and Wenceslaus was renewed in 1279 atJihlava; nevertheless, the bridal couple did not meet until in January 1285 a wedding ceremony was held by the Přemyslid and Habsburg dynasties in the City ofCheb (Eger).[2] The bride was given a dowry stretching "from the Duchy of Austria, Moravian border to the border of Danube". The ceremony in Cheb was followed by a "festive" wedding night, but soon after, King Rudolf took Judith back toGermany, since she was still of a young age. Moreover, the remarriage of Wenceslaus' mother Kunigunda to the Bohemian nobleZáviš of Falkenstein appeared unacceptable to the king.
Though Kunigunda died later in that year and Wenceslaus II had sworn an oath offealty to Rudolf in order to receive his Bohemian heritage, his coronation asking of Bohemia had to be postponed as Judith was not present. In Summer 1287, she did eventually leave her family in Germany and came to the Prague court to be with her husband. One year later, Wenceslaus took over the political power. Like King Rudolf, Judith hated Wenceslaus' stepfather Záviš of Falkenstein, who had acted as regent with Kunigunda. Judith urged Wenceslaus to bring Zavis to trial and he was eventually arrested and executed atHluboká Castle in 1290.
Upon her father's death in 1291, Judith further tried to reconcile her husband with her brotherAlbert, who struggled for the German throne with CountAdolf of Nassau.
Judith and Wenceslaus were finally crowned on 2 June 1297. Judith was not in good health at the time, having just given birth to her tenth child, which was stillborn. She died a few weeks after the coronation in Prague, at age twenty-six. She had been pregnant during much of her twelve years of marriage, giving birth almost once per year.
According to the family chronicles, Judith was described as beautiful, noble and virtuous. She supported her husband's claim on theKingdom of Poland, where he ruled over theSeniorate Province atKraków since 1291 and was able to succeed KingPrzemysł II in 1296.
Wenceslaus II and Judith had ten children:
Of the ten children only four lived to adulthood.
Wenceslaus III and then Anna and Elisabeth succeeded their father as rulers of Bohemia. Elisabeth was the mother ofCharles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, his son wasSigismund, Holy Roman Emperor.
Judith is also an ancestor ofAnne of Denmark, who marriedJames I of England. Among Anne's children wereCharles I of England andElizabeth of Bohemia; Elizabeth is one of Judith's successors asQueen of Bohemia.
Judith of Habsburg Born: 13 March 1271 Died: 21 May 1297 | ||
| Royal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Queen consort of Bohemia 1285–1297 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Queen consort of Poland 1296–1297 | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
