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| Sophia of Hungary | |
|---|---|
| Duchess consort of Saxony | |
| Tenure | 28 March 1072 – 18 June 1095 |
| Born | c. 1050 |
| Died | 18 June 1095 |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Ulric I, Margrave of Carniola Magnus, Duke of Saxony |
| Issue | Ulric II, Margrave of Carniola Poppo II, Margrave of Carniola Richardis Adelaide Walburga Wulfhilde of Saxony Eilika of Saxony |
| House | Árpád dynasty |
| Father | Béla I of Hungary |
| Mother | Richeza of Poland |
Sophia of Hungary (c. 1050 – 18 June 1095), a member of the royalÁrpád dynasty, was aMargravine of Istria andCarniola from about 1062 until 1070, by her first marriage with MargraveUlric I, as well asDuchess of Saxony from 1072 until her death, by her second marriage with DukeMagnus Billung.
Sophia was the daughter of KingBéla I of Hungary (c. 1020 – 1063) and his consortRicheza of Poland. Her father, ruler in the formerPrincipality of Nitra at the time of her birth, fled toPoland during dynastical struggles with his brother KingAndrew I. In 1060 he returned toHungary and, with Polish support, assumed the throne atEsztergom.
Béla's daughter Sophia initially was engaged to MargraveWilliam of Meissen, who had been sent to Hungary with anImperial army by Dowager EmpressAgnes of Poitou. William was arrested by Béla, who nevertheless admired his bravery. However, he died unexpectedly in 1062, before he could marry Sophia. She then married his nephew Margrave Ulric I of Carniola. Her husband, a loyal supporter of theGerman royalSalian dynasty, made use of his excellent contacts with the Hungarian ruler and enlarged his Istrian territories against the resistance of thePatriarchs of Aquileia and theRepublic of Venice. By 1063, he held extended estates along theAdriatic coast down toFiume (Rijeka) which later were elevated to theDuchy of Merania; his possessions were officially confirmed by KingHenry IV of Germany.
After Ulrich's death in 1070, Sophia married theBillung prince Magnus (d. 1106), son of DukeOrdulf of Saxony. Magnus supported the rebelliousSaxon countOtto of Nordheim and was arrested by the forces of King Henry IV; he even remained in captivity when he succeeded his father as duke in 1072. Not until August 1073, during theSaxon Rebellion, he was released from custody atHarzburg Castle. He later participated in theGreat Saxon Revolt, but finally reconciled with King Henry.
From her first marriage with Ulric, she had the following children:
From her second marriage with Magnus, she had two daughters: