| Anne of Bohemia and Hungary | |
|---|---|
 Portrait byHans Maler,c. 1519 | |
| Queen of the Romans | |
| Tenure | 5 January 1531 – 27 January 1547 |
| Queen consort of Hungary,Bohemia andCroatia | |
| Tenure | 1526 – 27 January 1547 |
| Archduchess consort of Austria | |
| Tenure | 25 May 1521 – 27 January 1547 |
| Born | (1503-07-23)23 July 1503 Buda,Kingdom of Hungary |
| Died | 27 January 1547(1547-01-27) (aged 43) Prague,Kingdom of Bohemia,Holy Roman Empire |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | |
| Issue |
|
| House | Jagiellon |
| Father | Vladislaus II of Hungary |
| Mother | Anne of Foix-Candale |
Anna of Bohemia and Hungary (23 July 1503 – 27 January 1547),[1] sometimes known asAnna Jagellonica, wasQueen of Germany,Bohemia, andHungary andArchduchess of Austria as the wife of KingFerdinand I (laterHoly Roman Emperor).
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She was the oldest child and only daughter of KingVladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary (1456–1516) and his third wifeAnne of Foix-Candale.[2] KingLouis II of Hungary and Bohemia was her younger brother. Her paternal grandparents were KingCasimir IV Jagiellon (of theJagiellon dynasty) andElisabeth of Austria, one of the heiresses of theKingdom of Bohemia, theDuchy of Luxembourg and theDuchy of Kuyavia. Her maternal grandparents wereGaston de Foix, Count of Candale, andCatherine de Foix, anInfanta of theKingdom of Navarre.[1]
Anne was born inBuda (nowBudapest). The death of Vladislaus II on 13 March 1516 left both siblings in the care of the Holy Roman EmperorMaximilan I. It was arranged for Anna to marry his grandson, ArchdukeFerdinand of Austria, second son ofQueen RegnantJoanna of Castile and her late husband and co-ruler,Philip I of Castile. Anna and Mary moved first toVienna, and then toInnsbruck. Maximilian rarely visited, but he sent his hunter home to instruct the two girls in the art of hunting. There was emphasis on their abilities to handle weapons and other physical skills. TheHumanist education they enjoyed focused on problem-solving skills. They were also instructed in dancing, music, and came in contact with many humanists visited the imperial library there. Innsbruck was also home to a great weapon arsenal and a growing armament industry built by the emperor.[3]
Anna married Ferdinand on 26 May 1521 inLinz, Austria.[2] At the time, Ferdinand was governing theHabsburg hereditary lands on behalf of his older brotherCharles V, Holy Roman Emperor. It was stipulated that Ferdinand should succeed Anne's brother Louis in case he died without legitimate male heirs.
It would, however, take more than five years before Anna became pregnant. Anna herself would ascribe her pregnancy to the grace of God. She gave birth to their first child, Elisabeth, in 1526.
Louis died without a legitimate male heir after he was thrown from his horse at the conclusion of theBattle of Mohács againstSuleiman the Magnificent of theOttoman Empire on 29 August 1526. This left the thrones of both Bohemia and Hungary vacant. Ferdinand claimed both kingdoms and was elected king of Bohemia on 24 October of the same year with Anne as his queen.
Hungary was a more difficult case, as Suleiman had annexed much of its lands. Ferdinand was proclaimed king of Hungary by a group of nobles, but another faction of Hungarian nobles refused to allow a foreign ruler to hold that title and electedJohn Zápolya as an alternative king. The resulting conflict between the two rivals and their successors lasted until 1570 when John's sonJohn Sigismund gave up the title king of Hungary in favor of Ferdinand's sonMaximilian as part of the terms of theTreaty of Speyer. In 1531, Ferdinand's older brother Charles V decided Ferdinand would be his successor asHoly Roman Emperor, and Ferdinand waselected to the titleKing of the Romans.
Anne was entrusted by her husband with many responsibilities. During his stay in Brussels, she was appointed as Regent (Statthalterin). Together with the Bishop of Trieste, she was the Chair of hisHofrat (Court Council). In her husband's name, she presided over many Diets. She became famous for her charity and wisdom.[4]
Ferdinand at first seemed to suffer from a lack of premarital experience, but in the end the marriage proved extremely successful both personally and politically.[5] Anna and Ferdinand had fifteen children, all of whom were born in Bohemia or Austria. The kingdoms of both Bohemia and Hungary had suffered for centuries from premature deaths among heirs and a shortage of succession prospects, a predicament resolved by Anne's impressive fertility. Meanwhile, Anna served asQueen Consort of Bohemia and as one of three living Queens of Hungary until her death. She died inPrague, days after giving birth to her last daughter,Joanna.[1] In 1556, Charles V abdicated and Ferdinand succeeded as emperor, nine years after Anna's death. After Anna died, Ferdinand was advised to remarry several times by people around him, but he could not forget his wife and never remarried.
During Anna's life, her husband expanded the Castle of Linz to offer her more security in times of war. The Belvedere ("Queen Anne's Summer Palace"), one of the most beautiful buildings in Prague, was built for her on the grounds ofPrague Castle starting in 1538.[6] It was not completed in its present form until 1565, long after her death.
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elisabeth | 9 July 1526 | 15 June 1545 | Married the future King of Poland and Grand Duke of LithuaniaSigismund II Augustus; no issue |
| Maximilian | 31 July 1527 | 12 October 1576 | Married his first cousinMaria of Spain; had issue |
| Anna | 7 July 1528 | 16–17 October 1590 | MarriedAlbert V, Duke of Bavaria; had issue |
| Ferdinand | 14 June 1529 | 24 January 1595 | MarriedPhilippine Welser; had issue; married his nieceAnne Juliana Gonzaga; had issue |
| Maria | 15 May 1531 | 11 December 1581 | MarriedWilhelm, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg; had issue |
| Magdalena | 14 August 1532 | 10 September 1590 | A nun |
| Catherine | 15 September 1533 | 28 February 1572 | Married King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Sigismund II Augustus; no issue |
| Eleanor | 2 November 1534 | 5 August 1594 | MarriedWilliam I, Duke of Mantua; had issue |
| Margaret | 16 February 1536 | 12 March 1567 | A nun |
| John | 10 April 1538 | 20 March 1539 | Died in childhood |
| Barbara | 30 April 1539 | 19 September 1572 | MarriedAlfonso II d'Este; no issue |
| Charles | 3 June 1540 | 10 July 1590 | Married his nieceMaria Anna of Bavaria; had issue (including Holy Roman EmperorFerdinand II) |
| Ursula | 24 July 1541 | 30 April 1543 | Died in childhood |
| Helena | 7 January 1543 | 5 March 1574 | A nun |
| Joanna | 24 January 1547 | 10 April 1578 | MarriedFrancesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany; had issue |
| Ancestors of Anne of Bohemia and Hungary |
|---|
Media related toAnna of Bohemia and Hungary at Wikimedia Commons
Anne of Bohemia and Hungary Cadet branch of theHouse of Gediminid Born: 23 July 1503 Died: 27 January 1547 | ||
| Royal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Queen consort of Bohemia Queen consort of Hungary andCroatia 1526–1547 | Vacant Title next held by Maria of Austria |
| Preceded by | Queen of the Romans 1531–1547 withIsabella of Portugal (1531–1539) | |
| Archduchess consort of Austria 1521–1547 | ||
