Maria Christina, Princess of Transylvania

Maria Christina of Austria
Maria Christina of Austria
	Portrait of Maria Christina, Princess of Transylvania, ca. 1592.
Princess consort of Transylvania
Tenure	13 December 1596 – 23 March 1598 ; 20 August 1598 – 21 March 1599
Princess of Transylvania
Reign	18 April 1598 – 20 August 1598
Born	10 November 1574; Graz, Duchy of Styria, Holy Roman Empire
Died	6 April 1621 (aged 46); Hall in Tirol, County of Tyrol, Holy Roman Empire
Burial	Hall in Tirol, Austria
Spouse	Sigismund Báthory
House	House of Habsburg
Father	Charles II, Archduke of Austria
Mother	Maria Anna of Bavaria

Maria Christina of Austria (10 November 1574 – 6 April 1621), was a Princess of Transylvania by marriage to Sigismund Báthory, and for a period in 1598 elected sovereign Princess regnant of Transylvania.

Life

She was the daughter of Archduke Charles II of Austria, the son of Emperor Ferdinand I, and Maria Anna of Bavaria. Her elder brother Archduke Ferdinand, succeeded as Holy Roman Emperor in 1619.

Marriage

On 7 February 1595 was received in Graz the formal petition of marriage between Maria Christina and Sigismund Báthory, ruling Prince of Transylvania, by the nobleman Stephen Bocskay. The marriage contract was negotiated almost a month, and finally the bride on 15 June accompanied by her mother, the Prince-Bishop George of Lavant and 6000 German horsemen. In Kaschau Maria Christina fell ill with fever, which delayed the re-ride.^[1] The formal marriage took place in Weissenburg on 6 August 1595, and soon after Maria Christina moved to Transylvania.

Princess consort

The marriage was regarded as a major political gain, as Sigismund, formerly a vassal of the Ottoman Empire, now formed close ties with the Holy Roman Empire. Emperor Rudolf II appointed Sigismund Prince of the Holy Roman Empire (Reichsfürst),^[2] and also secured the possession of Transylvania, if the couple remain without offspring. The agreement was signed on 16 January 1595 by the Hungarian parliament in Bratislava.^[3]

However, this union proved to be completely unhappy: Sigismund, after a disastrous wedding night, refused to consummate the marriage and sent his wife to a fortress in Kővárgara, where Maria Christina was kept as prisoner.

Reign

In 18 April 1598, at the request of the local nobility, she was elected to occupy the Transylvanian throne after her husband abdicated. However, her rule was only nominal because Emperor Rudolf II sent representatives to rule. On 20 August 1598, Sigismund Báthory regained the throne and reconciled with his wife, but sent her again to Kővár.

Later life

When Sigismund abdicated for a second time in March 1599, Maria Christina finally left him and returned to Austria in April. On 17 August 1599 Pope Clement VIII dissolved her marriage, and in 1607 she joined to her younger sister Eleanor in the Haller Convent (Haller Damenstift) in Hall in Tirol, where she died in 1621, aged forty-six.

Ancestors

Ancestors of Maria Christina, Princess of Transylvania

16. Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor^[11]

8. Philip I of Castile^[6]^[7] (= 28)

17. Mary of Burgundy^[11]

4. Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor^[4] (=14)

18. Ferdinand II of Aragon^[12]

9. Joanna of Castile^[7] (= 29)

19. Isabella I of Castile^[12]

2. Charles II of Austria

20. Casimir IV Jagiellon^[13]

10. Vladislas II of Bohemia and Hungary^[8] (= 30)

21. Elisabeth of Austria^[13]

5. Anna of Bohemia and Hungary^[4] (=15)

22. Gaston de Foix, Count of Candale^[14]

11. Anna of Foix-Candale^[8] (= 31)

23. Catherine of Foix^[14]

1. Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria

24. Albert IV, Duke of Bavaria^[15]

12. William IV, Duke of Bavaria^[9]

25. Kunigunde of Austria^[15]

6. Albert V, Duke of Bavaria^[5]

26. Philip I, Margrave of Baden^[16]

13. Marie of Baden-Sponheim^[9]

27. Elisabeth of the Palatinate^[16]

3. Maria Anna of Bavaria

28. Philip I of Castile (= 8)

14. Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor^[10] (= 4)

29. Joanna of Castile (= 9)

7. Anna of Austria^[5]

30. Vladislas II of Bohemia and Hungary (= 10)

15. Anna of Bohemia and Hungary^[10] (= 5)

31. Anna of Foix-Candale (= 11)

References

^ Johannes Voigt: Geschichte des Deutschen Ritterordens in seinen zwölf Balleien in Deutschland, vol. II, G. Reimer, 1859, p. 281.
^ Leopold Hassler: Geschichte des österreichischen Kaiserstaates, I. Klang, 1842, p. 253.
^ Johann Sporschil: Die Geschichte der Deutschen von den ältesten Zeiten bis auf unsere Tage, vol. III, G. J. Manz, 1859, p. 209.
^ ^a ^b Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1860). "Habsburg, Karl II. von Steiermark" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 6. p. 352 – via Wikisource.
^ ^a ^b Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1861). "Habsburg, Maria von Bayern" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 7. p. 20 – via Wikisource.
^ Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor at the Encyclopædia Britannica
^ ^a ^b Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor at the Encyclopædia Britannica
^ ^a ^b Obermayer-Marnach, Eva (1953), "Anna Jagjello", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 1, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, p. 299; (full text online)
^ ^a ^b Goetz, Walter (1953), "Albrecht V.", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 1, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 158–160; (full text online)
^ ^a ^b Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1860). "Habsburg, Anna von Oesterreich (1528–1587)" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 6. p. 151 – via Wikisource.
^ ^a ^b Philip I, King of Castile at the Encyclopædia Britannica
^ ^a ^b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Joanna" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
^ ^a ^b Casimir IV, King of Poland at the Encyclopædia Britannica
^ ^a ^b Revue de l'Agenais (in French). Vol. 4. Société des sciences, lettres et arts d'Agen. 1877. p. 497.
^ ^a ^b Riezler, Sigmund Ritter von (1897), "Wilhelm IV.", Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 42, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 705–717
^ ^a ^b Brüning, Rainer (2001), "Philipp I.", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 20, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, p. 372; (full text online)

[1] Johannes Voigt: Geschichte des Deutschen Ritterordens in seinen zwölf Balleien in Deutschland, vol. II, G. Reimer, 1859, p. 281.

[2] Leopold Hassler: Geschichte des österreichischen Kaiserstaates, I. Klang, 1842, p. 253.

[3] Johann Sporschil: Die Geschichte der Deutschen von den ältesten Zeiten bis auf unsere Tage, vol. III, G. J. Manz, 1859, p. 209.

[BLKO-Karl_II-4] Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1860). "Habsburg, Karl II. von Steiermark" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 6. p. 352 – via Wikisource.

[BLKO-Maria_von_Bayern-5] Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1861). "Habsburg, Maria von Bayern" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 7. p. 20 – via Wikisource.

[6] Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor at the Encyclopædia Britannica

[Britannica-Charles_V-7] Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor at the Encyclopædia Britannica

[NDB-Anna_Jagjello-8] Obermayer-Marnach, Eva (1953), "Anna Jagjello", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 1, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, p. 299; (full text online)

[NDB-Albrecht_V-9] Goetz, Walter (1953), "Albrecht V.", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 1, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 158–160; (full text online)

[BLKO-Anna_von_Oesterreich-10] Wurzbach, Constantin von, ed. (1860). "Habsburg, Anna von Oesterreich (1528–1587)" . Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich [Biographical Encyclopedia of the Austrian Empire] (in German). Vol. 6. p. 151 – via Wikisource.

[Britannica-Philip_I-11] Philip I, King of Castile at the Encyclopædia Britannica

[1911-Joanna-12] Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Joanna" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

[Britannia-Casimir_IV-13] Casimir IV, King of Poland at the Encyclopædia Britannica

[Revue-14] Revue de l'Agenais (in French). Vol. 4. Société des sciences, lettres et arts d'Agen. 1877. p. 497.

[ADB-Wilhelm_IV-15] Riezler, Sigmund Ritter von (1897), "Wilhelm IV.", Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 42, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 705–717

[NDB-Philipp_I-16] Brüning, Rainer (2001), "Philipp I.", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 20, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, p. 372; (full text online)

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