Beatrice of Provence
Beatrice of Provence (franz: Béatrice de Provence ) (* 1234, † 1267 ) was a countess of Provence, Queen of Sicily.
Life
She was the youngest daughter of Count Raymond Berengar V of Provence and Beatrice of Savoy. Since her three older sisters were married to kings, Beatrix was used by her father sole heir of the house of Provence. On January 31, 1246 married Count Charles of Anjou, the youngest brother of her brother King Louis IX. ( Saint Louis) of France.
Your husband accompanied Beatrix on the sixth crusade to Egypt. In the winter of the Crusader army in Cyprus from 1248 to the year 1249 she gave birth to a son, which is given in the letter of her brother Robert of Artois at her mother Blanche of Castile. The child died soon after birth, however, and was buried in the Dominican convent of Nicosia.
Charles of Anjou conquered the Kingdom of Sicily in 1266 and destroyed the Staufer ( execution of Conradin on October 29, 1268 ). In 1282 he lost Sicily as a result of the popular uprising of the " Sicilian Vespers " to the House of Aragon. His reign was confined to the kingdom of Naples to that zone. The descendants of Beatrix and Karl reigned in Naples from 1285 to 1442, Hungary from 1308 to 1382 and in Poland 1370 to 1382. Was Charles of Anjou by his brother ( and brother ) Louis IX. military and of his brother Henry III. financial support. The financial support of the actions of Charles of Anjou in Italy ( on behalf of the Pope ) by the English king Henry III. was also a reason for the opposition of the barons.
The Beatrix of Savoy brothers and uncles of the four sisters Peter II, Count of Savoy (1263-1268), William, Bishop of Liège (1238-1239) and Thomas II, Count of Hainaut (1237-1244), Count of Piedmont (1247-1259), practiced in England 1236-1258 of great power. Other brothers were Amadeus IV, Count of Savoy (1232-1253) and imperial vicar in Italy (1241-1253) and Philip, Count of Savoy ( 1268-1285 ). It is likely that the Savoyard Henry III. to the effect persuaded to support the Pope and Charles of Anjou in Italy politics.
The weakness of the Emperor Frederick II after the proscription by the pope in 1245 was reflected in the events of the succession arrangements in Provence in 1246 ( in Austria also in 1246, in Thuringia in 1247 ). For the orphaned fiefdom of the emperor would have had to appoint a suitable candidate for marriage Beatrix, for which only his son Conrad IV came into question, but not now went. Instead, led the marriage of Beatrix Karl and to strengthen the French and weakening of the Roman- German influence on the destiny of Provence.
According to her last wishes Beatrix wanted to be buried in Saint -Jean -de -Malte, Aix -en- Provence, the traditional grave laying of the Counts of Provence. However, your husband sat over it and let her be buried in the cathedral of Naples. Only after the Pope had stopped him to respect their will, he transferred her body to Aix in 1277.
Progeny
His marriage to Charles of Anjou, the following children were born:
- Ludwig ( * / † 1248 in Nicosia )
- Blanche (* 1250, † January 10, 1269 ) ∞ 1266 Count Robert III. of Flanders († 1322)
- ∞ 1273 with Philip of Courtenay († 1283), Titularkaiser of Constantinople Opel
- ∞ 1272 King Ladislaus IV of Hungary († 1290 )