Elizabeth of Luxembourg | |
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Queen consort of Hungary | |
Tenure | 1437–1440 |
Coronation | 1 January 1438, Székesfehérvár |
Queen consort of Germany | |
Tenure | 1438–1439 |
Queen consort of Bohemia | |
Tenure | 1438–1439 |
Coronation | 29 June 1438, Prague |
Born | 7 October 1409 Visegrád, Hungary |
Died | 19 December 1442 Győr, Hungary | (aged 33)
Burial | Székesfehérvár Basilica, Hungary |
Spouse | |
Issue | |
House | House of Luxembourg |
Father | Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor |
Mother | Barbara of Cilli |
Elizabeth of Luxembourg (Hungarian: Luxemburgi Erzsébet; 7 October 1409 – 19 December 1442) was queen consort of Hungary, queen consort of Germany and Bohemia.
The only child of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, King of Hungary and Bohemia, Elizabeth was expected to ascend his thrones along with her husband, Albert of Austria. After her father's death, Elizabeth and her husband were elected by the Hungarian estates as de facto equal rulers.[1][2] She could not completely assert her position though, because the Veszprém bishop refused to give up on his right to crown the queen (the monarch was traditionally crowned by the Esztergom bishop).[3] She was however recognized as co-ruler and played an active part in the government. After Albert's death though, she was unable to prevent the election of a new king.[4][5]
Albert died in 1439, leaving Elizabeth a pregnant dowager with two daughters, Anne and Elizabeth. Bohemian nobility proclaimed an interregnum, while King Vladislaus III of Poland was crowned new king of Hungary in May 1440, three months after Queen Elizabeth delivered a son, Ladislaus the Posthumous. She was determined to contend for her patrimony on her son's behalf, which led to a civil war between hers and Vladislaus's supporters. The conflict ended with the queen's sudden death at the age of 33.
The Hungarian estates had already elected him as king and Elizabeth as queen on 18 December in Bratislava. The election affected both spouses, who thus became equivalent rulers.
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As had previously been the case, Albert's wife Elizabeth (herself, of course, the legitimate crowned queen) acted as regent for her husband in his absence, taking care of governmental affairs along with the royal council. Several charters issued in the queen's name testify to her crucial role as an arbitrator in legal disputes, and to her involvement in waivers of tax liability or the enlargement of the realm's fortifications. Numerous towns and fortresses which she had received from Albert, predominantly in the northern part of Hungary, constituted her power base.