Margaret was the eldest daughter of Duke
Leopold VI of Austria (d. 1230) and his wife
Theodora Angelina, a member of the
Byzantine Imperial
Angelus dynasty. Since 1198 Duke Leopold, according to the
Georgenberg Pact, ruled over both the duchies of
Austria and
Styria. His court in
Vienna became known as a centre of medieval
Minnesang and he also played an important rule in the
Empire's policies, acting as an arbitrator in the struggle between the
Hohenstaufen emperor
Frederick II and
Pope Gregory IX.
First marriage In the
Imperial City of Nuremberg, on 29 November 1225, the 21-year-old Margaret was married to the 14-year-old
Henry, eldest son of Emperor Frederick II and elected
King of the Romans since 1222. Frederick's counsellor Archbishop
Engelbert of Cologne had initially planned for a bride from the English royal
Angevin dynasty, however, the attempt failed, as did Henry's former engagement with the
Přemyslid princess
Agnes, daughter of King
Ottokar I of Bohemia. Margaret's coronation as Queen of the Romans took place on 23 March 1227 in
Aachen Cathedral. King Henry and Queen Margaret had two short-lived sons, Henry (died ca. 1242/1245) and Frederick (died ca. 1251/1252). In 1228, Henry took over the rule in the
German kingdom and tried to limit the powers of the
princes, thereby disturbing the Imperial policies of his father who made him pay homage under the threat of
excommunication. In 1235, Henry allied with the princely opposition and openly rebelled against the emperor, however, was defeated by his father's forces and dethroned. Frederick had him confined in several castles in
Apulia, where he died on 12 February 1242 after a fall from his horse, probably in an attempted suicide. In the meanwhile, his wife Margaret (who possibly never saw her husband again) retired to the Dominican monastery in
Trier and in 1244 moved to
Würzburg, where she lived in seclusion in St Marcus Abbey.
Claim to Austria and Styria In 1246 Margaret's brother Duke
Frederick II of Austria, last scion of the
Babenberg dynasty, died childless in the
Battle of the Leitha River, leaving a succession crisis. The two principal claimants over the succession in the duchies of Austria and Styria were two women: Margaret (who, as the eldest sister of the late Duke, claimed
proximity of blood) and her niece
Gertrude, who claimed
primogeniture, as the only daughter of Henry of Mödling, the eldest brother of the late Duke Frederick II, who had predeceased their father Duke Leopold VI. As King
Wenceslaus I of Bohemia wanted to take control over the duchies south of his realm, he arranged for the wedding of his eldest son and heir, Margrave
Vladislaus III of Moravia, with Gertrude. The couple was even proclaimed Duke and Duchess of Austria, but Vladislaus died in the following year (1247). The next ruler of Austria was Gertrude's second husband, Margrave
Herman VI of Baden, who died in 1250, leaving Austria and Styria princeless again.
Second marriage () The Austrian aristocracy offered the government of the duchies to King Wenceslaus' second son and new heir apparent
Ottokar II. However, one condition was imposed by the nobles: Ottokar could only take control of Austria and Styria if he married one of the Babenberg heiresses. Ottokar refused to marry his brother's widow, such marriage being prohibited by the
Book of Leviticus, and decided to marry Margaret, 26 years his senior. The ceremony took place on 11 February 1252 in the Castle Chapel (German:
Burgkapelle) of
Hainburg an der Donau. Ottokar acquired the imperial privileges sealed with a
Golden Bull on the basis of the
Privilegium Minus, acknowledged by Emperor Frederick II, which legitimized his claim over Austria and Styria, since Margaret was the heiress of the last duke by proximity of blood. Thereby she transferred the government of the duchies to Austria and Styria to her husband.
Pope Innocent IV, who had previously changed sides several times between Gertrude and Margaret, confirmed the lawful government of Ottokar over both duchies on 6 May 1252. Bohemian administrators ruled the duchies in his name. One year later, on 23 September 1253, King Wenceslaus I died, and Ottokar and Margaret became King and Queen of Bohemia. Once he had obtained the Babenberg duchies, it was evident to Ottokar that Margaret, already 50 years old, would not bear children. The king tried to gain from the Pope the recognition of the illegitimate son whom he had with
Agnes of Kuenring, one of Margaret's ladies-in-waiting, as his lawful successor. After the Pope refused this, in 1260 Ottokar obtained the annulment of his marriage with Margaret.
Later life While Ottokar married
Kunigunda of Halych, a grand-daughter of King
Béla IV of Hungary, the repudiated Queen Margaret left Bohemia and returned to her Austrian homeland. She took her residence in
Krumau am Kamp, spending the winters in
Krems. After the annulment she was called
Romanorum quondam Regina ("former Queen of the Romans"); however, she maintained the title
ducissa Austrie et Stirie (Duchess of Austria and Styria). In 1266 she changed her title to
quondam filia Livpoldi illustris ducis Austrie et Stirie et Romanorum Regina as a reference to her father. Prior to her death in Krumau, she chose
Lilienfeld Abbey as her burial place, next to her father. The date of her death is controversial. Some sources state 1266, while others state 2/12 October 1267 as the real date. King Ottokar II kept Austria, Styria; he also acquired the
Duchy of Carinthia with the
March of Carniola in 1269, claiming to be the heir designated by Margaret in their divorce settlement. He even stood as a candidate for the Imperial Crown several times, until he was deposed by King
Rudolf I of Germany in 1276 and killed in the
Battle on the Marchfeld two years later. ==References==