Back Constanza I de Sicilia AN كونستانس ملكة صقلية Arabic كونستانس ملكة صقليه ARZ Constanza I de Sicilia AST Констанс Сицилианска Bulgarian Costanza d'Altavilla (1154-1198) BR Konstancija, kraljica Sicilije BS Constança I de Sicília Catalan Konstancie Sicilská (1154–1198) Czech Constance af Sicilien Danish
| Constance I | |
|---|---|
 Depiction from Liber ad Honorem Augusti by Peter of Eboli, 1196 | |
| Queen of Sicily | |
| Reign | 25 December 1194 – 27 November 1198 |
| Predecessor | William III |
| Successor | Frederick I |
| Co-rulers |
|
| Holy Roman Empress | |
| Tenure | 15 April 1191 – 28 September 1197 |
| Born | 2 November 1154 Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily |
| Died | 27 November 1198 (aged 44) Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor |
| House | Hauteville |
| Father | Roger II of Sicily |
| Mother | Beatrice of Rethel |
Constance I (Italian: Costanza; 2 November 1154 – 27 November 1198)[1] was the queen of Sicily from 1194 until her death and Holy Roman empress from 1191 to 1197 as the wife of Emperor Henry VI.
As queen regnant of Sicily, she reigned jointly with her spouse and later with her infant son, the future Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. She is particularly notable for her actions against her own family, the Norman kings of Sicily; she played an important role in the end of the Hauteville presence in Sicily.[2]
Despite being the sole heir to the throne of Sicily, she did not marry until she was 30 due to an ominous prophecy. Shortly after becoming empress, she was involved in the succession war against her illegitimate nephew King Tancred for the Sicilian throne, during which she was captured, though she was later released unharmed. In the history of Holy Roman Empire only two empresses were captured, with the other being her mother-in-law Empress Beatrice.[1]
Shortly before ascending the Sicilian throne, at the age of 40, she gave birth to her only child, Frederick, thus continuing the bloodlines of both the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Sicily.
After the death of her husband, she gave up her son's claim to the throne of the Holy Roman Empire in favor of her younger brother-in-law Philip of Swabia, making her son merely king of Sicily. She, however, continued to use her imperial title. She died one year later, having entrusted her young son to Pope Innocent III.
- ^ a b "Constance, Queen of Sicily, Hohenstaufen Dynasty". Britannica. 2024-02-23. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
- ^ Boccaccio, Giovanni (2003). Famous Women. Harvard University Press. p. 221. ISBN 978-0-674-01130-4.