Catherine of Austria (; ; 9 February 1320 – 28 September 1349) was the daughter of the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

Duke Leopold I of Austria and the wife successively of the French nobleman

Enguerrand VI, Lord of Coucy Enguerrand VI ( – ) was a medieval French nobleman who served as the Seigneur Lord of Coucy. He was also Lord Gynes, Sire d'Oisy, in the district of Marle, and the Sire de La Fère. He was the son of his predecessor, Guillaume, Lord of Coucy, ...

and the German Konrad von Hardeck,

Burgrave Burgrave, also rendered as burggrave (from , ), was since the medieval period in Europe (mainly Germany) the official title for the ruler of a castle, especially a royal or episcopal castle, and its territory called a ''Burgraviate'' or ''Burgr ...

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...

Early life and family

Catherine was the oldest of two daughters born to Leopold I, Duke of Austria and his wife Catherine of Savoy. Her younger sister was Agnes of Austria, who married

Bolko II the Small Bolko II the Small ( – 28 July 1368), was the last independent Duke of the Piast dynasty in Silesia. He was Duke of Świdnica from 1326, Duke of Jawor and Lwówek from 1346, Duke of Lusatia from 1364, Duke over half of Brzeg and Oława from 1 ...

, Duke of

Świdnica Świdnica (; ; ) is a city on the Bystrzyca (Oder), Bystrzyca River in south-western Poland in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. As of 2021, it has a population of 55,413 inhabitants. It is the seat of Świdnica County, and also of the smaller dis ...

. Her father died when Catherine was 6 years of age, and she and 4-year-old Agnes were placed under the guardianship of their paternal uncles,

Frederick the Fair Frederick the Fair () or the Handsome ( – 13 January 1330), from the House of Habsburg, was the duke of Austria and Styria from 1308 as well as the anti-king of Germany from 1314 until 1325 and then co-king until his death. Background Frederi ...

and Albert II, Duke of Austria.

Marriages

At the age of 18, Catherine married her first husband

, a French nobleman. The marriage contract was signed at

Vincennes Vincennes (; ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Vincennes is famous for its castle: the Château de Vincennes. It is next to but does not include the ...

on 25 November 1338. The marriage produced one son, Enguerrand. The couple were married for eight years when in 1346, Enguerrand VI was killed in one of a series of battles which ended with the

Battle of Crécy The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 in northern France between a French army commanded by King PhilipVI and an English army led by King Edward III. The French attacked the English while they were traversing northern France ...

on 26 August 1346, as part of the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

between France and England. Their son Enguerrand succeeded his father as Lord of Coucy, and he later married

Isabella Isabella may refer to: People and fictional characters * Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Isabella (surname), including a list of people Places United States * Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpo ...

, eldest daughter of King

Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

. Catherine remarried nearly two years after her first husband's death in February 1348 to Konrad,

. The couple were married for just over a year when Konrad succumbed to the

Black Death The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...

on 25 September 1349, Catherine herself dying three days later; she was buried at Königsfelden. She was outlived by her son Enguerrand.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Catherine of Austria, Lady of Coucy 1320 births 1349 deaths 14th-century House of Habsburg 14th-century deaths from plague (disease) 14th-century French nobility 14th-century French women Daughters of dukes