Maria Christina of Austria (10 November 1574 – 6 April 1621), was a Princess of Transylvania by marriage to

Sigismund Báthory Sigismund Báthory (; 1573 – 27 March 1613) was Prince of Transylvania several times between 1586 and 1602, and Duchy of Racibórz, Duke of Racibórz and Duchy of Opole, Opole in Silesia in 1598. His father, Christopher Báthory, ruled Transy ...

, and for a period in 1598 elected sovereign Princess regnant of Transylvania.

Life

Born on 10 November 1574, she was the daughter of Archduke

Charles II of Austria Charles II Francis of Austria () (3 June 1540 – 10 July 1590) was an Archduke of Austria and a ruler of Inner Austria (Styria, Carniola, Carinthia and Gorizia) from 1564. He was a member of the House of Habsburg. Biography A native of Vienn ...

, the son of Emperor Ferdinand I, and Maria Anna of Bavaria. Her elder brother Archduke

Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...

, succeeded as

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

in 1619.

Marriage

On 7 February 1595, it was received in Graz the formal petition of marriage between Maria Christina and

, ruling

Prince of Transylvania The Prince of Transylvania (, , , Fallenbüchl 1988, p. 77.) was the head of state of the Principality of Transylvania from the late-16th century until the mid-18th century. John Sigismund Zápolya was the first to adopt the title in 1 ...

, by the nobleman Stephen Bocskay. The marriage contract was negotiated almost a month, and finally the bride on 15 June accompanied by her mother, the Prince-Bishop George of Lavant and 6000 German horsemen. In Kaschau, Maria Christina fell ill with a fever, which delayed the re-ride. The formal marriage took place in Weissenburg on 6 August, and soon after Maria Christina moved to Transylvania.

Princess consort

The marriage was regarded as a major political gain, as Sigismund, formerly a vassal of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, now formed close ties with the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

. Emperor

Rudolf II Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the H ...

appointed Sigismund Prince of the Holy Roman Empire (''Reichsfürst''), and also secured the possession of Transylvania, if the couple remain without offspring. The agreement was signed on 16 January 1595 by the Hungarian parliament in Bratislava.Johann Sporschil: ''Die Geschichte der Deutschen von den ältesten Zeiten bis auf unsere Tage'', vol. III, G. J. Manz, 1859, p. 209. However, this union proved to be completely unhappy; Sigismund, after a disastrous wedding night, refused to consummate the marriage and sent his wife to a fortress in

Kővárgara Valea Chioarului () is a Commune in Romania, commune in Maramureș County, Romania. It is composed of six villages: Curtuiușu Mare (''Nagykörtvélyes''), Durușa (''Durusa''), Fericea (''Szamosfericse''), Mesteacăn (''Kisnyíres''), Valea Chioa ...

, where Maria Christina was kept as prisoner.

Reign

On 18 April 1598, at the request of the local nobility, she was elected to occupy the Transylvanian throne after her husband abdicated. However, her rule was only nominal because Emperor Rudolf II sent representatives to rule. On 20 August, Sigismund Báthory regained the throne and reconciled with his wife, but sent her again to Kővár.

Later life

When Sigismund abdicated for a second time in March 1599, Maria Christina finally left him and returned to Austria in April. On 17 August 1599,

Pope Clement VIII Pope Clement VIII (; ; 24 February 1536 – 3 March 1605), born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 January 1592 to his death in March 1605. Born in Fano, Papal States to a prominen ...

dissolved her marriage, and in 1607, she joined to her younger sister

Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It was the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages">Provençal dialect ...

in the Haller Convent (''Haller Damenstift'') in

Hall in Tirol Hall in Tirol is a town in the Innsbruck-Land district of Tyrol (state), Tyrol, Austria. Located at an altitude of 574 m, about 5 km (3 mi) east of the state's capital Innsbruck in the Inn (river), Inn valley, it has a population of 14,77 ...

, where she died on 6 April 1621, aged 46.

Ancestors

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Christina Of Austria, Archduchess 1574 births 1621 deaths 16th-century House of Habsburg 17th-century House of Habsburg Austrian princesses Sigismund Bathory 16th-century women monarchs Daughters of dukes Princesses regnant Princes of Transylvania Princesses consort of Transylvania