Tenure 1219-1235 Name Elisabeth Swabia | House Hohenstaufen | |
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Children Alfonso X of Castile, Philip of Castile, Manuel of Castile Parents Irene Angelina, Philip of Swabia Similar People Ferdinand III of Castile, Alfonso X of Castile, Philip of Swabia, Berengaria of Castile, Irene Angelina | ||
Elisabeth of Swabia (renamed Beatrice; March/May 1205 – 5 November 1235), was a German princess member of the House of Hohenstaufen and by marriage Queen consort of Castile and Leon.
Born in Nürnberg, she was the fourth daughter of Philip, Duke of Swabia and King of Germany, and Irene Angelina, daughter of Emperor Isaac II Angelos of the Byzantine Empire.
Life
After the murder of her father Philip (21 June 1208) and the death of her mother Irene after childbirth complications two months later (27 August), she and her sisters were placed under the guardianship of their cousin, Frederick, King of Sicily (later Emperor Frederick II), who arranged the marriage of Elisabeth and King Ferdinand III of Castile.
The marriage ceremony between Elisabeth and Ferdinand III was celebrated on 30 November 1219 in the city of Burgos. In Castile, she assumed the name Beatrice, probably in honour to both her eldest sister the Holy Roman Empress (who had died in 1212) and the youngest one (who died alongside their mother in 1208 during childbirth).
In 1230, after the death of her father-in-law, King Alfonso IX of Leon, she became also in the Queen consort of that country, who became definitely united to Castile.
During her marriage, Elisabeth gave birth to ten children:
Queen Beatrice died in Toro on 5 November 1235 aged 30. Her death was probably related to her last childbirth, or even died after giving birth. She was buried in the Royal Monastery of Huelgas de Burgos, next to King Henry I. Later, her son Alfonso X transferred her body to Seville Cathedral in 1279, where that of her husband rested.