Agnes of Austria

Who was Agnes of Austria?

Agnes of Austria was queen of Stephen III of Hungary.

Agnes was the eldest child of Duke Henry II of Austria and his second wife, Theodora Comnena.

In 1166, Duke Henry II, who was mediating a peace between King Stephen III of Hungary and the Emperor Manuel I Komnenos, proposed a marriage between his daughter, Agnes and the young king. But the King decided to marry a princess of Halicz; nevertheless, this marriage ended soon: the princess was repudiated and sent back to her father. The negotiations with Austria were renewed and Agnes was married to King Stephen III in the same year.

She gave birth to a son, Béla, who died shortly afterwards. Her husband fell suddenly ill and died on 4 March 1172 during a meeting with her father. Apparently, shortly before the death of Stephen, Agnes gave birth a second son, but the child was either stillborn or died shortly after birth.

Just after her husband's funeral, the widowed Agnes left for Austria with her father. One year later she was married again, to Herman II, Duke of Carinthia. They had two sons: Ulrich II and Bernhard II who were later Dukes of Carinthia.