| Catherine of Hungary | |
|---|---|
| Catherine and her sisters kneeling in front of their mother, who is presenting the casket to St. Simeon | |
| House | House of Anjou-Hungary |
| Father | Louis I of Hungary |
| Mother | Elizabeth of Bosnia |
| Born | early July 1370 Hungary |
| Died | after 8 May 1378 (aged 7) Hungary |
| Burial | The Romanesque basilica of SzékesfehérvárNote 1 |
Catherine of Hungary or Catherine of Anjou (French: Catherine d'Anjou/Catherine de Hongrie, Italian: Caterina d'Angiò/Caterina d'Ungheria, Hungarian: Katalin magyar/Anjou Katalin, Polish: Katarzyna Andegaweńska; July 1370–after 8 May 1378) was the heiress presumptive to the thrones of Poland, Croatia, Slavonia, Dalmatia and the Princess Royal of Hungary as eldest living child of King Louis I of Hungary and his second queen, Elizabeth of Bosnia.
Contents |
Catherine's birth was long expected, as her parents' only had one daughter after twelve years of marriage, but the child, named Maria, died aged oneNote 2. Her birth also secured the succession to the Holy Crown of Hungary, to which Catherine was heiress presumptive all her life.[1]
Being the eldest daughter of the King of Hungary and Poland who had no sons, Catherine was a much wanted bride. When she was only four years old, she was betrothed to Louis, a younger son of King Charles V of France and future Duke of Orléans. Their marriage was supposed to establish a connection between the two branches of the French royal house. Her father made a set of concessions to the Polish noblemen in exchange for recognizing Catherine (or one of her sisters) as sovereign of Poland after his death. This agreement is known as the Privilege of Koszyce.[2][3]
Thus, Catherine was expected to reign either over Hungary or over Poland. Her father also planned to leave her his claim to the Crown of Naples and the County of Provence, which were then held by his ailing and childless cousin Joanna I.[1]
However, Catherine died aged seven, predeceasing both her father and her cousin Joanna. The agreement between her father and the noblemen became null and void.[2] Catherine's youngest sister Hedwig eventually became monarch of Poland. Her other sister Mary, who was betrothed to her fiancé, became heiress presumptive and eventually monarch of Hungary.