Following a short stop in the Duchy of Florence, the Imperial cortege arrived to Rome in the first hours of 28 July 1308. This time Conradin, due to his frail health, didn't entered in the city riding his horse but in a litter carried by ten soldiers, a dramatic event who was vividly described by the chronicler Guido di Abbracciabene:
The Emperor arrived to the Holy City of Rome but his strength was diminished by years of fights and intrigues, and was noted that he was very sick with some kind of disease who didn't leave him to ride a horse or to walk properly....despite this, the population received him with full honors and deference to his majesty and reputation.
Conradin and Berenguela stayed at the Palazzo di Castiglia, where they were greeted by Ezziolo, Imperial Vicar of the Kingdom of Italy, and his wife Contessina. Was the first time that the Emperor saw Ezziolo's son, the 8-years-old Corrado-Tedisio, and he was delighted with him: reportedly, the boy began his military training at his request, and also showed his predilection to learning foreign languages like German, French and English.
The Empress, however, wasn't thrilled with Corrado-Tedisio or his parents; once she arrived to the Palazzo di Castiglia, inmediately locked herself in her rooms with her grandson the new King of the Romans and her ladies-in-waiting, refusing to appeared to any of the banquets that Ezziolo and Contessina offered for the Imperial couple.
During this visit, Berenguela made only one public appearance, at Saint Peter's Basilica, where she and Conradin paid a visit to Pope Nicholas III. During the meeting, the Empress asked the Pope a blessing for her grandchildren, especially the King of the Romans.
A few days later (1 August), Selvaggia, Dowager Queen of Bohemia, arrived to Rome with her court and an important treasure consisted in jewels, pieces of gold and silver and tapestries.
..............
Following her marriage, Selvaggia, now Queen of Bohemia, lived at Prague Castle, and thanks to her dower lands and beauty, she quickly became in the dominant force at court and over her husband. Almost inmediately, she fulfilled her queenly duties giving birth a daughter on 18 November 1299, named Ludmila after the Czech 10th century saint and wife of Bořivoj I, the first historically documented Duke of Bohemia; after her, five more children were born: twins Ottokar and Jaromír (born: 20 October 1301), Konrád (born: 17 July 1303), Markéta (born: 1 August 1304) and Anežka (born: 19 June 1305).
King Wenceslaus II died on 21 June 1305, probably of tuberculosis, and only two days after the birth of his last child. His eldest son was inmediately proclaimed King Wenceslaus III and quickly crowned at Saint Vitus on 1 August; this move was probably made because of fear that the now Dowager Queen Selvaggia would used her status as daughter of the overlord of the Kingdom of Bohemia to put her eldest son Ottokar in the throne.
Because the new King was still underage, Nicholas I, Duke of Troppau, the illegitimate son of King Ottokar II and thus half-brother of Wenceslaus II, assumed the Regency on behalf of his nephew. Selvaggia, unsuccessfully tried to claim a participation in the government until mid-August 1305, when she decided to retired to Hradec Králové, the biggest and most important of her dower lands; according to her marriage contract, and despite the protests of the Regent, Selvaggia ruled her domains independently from the Bohemia crown. In order to obtain the lands for himself and also overwhelmed by the legendary beauty of the Dowager Queen, Nicholas I asked her hand in marriage, but Selvaggia refused.
Finally, in early January 1308, once was informed of her father's health problems and bored of ruling her dower lands, she sold all of them to the crown by the amount of 320,000 pieces of fine silver (an astronomical sum by that time) and prepared her departure. When she finally negociated with the Regent the custody of her children (who remained in Prague), and their succession rights, she leave the Kingdom of Bohemia in mid-March 1308. She never returned.
After wandered with her retinue and treasure for Austria, Switzerland, Bavaria, Tyrol and Lombardy, when Selvaggia knew of her father's arrival to Rome, she inmediately marched to meet him.
..............
The reunion between Selvaggia and Conradin was touching but also difficult, thanks to the intrigues of Berenguela, who hated the free spirit and fame of the Dowager Queen of Bohemia.
Was the Empress who arranged a new marriage for Selvaggia, this time for the long-timed Imperial ward and Duke of Athens, Guy II de la Roche-sur-l’Ognon. After being declared an adult in 1295, he chose to remained in Italy and leave the government of his Duchy firstly in the hands of his step-father Hugh of Brienne (who ruled as a bailiff during all his minority) and after his death of his brother-in-law Niccolò Sanudo (husband of his uterine half-sister Joanna of Brienne).
The marriage contract was quickly signed on 10 August 1308, and the wedding was celebrated three days later, on 13 August, at Saint Peter's Basilica; however, Guy II was gravely ill at that point and reportedly, his marital duties finally killed him: two months later, on 5 October, the Duke of Athens died of high fever and convulsions. Selvaggia, now Dowager Duchess of Athens, found herself pregnant, and exactly eight months later, on 16 June 1309, gave birth Guy II's posthumous daughter and heiress, Bonne.
TO BE CONTINUED.....
The Emperor arrived to the Holy City of Rome but his strength was diminished by years of fights and intrigues, and was noted that he was very sick with some kind of disease who didn't leave him to ride a horse or to walk properly....despite this, the population received him with full honors and deference to his majesty and reputation.
Conradin and Berenguela stayed at the Palazzo di Castiglia, where they were greeted by Ezziolo, Imperial Vicar of the Kingdom of Italy, and his wife Contessina. Was the first time that the Emperor saw Ezziolo's son, the 8-years-old Corrado-Tedisio, and he was delighted with him: reportedly, the boy began his military training at his request, and also showed his predilection to learning foreign languages like German, French and English.
The Empress, however, wasn't thrilled with Corrado-Tedisio or his parents; once she arrived to the Palazzo di Castiglia, inmediately locked herself in her rooms with her grandson the new King of the Romans and her ladies-in-waiting, refusing to appeared to any of the banquets that Ezziolo and Contessina offered for the Imperial couple.
During this visit, Berenguela made only one public appearance, at Saint Peter's Basilica, where she and Conradin paid a visit to Pope Nicholas III. During the meeting, the Empress asked the Pope a blessing for her grandchildren, especially the King of the Romans.
A few days later (1 August), Selvaggia, Dowager Queen of Bohemia, arrived to Rome with her court and an important treasure consisted in jewels, pieces of gold and silver and tapestries.
..............
Following her marriage, Selvaggia, now Queen of Bohemia, lived at Prague Castle, and thanks to her dower lands and beauty, she quickly became in the dominant force at court and over her husband. Almost inmediately, she fulfilled her queenly duties giving birth a daughter on 18 November 1299, named Ludmila after the Czech 10th century saint and wife of Bořivoj I, the first historically documented Duke of Bohemia; after her, five more children were born: twins Ottokar and Jaromír (born: 20 October 1301), Konrád (born: 17 July 1303), Markéta (born: 1 August 1304) and Anežka (born: 19 June 1305).
King Wenceslaus II died on 21 June 1305, probably of tuberculosis, and only two days after the birth of his last child. His eldest son was inmediately proclaimed King Wenceslaus III and quickly crowned at Saint Vitus on 1 August; this move was probably made because of fear that the now Dowager Queen Selvaggia would used her status as daughter of the overlord of the Kingdom of Bohemia to put her eldest son Ottokar in the throne.
Because the new King was still underage, Nicholas I, Duke of Troppau, the illegitimate son of King Ottokar II and thus half-brother of Wenceslaus II, assumed the Regency on behalf of his nephew. Selvaggia, unsuccessfully tried to claim a participation in the government until mid-August 1305, when she decided to retired to Hradec Králové, the biggest and most important of her dower lands; according to her marriage contract, and despite the protests of the Regent, Selvaggia ruled her domains independently from the Bohemia crown. In order to obtain the lands for himself and also overwhelmed by the legendary beauty of the Dowager Queen, Nicholas I asked her hand in marriage, but Selvaggia refused.
Finally, in early January 1308, once was informed of her father's health problems and bored of ruling her dower lands, she sold all of them to the crown by the amount of 320,000 pieces of fine silver (an astronomical sum by that time) and prepared her departure. When she finally negociated with the Regent the custody of her children (who remained in Prague), and their succession rights, she leave the Kingdom of Bohemia in mid-March 1308. She never returned.
After wandered with her retinue and treasure for Austria, Switzerland, Bavaria, Tyrol and Lombardy, when Selvaggia knew of her father's arrival to Rome, she inmediately marched to meet him.
..............
The reunion between Selvaggia and Conradin was touching but also difficult, thanks to the intrigues of Berenguela, who hated the free spirit and fame of the Dowager Queen of Bohemia.
Was the Empress who arranged a new marriage for Selvaggia, this time for the long-timed Imperial ward and Duke of Athens, Guy II de la Roche-sur-l’Ognon. After being declared an adult in 1295, he chose to remained in Italy and leave the government of his Duchy firstly in the hands of his step-father Hugh of Brienne (who ruled as a bailiff during all his minority) and after his death of his brother-in-law Niccolò Sanudo (husband of his uterine half-sister Joanna of Brienne).
The marriage contract was quickly signed on 10 August 1308, and the wedding was celebrated three days later, on 13 August, at Saint Peter's Basilica; however, Guy II was gravely ill at that point and reportedly, his marital duties finally killed him: two months later, on 5 October, the Duke of Athens died of high fever and convulsions. Selvaggia, now Dowager Duchess of Athens, found herself pregnant, and exactly eight months later, on 16 June 1309, gave birth Guy II's posthumous daughter and heiress, Bonne.
TO BE CONTINUED.....
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