Margaret of Sicily

Margaret of Sicily (also called Margaret of Hohenstaufen or Margaret of Germany) (1 December 1241, in Foggia – 8 August 1270, in Frankfurt-am-Main) was a Princess of Sicily and Germany, and a member of the House of Hohenstaufen. By marriage she was Landgravine of Thuringia and Countess Palatine of Saxony (German: Landgräfin von Thüringen und Pfalzgräfin von Sachsen). She was the daughter of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Sicily and Germany, by his third wife, Isabella of England. Her paternal grandparents were Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor and Constance of Sicily. Her maternal grandparents were John of England and Isabella of Angoulême. Birth The date of her birth is difficult to ascertain because there is controversy over the exact number of children borne by her mother. Some sources say that she was the first or second child, born by the end of 1237; others say that she was the last child, born in December 1241, when Isabella died in childbirth. Historians commonly accept the latter date. Life Shortly after her birth (1242), Margaret was betrothed to Albert "the Degenerate", eldest son and heir of Henry III "the Illustrious", Margrave of Meissen. The marriage took place in June 1255, the bride receiving Pleissnerland (the towns of Altenburg, Zwickau, Chemnitz and Leisnig) as her dowry.