Cat's Historical Doodles

Maria Christina was born on 10 November 1574, in Graz. She was the daughter of Archduke Charles II of Austria and Maria Anna of Bavaria. On 7 February 1595, a formal petition of marriage was made to Maria Christina on behalf of Sigismund Báthory, the ruling Prince of Transylvania. The marriage contract was negotiated, and, on 15 June, Maria Christina and her mother began the journey to Transylvania. In Kachau, Maria Christina fell ill with a fever, which delayed the journey. The formal marriage took place in Weissenburg on 6 August 1595. Soon after, Maria Christina finally arrived in Transylvania. This marriage was regarded as a major political gain as Sigismund (formerly a vassal of the Ottoman Empire) now formed close ties with the Holy Roman Empire. Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor, appointed Sigismund Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, and secured the possession of Transylvania if the couple remained childless. However, this union was completely unhappy – after a disastrous w...

Elizabeth (Hungarian: Erzsébet) was born on 7 July 1207, in the Kingdom of Hungary; she was daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and his wife, Gertrude of Merania.  Elizabeth was brought to the court of Thuringia to be betrothed to Louis IV, Landgrave of Thuringia a future union which would reinforce political alliances between the families. In 1221, at the age of fourteen, Elizabeth married Louis; the same year he was enthroned as Landgrave, and the marriage appears to have been happy. After her marriage, she continued her charitable practises, which included spinning wool for clothing that would be given to the poor. Elizabeth's life changed on 11 September 1227, when Louis died of a fever. Elizabeth is reported to have said He is dead. He is dead. It is to me as if the whole world died today . Following her husband's death, Elizabeth made solemn vows to Konrad von Marburg (priest and inquisitor) similar to those of a nun. These included celibacy and complete obed...