Anjou Mária, Queen of Hungary (reigned 1382-1395)

She was the first Hungarian queen who was allowed to wear the Holy Crown of Saint King István.

Queen Anjou Mária in the Thuróczy Chronicle

Mária was the third daughter of Queen Kotromanics Erzsébet, born probably in 1371, during the reign of King Lajos (Louis) I (reigned 1342-1382). Since our King Anjou Lajos (Louis) had only daughters, the question of succession made the ruler think very early, about who was the right bridegroom. There were a few high-ranking men from noble families like William Habsburg, and Zsigmond of Luxembourg, who could be good choices to make his countries (both Hungary and Poland) accept the succession of women.

The painting of Liezen-Mayer Sándor: Queen Erzsébet and Mária at the tomb of King Lajos in 1385

After the death of Princess Catherine in 1378, Mary and her betrothed, Zsigmond (Sigismund) of Luxembourg, became the first claimants to the throne. The king’s eldest daughter had barely reached the age of 11 when her father (King Lajos) died, leaving the country in the hands of Queen Erzsébet and Palatine Garai Miklós. The country soon fell into turmoil as Mária’s mother and her supporters opposed the marriage to Zsigmond, saying it would serve Bohemian Czech and German interests (Zsigmond’s brother Wenzel von Luxemburg held the Czech crown).

The order of King Lajos the Great had envisaged was upset, partly because the Poles did not want to continue in personal union with the Kingdom of Hungary, but wanted a ruler who would rule their lands from Polish territories. The other reason was the rule of Queen Erzsébet’s League and the Palatine Garai Miklós’s League, whose political aims few people agreed with. The rebellion against Mária’s rule finally broke out when it became official that Erzsébet and her circle had chosen Louis, brother of the French King Charles VI (the “Mad” r. 1380-1422), as Mária’s betrothed instead of Zsigmond.