| Constance I | |
|---|---|
 Constance of Sicily (from Liber ad Honorem Augusti by Peter of Eboli, 1196) | |
| Queen of Sicily | |
| Reign | 1194–27 November 1198 |
| Predecessor | William III |
| Successor | Frederick II (as sole monarch) |
| Co-ruler | Henry VI (1194–1197) and Frederick II (1198) |
| Holy Roman Empress Queen consort of the Romans | |
| Tenure | 1191–1197 |
| Born | 2 November 1154 Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily |
| Died | 27 November 1198 (aged 44) Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor |
| House | Hauteville |
| Father | Roger II of Sicily |
| Mother | Beatrice of Rethel |
Constance I (Italian: Costanza; 2 November 1154 – 27 November 1198)[1] was reigning Queen of Sicily from 1194–98, jointly with her spouse from 1194 to 1197, and with her infant son Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, in 1198. She is particularly notable for her actions against her own family, the Norman kings of Sicily; she played an important role in the end of the Hauteville presence in Sicily. She was also Holy Roman Empress and later Dowager by marriage to Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor.[2]
Despite being the sole heir to the throne of Sicily, she did not marry until she was 30 due to an ominous prophecy. Shortly after becoming empress, she was involved in the succession war against her illegitimate nephew King Tancred of Sicily for the Sicilian throne, during which she was captured, though she was later released unharmed. In the history of Holy Roman Empire only two empresses were captured, with the other being her mother-in-law Empress Beatrice.[1]
Shortly before ascending the Sicilian throne, at the age of 40, she gave birth to her only child, Frederick, thus continuing the bloodlines of both the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Sicily.
After the death of her husband, she gave up her son's claim to the throne of the Holy Roman Empire in favor of her younger brother-in-law Philip of Swabia, making her son merely King of Sicily. However, she still claimed herself Holy Roman Empress Dowager. She died one year later and entrusted her young son to Pope Innocent III.
- ^ a b "Constance | Queen of Sicily, Hohenstaufen Dynasty | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2024-02-23. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
- ^ Boccaccio, Giovanni (2003). Famous Women. Harvard University Press. p. 221. ISBN 978-0-674-01130-4.