Felicia of Sicily[1] (also Elateria) (c. 1078—c. 1102) is the presumed name of a Queen consort of Hungary and Croatia.[2][3]
She was daughter of Count Roger I of Sicily and his second wife, Eremburga of Mortain.[4] She is also called Busilla, but this name is a misunderstanding of the ancient Italian word pucelle meaning "virgin".[2]
Coloman, King of Hungary sent his envoys to her father's court to propose marriage to her in 1096, but the Count of Sicily did not qualify the envoys illustrious enough and refused the offer. The second mission of the King of Hungary was led by Bishop Hartvik, but insisted on further negotiations. Finally, the envoys, led by Prince Álmos, accompanied Felicia to Hungary, where she was married to Coloman around 1097.[3]
She was followed by some Sicilian courtiers as well, e.g. the ancestors of the future gens Rátót (Olivér and Rátót) who arrived to Hungary in her escort. Allegedly, these courtiers became so powerful that they started controlling many actions of the court.[5]
- ^ She’s called Felícia in Hungarian.
- ^ a b Mielke, Christopher (2021-04-21). The Archaeology and Material Culture of Queenship in Medieval Hungary, 1000–1395. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-030-66511-1.
- ^ a b Srodecki, Paul; Kersken, Norbert; Petrauskas, Rimvydas (2022-11-25). Unions and Divisions: New Forms of Rule in Medieval and Renaissance Europe. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-68558-9.
- ^ Lau, Maximilian C. G. (2024-01-25). Emperor John II Komnenos: Rebuilding New Rome 1118-1143. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-888867-3.
- ^ Mielke, Christopher (2022), "Medieval Queens and the Diaspora of Escort, Conquest, the Crusades, and Military Orders", Military Diasporas, Routledge, pp. 301–318, doi:10.4324/9781003245568-13, ISBN 978-1-003-24556-8, retrieved 2024-03-23