List of Holy Roman empresses facts for kids

The Holy Roman Empress was the wife or widow of the Holy Roman Emperor. While the Emperor had to be a man, some empresses, like Theophanu and Maria Theresa, were very powerful and acted as the real rulers of the Empire.

Who Were the Holy Roman Empresses?

Before the year 924, the title of Emperor wasn't always linked to the German kingdom. It first belonged to the Carolingian family, and then to other important people in the 800s and 900s. Their wives were empresses, but they weren't always queens of Germany.

Carolingian Empresses

These empresses were married to the early Holy Roman Emperors from the Carolingian family.

Picture	Name	Father's Family	Born	Married	Became Queen	Became Empress	Ended Role	Died	Husband
	Ermengarde of Hesbaye Queen of the Franks, Empress	Robertians	around 778	794/795	Queen of Aquitaine 794/795 Queen of the Franks 28 January 814	813 (with husband as co-Emperor) 28 January 814 (with husband as sole Emperor)	3 October 818		Louis I
	Judith of Bavaria Queen of the Franks, Empress	Welfs	797	819			20 June 840 (husband's death)	19/23 April 843
	Ermengarde of Tours Queen of Italy and the Middle Franks, Empress	Etichonids	?	821	Queen of Italy 17 April 818 Queen of Middle Francia August 843	821 (with husband as co-Emperor) 20 June 840 (with husband as sole Emperor)	851		Lothair I
	Engelberga of Parma Queen of Italy, Empress	Supponids	?	5 October 851	Queen of Italy 5 October 851	5 October 851 (with husband as co-Emperor) 23 September 855 (with husband as sole Emperor)	12 August 875 (husband's death)	896-901	Louis II
	Richilde of Provence Queen of the West Franks, Empress	Bosonids	845	870	Queen of the West Franks 870	29 December 875	5/6 October 877 (husband's death)	2 June 910	Charles the Bald
	Richardis Queen of the Franks, Empress	Ahalolfings	c. 840	862	Various	12 February 881	As Queen: 11 November 887 (husband removed as King) As Empress: 13 January 888 (husband's death)	18 September, 894-896	Charles the Fat
	Ageltrude Queen of Italy, Empress	Prince of Benevento	?	before 880	Queen of Italy 889	May 891	12 December 894 (husband's death)	27 August 923	Guy III of Spoleto
	Ota	Conradines	?	888		22 February 896	8 December 899	30 November 903	Arnulf
	Anna of Constantinople	Macedonian	888	around 900	900 (in Provence) 12 October 900 (in Italy)	15/22 February 901	21 July 905 (in the Empire and Italy) 912 (in Provence)	912	Louis the Blind
	Bertila of Spoleto Queen of Italy, Empress	Supponids	860	c. 880	Queen of Italy 26 December 887 (husband's return)	January 915	before December 915		Berengar I of Italy
	Anna of Provence Queen of Italy, Empress	Bosonids	-	by December 915		7 April 924 (husband's death)	after May 930

Empresses and Queens of Germany

When Otto I of Germany became Emperor in 962, the title of "Roman King" or Emperor became strongly connected to the Kingdom of Germany. This meant that to become a Holy Roman Emperor, you first had to be the King of Germany. So, all the women in the following sections were both Queens of Germany and Holy Roman Empresses.

Ottonian Dynasty Empresses

Picture	Name	Father's Family	Born	Married	Became Queen	Became Empress	Ended Role	Died	Husband
	Adelaide of Italy	Welf	931	951		2 February 962 (Crowned). She also ruled for her grandson Otto III when he was young.	7 May 973	16 December 999	Otto I
	Theophanu of Byzantium	Konstantinos Skleros	960	14 April 972		14 April 972 (with husband as co-Emperor) 7 May 973 (with husband as sole Emperor) Crowned 14 April 972	7 December 983 (husband's death)	15 June 991	Otto II
	Cunigunde of Luxembourg	Siegfried, Count of Luxemburg	c. 975	999	17 June 1002	26 April 1014	13 July 1024	3 March 1033	Henry II

Salian Dynasty Empresses

Picture	Name	Father's Family	Born	Married	Became Queen	Became Empress	Ended Role	Died	Husband
	Gisela of Swabia	Conradines	11 November 995	1016	8 September 1024	26 March 1027	4 June 1039 (husband's death)	14 February 1043	Conrad II
	Agnes of Poitou	Ramnulfids	1025	21 November 1043		25 December 1046	5 October 1056	14 December 1077	Henry III
	Bertha of Savoy	Savoy	21 September 1051	13 July 1066		21 March 1084	27 December 1087		Henry IV
	Eupraxia of Kiev	Rurikids	1071	14 August 1089			31 December 1105 (husband removed)	20 July 1109
	Matilda of England	Normandy	7 February 1101	7 January 1114			23 May 1125	10 September 1167	Henry V

House of Supplinburg Empresses

Picture	Name	Father's Family	Born	Married	Became Queen	Became Empress	Ended Role	Died	Husband
	Richenza of Northeim	Henry, Margrave of Frisia	c. 1087/89	c. 1100	30 August 1125	4 June 1133	4 December 1137	10 June 1141	Lothair III

House of Hohenstaufen Empresses

Picture	Name	Father's Family	Born	Married	Became Queen	Became Empress	Ended Role	Died	Husband
	Beatrice of Burgundy	Renaud III, Count of Burgundy	1143	9 June 1156			15 November 1184		Frederick I
	Constance of Sicily	Hauteville	1154	27 January 1186		14 April 1191	28 September 1197	27 November 1198	Henry VI

House of Welf Empresses

Picture	Name	Father's Family	Born	Married	Became Queen	Became Empress	Ended Role	Died	Husband
	Beatrice of Swabia	Hohenstaufen	1198	1209 or 1212			1212		Otto IV
	Marie of Brabant	Henry I, Duke of Brabant	c. 1190	after 19 May 1214			5 July 1215 (husband removed)	May 1260

Later Hohenstaufen Empresses

Picture	Name	Father's Family	Born	Married	Became Queen	Became Empress	Ended Role	Died	Husband
	Constance of Aragon	Alfonso II, King of Aragon	1179	5 August 1209	1211-1212 (husband as King in opposition) 5 July 1215 (husband unopposed)	22 November 1220	23 April 1220 (stopped being Queen: son elected King) 23 June 1222 (stopped being Empress upon death)	Frederick II
	Yolande of Brienne	John of Brienne, King of Jerusalem	1212	9 November 1225			25 April 1228
	Isabella of England	John, King of England	1214	15/20 July 1235			1 December 1241

House of Wittelsbach Empresses

Picture	Name	Father's Family	Born	Married	Became Queen	Became Empress	Ended Role	Died	Husband
	Margaret II, Countess of Hainault	Avesnes	1311	26 February 1324		January 1328	11 October 1347	23 June 1356	Louis IV

House of Luxembourg Empresses

Picture	Name	Father's Family	Born	Married	Became Queen	Became Empress	Ended Role	Died	Husband
	Anna of Świdnica	Henry II, Duke of Świdnica	c. 1339	27 May 1353		5 April 1355 (crowned with husband)	11 July 1362		Charles IV
	Elizabeth of Pomerania	Bogislaw V, Duke of Pomerania	1347	21 May 1363		1 November 1368 (crowned)	29 November 1378 (husband's death)	14 February 1393
	Barbara of Cilli	Hermann II, Count of Celje	1390 to 1395	1408	21 July 1411 (husband's election)	31 May 1433 (husband's coronation)	9 December 1437 (husband's death)	11 July 1451	Sigismund

House of Habsburg Empresses

Picture	Name	Father's Family	Born	Married	Became Queen	Became Empress	Ended Role	Died	Husband
	Leonor of Portugal	Aviz	18 September 1434	16 March 1452		19 March 1452 (husband's coronation)	3 September 1467		Frederick III
	Bianca Maria Sforza of Milan	Sforza	5 April 1472	16 March 1494		4 February 1508 (husband declared "emperor-elect")	31 December 1510		Maximilian I
	Isabella of Portugal	Aviz	23 October 1503	10 March 1526		24 February 1530 (husband's coronation)	1 May 1539		Charles V
	Maria of Austria	Habsburg	21 June 1528	13 September 1548	November 1562 (husband's election)	25 July 1564 (husband became Emperor)	12 October 1576 (husband's death)	26 February 1603	Maximilian II
	Anna of Austria	Habsburg	4 October 1585	4 December 1611	13 June 1612 (husband's election)		14 December 1618		Matthias
	Eleonora Gonzaga	Gonzaga	23 September 1598	4 February 1622			15 February 1637 (husband's death)	27 June 1655	Ferdinand II
	Maria Anna of Austria	Habsburg	18 August 1606	20 February 1631	22 December 1636 (husband's election)	15 February 1637 (husband became Emperor)	13 May 1646		Ferdinand III
	Maria Leopoldine of Austria	Habsburg	2 July 1648			7 August 1649
	Eleanora Gonzaga	Gonzaga	18 November 1630	30 April 1651			2 April 1657 (husband's death)	6 December 1686
	Margarita Teresa of Austria	Habsburg	12 July 1651	12 December 1666			12 March 1673		Leopold I
	Claudia Felicitas of Austria	Habsburg	30 May 1653	15 October 1673			8 April 1676
	Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg	Wittelsbach	6 January 1655	14 December 1676			5 May 1705 (husband's death)	19 January 1720
	Wilhelmina Amalia of Brunswick	Welf	21 April 1673	24 February 1699		5 May 1705 (husband became Emperor)	17 April 1711 (husband's death)	10 April 1742	Joseph I
	Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel	Welf	28 August 1691	1 August 1708	December 1711 (husband's election)		20 October 1740 (husband's death)	21 December 1750	Charles VI

House of Wittelsbach Empresses (Later)

Picture	Name	Father's Family	Born	Married	Became Queen	Became Empress	Ended Role	Died	Husband
	Maria Amalia of Austria	Habsburg	22 October 1701	5 October 1722	24 January 1742 (husband's election)		20 January 1745 (husband's death)	11 December 1756	Charles VII

House of Lorraine Empresses

Picture	Name	Father's Family	Born	Married	Became Queen	Became Empress	Ended Role	Died	Husband
	Maria Theresa of Austria	Habsburg	13 May 1717	12 February 1736	13 September 1745 (husband's election)		18 August 1765 (husband's death)	29 November 1780	Francis I

House of Habsburg-Lorraine Empresses

Picture	Name	Father's Family	Born	Married	Became Queen	Became Empress	Ended Role	Died	Husband
	Maria Josepha of Bavaria	Wittelsbach	30 March 1739	23 January 1765		18 August 1765 (husband became Emperor)	28 May 1767		Joseph II
	Maria Louisa of Spain	Bourbon	24 November 1745	5 August 1765	30 September 1790 (husband's election)		1 March 1792 (husband's death)	15 May 1792	Leopold II
	Maria Teresa of the Two Sicilies	Bourbon	6 June 1772	15 August 1790	5 July 1792 (husband's election)		6 August 1806 (husband gave up title)	13 April 1807	Francis II

Images for kids

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  Crown of Constance of Aragon, Holy Roman Empress and Queen of the Romans

See also

• List of Roman Empresses (24 BC–AD 1453).
• List of Austrian Empresses (1804–1918).
• List of German queens
• List of Italian queens
• List of Burgundian consorts