Margarete Maultasch

Margarete Maultasch (1318 – October 3, 1369 in Vienna) was the last Countess of Tyrol from the Meinhardiner dynasty.

Related Topics:
1318 - October 3 - 1369 - Vienna - Countess - Tyrol - Meinhardiner

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

She was the daughter of Henry, Duke of Carinthia and Count of Tyrol, whom she succeeded in Tyrol in 1335, while Carinthia was obtained by the Habsburg Albert II of Austria.

Related Topics:
Henry - Carinthia - 1335 - Habsburg - Albert II of Austria

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As a child, in 1330, she had been first married to John Henry of Bohemia, the brother of the future Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV of Luxemburg. In 1341 she expelled her husband with the help of the Tyrolean aristocracy. She then married Louis of Bavaria, the son of the Emperor Louis the Bavarian, without having been divorced from her previous husband.

Related Topics:
1330 - John Henry of Bohemia - Charles IV - 1341 - Louis of Bavaria - Louis the Bavarian

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

William of Ockham and Marsilius of Padua defended this first "civil marriage" in the Middle Ages. The Pope, however, excommunicated her and the scandal was known across Europe. In 1359 Margarete and Ludwig were absolved from the excommunication. The annals and historians in Germany and Italy (Florence, Milan, Padova, Monza) referred these incidents. In ecclesiastical propaganda she received the nickname Maultasch (litterally "Mouth Bag") - this means "whore" or "ugly woman".

Related Topics:
William of Ockham - Marsilius of Padua - Civil marriage - Middle Ages - Excommunicated - 1359

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After the death of her husband, her son Meinhard III joined her as count of the Tyrol. However, he died in 1363, which induced her to give the county of Tyrol to duke Rudolf IV of Austria, who united it with the "dominion of Austria".

Related Topics:
Meinhard III - 1363 - Rudolf IV of Austria - Austria

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1816 Jacob Grimm collected the Legends of Margarete in his book "German sagas".

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~