Beatrice de Frangepan
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Croatia
Gyula, Kingdom of Hungary
Christopher Corvinus
Matthias Corvinus
Beatrice de Frangepan | |
|---|---|
| Kneginja (Princess) Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach | |
 | |
| Born | 1480 Croatia |
| Died | c. 27 March 1510 Gyula, Kingdom of Hungary |
| Spouses | |
| Issue | Elisabeth Corvinus Christopher Corvinus Matthias Corvinus |
| Father | Bernardin Frankopan |
| Mother | Luisa Marzano d'Aragona |
Beatrice de Frangepan[1] (Croatian: Beatrica Frankopan, Hungarian: Frangepán Beatrix; 1480 – c. 27 March 1510) was a Croatian noblewoman, a member of the House of Frankopan that lived in the Kingdom of Croatia in personal union with Hungary. By marriage she was heiress of Hunyad Castle and Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach.
Beatrice de Frangepan was a Croatian noblewoman, daughter of Bernardin Frankopan, Knez of Krk and Modruš, and Luisa Marzano d'Aragona.[2] Her brother, Christoph Frankopan, served as Ban of Croatia under King John Zápolya.[3]
In 1496, she married John Corvinus, illegitimate son of King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary,[4] and had three children: Elisabeth (1496–1508), Christopher (1499–1505), and Matthias (1504–1505).[5] After John’s death, she inherited Hunyad Castle and managed the estates, but her children died young.[6]
In 1509, she married George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach in Gyula, Hungary.[7] King Vladislaus II of Hungary transferred the Corvinus estates to George, including Hunyad Castle and the fortress of Lipova with 252 villages.[8] Parts of the Bibliotheca Corviniana also ended up in Wolfenbüttel.[9]
Beatrice died in 1510, a year after her second marriage.[10] George subsequently sold most of the Hungarian estates and purchased several Silesian duchies.[11]
Personal life and legacy
Beatrice is remembered for her role in administering the Corvinus estates after the death of her first husband, preserving important Hungarian properties and cultural heritage.[12] Through her marriages, she linked the Croatian Frankopan family with the Hungarian royal lineage and the German Hohenzollerns.[13] Parts of the Bibliotheca Corviniana—a significant Renaissance library—were transferred to Wolfenbüttel because of her estates.[9] Her brief life and strategic marriages illustrate the political alliances and land inheritance practices of Central European nobility in the early 16th century.[14]
