The Execution of Maria of Brabant 

Maria (centre), with her husband Louis (left) and his second wife Anna of Glogau (right)

Maria of Brabant was born circa 1226 as the daughter of Henry II, Duke of Brabant en Maria of Hohenstaufen. She was one of six children and she had a further two half-siblings from her father’s second marriage to Sophie of Thuringia. Little is known of her youth, but she was possibly betrothed to the future Edward I of England in 1247. Negotiations led to nothing and she would be married to Louis II of Bavaria on 2 August 1254. They were only married for two years when she was accused of adultery.

Accounts vary on what exactly happened. Maria probably wrote two letters while her husband was away from home. One of these letters was intended for a knight. The content of the letter is unknown but apparently Louis was given the letter intended for the knight and he came to the conclusion that Maria was having an affair.

Some sources claim that Louis spun into a murderous frenzy, but most likely Maria was executed at Castle Mangoldstein at Donauwörth on 18 January 1256 by ducal decree. Two of her ladies also died. She is buried in the Church of the Cross in Donauwörth.

Maria of Brabant’s Epitaph in the Church of the Cross „Donauwörth, Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche, 018“ von Tilman2007 – Eigenes Werk. Lizenziert unter CC BY-SA 3.0 über Wikimedia Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Donauw%C3%B6rth,_Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche,_018.jpg#/media/File:Donauw%C3%B6rth,_Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche,_018.jpg

Proof her adultery was never validated. Pope Alexander IV later ordered Louis to found a monastery as penance for the killing. To comply with this he founded Fürstenfeld Abbey. Louis married twice more after Maria’s death and eventually fathered a surviving heir with his third wife. It’s frustrating that we know so little of the circumstances of her death. They were married for two years without any children. Was he perhaps already sick of waiting for an heir?

Political motives could also have set her up for execution. Maria was a first cousin of William II of Holland, the anti-King of Germany. The truth is we’ll probably never know the reason behind this sudden and brutal execution. Whatever the reason, it cost this young woman her life, before we got to find out her true potential.

Finding Eleanor of Woodstock: Broederenchurch in Deventer & Castle Rosendael in Rozendaal

Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Use code: NEWYEARTREAT for 20.16% off all orders! Ends 31 December.

Alexandra Feodorovna Anne Boleyn Anne of Cleves Article BBC bbc two book book review books burial Castle catherine howard catherine of aragon Eleanor of Aquitaine elizabeth i elizabeth of york Emperor Empress England exhibition france Henry Viii jane seymour Joséphine de Beauharnais king Maria Nikolaevna of Russia mary queen of scots Monarchy news nicolas ii palace places to visit Portugal Queen queen regnant review royal media russia the queens regnant series tomb tv UK news Victoria of the United Kingdom vienna William III

Some more reviews of my book ‘The King is Dead’ | Suzannah Lipscomb on The King is Dead by Suzannah Lipscomb Book Review

Scott on Princess Thyra of Denmark and Her Illegitimate Daughter

Moniek on Anne Boleyn’s Apartments in the Tower of London

Claudia Kanne on Anne Boleyn’s Apartments in the Tower of London

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok