Agnes of Antioch

Agnes of Antioch
Skeleton of Queen Agnes
Queen consort of Hungary
Tenure	4 March 1172 – c. 1184
Coronation	13 January 1173
Born	c. 1154
Died	c. 1184
Burial	Székesfehérvár Basilica reburied at Matthias Church
Spouse	Béla III, King of Hungary
Issue	Emeric, King of Hungary Byzantine Empress Margaret Andrew II, King of Hungary Constance, Queen of Bohemia
House	House of Châtillon House of Arpad
Father	Raynald of Châtillon
Mother	Constance, Princess of Antioch
Religion	Roman Catholic

Agnes of Antioch(1154 – c. 1184) was a Queen of Hungary from 1172 until 1184 as the first wife of Béla III.

The accidental discovery of her intact tomb during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 has provided an opportunity for patriotic demonstrations. She was the only 12th century Hungarian queen whose remains were studied by scientists, and her appearance was reconstructed.

She was the daughter of Raynald of Châtillon, and Constance, Princess of Antioch.

The exact date of her birth is uncertain. It is assumed that she was born soon after the secret marriage of her parents, which took place before May 1153. The most common belief in historiography was that Agnes was born in 1154. At the baptism she probably received the name of Agnes.

Her father was captured by the Muslims in November 1160 and was confined in Aleppo for the next fifteen years. Princess Constance died ca. 1163/67, and around 1170 Agnes went to Constantinople, where her older half-sister Maria had been living as the wife of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Comnenus. On the Emperor's request, Agnes was married to kaiszar Alexius (born prince Béla of Hungary), who had been engaged to the Emperor's daughter, Maria Comnena until the birth of Manuel's son, Alexius in 1166. The wedding date of Agnes and Alexius is unknown; is believed that may have occurred about 1168 and no later than 1172. In historiography, there are two precises dated for the wedding: September 1169 and March 1171.

She received the name Anna in the imperial court. In the Hungarians documents she always appeared with her new name, probably because Agnes was rare at that time.