Marie of Brabant, Holy Roman Empress
| Maria of Brabant | |
|---|---|
Seal of Marie of Brabant.
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| Holy Roman Empress | |
| Tenure | 19 May 1214 – 5 July 1215 |
| Predecessor | Beatrice of Swabia |
| Successor | Constance of Aragon |
| German Queen | |
| Tenure | 19 May 1214 – 5 July 1215 |
| Born | c. 1190 |
| Died | May/June 1260 (aged 69–70) |
| Burial | St. Peter's Church, Leuven |
| Spouse | Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor |
| House | Reginar |
| Father | Henry I, Duke of Brabant |
| Mother | Maud of Boulogne |
Maria of Brabant (c. 1190 – May/June 1260), a member of the House of Reginar, was Holy Roman Empress and German Queen from 1214 until 1215 as the second and last wife of the Welf emperor Otto IV.
Maria was the eldest daughter of Duke Henry I of Brabant and his consort Maud of Boulogne. Her paternal grandparents were Count Godfrey III of Louvain and Margaret of Limburg; her maternal grandparents were Count Matthew of Boulogne and Marie of Blois. As a descendant of the Reginar dukes of Lower Lorraine, her father Henry had adopted the title of a Duke of Brabant, confirmed by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in 1183.
Maria was betrothed to King Otto IV already in 1198, while he fought for the German throne against rivalling Philip of Swabia. Her father, Duke Henry I, had initially supported the claims of the Welf dynasty, but then adopted a hesitant position. When he changed to the Hohenstaufen side in 1204, the planned marriage seemed obsolete.
After Philip of Swabia was assassinated in 1208, Otto IV became undisputed King of the Romans and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Innocent III in 1209. Duke Henry of Brabant rushed to reconcile with the Welf ruler, who soon after his coronation, however, steered into conflict with the Pope over the Kingdom of Sicily, then ruled by the young Hohenstaufen prince Frederick II, nephew of the late Philip of Swabia. Otto was excommunicated by his former ally Pope Innocent and had to face the election of Frederick as anti-king in September 1211. One year later, he demonstratively married Beatrice of Swabia, daughter of the late King Philip and Frederick's paternal first cousin.
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