Brief lives of women who reigned or ruled in their own right or by marriage by providing their a) proprietary titles, b) parents/pedigree, c) patrimony and properties, d) persona or personality, e) powers exercised, f) patronages and g) progeny or posterity.
Power Exercised: Queen-Regent of the Ostrogoths, 526-535.
Almodis de La Marche (d.1071)
Power Source/Exercised: "...her own status of power was greatly enhanced by the grant of a huge wedding gift...from her husband in 1056...[T]he defeat of the countess dowager (Ermessinde of Carcassonne) in the next year put all of these holdings in Almodis' hands and unquestionably made her the most powerful woman in the counties of Barcelona, Gerona, and Ausona... She also gained considerable wealth from land revenues and the large share of Muslim tribute...which her husband guaranteed her in the grant of 1056. With the amount of gold coming into her possession, it is little wonder that she became a frequent purchaser of land, houses and castles --- all in her own name...." (Vann, p. 42)
AMICE DE MONTFORT
Progeny/Posterity: Married Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester.
Notes: "...Robert, through his marriage to Amicia, daughter and heiress of the Breton lord of Gael and Montfort, eventually secured the fitzOsbern inheritance in Normandy---the honour or Breteuil and Paci---and with a claim, which Henry fitzEmpress recognized, to the 'stewardship of England and Normandy'...." (Loyd, p. 15)
Notes: "Under his father's will, Robert received the family lands in England, including the earldom of Leicester, but in 1121 his marriage to Amice, heiress of Breteuil, brought him a strategically important fief in Normandy...." (Tyerman, p. 124)
AMICIE DE COURTENAY (1250-1275)
Proprietary Title: Lady of Conches
Parents/Pedigree: Daughter of Pierre I of Courtenay, Lord of Conches Partner/Progeny: Married as his 1st wife in 1262 Robert II of Artois (1250-1302), with whom she had an only child, Philippe of Artois (1269-1298), who succeeded her mother in 1275 as Lord of Conches. (FMG - Northern France Nobility)
Ana de Mendoza y de la Cerda (1540-1592)
Proprietary Title: Princess of Eboli, 2nd Princess of Melito, 3rd Countess of Melito, 3rd Countess of Aliano, Marchioness of Algecilla, 2nd Duchess of Francavilla, Duchess of Pastrana
ANA DE MENDOZA
Parents/Pedigree: Daughter of Iñigo López de Mendoza (1536-1601), 5. conde de Saldaña, 5. duque del Infantado, 6.marqués de Santillana, 5. marqués de Argüeso, 5. marqués de Campoo, 6. conde del Real de Manzanares, 16. señor de la casa de Mendoza, señor de la casa de la Vega, 8. señor de Hita y Buitrago, señor de las Hermandades de Alava (1593), gentilhombre de la cámara del rey Felipe II, a quién acompañó en Inglaterra 1553, and of Luisa Enríquez de Cabrera (d.1603), daughter of Luis Enríquez, 2. duque de Medina del Río Seco and of Ana de Cabrera y Moncada (d. 1565), vizcondesa de Cabrera y Bas, condesa de Modica.
Partners/Progeny: Married (1) in 1581 Rodrigo de Mendoza (d.1587), de los 4. condes de Saldaña, with issue; (2) in 1593, Juan Hurtado de Mendoza (1555-1624), 2. duque de Mandas y Villanueva (1617), 2. marqués de Terranova, duque del Infantado (maritale nomine), cab, gentilhombre de la cámara del rey Felipe III, Mayordomo mayor y consejero de Estado y de Guerra
Notes: "...Ruy Gomez accepted the office of governor to the prince Don Carlos. His marriage with the richest lady in Spain, Dona Ana de Mendoza, daughter and sole heiress of Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, conde de Melito, was subsequently accomplished by the favour and direct interposition of the sovereign. The fortunate Ruy Gomez was, moreover, himself decorated with the title of conde de Melito, on the elevation of the father of his bride, to the rank of duque de Francavilla; a title conceded in acknowledgment of Don Diego's acquiescence in the union of his heiress with Philip's Portuguese protege." (Freer, pp. 165-166)
Anastasia de Montfort (1274-1345)
Proprietary Titles: Countess of Nola, 1291; Lady of Chantilly; Lady of Lonjumeau; Lady of Sovana
Parents/Pedigree: Daughter Guy de Montfort, Count of Nola, and Margherita Aldobrandesca (c1255-after 1313), Countess of Sovana and Pitigliano, heiress of a branch of the Aldobrandeschi family.
Patrimony/Properties: Being the eldest daughter and heiress, Anastasia brought the rich Aldobrandeschi and Sovana inheritances into the Orsini family. Partner/Progeny: She married in 1293 Romano Orsini (1268-1327), Senator of Rome, with whom she had 4 sons and 3 daughters, among them were: Roberto Orsini (1295-1345), Count of Nola; Guido Orsini (d. after 1348), Count of Pitigliano; and Giovanna Orsini, married in 1334 Niccolo Caetani with whom she had issue. "Guy was deprived of his lands on the day of the murder at Viterbo, 13 March, 1271. It is not yet certain when they were restored to him. Some of them were certainly administered, during Guy's captivity (from June, 1287), by procuratores, on behalf of Guy or his daughter, Anastasia, the wife (1293) of Romanello, son of Gentile Orsini. On 28 October, 1293, Anastasia was restored to Nola, Cicala, Atripalda, Forino and Monforte. On 27 May, 1294, a royal privilegium definitely granting them to Romanello was issued." (Powicke, p. 88)
Notes: "Guy was deprived of his lands on the day of the murder at Viterbo, 13 March, 1271. It is not yet certain when they were restored to him. Some of them were certainly administered during Guy's captivity (from June, 1287), by procuratores, on behalf of Guy or his daughter, Anastasia, the wife (1293) of Romanello, son of Gentile Orsini. On 28 October, 1293, Anastasia was restored to Nola, Cicale, Atripalda, Forino, and Montefiore. On 27 May, 1294, a royal privilegium, definitely granting them to Romanello was issued." (Powicke, p. 88)
ANDREE DE VIVONNE
Notes: "...Francis, the sixth seigneur and second Duke de la Rochefoucauld, was born 15th December 1613... [I]n 1628, he had married at Mirebeau a rich and beautiful heiress of Burgundy, Andree de Vivonne, only daughter of Andre de Vivonne, Baron of Berandiere and Chasteigneraye, Grand Falconer of France, Captain in the Guards of the Queen-Mother, Marie de' Medici, Councillor of State, and one of the most trusty followers of Henry IV...." (Stone, Vol. 1, p. 127)
Proprietary Title: Countess of Fezensac
Anna van Borssele (c1471-1518)
Proprietary Title: Lady of Veere and of Vlissingen.
Parents/Pedigree: [She] "...was the daughter of Wolfart VI van Borssele (d.1486) and Charlotte de Bourbon. Her first marriage was to Philip of Burgundy, a son of Anthony of Burgundy, 'le Grand Batard.'.... [L]ess that amonth after the death of Anna's father..., the young couple was installed as lord and lady of Veere. (Bietenholz, et. al., pp. 173-174)
Notes: "BERSALA, ANN, Daughter and principal heiress of Wolfard de Borselle, and of Charlotte de Bourbon-Montpensier, who was married June the 17th., 1468; she was wife of Philip of Burgundy, son of Anthony of Burgundy, Lord of Bevres, of the illegitimate sons of the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good. She brought to him, for her dowry, the lordship of Vere, that of Flushing, and some others, and had by him one son and two daughters. Erasmus had a peculiar esteem for her. He thus writes to a friend:—"We came to Anne, Princess of Vere. Why should I say anything to you of this lady's complaisance, Benignity, or liberality? I know the embellishments of rhetoricians are suspected, especially by those who are not unskilled in those arts. But, believe me, I am so far here from enlarging, that it is above the reach of our art. Never did nature produce anything more modest, more wise, or more obliging. She was so generous to me—she loaded me with so many benefits, without my seeking them! It has happened to me, my Battus, with regard to her, as it often used to happen with regard to you, that I begin to love and admire most when I am absent. Good God, what candour, what complaisance in the largest fortune, what evenness of mind in the greatest injuries, what cheerfulness in such great cares, what constancy of mind, what innocence of life, what encouragement of learned men, what affability to all!" (Adams, p. 105)
ANNA VAN NOORDWIJK
Proprietary Title: Lady of Obdam, Hensbroek, Spanbroek and Opmeer in West-Friesland.
Notes: "...In 1503, on his second marriage, the second son, Gijsbrecht, lord of Den Bossche, took as his wife the heiress Anna van Noordwijk, lady of Obdam, Hensbroek, Spanbroek and Opmeer in West-Friesland...." (van Nierop, p. 16)
ANNA VAN NASSAU-DILLENBURG (1441-1514)
Power Exercised: Duchess-Regent of Brunswick-Luneburg
[She]...survived a poisoning attempt right before her second marriage to become a successful regent, developing sound financial policies that her successors continued." See (p. 318)
ANNA VON HALICH (Galicia)
Power Exercised: Regent of Halich and Volhynia, 1205-1214
Progeny/Posterity: She was the wife of Roman Mystaslavych (1160-1205), also known as Roman the Great, with whom she had 4 children including Danylo and Vasylko.
Notes: "Most princesses and noblewomen used their energies to support the interests of their principalities. Once such woman was Anna Romanovna, the wife of the prince of Galich, of the late twelfth and early thirtheenth century. In widowhood, she enjoyed the support of only a small portion of the nobility in her efforts to develop Galich's growth, commerce, and international stature. In the short period of her ascendancy, she succeeded in negotiating treaties with Hungary, Lithuania, and Poland on an equal basis. When a coup d'etat deprived her of her throne, she fled, according to one chronicle account, 'through a gap in the city wall' to Poland... (B)ut in exile she planned to return with her former allies. She sent notice to her enemies in Galich that she 'wanted to rule by herself' and was determined to do so. It took Anna nearly forty years to achieve her goal. Finally she did, with the support of the neighboring states with which she had previously concluded treaties of mutual aid. King Andrew II of Hungary provided the most assistance... Anna ordered the arrest of the boyars who had opposed her and the confiscation of their property. Once restored to power, Anna devoted herself to expanding the territory of her principality, annexing several small cities on the eastern frontier of Galicia: Tikhoml, Peremysl, and Vladimir-in-Volhynia. In 1214, she decided to transfer the throne to her sons, dictating terms to them in the same way she determined the distribution of her property." (Pushkareva and Levin, 1997, pp. 18-19)
ANNA VON KONIGSTEIN-EPPSTEIN
Proprietary Title: Heiress
ANNA VON NEUFFEN (1327-1380)
Parents/Pedigree: Sole heiress of Berthold V of Neuffen and Elisabeth of Truhendingen.
Progeny/Posterity: Married in 1360, Friedrich (1339-1393), Duke of Bavaria, 1375, with whom she had an only child, Elisabeth (1361-1382) who married Marco Visconti, Lord of Parma.
Notes: "...Swabian nobleman Berthold of Neuffen [was the] heir to the county of Marstetten. Louis the Bavarian appointed him imperial vicar in Lombardy, captain of Upper Bavaria, advocate of Ottobeuren in Swabia, and Landrichter of the Franconian county of Graisbach. His daughter and sole heiress Anna married a grandson of Louis the Bavarian with a view to creating Graisbach and Marstetten as the appanage of their line, but their only child Elizabeth went to Italy to marry Marco Visconti and died young." (Arnold, p. 213)
ANNA VON PRUSSIA (1576-1625)
Notes: "Eleonora of Cleve was the sister of the last Duke of Julich. Her only child, Anne, was, therefore, the heiress of the duchy of Prussia, and of the Julich duchies, comprising the duchies of Julich, Cleve, and Berg, and the counties Mark, Ravensberg, and Ravenstein. As stated in the text, Anne had married John Sigismund, grandson of the then ruling Elector of Brandenburg." (Malleson, p. 235)
Notes: "...[T]he marriage between John Sigismund and Anna also opened up the prospect of a new and rich inheritance in the west. Anna was not only the daughter of the Duke of Prussia, but also the niece of yet another insane German duke, John William of Julich-Kelve, whose territories encompassed the Rhenish duchies of Julich,Kleve (Cleves) and Berg and the counties of Mark and Ravensberg. Anna's mother, Maria Eleonora, was the eldest sister of John William. The relationship of her mother's side would have counted for little, had it not been for a pact within the house of Julich-Kleve that allowed the family's properties and titles to pass down the female line. This unusual arrangement made Anna of Prussia her uncle's heiress, and this established her husband, John Sigismund of Brandenburg, as a claimant to the lands of Julich-Kleve...." (Clark, p. 10)
ANNA VON ZAHRINGEN
Notes: "The house of Kyburg, one of the most powerful in all Helvetia, had, besides its own possessions in Thurgau, acquired by marriage the extensive domains of the extinct house of Lenzburg, in Aargau, and the country of Zug. Ulrich of Kyburg married Anne, sister to Berthold V, last duke of Zahringen. By the death of the latter without issue in 1218, the whole rich inheritance of the house of Zahringen fell into the house of Kyburg, including the counties of Thun, of Berthoud, the town of Freyburg, and the landgravite of Burgundy. Ulrich and Anne left two sons and a daughter; Hedwige, the latter married Albert, count of Habsburg, by whom she had Rudolph, afterwards emperor, and head of the house of Austria. By this marriage, and the subsequent death, in 1264, of Hedwige's brother, Hartmann of Kyburg, called 'the old,' whose estates were left to his nephew Rudolph, the paramount greatness of the house of Habsburg was established in Helvetia. That house was possessed already of part of Aargau, and of the wardenship of Bipp, Falkenstein, Bechburg, Olten, and Soleure. Rudolph of Habsburg now inherited the bulk of the united patrimonies of the houses of Lenzburg, Kyburg, and Zahringen, in which spendid inheritances were included the greater part of Thurgau, Zurichgau, Oechtland, Zug, the towns of Sursee, Sempach, and Winterthur,the counties of Baden and Lenzburg, in Aargau, the wardenship of the convent of Seckingen and Glaris, and the Landgraviate of Burgundy, from Thun to Aarwangen...." (Vieusseux, p. 34)
ANNA OF TEBIZOND (d.1342)
Proprietary Title: Empress of Trebizond, 1341-1342
Anna von Veldenz (1390-1439)
Notes: Heiress of Friedrich III of Veldenz whose marriage to Stefan of Palatinate-Simmern-Zweibrucken brought the county to the Wittelsbachs in 1444. Anna also had half of the rights to the undivided County of Sponheim. Her eldest son, Friedrich I of Zweibrucken, inherited the Sponheim portion while Veldenz went to his brother Ludwig I.
ANNA DALASSENA (c1025/30-1000/02)
Mother of the Comneni
Power Exercised: Regent of the Byzantine Empire, c1081-1082
ANNA PALAEOLOGINA
Power Exercised: Despina-Regent of Epirus, 1335-1340
ANNA FRANCECA PINELLI RACASCHIERI FIESCHI (1702-1779)
Proprietary Title: 6th Princess of Belmonte,5th Duchess of Acerenza, 8th Marchioness of Galatone, 5th Countess of Copertino, 7th Baroness of Badolato, Signore di Veglie, Leverano, San Cosimo etc.
Parents/Pedigree: Daughter of Oronzo Pinelli Ravaschieri Fieschi, 5th Prince of Belmonte, and of Violante di Sangro.
Progeny/Posterity: Married, in 1721, Antonio Pignatelli y de Vaez (1685-1771), 1st Prince of the Holy Roman Empire; their son Antonio II Pignatelli Pinelli Ravaschieri Fieschi became the 7th Prince of Belmonte.
ANNA MARIA RAVASCHIERI FIESCHI (d.1685)
Proprietary Title: 3rd Princess of Belmonte
Parents/Pedigree: Daughter of Orazio Giovan Battista Ravaschieri Fiesche, 1st Prince of Belmonte, and of Anna Maria Caracciolo Pisquizi di Sicignano. Progeny/Posterity: Married Cosimo Squarciafico Pinelli, 2nd Duke of Acerenza; their sons: Galeazzo Gaetano were 4th Prince of Belmonte, Oronzo Pinelli Ravaschieri Fieschi, 5th Prince of Belmonte.
***********REFERENCES
Freeman, Edward (1869).The History of the Norman Conquest of England, Its Causes and Its Results (Vol. III). Oxford: Clarendon Press.
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