Joanna of Pfirt

Joanna of Pfirt
Duchess of Austria
Portrait byAnton Boys
Born	c. 1300 Basel
Died	(1351-11-15)15 November 1351 Vienna,Austria
Buried	Gaming Charterhouse
Noble family	Scarponnois
Spouse(s)	Albert II, Duke of Austria
Issue	Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria Catherine Margaret Frederick III, Duke of Austria Albert III, Duke of Austria Leopold III, Duke of Austria
Father	Ulrich III of Pfirt
Mother	Joanna of Burgundy

Joanna of Pfirt(French:Jeanne de Ferrette;c. 1300– 15 November 1351) was theCountess of Pfirtin her own right from 1324 andDuchess of Austriaas consort of DukeAlbert IIfrom 1330 until her death.

Life

Born inBasel,Joanna was the eldest daughter of Count Ulrich III ofPfirtand his wife,Joanna of Burgundy.

Inheritance

WhenReginald of Burgundy,the lastCount of Montbéliardfrom theChalon-Arlaydynasty, died in 1321, his daughter, Joanna of Montbéliard (Joanna of Pfirt's mother), inherited her father's domains. Joanna and Ulrich III had four daughters and no sons. When Count Ulrich died in March 1324, he left large estates in the AlsatianSundgau,in the southernVosges Mountainswith the strategically importantBurgundian Gate,and in the northernJurafoothills. Ulrich's surviving legacy was his two daughters, Joanna of Pfirt and her younger sister Ursula (1315–1367).

DukeLeopold I of Austriawas head of theHabsburg dynastysince the death of his father, KingAlbert I of Germany,in 1308. He concentrated on the administration of the family'sFurther Austrianterritories inSwabia,while his brotherFrederick the Fairrivalled with KingLouis the Bavarian.When Leopold found out that the late Count of Pfirt's daughter, Joanna was still unmarried, he sent his younger brother Albert II to make the official request to Joanna of Montbéliard for her daughter's hand. With the lands of Pfirt, Joanna was an attractive party. Joanna ceded her domains (including the town ofBelfort) to the House of Habsburg,whereby the dynasty could add a large contiguous territory in SouthernAlsaceto its Swabian possessions. The treaty between Joanna and Duke Leopold was sealed on March 17 atThann.

Joanna's mother was however remarried toRudolf Hesso, Margrave of Baden-Badenand had two more daughters: Margaret and Adelaide.

Marriage

Statue of Joanna inSaint Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna

Joanna married Albert II inViennaon 26 March 1324. At first the marriage went off unhappily. Joanna was considered to be well into child-bearing years. The couple had children early in their marriage, but they were all short-lived (all buried inSt. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna). In total, Albert and Joanna had five short-lived children throughout their marriage.

Albert II succeeded as Duke ofAustriaandStyriaupon the death of Frederick the Fair in 1330. However, at the same time, he fell ill withpolyarthritiswhich paralyzed his legs, which seemed to preclude producing heirs. For divine aid, the duke went on a pilgrimage toCologneandAachenin 1337. Two years later, when Joanna was in her late thirties, she gave birth to a son and continued to have children.

In total Albert and Joanna had six surviving children:

1. Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria(November 1, 1339,Vienna– July 27, 1365,Milan). Married but line extinct.
2. Catherine (1342, Vienna – 10 January 1381, Vienna), Abbess of St. Klara in Vienna.
3. Margaret (1346, Vienna – 14 January 1366,Brno), married:
   1. inPassau4 September 1359 CountMeinhard III of Gorizia-Tyrol;
   2. in Vienna 1364Margrave Johann Heinrich of Moravia.
4. Frederick III, Duke of Austria(1347, Vienna – 1362, Vienna). Died unmarried.
5. Albert III, Duke of Austria(September 9, 1349, Vienna – August 29, 1395, CastleLaxenburg). Had issue.
6. Leopold III(November 1, 1351, Vienna – July 9, 1386,Sempach). Had issue.

Joanna was described as wise and prudent.She was said to be politically talented and smart. In 1336, Joanna mediated the peace between the Habsburg family and the risingHouse of Luxembourgover the heritage of the late DukeHenry of Carinthia.The Habsburgs later gained further possessions up to theAdriaticcoast, formerly held by thePatriarchs of Aquileia.Through Joanna, Albert and the Habsburgs gained more lands since she was an heiress. Even though there was peace, wars could break out if it promised benefits for Albert and the Habsburgs, who were growing to be one of the most powerful royal families in Europe. After Albert had purchased theDuchy of Carinthiawith theCarniolanandWindicmarches, he did not need allies anymore.

Joanna had children unusually late. When she was fifty-one, she gave birth to her final child, a son,Leopold III, Duke of Austria,and died soon after.She is buried in theGaming Charterhousewith her husband and daughter-in-law,Elisabeth of Bohemia.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Joanna of Pfirt

16. Frederick II, Count of Pfirt 8. Ulrich II, Count of Pfirt 17. Hedwig of Urach 4. Theobald, Count of Pfirt 18. William I, Lord of Vergy 9. Agnes of Vergy 19. Clémence of Fouvent 2. Ulrich III, Count of Pfirt 20. Ulrich II, Baron of Altenklingen 10. Gauthier, Lord of Klingen 21. Ita of Tegerfelden 5. Catherine of Klingen 22. Hermann III, Count of Froburg 11. Sophie of Froburg 23. Hedwig of Habsburg 1.Joanna of Pfirt 24.John, Count of Chalon 12.Hugh, Count of Burgundy 25. Mahaud of Burgundy 6.Reginald of Burgundy 26.Otto I, Duke of Merania 13.Adelaide, Countess of Burgundy 27.Beatrice II, Countess of Burgundy 3.Joanna of Burgundy 28.Rudolph III, Count of Neuchâtel 14.Amadeus, Count of Neuchâtel 29. Sibylle of Montbéliard 7.Guillemette of Neufchâtel 30. Ulrich of Arberg 15. Jordanna of Arberg