, Agnes Of Merania

Agnes Maria of Andechs-Merania (died 1201) was a Queen of France, thedaughter of Berthold, Duke of Merania, who was Count of Andechs, a castleand territory near Ammersee, Bavaria. Her mother was Agnes of Rochlitz.She is called Marie by some of the French chroniclers.

In June 1196 Agnes married Philip II of France, who had repudiated hissecond wife Ingeborg of Denmark in 1193. Pope Innocent III espoused thecause of Ingeborg; but Philip did not submit until 1200, when, ninemonths after interdict had been added to excommunication, he consented toa separation from Agnes. She died broken-hearted in July of the nextyear, at the castle of Poissy, and was buried in the Convent of StCorentin, near Nantes. Her two children by Philip, Philip I, Count ofBoulogne and Mary, were legitimized by the Pope in 1201 at the request ofthe King. Little is known of the personality of Agnes, beyond theremarkable influence which she seems to have exercised over Philip.

She has been made the heroine of a tragedy by François Ponsard, Agnès deMéranie, and of an opera by Vincenzo Bellini, La straniera.