De Constancia romanorum impatrice et regina Scicilie · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: De Constancia romanorum impatrice et regina Scicilie
Subject: Famous Women; Important Queens; Constance; Prophecies; Important Women
Period: 1450-1500;
Geographic: Italy; Ancient Rome; Sicily
Description: The left side of this engraving depicts Constance, the daughter of king William of Sicily, marrying Henry, the emperor of Rome. Constance is on the far-left with her name engraved above her head, while Henry is depicted holding her hand as the priest marries them. Henry’s name is also engraved above his head to identify him. Constance was forced to be a nun at a young age as a prophecy foretold Constance would somehow cause the destruction of Sicily. Her father, William, put her in a convent to prevent the prophecy from happening. At an older age, Constance was married to emperor Henry and bore a son at the age of 55. Constance is depicted in the centre of the engraving lying in a bed after giving birth to her son, Frederick. Frederick is depicted getting baptized in a large bowl which has his name engraved on the front. The baby grows up to be the one to fulfill the prophecy that King William was fearful of.
Image Creator: Anonymous (Engraver)
Type: Text; Woodcut Engraving
Identifier: mta:16705
Language: lat
Source Name: De Claris Mulieribus
Parent Collection: 1473 Ulm
Image: mta_16705_OBJ.png