Between Two Queens

9. Buda, August 1353

The first months of Elizabeta's marriage were not much different than her life before. Other than the fact that she spent nearly every night with Lajos. She had her own chambers as well, but they were not the chambers traditionally given to the queen. Those chambers were still occupied by Elzbieta. The older woman was still very much the queen. She presided over councils with her son, heard pensions, issued charters, and sponsored churches. She saw to the daily running of the royal household. She would not yet let Elizabeta do any of that. Elizabeta was always absent from the council chambers, based on Elzbieta's demands. Elizabeta was even denied her own coronation.

"I will be Queen as long as I live." Elzbieta would tell her. "A king must look to his mother before he looks to his wife."     

Elizabeta would sometimes speak to Lajos about his domineering mother. "She gets that from her own mother." Lajos said. "She would not let my uncle Casimir's first wife be crowned with him upon his accession." What Lajos did not tell her though, was that Casimir managed to get his wife crowned alongside him anyway, and his and Elzbieta's mother soon went to live in a convent. Casimir's first wife was long-dead however, so there would be no way she could tell Elizabeta about her experiences. There was also the fact that she had already given Casimir two daughters prior to his accession. Not the desired sons, but she still proved her fertility. Also, Casimir had just ascended the throne, so if he was being crowned, his wife might as well be crowned too. Lajos had already had his own coronation eleven years ago. No one saw the need to organize a coronation for a mere consort. Elizabeta was still very young, and had yet to have children. Maybe one day Lajos could convince his mother to get her crowned. But for now, she was to remain just the king's wife.

One August day, a papal messenger had ridden in from Avignon, where the Pope was currently based. He wanted to talk to both Elizabeta and Lajos. Elizabeta was in her chambers with Beatrix and Matilda, when she was summoned to the throne room. She wondered why this visitor wanted to talk to her too. In all the two months of her marriage, a visitor never requested her presence. Could this be about her father? Elizabeta knew that he had been ill for sometime, and worried that he could had finally died. But then she remembered that the servant had told her that this messenger was from Avignon. It must have had something to do with church matters, something that she was not allowed a say in either. 

"A message from His Holiness." said the messenger, when she arrived in the throne room.  He pulled out a roll of parchment.  "This message concerns the marriage of King Lajos of Hungary and Lady Elizabeta Kotromanic. The royal couple has failed to ask permission from His Holiness, the Pope, for their marriage, for they are related in the forbidden degrees of kinship. If you do not apply for a papal dispensation, your Grace and your new bride could face excommunication."  

Excommunication.  A chill shot through Elizabeta's body.  How could they excommunicate her, an innocent girl, just fourteen, and having barely a say in the matter.  The messenger unrolled the parchment he was holding.  It was a consanguinity chart.    

"Both of the mothers of King Lajos, and Lady Elizabeta, his wife, are descended from the Polish Duke, Casimir I of Kuyavia.  Your mothers are half-first cousins once-removed, which makes the two of you half-second cousins once-removed.  King Lajos, your mother is a granddaughter of Casimir of Kuyavia by his second wife, and Lady Elizabeta, your mother is a great-granddaughter of Duke Casimir by his first wife. I've seen marriages where spouses were closer related than this. But there is also another close relationship between the two of you.  Your fathers are also closely related, both of them are great-grandsons of King Istvan V of Hungary and his wife, Erzsebet.  That makes your fathers second cousins.  A papal disposition is needed for these close family ties."