The Tragic Life of King Matthias Corvinus’s First Wife: Catherine’s Untimely Death at 15
The marriage of King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary and Catherine of Poděbrady (also known as Kunigunda) was not a love story, but rather a political maneuver that would have lasting consequences on the young queen’s short life. Catherine, the daughter of Bohemian King George of Poděbrady, was only twelve years old when she was married off to Matthias in a strategic alliance between Hungary and Bohemia.
Despite the royal ceremony in 1463, Catherine was never officially crowned queen and had little influence at court. Her marriage to Matthias was overshadowed by long military campaigns and political turmoil that kept the couple apart. Tragically, Catherine died at just 15 years old, either in childbirth or from tuberculosis, along with her infant son—a devastating turning point in Matthias’s personal life.
The untimely death of Catherine of Poděbrady left a lingering shadow over the reign of King Matthias, known as the “Just King” of Hungary. Although he remarried in 1476, the memory of his first wife continued to haunt him. Catherine’s story serves as a poignant reminder of the fragility of life and the sacrifices made in the name of political ambition, a quiet tragedy beneath the crown.
