Agnieszka (died after 1572), was a Polish

Court dwarf Some of the first dwarfs to have their histories recorded were employed as court dwarfs. They were owned and traded amongst people of the court, and delivered as gifts to fellow kings and queens. Visual effect Court dwarfs were made to stand rig ...

in service of

Sophia Jagiellon, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg Sophia Jagiellon of Poland ( pl, Zofia Jagiellonka; 13 July 1522 – 28 May 1575), a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty, was a Polish princess and Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel from 1556 to 1568 by her marriage with Duke Henry V. Life ...

. She was the personal favorite and secretary of Sophia. Agnieszka was likely in the service of Sophia in Poland prior to her marriage. She did belong to the Polish retinue of 500 people accompanying Sophia from Poland to her new life in Germany upon her marriage to

Henry V, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Henry V of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel ( la, Henricus; 10 November 1489 – 11 June 1568), called the Younger, (''Heinrich der Jüngere''), a member of the House of Welf, was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruling Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel fro ...

in February 1556. In contrast to the majority of the Polish courtiers, Agnieszka remained with Sophia in her new court in Germany in Wolfenbüttel Castle. She had an influential position at court as the personal confidante and secretary of Sophia. She conducted the correspondence between Sophia and her powerful relatives, such as her brother the king of Poland and her sister the queen of Sweden. In 1568, she accompanied Sophia to her dower court, and assisted her in making it a cultural center. After 1572, she assisted Sophia in her work to defend her late brother's will. Her year of death is not known, but she was noted to be alive in 1572. Her position is mirrored with

Dorothea Ostrelska Dorothea Ostrelska (fl. 1577) also known as ''Dosieczka'', ''Doska'' and ''Dvärginnan Dorothea'' ('Dorothea the Female Dwarf'), was a Polish Court dwarf in service of the queen of Sweden, Catherine Jagiellon. Life Dorothea Ostrelska was likely ...

, whose life in the court of Sophia's sister

Catherine Jagellon Catherine Jagiellon ( pl, Katarzyna Jagiellonka; sv, Katarina Jagellonica, Lithuanian: ''Kotryna Jogailatė''; 1 November 1526 – 16 September 1583) was a Polish princess and Queen of Sweden as the first wife of King John III. As such, she ...

is an almost exact replica to her.

References

* Jan Pirożyński: Die Herzogin Sophie von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel aus dem Hause der Jagiellonen (1522–1575) und ihre Bibliothek. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der deutsch-polnischen Kulturbeziehungen in der Renaissancezeit (= Wolfenbütteler Schriften für Geschichte des Buchwesens. Band 18). O. Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1992, 16th-century Polish women 16th-century German people People with dwarfism Royal favourites German courtiers Polish courtiers 16th-century Polish people 16th-century German women Polish people with disabilities German people with disabilities {{Poland-bio-stub