Anna of Poland (1366–1425) was a Polish princess born into the

House of Piast The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (c. 930–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir III the Great. Branch ...

, and by marriage was Countess of

Celje ) , pushpin_map = Slovenia , pushpin_label_position = left , pushpin_map_caption = Location of the city of Celje in Slovenia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Cou ...

, also called Cilli, a medieval feudal dynasty within the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

. She was an influential woman in politics of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

Biography

She was daughter of King

Casimir III of Poland Casimir III the Great ( pl, Kazimierz III Wielki; 30 April 1310 – 5 November 1370) reigned as the King of Poland from 1333 to 1370. He also later became King of Ruthenia in 1340, and fought to retain the title in the Galicia-Volhynia Wars. He wa ...

(1309–1370), who was succeeded, not by Anna nor any of Casimir's own descendants, but by Casimir's nephew, King

Louis I of Hungary Louis I, also Louis the Great ( hu, Nagy Lajos; hr, Ludovik Veliki; sk, Ľudovít Veľký) or Louis the Hungarian ( pl, Ludwik Węgierski; 5 March 132610 September 1382), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1342 and King of Poland from 1370 ...

. Anna's mother was Casimir's fourth wife

Hedwig of Sagan Hedwig of Sagan ( pl, Jadwiga żagańska; before 1350 – 27 March 1390) was Queen of Poland as the fourth wife of Casimir III. Casimir's lack of male heir spelled the end of the Piast Dynasty in the Kingdom of Poland. After Casimir's death in 1 ...

(d. 1390). Anna's elder half-sisters were already dead though one of them had left children. Anna was the eldest child of that fourth marriage, which did not either produce any sons to King Casimir's dismay. In 1380 Anna was married to William, Count of Celje (1361–1392), a man chosen by Anna's first cousin, King

Louis I Louis I may refer to: * Louis the Pious, Louis I of France, "the Pious" (778–840), king of France and Holy Roman Emperor * Louis I, Landgrave of Thuringia (ruled 1123–1140) * Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg (c. 1098–1158) * Louis I of Blois ( ...

, from among his allies on the Hungarian southern borderlands. They had a single surviving child, a daughter known as

Anna of Cilli Anna of Cilli or Anne of Celje (1386 – 21 May 1416) was Queen of Poland (1402–1416). She was the second wife of Jogaila (Władysław II Jagiełło), King of Poland and Supreme Duke of Lithuania (reigned 1387–1434). Their marriage was pol ...

(1386–1416). In 1394 the widowed Anna married Ulrich,

Duke of Teck Duke of Teck is a title which was created twice in Germanic lands. It was first borne from 1187 to 1439 by the head of a cadet line of the German ducal House of Zähringen, known as the "first House of Teck". The ''caput'' of his territory was T ...

(died 1432). Meanwhile, the throne of Poland had passed in 1386 to Jogaila, Grand Duke of Lithuania. When his first wife, Queen Hedwig (Anna's first cousin once removed) died in 1399 without surviving children, Jogaila sought a wife among the heirs to the kingdom of Poland, which had been Hedwig's inheritance. Duchess Anna desired to regain Poland for her heirs, the descendants of Casimir III, and to obtain power in her homeland. To achieve this, her young daughter Anna was married in 1401 or 1402 to the widowed king, then aged around 50. She gave birth to a daughter, Hedwig Jagiellon, in 1408. The Duchess of Teck worked to advance her daughter's and granddaughter's position in Poland. When her daughter died in 1416, leaving no further surviving children (except Hedwig), Jogaila married

Elisabeth of Pilica Elizabeth Granowska or Elisabeth Pilecki ( pl, Elżbieta Granowska z Pileckich / Elżbieta z Pilczy; – 12 May 1420 in Kraków) was Queen consort of Poland (1417–1420) as the third wife of Władysław II Jagiełło (Jogaila), Grand Duke of L ...

in 1417, and then

Sophia of Halshany Sophia (Sonka) of Halshany or Sophia Holshanska ( be, Соф'я Гальшанская, translit=Sofja Halšanskaja; lt, Sofija Alšėniškė; pl, Zofia Holszańska; – September 21, 1461 in Kraków) was a princess of Halshany and was Queen o ...

in 1422, both of whom did not descend from the Piast kings of Poland, as he had been unable to find any more brides with a hereditary right to the kingdom. The king's two sons and heirs were borne by his last wife, Sophia. In 1421 Anna's granddaughter was betrothed to the future

Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg Frederick II of Brandenburg () (19 November 1413 – 10 February 1471), nicknamed "the Iron" (''der Eiserne'') and sometimes "Irontooth" (''Eisenzahn''), was a Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg from 1440 until his abdication in 14 ...

(1413–1471), the second son of

Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg Frederick (Middle High German: ''Friderich','' Standard German: ''Friedrich''; 21 September 1371 – 20 September 1440) was the last Burgrave of Nuremberg from 1397 to 1427 (as Frederick VI), Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach from 1398, Margr ...

. A party of Polish nobles, including Anna, wanted Hedwig and her intended husband to succeed Jogaila at least in Poland, instead of her half-brothers, his sons by Sophia. Anna died in 1425, which left Hedwig without any strong relatives to support her position. Because Hedwig died (allegedly poisoned) in 1431 without any issue, Anna's descent became extinct before Jogaila's death in 1434.

Family

In 1380 Anna of Poland married to William, Count of Celje (1361–1392). They had a single surviving child: *

Anna of Celje Anna of Cilli or Anne of Celje (1386 – 21 May 1416) was Queen of Poland (1402–1416). She was the second wife of Jogaila (Władysław II Jagiełło), King of Poland and Supreme Duke of Lithuania (reigned 1387–1434). Their marriage was pol ...

(1386–1416), married to Jogaila Grand Duke of Lithuania, named Wladyslaw II as king of Poland. ** Hedwig Jagiellon, died 23 years old. In 1394 the widowed Anna of Poland married Ulrich,

(died 1432). {{authority control 1366 births 1425 deaths 14th-century Polish people 14th-century Polish women 15th-century Polish people 15th-century Polish women Polish royalty Polish princesses Piast dynasty Countesses of Celje Daughters of kings