Gryfina, or Agrippina (c. 1248between 1305 and 1309) was a Princess of
Kraków by her marriage to
Leszek II the Black in 1265; she later became a
nun and
abbess.
Family
Gryfina was the daughter of
Rostislav Mikhailovich (1225–1262), Prince of Halych, and his wife
Anna of Hungary
Anna of HungaryIn Greek: Ἄννα; in Hungarian: Anna; in Croatian: Ana (Kingdom of Hungary, 1260–1281) was a Princess of Hungary and Croatia, daughter of Stephen V of Hungary and Elizabeth the Cuman. Anna was granddaughter of Béla IV of Hung ...
(1226–c. 1270), daughter of
Béla IV of Hungary. After losing the throne of Halych, Rostislav fled to Hungary and was received at the court of his father-in-law,
King Béla IV. Rostislav was later granted the administration of
Slavonia, one of the most important regions of the
Hungarian Medieval Kingdom. Gryfina was born in Hungary, where she was raised with her sisters. One of her sisters was
Kunigunda, who married
Ottakar II of Bohemia
Ottokar II ( cs, Přemysl Otakar II.; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Lower Austria), the Iron and Golden King, was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned as King of Bohemia from 1253 until his death ...
and was the mother of
Wenceslaus II of Bohemia.
Marriage
In 1265, at the age of seventeen, Gryfina was married to Leszek, son of
Casimir I of Kuyavia
Casimir I of Kuyavia ( pl, Kazimierz I kujawski) (c. 1211 – 14 December 1267) was a Polish prince and a member of the House of Piast. He was Duke of Kujawy after 1233, ruler over Ląd from 1239-1261, ruler over Wyszogród after 1242, Duke of Si ...
.
[Oswald Balzer, ''Genealogia Piast'', Kraków 2005, p. 582] The wedding was organized by
Bolesław V the Chaste. Between 1271 and 1274 the spouses separated, Gryfina having publicly accused her husband of impotency. Leszek sought treatment, but the marriage remained childless. After four years, Bolesław V forced a reconciliation between the spouses.
During the revolt against her husband in 1285, Gryfina took refuge in
Wawel under the care of the citizens. During the third
Tatar raid of 1287 she escaped with her husband to Hungary, where many of her family members lived.
Widowhood
After the death of her husband in 1288, Gryfina's nephew Wenceslaus II of Bohemia claimed Poland on the basis of his aunt's marriage. Gryfina retired to the monastery of the Poor Clares in
Stary Sącz
Stary Sącz is a small historic town in Lesser Poland Voivodeship of southern Poland. It is the seat of the Gmina Stary Sącz (commune), and one of the oldest towns in the country, having been founded in the 13th century.
Geography
Stary Są ...
. The prioress there was her mother's sister,
Kinga, the widow of Bolesław V the Chaste. After Kinga's death, Gryfina became abbess.
In 1300, she visited
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
and cared for
Elisabeth Richeza of Poland, daughter of
Przemysł II and fiancee of her nephew Wenceslaus since the death of his first wife
Judith of Habsburg. Gryfina died between 1305 and 1309, most likely in 1309. She is buried in the
Convent of St. Agnes
The convent of Saint Agnes is situated on the right bank of Vltava, in Old Town (Prague), Prague Old Town area called „Na Františku“. The monastery of Poor Clares of the Order of Saint Clare and Franciscans was founded in 1231 Soukupová 1989, ...
in
Prague.
Notes and references
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gryfina, High Duchess consort of Poland
Date of birth unknown
1240s births
1300s deaths
13th-century Polish women
14th-century Polish women
Piast dynasty
Polish queens consort
Olgovichi family
Poor Clare abbesses
13th-century Polish people
14th-century Polish people