Gryfina, or Agrippina (c. 1248between 1305 and 1309) was a Princess of

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula, Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland un ...

by her marriage to

Leszek II the Black Leszek II the Black (c. 1241 – 30 September 1288), was a Polish prince of the House of Piast, Duke of Sieradz since 1261, Duke of Łęczyca since 1267, Duke of Inowrocław in the years 1273-1278, Duke of Sandomierz and High Duke of Poland from ...

in 1265; she later became a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

and

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Copt ...

Family

Gryfina was the daughter of

Rostislav Mikhailovich Rostislav Mikhailovich ( hu, Rosztyiszláv, Bulgarian and Russian: Ростислав Михайлович) (after 1210 / c. 1225 – 1262) was a Rus' prince (a member of the Rurik dynasty), and a dignitary in the Kingdom of Hungary. He was p ...

(1225–1262), Prince of Halych, and his wife Anna of Hungary (1226–c. 1270), daughter of

Béla IV of Hungary Béla IV (1206 – 3 May 1270) was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1235 and 1270, and Duke of Styria from 1254 to 1258. As the oldest son of King Andrew II, he was crowned upon the initiative of a group of influential noblemen in his fath ...

. 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 Slavonia (; hr, Slavonija) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria, one of the four historical regions of Croatia. Taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with five Croatian counties: Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Bar ...

, 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 and was the mother of

Wenceslaus II of Bohemia Wenceslaus II Přemyslid ( cs, Václav II.; pl, Wacław II Czeski; 27 SeptemberK. Charvátová, ''Václav II. Král český a polský'', Prague 2007, p. 18. 1271 – 21 June 1305) was King of Bohemia (1278–1305), Duke of Cracow (1291–1 ...

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 Bolesław V the Chaste ( pl, Bolesław Wstydliwy; 21 June 1226 – 7 December 1279) was Duke of Sandomierz in Lesser Poland from 1232 and High Duke of Poland from 1243 until his death, as the last male representative of the Lesser Polish branch o ...

. 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 The Wawel Royal Castle (; ''Zamek Królewski na Wawelu'') and the Wawel Hill on which it sits constitute the most historically and culturally significant site in Poland. A fortified residency on the Vistula River in Kraków, it was established o ...

under the care of the citizens. During the third

Tatar The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different

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 Elizabeth Richeza of Poland ( cs, Eliška-Rejčka; pl, Ryksa-Elżbieta; 1 September 1288 – 19 October 1335), was a Polish princess member of the House of Piast and by her two marriages Queen consort of Bohemia and Poland and Duchess consor ...

, daughter of

Przemysł II Przemysł II ( also given in English and Latin language, Latin as ''Premyslas'' or ''Premislaus'' or in Polish as '; 14 October 1257 – 8 February 1296) was the Duke of Poznań from 1257–1279, of Greater Poland from 1279 to 1296, of Kraków f ...

and fiancee of her nephew Wenceslaus since the death of his first wife

Judith of Habsburg Judith of Habsburg (german: Guta; 13 March 1271 – 21 May 1297) was queen of Bohemia and Poland from 1285 until her death as the wife of the Přemyslid king Wenceslaus II. Early life Judith was the youngest daughter of King Rudolf I of Ger ...

. Gryfina died between 1305 and 1309, most likely in 1309. She is buried in the Convent of St. Agnes in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

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