Jadwiga of Kalisz (

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

: ''Jadwiga kaliska'' (''Bolesławówna)''; 1266 – 10 December 1339) was a

Queen of Poland Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electable position in Europe (16th ...

by marriage to

Ladislaus the Short Ladislaus ( or according to the case) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin. It may refer to: * Ladislaus of Hungary (disambiguation) * Ladislaus I (disambiguation) * Ladislaus II (disambiguation) * Ladislaus III (disambiguation) * Lad ...

. She was the mother of the last

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. Branche ...

King of Poland, Casimir III. She was the second of three daughters born to Bolesław the Pious and Saint Yolanda of Hungary. In 1293, Jadwiga married Ladislaus I of Poland.

Life

Jadwiga's husband, Ladislaus (Polish: Władysław, known as the "Short" and the "Elbow-high"), was a bitter rival 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 ...

who was King of Poland between 1291–1305. Life was dangerous for Jadwiga and her family during this time, she and three of her children had to go into hiding for a while in 1300. In 1305, Wenceslaus II died and was succeeded by his son,

Wenceslaus III of Bohemia Wenceslaus III ( cz, Václav III., hu, Vencel, pl, Wacław, hr, Vjenceslav, sk, Václav; 6 October 12894 August 1306) was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1301 and 1305, and King of Bohemia and Poland from 1305. He was the son of Wencesla ...

. Wenceslaus III reigned for a year before he was assassinated by Germans under mysterious circumstances so his campaign of Poland ended. His wife,

Viola of Teschen Viola of Teschen, later known as Viola Elizabeth ( pl, Wiola Elżbieta cieszyńska, cs, Viola Alžběta Těšínská) (ca. 1291 – 21 September 1317), was Queen of Bohemia and Poland by marriage to Wenceslaus III of Bohemia. She was daughter ...

, had not borne him any children, so Ladislaus assumed control in Poland. In 1318, Ladislaus began making attempts to have himself crowned king. The pope,

John XXII Pope John XXII ( la, Ioannes PP. XXII; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Pope, elected by ...

, though initially unwilling, finally granted his approval and Ladislaus and Jadwiga were crowned King and Queen of Poland on 30 January 1320 in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

; a new crown was made for the new queen and it was later used to crown other queens of Poland. The coronation was a sign that he had overcome Poland's internal fragmentation and re-united and re-instated the country as an independent kingdom under his rule. Poland now needed friends abroad; so in 1320, Jadwiga and Władysław's daughter

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

(1305–1380) married

Charles I of Hungary Charles I, also known as Charles Robert ( hu, Károly Róbert; hr, Karlo Robert; sk, Karol Róbert; 128816 July 1342) was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1308 to his death. He was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou and the only son of ...

. Jadwiga played an active part in politics during her husband's reign. Her husband died in 1333. Jadwiga lived until 1339.

Issue

In addition to Elizabeth, Ladislaus and Jadwiga had: *

(1305–1380) married

*Stephen (d. 1306) *Władysław (d. 1311/1312) *Kunigunde (c. 1298-1331) *

Casimir III the Great 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 ...

(1310–1370) *Jadwiga (d. 1320/1322). Queen Jadwiga assumed the regency of Stary Sącz in 1334 when

Constance of Świdnica Constance of Świdnica ( – 21 November 1363) was a member of the Piast dynasty in the Świdnica-Jawor branch and by marriage Duchess of Głogów. She was the second child but eldest daughter of Duke Bernard of Świdnica by his wife Kunigunde, d ...

, her granddaughter by Kunigunde, resigned to become a nun.Women in Power 1300–1350 (scroll down the page)
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In popular culture

Film

Jadwiga of Kalisz is a primary character in the first season of the Polish historical drama

Korona królów ''Korona królów'' (The Crown of the Kings) is a Polish historical drama series. Aired from January 1, 2018, on TVP1. The show is a biographical story about the reign of: King Casimir III the Great (seasons 1–2), Queen Jadwiga and King Wła ...

("The Crown of the Kings").

Ancestors

References

Sources

* * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Jadwiga of Kalisz Piast dynasty 1266 births 1339 deaths 13th-century Polish women 14th-century Polish nuns Polish queens consort 13th-century Polish people 14th-century Polish people Queen mothers