Margaret of Brandenburg-Salzwedel (german: Margareta, pl, Małgorzata; born ca. 1270 – died 1 May 1315) was a German noblewoman member of the
House of Ascania
The House of Ascania (german: Askanier) was a dynasty of German rulers. It is also known as the House of Anhalt, which refers to its longest-held possession, Anhalt.
The Ascanians are named after Ascania (or Ascaria) Castle, known as ''Schloss ...
and by her two marriages
Duchess of Greater Poland (during 1293–1296),
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 ...
(during 1295–1296) and
Duchess of Saxe-Lauenburg (during 1302–1308).
She was the youngest child and second daughter of
Albert III, Margrave of Brandenburg-Salzwedel
Albert III, Margrave of Brandenburg-Salzwedel ( – between 19 November and 4 December 1300) was a Margrave of Margraviate of Brandenburg, Brandenburg. He was a member of the Brandenburg-Salzwedel branch of the House of Ascania, which existed ...
and Matilda of Denmark, daughter of King
Christopher I.
Life
After the death of his second wife Rikissa of Sweden around 1292, Duke
Przemysł II
Przemysł II ( also given in English and 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 from 1290 to 1291 ...
of Greater Poland wished to marry for a third time. The choice of Margaret was mainly for political reasons, because for being a member of the powerful
House of Ascania
The House of Ascania (german: Askanier) was a dynasty of German rulers. It is also known as the House of Anhalt, which refers to its longest-held possession, Anhalt.
The Ascanians are named after Ascania (or Ascaria) Castle, known as ''Schloss ...
and her Pomerelian ancestry (her maternal grandmother was
Sambiria of Pomerelia, later Queen Margaret of Denmark), this would have given to the Greater Poland ruler additional rights over his expected inheritance of
Gdańsk Pomerania
Gdańsk Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze Gdańskie), csb, Gduńsczim Pòmòrzã, german: Danziger Pommern) is a geographical region within Pomerelia in northern and northwestern Poland, covering the bulk of Pomeranian Voivodeship.
It forms a part and t ...
.
Given the relatively close relationship between Przemysł II and Margaret (both were great-grandchildren of
Přemysl Otakar I of Bohemia), they needed a papal dispensation in order to marry. The wedding ceremony took place shortly before 13 April 1293; according to some historians, probably on this occasion the betrothal between Przemysł II's daughter
Ryksa and Otto of Brandenburg-Salzwedel, Margaret's brother, was also celebrated.
Margaret was crowned queen consort 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 ...
with her husband at
Gniezno Cathedral
The Royal Gniezno Cathedral (The Primatial Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Shrine of St. Adalbert, pl, Bazylika Archikatedralna Wniebowzięcia Najświętszej Marii Panny i Sanktuarium św. Wojciecha) is a Br ...
on Sunday 26 June 1295, the day of Saints John and Paul. It was the first coronation of a Polish king and queen in 219 years. Margaret was the first undisputed queen consort of Poland since
Richeza of Lotharingia
Richeza of Lotharingia (also called ''Richenza'', ''Rixa'', ''Ryksa''; born about 995/1000 – 21 March 1063) was a member of the Ezzonen dynasty who became queen of Poland as the wife of Mieszko II Lambert. Her Polish marriage was arranged to s ...
during the 11th century.
Przemysł II's reign didn't last long. On 8 February 1296, he was kidnapped by men of Margaret's family, with some help from the Polish noble families of Nałęcz and Zaremba and murdered in
Rogoźno
Rogoźno (german: Rogasen) is a town in Poland, in Greater Poland Voivodeship, about 40 km north of Poznań. Its population is 11,337 (2010). It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Rogoźno.
History
Rogoźno d ...
by Jakub Kaszuba. German chronicler Dietmar of Lübeck pointed that Margaret took part in the conspiracy who killed her husband, due to her family relations. It's unknown whether the chronicler found this information, from earlier sources or deduced it based on the simple relationship: because Margaret came from the family accused of the murder, she had to participate.
Margaret, now queen dowager, stayed in Poland (where she received parts of Greater Poland as her
dower
Dower is a provision accorded traditionally by a husband or his family, to a wife for her support should she become widowed. It was settled on the bride (being gifted into trust) by agreement at the time of the wedding, or as provided by law.
...
, according to a Piast dynasty custom) and took care of her stepdaughter Ryksa, future wife of her brother Otto. Shortly after, and for unknown reasons, Margaret returned to
Brandenburg
Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an ar ...
, taking Ryksa with her.
Once in her homeland, Margaret was engaged with
Nicholas I ''the Child'', Lord of Rostock and member of the
House of Mecklenburg
The House of Mecklenburg, also known as Nikloting, is a North German dynasty of Slavic origin that ruled until 1918 in the Mecklenburg region, being among the longest-ruling families of Europe. Queen Juliana of the Netherlands (1909–2004), ...
; however, in 1299 the betrothal was broken by Nicholas I, who chose to marry a Pomeranian princess. Around this time, her stepdaughter Ryksa returned to Poland after the death of her intended husband.
Sometime later, another marriage was arranged to Margaret, this time with
Albert III, who ruled jointly with his brothers
Eric I and
John II John II may refer to:
People
* John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (1455–1499)
* John II Casimir Vasa of Poland (1609–1672)
* John II Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (died 1302)
* John II Doukas of Thessaly (1303–1318)
* John II Komnenos (1087–1 ...
the Duchy of
Saxe-Lauenburg
The Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg (german: Herzogtum Sachsen-Lauenburg, called ''Niedersachsen'' (Lower Saxony) between the 14th and 17th centuries), was a '' reichsfrei'' duchy that existed from 1296–1803 and again from 1814–1876 in the extreme so ...
, partitioned from
Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
in 1296. Because Albert III and Margaret are closely related (both are members of the House of Ascania), a papal dispensation was granted in
Anagni
Anagni () is an ancient town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, Latium, central Italy, in the hills east-southeast of Rome. It is a historical and artistic center of the Latin Valley.
Geography Overview
Anagni still maintains the ...
on 24 September 1302; the marriage was probably celebrated shortly after. They had two sons: Albert (d. 1344; married to Sophie of Ziegenhain, apparently without issue) and Eric (d. 1338, unmarried).
In 1303 Albert III and his brothers divided Saxe-Lauenburg into three branch duchies. Albert III and Margaret then held Saxe-
Ratzeburg
Ratzeburg (; Low German: ''Ratzborg'') is a town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is surrounded by four lakes—the resulting isthmuses between the lakes form the access lanes to the town. Ratzeburg is the capital of the district Herzogtum Lau ...
. After Albert III's death in 1308, his brother Eric I inherited part of Albert's share, while Margaret retained the other part, in order to bring up her children.
Margaret died in 1315 and was buried in
Ratzeburg
Ratzeburg (; Low German: ''Ratzborg'') is a town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is surrounded by four lakes—the resulting isthmuses between the lakes form the access lanes to the town. Ratzeburg is the capital of the district Herzogtum Lau ...
Cathedral. On her death Eric I also took her share of Ratzenburg.
[Cordula Bornefeld, "Die Herzöge von Sachsen-Lauenburg", in: ''Die Fürsten des Landes: Herzöge und Grafen von Schleswig, Holstein und Lauenburg'' ]e slevigske hertuger; German
E, or e, is the fifth Letter (alphabet), letter and the second vowel#Written vowels, vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worl ...
Carsten Porskrog Rasmussen (ed.) on behalf of the Gesellschaft für Schleswig-Holsteinische Geschichte, Neumünster: Wachholtz, 2008, pp. 373-389, here p. 377.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Margaret Of Brandenburg
Polish queens consort
1270 births
1315 deaths
House of Ascania
Duchesses of Saxe-Lauenburg
13th-century Polish nobility
13th-century Polish women
14th-century Polish nobility
14th-century Polish women
13th-century German nobility
13th-century German women
14th-century German nobility
14th-century German women
Daughters of monarchs