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 This is a list of the royal consorts of the rulers of Bohemia. The first Duchess of Bohemia (''česká kněžna'') was St. Ludmila, while the first Queen of Bohemia (''česká královna'') was Świętosława of Poland. Some of them were (like ...

and

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 ...

by marriage to

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 King of Croatia, Croatia between 1301 and 1305, and King of Bohemia and King of Poland, Poland from ...

. She was daughter of

Mieszko I, Duke of Cieszyn Mieszko I of Cieszyn ( pl, Mieszko cieszyński, cs, Měšek I. Těšínský, german: Mesko I (Teschen); also known as Mieszko I of Opole; 1252/56 – by 27 June 1315), was a Duke of Racibórz during 1282–1290 (with his brother as co-ruler) and ...

, by his unknown wife. She was named after her paternal great-grandmother

Viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

, wife of Duke

Casimir I of Opole Casimir I of Opole ( pl, Kazimierz I opolski; – 13 May 1230), a member of the Piast dynasty, was a Silesian duke of Opole and Racibórz from 1211 until his death. Early life Casimir was the eldest child and only son of Duke Mieszko I Tangle ...

Life

Queen of Bohemia and Poland

Viola married with young King

and

on 5 October 1305 in

Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...

. The reasons for marriage are not too obvious: although later chroniclers describe how beautiful Viola was, her father Duke Mieszko I was only one of the vassals of King Wenceslaus III, and in consequence, this was an unequal union. The main reason wasn't her beauty but maybe the strategic position of

Cieszyn Cieszyn ( , ; cs, Těšín ; german: Teschen; la, Tessin; szl, Ćeszyn) is a border town in southern Poland on the east bank of the Olza River, and the administrative seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship. The town has 33,500 inhabitant ...

between the Kingdoms of

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

. Four days after the wedding (9 October), Wenceslaus III annulled his long-time engagement to

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 ...

, daughter of King

Andrew III of Hungary Andrew III the Venetian ( hu, III. Velencei András, hr, Andrija III. Mlečanin, sk, Ondrej III.; 1265 – 14 January 1301) was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1290 and 1301. His father, Stephen the Posthumous, was the posthumous son of ...

and with this renounced to all his claims over the Hungarian crown.Charles Chawleys' Medieval Lands, BOHEMIA
/ref> After her marriage, Viola took the name Elizabeth, but her union with the King wasn't completely happy because her husband's free lifestyle and the strong opposition of the Bohemian nobility, who had to prevent this "lower" union. Ten months later, on 4 August 1306, King Wenceslaus III was murdered in

Olomouc Olomouc (, , ; german: Olmütz; pl, Ołomuniec ; la, Olomucium or ''Iuliomontium'') is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 99,000 inhabitants, and its larger urban zone has a population of about 384,000 inhabitants (2019). Located on th ...

under mysterious circumstances, leaving Viola as a fifteen-year-old widow. Maybe because of their youth, the union failed to produce an heir. With little money and nowhere to go, Viola probably stayed with her sisters-in-law,

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 12 ...

and Elisabeth in one of the nunneries. Both princesses were fighting for the throne of Bohemia, but Viola stayed away. Later, she mainly resided in

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The me ...

, where she had her dowry towns.

Second Marriage. Death

After the arrest of

Henry of Lipá Henry of Lipá (Czech: ''Jindřich z Lipé''; died 26 August 1329) was a prominent Czech nobleman, marshal, and powerful magnate in the Kingdom of Bohemia. Biography Henry was born to the prominent Ronovci family, though the date of his birth ...

, the now Queen Elisabeth of Bohemia and her husband

John of Luxembourg John the Blind or John of Luxembourg ( lb, Jang de Blannen; german: link=no, Johann der Blinde; cz, Jan Lucemburský; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of ...

tried to gain to their side the powerful nobleman

Peter I of Rosenberg Peter I of Rosenberg (died 1347) was lord chamberlain of the Kingdom of Bohemia, who acted as regent during John of Bohemia John the Blind or John of Luxembourg ( lb, Jang de Blannen; german: link=no, Johann der Blinde; cz, Jan Lucembursk� ...

(''Petr I. z Rožmberka''), who at that time was engaged with Henry of Lipá's daughter. Soon Peter I of Rosenberg cancelled his betrothal and entered in an alliance with the Bohemian King and Queen; in order to reinforce his bonds with his new ally, King John gave him the hand of the Dowager Queen Viola. The marriage took place in 1316 but was childless and short-lived: Viola died only one year after, on 21 September 1317, and was buried in the vault of the

House of Rosenberg The House of Rosenberg ( cs, Rožmberkové, sg. ''z Rožmberka'') was a prominent Bohemian nobility, Bohemian noble family that played an important role in Czech medieval history from the 13th century until 1611. Members of this family held ...

in the

Vyšší Brod Monastery Vyšší Brod Monastery (; cs, Vyšebrodský klášter) or Hohenfurth Abbey (german: Abtei Hohenfurth) is one of the most important historical landmarks of South Bohemia. It is recognized as a cultural monument by the Ministry of Culture. The ...

Notes

References

Józef Golec Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

Stefania Bojda Stefania Bojda (born 1938, in Cieszyn) is a Polish artist and teacher. She finished Liceum Pedagogiczne (pedagogical high school) in Cieszyn in 1965 and plastic arts at the University of Silesia in 1978. She worked as a teacher in Bielsko-Biała ...

: ''Słownik biograficzny ziemi cieszyńskiej'', vol. 1, Cieszyn 1993, p. 91. *

Kazimierz Jasiński Kazimierz Jasiński (19 August 1946 – 25 January 2012) was a Polish cyclist. He competed in the Men's Road Race event at the 1968 Summer Olympics. In 1968 he was also part of the Polish team that won the Peace Race coming 11th individual ...

: ''Rodowód Piastów śląskich'', vol. 3, Wrocław 1977. *

Idzi Panic Idzi Jan Panic (born 1952 in Wodzisław Śląski) is Polish historian, professor at the University of Silesia. He is specializing in history of Cieszyn Silesia and medieval Poland. He graduated from the University of Silesia in Katowice in 1976 ...

: ''Poczet Piastów i Piastówien cieszyńskich'', Cieszyn .a. p. 8. , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Viola Elizabeth 1290s births 1317 deaths Piast dynasty Bohemian queens consort Hungarian queens consort Polish queens consort Remarried royal consorts 13th-century Bohemian people 13th-century Bohemian women 13th-century Polish people 13th-century Polish women 13th-century Hungarian people 13th-century Hungarian women 14th-century Bohemian people 14th-century Bohemian women 14th-century Polish people 14th-century Polish women 14th-century Hungarian people 14th-century Hungarian women