Agnes of Austria ( pl, Agnieszka; 1322 – 2 February 1392) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

princess member of the

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

and by marriage Duchess of

Świdnica Świdnica (; german: Schweidnitz; cs, Svídnice; szl, Świdńica) is a city in south-western Poland in the region of Silesia. As of 2019, it has a population of 57,014 inhabitants. It lies in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, being the seventh large ...

. She was the second daughter of

Leopold I, Duke of Austria Leopold I (c. 1290 – 28 February 1326), called The Glorious, was Duke of Austria and Styria – as co-ruler with his elder brother Frederick the Fair – from 1308 until his death. A member of the House of Habsburg, he was the third son of Al ...

, by his wife Katharina, daughter of

Amadeus V, Count of Savoy Amadeus V (1252/1253 – 16 October 1323) was Count of Savoy from 1285 to 1323. Biography Amadeus was the son of Thomas II of Savoy and Beatrice Fieschi. Through his mother he was a grandnephew of Pope Innocent IV. Following his marriage to S ...

Life

After the early death of her father in 1326, Agnes and her older sister

Katharina Katharina is a feminine given name. It is a German form of Katherine. It may refer to: In television and film: *Katharina Bellowitsch, Austrian radio and TV presenter * Katharina Mückstein, Austrian film director *Katharina Thalbach, German actr ...

(later by marriage Lady of Coucy) were placed under the guardianship of their paternal uncles,

Frederick the Fair Frederick the Fair (german: Friedrich der Schöne) or the Handsome (c. 1289 – 13 January 1330), from the House of Habsburg, was the duke of Austria and Styria from 1308 as well as the anti-king of Germany from 1314 until 1325 and then co-king ...

and Albert II. On 1 June 1338 Agnes married with

Bolko II the Small Bolko II the Small (c. 1312 – 28 July 1368), was the last independent Duke of the Piast dynasty in Silesia. He was Duke of Świdnica from 1326, Duke of Jawor and Lwówek from 1346, Duke of Lusatia from 1364, Duke over half of Brzeg and Oława ...

, Duke of

, who wanted with this union to enhance his international position against the

House of Luxembourg The House of Luxembourg ( lb, D'Lëtzebuerger Haus; french: Maison de Luxembourg; german: Haus Luxemburg) or Luxembourg dynasty was a royal family of the Holy Roman Empire in the Late Middle Ages, whose members between 1308 and 1437 ruled as kin ...

, direct competitors of the Habsburgs. The marriage apparently was childless, although some sources stated that they had two children: a daughter, Elisabeth (d. 1407) and a son, Bolko, who, according to old Silesian legend, died with only nine-years-old, accidentally killed by the court jester Jakob Thau, when he threw a stone to him during a game. After the death of her husband in 1368, and according to his will, Agnes received

Jawor Jawor (german: Jauer) is a town in south-western Poland with 22,890 inhabitants (2019). It is situated in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship (from 1975 to 1998 it was in the former Legnica Voivodeship). It is the seat of Jawor County, and lies appr ...

and

Lwówek Lwówek (german: Neustadt bei Pinne or ''Kirschneustadt'' from 1943-1945) is a town in Nowy Tomyśl County, Greater Poland Voivodeship Greater Poland Voivodeship ( pl, Województwo wielkopolskie; ), also known as Wielkopolska Voivodeship, W ...

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. ...

. Agnes died on 2 February 1392 in Świdnica and was buried in the Franciscan Princely Chapel (''Fürstenkapelle'') of the Grüssau Abbey. According to the treaty of 1353 between Bolko II and the

Emperor Charles IV Charles IV ( cs, Karel IV.; german: Karl IV.; la, Carolus IV; 14 May 1316 – 29 November 1378''Karl IV''. In: (1960): ''Geschichte in Gestalten'' (''History in figures''), vol. 2: ''F–K''. 38, Frankfurt 1963, p. 294), also known as Charle ...

, on her death the duchies were incorporated into the lands of Bohemia by

Wenceslaus, King of the Romans Wenceslaus IV (also ''Wenceslas''; cs, Václav; german: Wenzel, nicknamed "the Idle"; 26 February 136116 August 1419), also known as Wenceslaus of Luxembourg, was King of Bohemia from 1378 until his death and King of Germany from 1376 until he ...

. Under the rule of the Abbot Benedict II Seidel (1735–1747) was built in the ''Fürstenkapelle'' a sculpture of white marble from Agnes, which is still there.''This article was translated from his originals in Polish and German Wikipedia.''

References

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