Elisabeth of Hohenzollern ( pl, Elżbieta; 1 May/29 September 1403 – 31 October 1449), 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 Hohenzollern and by her two marriages Duchess of Brzeg-

Legnica Legnica (Polish: ; german: Liegnitz, szl, Lignica, cz, Lehnice, la, Lignitium) is a city in southwestern Poland, in the central part of Lower Silesia, on the Kaczawa River (left tributary of the Oder) and the Czarna Woda. Between 1 June 197 ...

and Cieszyn. She was the eldest daughter of Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg by his wife Elisabeth, daughter of Frederick, Duke of Bavaria-Landshut.

Life

Elisabeth married Duke Louis II of Brzeg-Legnica on 9 April 1418 in the city of

Konstanz Konstanz (, , locally: ; also written as Constance in English) is a university city with approximately 83,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the south of Germany. The city houses the University of Konstanz and was t ...

, during the

Council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

where her father, then only

Burgrave Burgrave, also rendered as burggrave (from german: Burggraf, la, burgravius, burggravius, burcgravius, burgicomes, also praefectus), was since the medieval period in Europe (mainly Germany) the official title for the ruler of a castle, especia ...

Nürnberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

, was elevated to the Electoral title from his

Margraviate of Brandenburg The Margraviate of Brandenburg (german: link=no, Markgrafschaft Brandenburg) was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806 that played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe. Brandenburg developed out ...

. The union (who according to contemporary sources was very friendly) produced four children; from all, the eldest, Louis, was the only son and heir of his father. Prince Louis's early death in 1435 changed the political situation of Brzeg-Legnica: the heir apparent was Duke Louis II's only surviving nephew, Louis III of Oława, and apparently the Duke of Brzeg-Legnica didn't want to leave all his domains to him. Because of this, he arranged in his will that Elisabeth succeeded him in all his lands as her dower. As one of the wealthiest princes of his time, Duke Louis II also left to his wife and daughters 30,000 Rhenish

guilder Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch and German ''gulden'', originally shortened from Middle High German ''guldin pfenninc'' " gold penny". This was the term that became current in the southern and western parts of the Holy Roman Emp ...

s and 10,000 Bohemian groschen. Duke Louis II died on 30 May 1436 and Elisabeth assumed the full sovereignty over Brzeg, Legnica and Złotoryja. On 17 February 1439 Elisabeth married again the several years younger Wenceslaus I, Duke of Cieszyn. According to the terms of the dower, after her remarriage she had lost all his rights over Brzeg-Legnica; however, Elisabeth managed to continue with her rule. She is mentioned as Duchess of Cieszyn for the first time on 5 March. In 1443, Elisabeth was forced to give Brzeg to Dukes John I of Lüben and

Henry X of Chojnów Henry X, Duke of Haynau (1426 – before 28 May 1452) was Duke of Lüben (Lubin), during 1441–1446 with his brother as co-ruler, Haynau (Chojnów, since 1452), Brieg (Brzeg) and Goldberg (Złotoryja, during 1449–1450 with his brother, as co- ...

, sons of Louis III of Oława, who had died in 1441. Both brothers claimed the inheritance of Duke Louis II as his lawful male heirs and because Elisabeth retained both Duchies illegally. In order to make a bond with him, the Duchess gave her youngest daughter Hedwig in marriage to John I. The wedding took place in February 1445. By the time of her daughter's marriage, Elisabeth and Duke Wenceslaus I became officially separated after six years of unhappy and childless union.Karl Friedrich Pauli: ''Allgemeine preussische staats-geschichte, samt aller dazu gehörigen königreichs, churfürstenthums, herzogthümer, fürstenthümer, graf- und herrschaften, aus bewährten schriftstellern und urkunden bis auf gegenwärtige regierung'', vol. VII-VIII, C. P. Francken, 1767, p. 569. Elisabeth settled in

, where she died four years later. Wenceslaus I survived her by twenty-five years; he never remarried. Shortly after Elisabeth's death, the local nobility rebelled against the Piast government and sought the help of Emperor Sigismund, who placed Legnica under the direct sovereignty of the

Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia ( cs, České království),; la, link=no, Regnum Bohemiae sometimes in English literature referred to as the Czech Kingdom, was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe, the predecessor of the modern Czec ...

. Only in 1454 could Elisabeth's grandson, Duke Frederick I of Legnica (only child of John I and Hedwig), recover Legnica from Bohemia.

References

External links

*
Genealogical database by Herbert Stoyan
{{Authority control 1403 births 1449 deaths House of Hohenzollern Piast dynasty Duchesses of Teschen Daughters of monarchs