Judith of Hungary ( pl, Judyta węgierska; b.

Esztergom Esztergom ( ; german: Gran; la, Solva or ; sk, Ostrihom, known by alternative names) is a city with county rights in northern Hungary, northwest of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom County, on the right bank of the river Dan ...

, ca. 969 - d.

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 ...

?, ca. 988) was a Hungarian princess and member of the House of Arpad. She was briefly married to the

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 ...

duke of Poland,

Bolesław the Brave Boleslav or Bolesław may refer to: In people: * Boleslaw (given name) In geography: *Bolesław, Dąbrowa County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland *Bolesław, Olkusz County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland *Bolesław, Silesian Voivodeship, Pol ...

. According to some sources, she was the eldest child of Géza of Hungary by his first wife

Sarolt Sarolt ( 950 – c. 1008) was the wife of Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians. She was born a daughter of Zombor (or Gyula II), ''gyula'' of Transylvania, second in rank among the leaders of the Hungarian tribal federation. Sarolt exerted a ...

, a daughter of Gyula of

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

. However, modern historians have now discarded her parentage, and state that she was an unknown Hungarian princess.Kazimierz Jasiński: ''Rodowód pierwszych Piastów'', Warsaw 1993 Though opinions vary about the identity of Bolesław I's second wife, there are a number of researchers who still support the hypothesis of her being the daughter of Géza.

Life

At the end of 985, Judith became in the second wife of Bolesław, heir of the Polish throne, after he repudiated his first wife Hunilda, daughter of Rikdag, Margrave of Meissen. The union (probably instigated by Duke Boleslav II of Bohemia, maternal uncle of the Polish prince) produced a son,

Bezprym Bezprym ( hu, Veszprém; 986–1032) was the duke of Poland from 1031 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Bolesław the Brave, but was deprived of the succession by his father, who around 1001 sent him to Italy in order to become a mon ...

. Perhaps because of the deterioration in political relations between Poland and Hungary, around 987 Judith was repudiated and sent away. She probably remained in Poland and died shortly after her divorce; she never became Duchess of Poland because her father-in-law was still alive at the time of her dismissal. Bolesław soon re-married, this time with

Emnilda Emnilda ( pl, Emnilda słowiańska; – 1017), was a Slavic noblewoman and Duchess of Poland from 992 by her marriage with the Piast ruler Bolesław I the Brave. Ancestry She was a daughter of Dobromir, a Slavic ruler who in a 1013 entry wa ...

, a Slavic princess, who bore him five children, including the future

Mieszko II Lambert Mieszko II Lambert (; c. 990 – 10/11 May 1034) was King of Poland from 1025 to 1031, and Duke from 1032 until his death. He was the second son of Bolesław I the Brave, but the eldest born from his third wife Emnilda of Lusatia. He was pro ...

. Despite Bezprym being the first-born son, he was deprived of the throne 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 populou ...

by his father, who largely favored the children born from his union with Emnilda. Around 1003 Bolesław I sent Bezprym to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, where he became a monk in one of Saint Romuald's hermitages. In 1031, in alliance with

Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor Conrad II ( – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdoms ...

and the Grand Prince

Yaroslav I the Wise Yaroslav the Wise or Yaroslav I Vladimirovich; russian: Ярослав Мудрый, ; uk, Ярослав Мудрий; non, Jarizleifr Valdamarsson; la, Iaroslaus Sapiens () was the Grand Prince of Kiev from 1019 until his death. He was al ...

, he finally gained the throne to his half-brother Mieszko II. His reign didn't last long and was murdered one year later. Judith was survived by her father, and when he died in 997, one of his distant cousins Koppány, declared his claim to the leadership of the Magyars against Judith's brother, Vajk. Koppány wanted to marry Judith's stepmother, referring to the Hungarian tradition. Koppány, nevertheless, was defeated, and shortly afterwards Vajk was crowned as the first

King of Hungary The King of Hungary ( hu, magyar király) was the ruling head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 (or 1001) to 1918. The style of title "Apostolic King of Hungary" (''Apostoli Magyar Király'') was endorsed by Pope Clement XIII in 175 ...

as Stephen I.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Judith of Hungary 10th-century Hungarian women 10th-century Polish women 10th-century Hungarian people 10th-century Polish people Polish people of Hungarian descent House of Árpád 960s births 980s deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain People from Esztergom

Life

See also

References