Kunigunde of Poland (Kunegunda) (c. 1298 – 9 April 1331) was a daughter of

Władysław I the Elbow-high Władysław is a Polish given male name, cognate with Vladislav. The feminine form is Władysława, archaic forms are Włodzisław (male) and Włodzisława (female), and Wladislaw is a variation. These names may refer to: Famous people Mononym * ...

and his wife Jadwiga of Greater Poland.. Her siblings included, Casimir III of Poland and Elisabeth, Queen of Hungary. She was a member of the

House of 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. Branc ...

Biography

Kunigunde's father was a bitter rival with

Wenceslaus II of Bohemia Wenceslaus II Přemyslid ( cs, Václav II.; pl, Wacław II Czeski; 27 SeptemberK. Charvátová, ''Václav II. Král český a polský'', Prague 2007, p. 18. 1271 – 21 June 1305) was King of Bohemia (1278–1305), Duke of Cracow (1291–1 ...

who was King of Poland between 1291–1305. Life was dangerous for Kunigunde, her mother and her siblings during this time, she, her mother and two of her siblings had to go into hiding for a while during 1300. In 1305, Wenceslaus II died and was succeeded by his son,

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 Croatia between 1301 and 1305, and King of Bohemia and Poland from 1305. He was the son of Wencesla ...

. Wenceslaus III reigned for a year before he was assassinated under mysterious circumstances so his campaign 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 ...

ended. His wife,

Viola Elisabeth of Cieszyn 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 and Poland by marriage to Wenceslaus III of Bohemia. She was daughter o ...

had not bore him any children so his successor was Władysław. In 1318, Władysław embarked on a coronation campaign. The pope, though initially unwilling, finally granted his approval and so Kunigunde's parents were crowned King and Queen of

on 30 January 1320 in

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 ...

Marriages

Kunigunde married Bernard of Świdnica, the couple had two sons and three daughters: *

Bolko II of Świdnica 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 ...

(d.1368), succeeded his father. * Henry II of Świdnica (d.1348), succeeded his childless brother and was father of Anne of Świdnica, wife of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor. *

Constance of Świdnica Constance of Świdnica ( – 21 November 1363) was a member of the Piast dynasty in the Świdnica-Jawor branch and by marriage Duchess of Głogów. She was the second child but eldest daughter of Duke Bernard of Świdnica by his wife Kunigunde, d ...

, married to

Przemko II of Głogów Przemko II of Głogów ( – 11 January 1331) was a Duke of Żagań, Ścinawa, etc., from 1309 to 1321 (with his brothers as co-rulers), Duke of Oleśnica, Namysłów, Gniezno and Kalisz from 1309 to 1312 (with his brothers as co-ruler) and Duke of ...

. * Elisabeth of Świdnica, married to

Bolko II of Opole Bolko II of Opole ( pl, Bolesław II opolski; before 1300 – 21 June 1356) was a Duke of Opole from 1313 (with his brother as co-ruler until 1323). He was the second son of Duke Bolko I of Opole by his wife Agnes, probably a daughter of Margrave ...

. *Beata of Świdnica, who died young. Bernard died in 1326 and left Kunigunde as a widow, their with five children. In 1328, Kunigunde married a second time, she married

Rudolf I Rudolf I (1 May 1218 – 15 July 1291) was the first King of Germany from the House of Habsburg. The first of the count-kings of Germany, he reigned from 1273 until his death. Rudolf's election marked the end of the Great Interregnum which h ...

, Duke of

Saxe-Wittenberg The Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg () was a medieval duchy of the Holy Roman Empire centered at Wittenberg, which emerged after the dissolution of the stem duchy of Saxony. The Ascanian dukes prevailed in obtaining the Saxon electoral dignity until ...

. The marriage produced one son, Mieszko (b. ca. 1330 - d. 1350). Kunigunde died in 1333. Rudolf I remarried and in 1355 was proclaimed

Elector of Saxony The Electorate of Saxony, also known as Electoral Saxony (German: or ), was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire from 1356–1806. It was centered around the cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz. In the Golden Bull of 1356, Emperor Charles ...

, one year before his own death.

Ancestors

Kunigunde's ancestors in three generations

In popular culture

Film

Duchess Kunigunde is played by Anna Grycewicz in Polish historical drama TV series "Korona królów" ("The Crown of the Kings"). She is a recurring character in the first season.

References

External links

Cunégonde Piast
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kunigunde of Poland 1298 births 1331 deaths Piast dynasty Polish princesses Duchesses of Saxe-Wittenberg 13th-century Polish women 14th-century Polish women 13th-century Polish people 14th-century Polish people Daughters of kings