Margaret of Masovia pl, Małgorzata (before 1358 – 14 May 1388/4 April 1396) was Duchess of

Pomerania Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...

and

Brzeg Brzeg (; Latin: ''Alta Ripa'', German: ''Brieg'', Silesian German: ''Brigg'', , ) is a town in southwestern Poland with 34,778 inhabitants (December 2021) and the capital of Brzeg County. It is situated in Silesia in the Opole Voivodeship on t ...

, by her marriages to

Casimir IV, Duke of Pomerania Casimir IV ( pl, Kazimierz IV or Kaźko Słupski, ger, Kasimir IV or Kasimir V ; 1351 – 2 January 1377) was a duke of Pomerania in Pomerania-Stolp since 1374. Life Casimir was the son of Bogislaw V, Duke of Pomerania and Elizabeth of Polan ...

and then to

Henry VII of Brzeg Henry VII with a Scar also known as the Courageous or of Brzeg ( pl, Henryk VII z Blizną, Waleczny or brzeski; 1343/45 – 11 July 1399), was a Duke of Brzeg (Brieg) since 1361 (as co-regent of his father until 1398) and ruler of Niemcza since ...

. 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 ...

. Margaret was a daughter of

Siemowit III of Masovia Siemowit III of Masovia (his name also rendered Ziemowit; – 1381) was a prince of Masovia and a co-regent (with his brother Casimir I of Warsaw) of the lands of Warsaw, Czersk, Rawa, Gostynin and other parts of Masovia. Life Siemowit ...

and his wife Euphemia of Opawa. Her paternal grandparents were

Trojden I of Masovia Trojden I (1284/86 – 13 March 1341), was a Polish prince, member of the House of Piast, Duke of Czersk after 1310, ruler over Warsaw and Liw after 1313, regent of Płock during 1336–1340. He was the second son of Bolesław II of Płock a ...

and his wife Maria, daughter of

Yuri I of Galicia Yuri I of Galicia ( ua, Ю́рій Льво́вич, translit=Yurii Lvovych, 24 April 1252 (1257?) – 18 March 1308) was a King of Ruthenia, Prince of Volhynia (Latin: Regis Rusie, Princeps Ladimerie). His full title was Yuri I, King of Ruthenia ...

and Euphemia of Kuyavia.

Life

In 1369 Margaret married her first husband

, son of

Bogislaw V, Duke of Pomerania Bogislaw V ( pl, Bogusław, la, Bogislaus) (c. 1318 – 23 April 1374), sometimes known as the Great ( pl, Bogusław V Wielki), was a Duke of Pomerania. Eldest son of Duke Wartislaw IV and Elisabeth of Lindow-Ruppin, Bogislaw had two brothe ...

and

Elizabeth of Poland Elizabeth of Poland ( hu, Erzsébet, pl, Elżbieta; 1305 – 29 December 1380) was Queen of Hungary by marriage to Charles I of Hungary, and regent of Poland from 1370 to 1376 during the reign of her son Louis I. Life Early life She was a memb ...

. The marriage was arranged because Casimir was the grandson of

Casimir III the Great Casimir III the Great ( pl, Kazimierz III Wielki; 30 April 1310 – 5 November 1370) reigned as the King of Poland from 1333 to 1370. He also later became King of Ruthenia in 1340, and fought to retain the title in the Galicia-Volhynia Wars. He ...

and was a possible successor for his grandfather (who never had any sons). Therefore, this marriage was a very important alliance and it had been hoped it would possibly introduce the Masovian blood into the Polish royal family. Casimir had been married once before to Johanna of Lithuania, who had died the year before Margaret's marriage, without any children. After the death of Margaret's mother, Siemowit remarried to Anna of Ziębice. They had a couple of children who died young before Anna gave birth to a healthy son,

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

. Siemowit did not believe the child was his; he accused his wife of adultery and had her strangled. Henry was then cast away. After a few years it was reported that the child had physical similarities to his father. Margaret decided to rescue her half-brother and took him to her mansion in

Słupsk Słupsk (; , ; formerly german: Stolp, ; also known by several alternative names) is a city with powiat rights located on the Słupia River in the Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland, in the historical region of Pomerania or more specific ...

. Siemowit later accepted that the child was his and made him

Bishop of Płock A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

. Soon after her marriage, Margaret adopted an illegitimate son of King Casimir. On January 2, 1377, Margaret's husband Casimir died. They had no children. Two years after the death of her first husband in 1379, Margaret remarried to

. They were married for eight years and had two children: #Margareta (b. 1380/84 - d. after 2 October 1408); she was betrothed to the Sigismund of Luxemburg, King of Bohemia and Emperor, but the marriage never took place. # Louis II (b. 1380/85 - d. 30 May 1436). Margaret's date of death is disputed but it is believed that she died on either 14 May 1388 or 4 April 1396. Her husband died in 1399.

Ancestors

References

{{Reflist Piast dynasty Year of birth uncertain 14th-century Polish women