Beatrice of Silesia (also known as Beatrice of Świdnica; , ; 1290 – 24 August 1322) was a Polish princess member of the

House of Piast The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented List of Polish monarchs, Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I of Poland, Mieszko I (–992). The Poland during the Piast dynasty, Piasts' royal rule in Pol ...

in the Silesian branch of

Jawor Jawor () is a town in south-western Poland with 22,890 inhabitants (2019). It is situated in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the seat of Jawor County, and lies approximately west of the regional capital Wrocław. One of the oldest towns ...

Świdnica Świdnica (; ; ) is a city on the Bystrzyca (Oder), Bystrzyca River in south-western Poland in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. As of 2021, it has a population of 55,413 inhabitants. It is the seat of Świdnica County, and also of the smaller dis ...

and by marriage Duchess of Bavaria and German Queen. Tomb of Beatrice of Sleesia-Glogaw

Family

She was the second daughter of

Bolko I the Strict Bolko (Bolesław) I the Strict, also known as Bolko (Bolesław) of Jawor ( or ''Srogi'' or ''Jaworski''; 1252/56 – 9 November 1301), was a Duke of Lwówek Śląski, Lwówek 1278–81 (with his brother as co-ruler) and Duchy of Jawor, Jawor after ...

, Duke of Jawor-

, by his wife Beatrice, daughter of Otto V, Margrave of Brandenburg-Salzwedel. Beatrice was the third of ten children born to her mother and father. Her siblings included: Bernard of Świdnica, Henry I of Jawor,

Bolko II of Ziębice Bolko II of Ziębice (; 1 February 1300 – 11 June 1341) was a Duke of Jawor-Lwówek-Świdnica-Ziębice in Poland from 1301 to 1312 (with his brothers as co-rulers), of Świdnica-Ziębice from 1312 to 1322 (with his brother as co-ruler), and s ...

and Judith, wife of Stephen I, Duke of Bavaria. Seven years after the death of Beatrice's father and the birth of her posthumous sister, Anna, her mother Beatrice was remarried to Władysław of Bytom. From this marriage, Beatrice and her siblings gained two half-siblings: Casimir of Koźle and Euphemia, wife of Konrad I of Oleśnica.

Life

After her father's early death in 1301, Beatrice and her siblings were placed under the tutelage of their maternal uncle Herman, Margrave of Brandenburg-Salzwedel until 1305, when the oldest son of Bolko I, Bernard, assumed the government of his domains and the guardianship of his younger siblings, including Beatrix. It was this brother Bernard who, wanting to secure an alliance with Bavaria, arranged Beatrice's marriage to Louis IV, Duke of Upper Bavaria. The wedding took place by 14 October 1308. During her marriage, Beatrice gave birth to six children, but only three survived to adulthood: Matilda -by marriage Margravine of Meissen-,

Louis V the Brandenburger Louis V, called the Brandenburger (May 1315 – 18 September 1361), a member of the House of Wittelsbach, ruled as Margrave of Brandenburg from 1323 to 1351 and as Duke of Bavaria from 1347 until his death. From 1342 he also was co-ruling Co ...

-later Duke of Upper Bavaria, Margrave of

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

and Count of

Tyrol Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...

- and Stephen II – later Duke of Lower Bavaria. Duke Louis IV was elected German King on 20 October 1314. However, another faction had elected Frederick I of Austria as King on 19 October. The two rival Kings would continue their dispute for the rest of her life. She was one of two rival German queens, with Isabella of Aragon, wife of Frederick I. Beatrice died, at

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, a long time before her husband's coronation as Holy Roman Emperor (in 1328). Two years after her death, Louis IV was remarried to Margaret II, Countess of Hainaut.

Issue

Louis and Beatrix had six children; three of them lived to adulthood: # Mathilde (aft. 21 June 1313 – 2 July 1346, Meißen), married at

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

1 July 1329 Frederick II, Margrave of Meissen (d. 1349) # Daughter (end September 1314 – died shortly after). #

(July 1316 – 17/18 September 1361), duke of Upper Bavaria, margrave of

, count of

# Anna (c. July 1317''Mumie Anna - Die Rettung einer Prinzessin''
(in German) etrieved 5 August 2016 – 29 January 1319, Kastl) # Agnes ( – died shortly after). # Stephen II (autumn 1319 – 19 May 1375), duke of Lower Bavaria

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beatrice Of Silesia 1290 births 1322 deaths Queens of the Romans Piast dynasty House of Wittelsbach 14th-century German women Burials at Munich Frauenkirche Mothers of Bavarian monarchs