Elisabeth of Greater Poland (; ) ( 1152 – 2 April 1209) was a Polish princess 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 ...

and, by her two marriages, Duchess of Bohemia and Margravine of

Lusatia Lusatia (; ; ; ; ; ), otherwise known as Sorbia, is a region in Central Europe, formerly entirely in Germany and today territorially split between Germany and modern-day Poland. Lusatia stretches from the Bóbr and Kwisa rivers in the eas ...

. She was a daughter of

Mieszko III the Old Mieszko III ( 1122/25 – 13 March 1202), sometimes called the Old, was Duke of Greater Poland from 1138 and High Duke of Poland, with interruptions, from 1173 until his death. He was the fourth and second surviving son of Duke Bolesław III W ...

Duke of Greater Poland The Duchy of Greater Poland was a district principality in Greater Poland that was a fiefdom of the Kingdom of Poland. It was formed in 1138 from the territories of the Kingdom of Poland, following its fragmentation started by the testament of ...

and from 1173

High Duke of Poland Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of Royal elections in Poland, free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electab ...

, by his first wife, Elisabeth, daughter of King

Béla II of Hungary Béla the Blind (; ; ; – 13 February 1141) was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1131 to 1141. He was blinded along with his rebellious father Álmos on the order of Álmos's brother, King Coloman of Hungary. Béla grew up in monasteri ...

. Elisabeth's birthdate is unknown. Medieval sources do not even indicate whether the Hungarian princess was her mother. Elizabeth is believed to have been her daughter only because both had the same name. Some scholars report that Elizabeth was born about 1152 or 1154.

Life

Duchess of Bohemia

Around 1173 Elisabeth was married to

Soběslav II, Duke of Bohemia Soběslav II (also Sobeslaus II), called ''Prince of the Peasants'' or ''King of the Peasants'' (c. 1128 – 9 or 29 January 1180), was the Duke of Bohemia from 1173 to 1178. He was the second son of Soběslav I. Supported by neither nobles nor ...

. This union was part of the multiple dynastic arrangements made by Duke Mieszko III. As a result of this agreement, in 1176 Polish troops helped Duke Soběslav II in his fight against the

House of Babenberg The House of Babenberg was a noble dynasty of Austrian Dukes and Margraves. Descending from the Popponids and originally from Bamberg in the Duchy of Franconia (present-day Bavaria), the Babenbergs ruled the imperial Margraviate of Austria from ...

, the rulers of Austria. In 1178 Prince

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Given name Nobility = Anhalt-Harzgerode = * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) = Austria = * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...

(Soběslav II's cousin) besieged

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

; Elisabeth, who at that time was there, was then captured by Frederick, but soon she was set free. On 27 January 1179 Soběslav II was completely defeated in battle on the outskirts of Prague and he took refuge in Skála castle. After a long siege, at the end of 1179, Frederick won the war and became a new ruler of Bohemia. Elisabeth and her husband went into exile in Hungary, where Soběslav II died on 29 January 1180. They had no children.

Margravine of Lusatia

Elisabeth never returned to Poland. Soon after her husband died (end January or early February 1180), she married

Conrad Conrad may refer to: People * Conrad (name) * Saint Conrad (disambiguation) Places United States * Conrad, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Conrad, Iowa, a city * Conrad, Montana, a city * Conrad Glacier, Washington Elsewher ...

, the fifth son of Dedi V,

Margrave Margrave was originally the Middle Ages, medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or a monarchy, kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain Feudal ...

. They had three children: one son, Conrad, and two daughters, Matilda and Agnes. On 16 August 1190, Margrave Dedi V died, and his domains were divided between his two surviving sons: the eldest, Dietrich, inherited the counties of Sommerschenburg and

Groitzsch Groitzsch () is a town in the Leipzig district, in Saxony, Germany. Geography and transport The town is situated at the southern edge of the Leipzig Bay east of the White Elster river on the confluence of Schwennigke and Schnauder rivers, 20 ...

(as the eldest heir of his mother) and the second son, Conrad, received the Margravate of Lusatia (the main paternal domain) and the county of

Eilenburg Eilenburg (; , ) is a town in Germany. It lies in the district of Nordsachsen in Saxony, approximately 20 km northeast of the city of Leipzig. Geography Eilenburg lies at the banks of the river Mulde at the southwestern edge of the D� ...

. In consequence, Elisabeth became Margravine consort of Lusatia and Countess consort of Eilenburg. There are no records about her role at the Lusatian court.

Death and aftermath

At the beginning of 1209, Conrad II defeated the army of Elisabeth's half-brother,

Władysław III Spindleshanks Władysław III Spindleshanks (; b. 1161/67 – 3 November 1231), of the Piast dynasty, was Duke of Greater Poland (during 1194–1202 over all the land and during 1202–1229 only over the southern part), High Duke of Poland and Duke of Kraków d ...

, in the Battle of Lubusz. It is assumed that this experience may have contributed to the death of Elisabeth in April 1209.B. Zientara, ''Henryk Brodaty i jego czasy'', Warszawa 1997, p. 183. A year later, on 6 May 1210, Conrad II died. Elisabeth is buried at Dobrilugk Abbey. Her only son, Conrad, died in boyhood; Agnes, the youngest daughter, married

Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine Henry V, the Elder of Brunswick (; – 28 April 1227), a member of the House of Welf, was Count Palatine of the Rhine from 1195 until 1212. Life Henry was the eldest son of Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria and Matilda, the eldest ...

, but they had no children. Elisabeth's many descendants issued from her eldest daughter Matilda and her husband

Albert II, Margrave of Brandenburg Albert II ( – 25 February 1220) was a member of the House of Ascania who ruled as the margrave of Brandenburg from 1205 until his death in 1220. Life Albert II was the youngest son of Otto I, Margrave of Brandenburg, Otto I and his secon ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elisabeth Of Greater Poland, Duchess Of Bohemia 1150s births 1209 deaths Piast dynasty Princesses of Poland People from the Duchy of Greater Poland 12th-century Polish women 12th-century Polish people 13th-century Polish women 13th-century Polish people Remarried duchesses consort