Jadwiga of Kalisz (

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

: ''Jadwiga kaliska'' (''Bolesławówna)''; c. 1266 – 10 December 1339) was a

Queen 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 marriage to Ladislaus the Short. She was the mother of the last

Piast The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of King Casimir III the Great. Branches of ...

King 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 ...

, Casimir III. She was the second of three daughters born to

Bolesław the Pious Bolesław the Pious (1224/27 – 14 April 1279) was a Duke of Greater Poland during 1239–1247 (according to some historians during 1239–1241, sole Duke of Ujście), Duke of Kalisz during 1247–1249, Duke of Gniezno during 1249–1250, Duk ...

and Saint Yolanda of Hungary. In 1293, Jadwiga married Ladislaus I of Poland.

Life

Jadwiga's husband, Ladislaus (Polish: Władysław, known as the "Short" and the "Elbow-high"), was a bitter rival of

Wenceslaus II of Bohemia Wenceslaus II Přemyslid (; ; 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 (1291–1305), and King of Poland (1296–130 ...

who was

between 1291–1305. Life was dangerous for Jadwiga and her family during this time, she and three of her children had to go into hiding for a while in 1300. In 1305, Wenceslaus II died and was succeeded by his son,

Wenceslaus III of Bohemia Wenceslaus III (, , , , ; 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 Wenceslaus II, King of Bohemia, who was later also crowned king of Poland, ...

. Wenceslaus III reigned for a year before he was assassinated by Germans under mysterious circumstances so his campaign of Poland ended. His wife,

Viola of Teschen Viola of Teschen, later known as Viola Elizabeth (, ) ( – 21 September 1317), was Queen of Bohemia and Poland by marriage to Wenceslaus III of Bohemia. She was the daughter of Mieszko I, Duke of Cieszyn, by his unknown wife. She was named afte ...

, had not borne him any children, so Ladislaus assumed control in Poland. In 1318, Ladislaus began making attempts to have himself crowned king. The pope,

John XXII Pope John XXII (, , ; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death, in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Pope, elected by the Conclave of ...

, though initially unwilling, finally granted his approval and Ladislaus and Jadwiga were crowned King and Queen of Poland on 30 January 1320 in

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

; a new crown was made for the new queen and it was later used to crown other queens of Poland. The coronation was a sign that he had overcome Poland's internal fragmentation and re-united and re-instated the country as an independent kingdom under his rule. Poland now needed friends abroad; so in 1320, Jadwiga and Władysław's daughter

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...

(1305–1380) married

Charles I of Hungary Charles I, also known as Charles Robert (; ; ; 128816 July 1342), was King of Hungary and Croatia in the union with Hungary, Croatia from 1308 to his death. He was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou and the only son of Charles Martel of A ...

. Jadwiga played an active part in politics during her husband's reign. Her husband died in 1333.Jasiński, K. (2001). ''Rodowód Piastów małopolskich i kujawskich'' edigree of the Piasts of Lesser Poland and Kuyavia(in Polish). Poznań-Wrocław. Jadwiga lived until 1339.

Issue

In addition to Elizabeth, Ladislaus and Jadwiga had: *

(1305–1380) married

*Stephen (d. 1306) *Władysław (d. 1311/1312) *Kunigunde (c. 1298-1331) *

Casimir III the Great Casimir III the Great (; 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, retaining the title throughout the Galicia–Volhynia Wars. He was the last Polish king fr ...

(1310–1370) *Jadwiga (d. 1320/1322). Queen Jadwiga assumed the regency of

Stary Sącz Stary Sącz is a small historic town in Lesser Poland Voivodeship of southern Poland. It is the seat of the Gmina Stary Sącz (commune), and one of the oldest towns in the country, receiving Magdeburg rights in the 13th century. Geography Star ...

in 1334 when Constance of Świdnica, her granddaughter by Kunigunde, resigned to become a nun.

In popular culture

Film

Jadwiga of Kalisz is a primary character in the first season of the Polish historical drama Korona królów ("The Crown of the Kings").

Ancestors

References

Sources

* * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Jadwiga of Kalisz Piast dynasty 1260s births 1339 deaths 13th-century Polish women 13th-century Polish people 14th-century Polish nuns Queens consort of Poland 14th-century Polish women 14th-century Polish people Polish queen mothers