Richeza of Poland (also known as Richeza of Silesia; ; c. 1140 – 16 June 1185) was a Polish noblewoman 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
Silesia
Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...
n branch. By her marriages she was Queen consort of
Galicia,
León and
Castile,
Countess of Provence, and
Countess of Eberstein.
Richeza was the third child and only daughter of
Władysław II the Exile
Władysław II the Exile (; 1105 – 30 May 1159) was the high duke of Poland and duke of Silesia from 1138 until his expulsion in 1146. He is the progenitor of the Silesian Piasts.
Governor of Silesia
He was the eldest son of Duke Bolesław III W ...
, the
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 ...
and ruler of Silesia, by his wife
Agnes of Babenberg
Agnes of Babenberg (; 1108/13 – 24/25 January 1163) was a scion of the Franconian House of Babenberg and by marriage High Duchess of Poland and Duchess of Silesia.
Family and personality
Agnes was a daughter of Leopold III, Margrave of A ...
, daughter of Margrave
Leopold III of Austria and half-sister of King
Conrad III of Germany
Conrad III (; ; 1093 or 1094 – 15 February 1152) of the Hohenstaufen dynasty was from 1116 to 1120 Duke of Franconia, from 1127 to 1135 anti-king of his predecessor Lothair III, and from 1138 until his death in 1152 King of the Romans in t ...
.
Life
Queen of Castile, León and Galicia
Born and raised for the first years of her life in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
, Richeza accompanied her parents and brothers into exile in 1146. They established themselves first in
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
and later in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
under the care of King Conrad III, who gave his deposed brother-in-law the Saxon district of
Altenburg
Altenburg () is a city in Thuringia, Germany, located south of Leipzig, west of Dresden and east of Erfurt. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district and part of a polycentric old-industrial textile and metal production region betw ...
as his residence.
In 1151 came the news that the King
Alfonso VII of León and Castile
Alfonso VII (1 March 110521 August 1157), called the Emperor (''el Emperador''), became the King of Galicia in 1111 and King of León and Castile in 1126. Alfonso, born Alfonso Raimúndez, first used the title Emperor of All Spain, alongside h ...
wanted to make an alliance with the Kingdom of Germany through a wedding. Richeza, niece of King Conrad III, was the most attractive candidate available. Richeza and King Alfonso VII married between October and December 1152. Her first child, Ferdinand, was born in the city of
Toledo one year later, in 1153. Two years later, in 1155, Richeza gave birth to her second child,
Sancha
Sancha is a given name, the feminine version of the Spanish Sancho. Sanchia, Sancia, and Santina are variant feminine forms.
People named Sancha include:
* Sancha, Lady of Alenquer (1180–1279), feudal Lady of Alenquer
*Sancha of Aragon (1478� ...
. King Alfonso VII died suddenly in the middle of the war against the
Moors
The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages.
Moors are not a s ...
in
Sierra Morena
The Sierra Morena is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain. It stretches for 450 kilometres from east to west across the south of the Iberian Peninsula, forming the southern border of the ''Meseta Central'' plateau and providi ...
on 21 August 1157. Apparently, Infante Ferdinand died shortly before his father.
Countess of Provence
The late king divided his domains between his two surviving sons born from his first marriage to
Berenguela of Barcelona:
Sancho III obtained
Castile and
Ferdinand II received
León. The relationship between Richeza and her stepsons was not good, especially after King Sancho III declared war on
Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona
Ramon Berenguer IV (; c. 1114 – 6 August 1162, Anglicized Raymond Berengar IV), sometimes called ''the Saint'', was the count of Barcelona and the consort of Aragon who brought about the union of the County of Barcelona with the Kingdom of ...
, father of
Alfonso
Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. I ...
(later King of Aragon), who was betrothed to Richeza's daughter Sancha. The unstable relations of King Ferdinand II with the
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...
Frederick Barbarossa
Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 115 ...
(cousin of Richeza) and the
Antipope Victor IV added further difficulties to the Dowager Queen, who finally decided to move to the Kingdom of Aragon in 1159.
At the court of Aragon, Richeza met
Ramon Berenguer II, Count of Provence
Ramon Berenguer II (Raymond Berengar) (c. 1135–1166) was the count of Provence from 1144 to his death. His uncle, Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona, was the regent until 1157.
Life
Born in 1135, Ramon was the son of Berenguer Ramon, Cou ...
, nephew of Count of Barcelona. A marriage between them was quickly considered; this wouldn't be a union for love, but clearly a political one. Ramon Berenguer II supported Victor IV against
Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III (c. 1100/1105 – 30 August 1181), born Roland (), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 September 1159 until his death in 1181.
A native of Siena, Alexander became pope after a Papal election, ...
, who, in turn, supported King
Louis VII of France
Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger or the Young () to differentiate him from his father Louis VI, was King of France from 1137 to 1180. His first marriage was to Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the wealthiest and ...
. The county of Provence was in a strategic location, between France and the
Italian Peninsula. Frederick Barbarossa also wanted to win to his side Count Ramon Berenguer IV, who entered in an alliance with the kings of France, Castile and León. In contrast, Ramon Berenguer II, soon cousin by marriage of the Emperor, gained prestige and could face the pretensions of the lord of Les Baux, who had just received the Imperial Provence as a fief.
Premarital negotiations lasted almost a year and a half. Richeza and Count Ramon Berenguer II were finally married between January and October 1161. They had only one daughter,
Douce of Provence, born about 1162. Ramon Berenguer II was killed during the siege of
Nice
Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million[Raymond V, Count of Toulouse
Raymond V (; c. 1134 – c. 1194) was Count of Toulouse from 1148 until his death in 1194.
He was the son of Alphonse I of Toulouse and Faydida of Provence. Alphonse took his son with him on the Second Crusade in 1147. When Alphonse died i ...]
, by her cousin the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa around 1166; at the same time, the now Countess Douce II of Provence was engaged to the future
Raymond VI. Count Raymond V wanted with this engagement to become more closely tied to the
Hohenstaufen dynasty and took full control over the County of Provence. However, the firm opposition of King Alfonso II of Aragon (Richeza's future son-in-law) soon cancelled both betrothals, and with the help of the Genoese, he began a war against Raymond V that lasted eight years.
Some sources stated that in fact Richeza and Raymond V were married, however this event is refuted by the majority of modern historians.
Countess of Eberstein
By 1167, Richeza married her third and last husband, Count
Albert III of
Eberstein, who fought at the side of Frederick Barbarossa in his wars against the
Guelphs
The Guelphs and Ghibellines ( , ; ) were Political faction, factions supporting the Pope (Guelphs) and the Holy Roman Emperor (Ghibellines) in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy during the Middle Ages. During the 12th ...
. She moved to Germany with her new husband. From this union were born two sons, Counts
Albert IV and
Konrad II of Eberstein.
Little is known about the later life of Richeza. She died in 1185.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Richeza of Poland, Queen of Castile
1140s births
1185 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
Remarried queens consort
Queens consort of Castile
Queens consort of Leon
Galician queens consort
Countesses of Provence
12th-century Polish nobility
12th-century Polish women
12th-century nobility from León and Castile
12th-century Spanish women
Princesses of Poland
Piast dynasty
Castilian House of Burgundy