Jadwiga of Kalisz


Jadwiga of Kalisz was a Queen of Poland by marriage to Władysław I the Elbow-high. She was the mother of the last Piast King of Poland, Casimir III.
She was the second of three daughters born to Bolesław the Pious and Saint Yolanda of Hungary. In 1293, Jadwiga married Władysław I the Elbow-high.

Life

Jadwiga's husband, Władysław I the Elbow-high, was a bitter rival of Wenceslaus II of Bohemia who was King of Poland 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 reigned for a year before he was assassinated by Germans under mysterious circumstances so his campaign of Poland ended. His wife, Viola of Teschen, had not borne him any children, so Władysław assumed control in Poland.
In 1318, Władysław began making attempts to have himself crowned king. The pope, though initially unwilling, finally granted his approval and Władysław and Jadwiga were crowned King and Queen of Poland on 30 January 1320 in Kraków; 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 married Charles I of Hungary. Jadwiga played an active part in politics during her husband's reign.
In addition to Elizabeth, Władysław and Jadwiga had five other children: Stephen, Władysław, Kunigunde, Casimir, and Jadwiga. Queen Jadwiga assumed the regency of Stary Sącz in 1334 when Constance of Świdnica, her granddaughter by Kunigunde, resigned to become a nun.
Her husband died in 1333. Jadwiga lived until 1339.

In popular culture

Film

Jadwiga of Kalisz is a primary character in the first season of the Polish historical drama Korona królów.

Ancestors