Anna von Schweidnitz
Encyclopedia
Swidnica
Świdnica is a city in south-western Poland in the region of Silesia. It has a population of 60,317 according to 2006 figures. It lies in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, being the seventh largest town in that voivodeship. From 1975–98 it was in the former Wałbrzych Voivodeship...
, 1339 – 11 July 1362 in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
) was Queen
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
, German Queen, and Empress of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
. She was the third wife of Emperor Charles IV
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
.
Biography
Anne was the daughter of Duke Henry II of ŚwidnicaSwidnica
Świdnica is a city in south-western Poland in the region of Silesia. It has a population of 60,317 according to 2006 figures. It lies in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, being the seventh largest town in that voivodeship. From 1975–98 it was in the former Wałbrzych Voivodeship...
- Jawor
Jawor
Jawor is a town in south-western Poland with 24,347 inhabitants . It is situated in Lower Silesian Voivodeship . It is the seat of Jawor County, and lies approximately west of the regional capital Wrocław.In the town can be found a Protestant Church of Peace...
from the Silesian
Silesian Piasts
The Silesian Piasts were the oldest line of the Piast dynasty beginning with Władysław II the Exile, son of Bolesław III Wrymouth, Duke of Poland...
branch of the Piast dynasty
Piast dynasty
The Piast dynasty was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. It began with the semi-legendary Piast Kołodziej . The first historical ruler was Duke Mieszko I . The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir the Great...
. Her mother was Katherine of Hungary, the daughter of Charles I of Hungary
Charles I of Hungary
Charles I , also known as Charles Robert , was the first King of Hungary and Croatia of the House of Anjou. He was also descended from the old Hungarian Árpád dynasty. His claim to the throne of Hungary was contested by several pretenders...
. In his autobiography written in Latin, which covers only his youth prior to getting married to Anna, emperor Charles mentions civitatem Swidnitz and dux Swidnicensis, as depicted in the coat of arms room of his Wenzelschloss castle at Lauf an der Pegnitz
Lauf an der Pegnitz
Lauf an der Pegnitz is a municipality near Nuremberg, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nürnberger Land, in Bavaria....
near Nuremberg.
Anne's father died when she was four years old, and her childless uncle, Bolko II, Duke of Świdnica - Jawor became her guardian. She was brought up and educated by her mother at Visegrád
Visegrád
Visegrád is a small castle town in Pest County, Hungary.Situated north of Budapest on the right bank of the Danube in the Danube Bend, Visegrád has a population 1,654 as of 2001...
in Hungary. At the age of 11, Anne had been promised to Wenceslaus, newborn son and successor to Charles IV. After the infant Wenceslaus and his mother Anna of the Palatinate
Anna of Bavaria
Anna of Bavaria was a Queen consort of Bohemia. She was the daughter of Rudolf II, Duke of Bavaria and Count Palatine of the Rhine, and of Anna, daughter of Otto II, Duke of Carinthia....
died, the now-widowed Emperor asked to marry Anne himself. The planned marriage was part of the strategies devised by Charles and his now-deceased father John
John I of Bohemia
John the Blind was the Count of Luxembourg from 1309 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of Poland. He was the eldest son of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII and his wife Margaret of Brabant...
to gain control of the Piast
Piast dynasty
The Piast dynasty was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. It began with the semi-legendary Piast Kołodziej . The first historical ruler was Duke Mieszko I . The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir the Great...
Duchies of Silesia
Duchies of Silesia
The Duchies of Silesia resulted from divisions of the original Duchy of Silesia after 1138.In accordance with the last will and testament of Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth, the Kingdom of Poland was, upon his death in 1138, divided into five hereditary provinces distributed among his sons, including...
as vedlejší země ("neighboring countries") for the Kingdom of Bohemia. Anne's uncle, Louis of Hungary and future King of Poland, was able to assist her by renouncing rights to Świdnica in favor of the House of Luxemburg.
At the instigation of archbishop Arnošt of Pardubice
Arnošt of Pardubice
Arnošt z Pardubic was the first Archbishop of Prague. He was also an advisor and diplomat to Emperor Charles IV....
, Pope Innocent VI
Pope Innocent VI
Pope Innocent VI , born Étienne Aubert; his father was Adhemar Aubert seigneur de Montel-De-Gelas in Limousin province. His niece was Catherine Aubert, Dame de Boutheon, also the wife of Randon II baron de Joyeuse; she is La Fayette's ancestor...
issued a dispensation for the marriage, which was required because of the degree of relationship between the bride and groom. The two were married on 27 May 1353 when Anne was 14; her new husband was 37. Beside these two, and Anne's guardian Bolko II, the wedding was attended by: Duke Albert II of Austria
Albert II, Duke of Austria
Albert II of Austria , known as the Wise or the Lame, was Duke of Austria.-Life:Albert II was born at Habsburg, the son of Albert I of Germany, Rex Romanorum, and Elisabeth of Tirol...
, King Louis of Hungary, Margrave Louis of Brandenburg
Louis VI the Roman
Louis the Roman was the eldest son of Emperor Louis IV the Bavarian by his second wife, Margaret II, Countess of Hainault, and a member of the House of Wittelsbach. Louis was Duke of Bavaria as Louis VI and Margrave of Brandenburg as Louis II...
, Duke Rudolf of Saxony, an envoy of King Casimir III of Poland
Casimir III of Poland
Casimir III the Great , last King of Poland from the Piast dynasty , was the son of King Władysław I the Elbow-high and Hedwig of Kalisz.-Biography:...
, and an envoy of the Republic of Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
.
On 28 July 1353, Anna was crowned Queen of Bohemia in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
by Archbishop Arnošt of Pardubice. On 9 February 1354, in Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
, she was crowned German queen. As part of the coronation of Charles as Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
on 5 April 1355, in the Roman Basilica of Saint Peter, Anne was crowned Empress of the Holy Roman Empire. She was thereby the first Queen of Bohemia to become Empress.
In 1358, Anne bore a daughter, Elisabeth, who was named after Elisabeth of Bohemia (1292–1330). In February 1361 she became mother of the desired successor to the throne, Wenceslaus
Wenceslaus, King of the Romans
Wenceslaus ) was, by election, German King from 1376 and, by inheritance, King of Bohemia from 1378. He was the third Bohemian and second German monarch of the Luxembourg dynasty...
, who was born in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
, and baptized on 11 April in the Sebalduskirche by the Archbishops of Prague, Cologne
Archbishopric of Cologne
The Electorate of Cologne was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire and existed from the 10th to the early 19th century. It consisted of the temporal possessions of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne . It was ruled by the Archbishop in his function as prince-elector of...
, and Mainz
Archbishopric of Mainz
The Archbishopric of Mainz or Electorate of Mainz was an influential ecclesiastic and secular prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire between 780–82 and 1802. In the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, the Archbishop of Mainz was the primas Germaniae, the substitute of the Pope north of the Alps...
. She did not live to see the coronation of the two-year old Wenceslaus, however. At the age of only 23 years, she died on 11 July 1362, in childbirth. She is buried in St. Vitus Cathedral
St. Vitus Cathedral
Saint Vitus' Cathedral is as a Roman Catholic cathedral in Prague, and the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. The full name of the cathedral is St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert Cathedral...
. The emperor married Elisabeth of Pomerania one year later. The Duchies of Świdnica and Jawor passed to Bohemia after Bolko's death in 1368.
Ancestry
| Anna von Schweidnitz | Father: Henry II of Świdnica Henry II of Swidnica Henry II of Świdnica, , was a Duke of Świdnica since 1326 until his death .He was the second and younger son of Duke Bernard of Świdnica by his wife Kunigunde, daughter of Władysław I the Elbow-high, Duke of Kuyavia and since 1320 King of Poland.-Life:Henry's exact date of birth is unknown, but was... |
Paternal Grandfather: Bernard of Świdnica Bernard of Świdnica Bernard of Świdnica was a Duke of Jawor-Lwówek-Świdnica-Ziębice during 1301–1312 , of Świdnica-Ziębice during 1312–1322 , and sole Duke of Świdnica since 1322 until his death.He was the second son of Bolko I the Strict, Duke of Jawor-Lwówek-Świdnica-Ziębice, by his wife Beatrix, daughter of Otto V... |
Paternal Great-Grandfather: Bolko I of Świdnica |
| Paternal Great-grandmother: Beatrice of Brandenburg Beatrice of Brandenburg Beatrice of Brandenburg , was a German princess and a member of the House of Ascania in the Brandenburg branch. By her two marriages she was Duchess of Świdnica and Koźle-Bytom-Siewierz.... |
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| Paternal Grandmother: Kunigunde of Poland Kunigunde of Poland Kunigunde of Poland was a daughter of Władysław I the Elbow-high and his wife Jadwiga of Greater Poland. Her siblings included, Casimir III of Poland and Elisabeth, Queen of Hungary. She was a member of the House of Piast.- Biography :... |
Paternal Great-Grandfather: Władysław I the Elbow-high |
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| Paternal Great-Grandmother: Jadwiga of Greater Poland Jadwiga of Greater Poland Hedwig of Kalisz was the second of three daughters, born to Boleslaw the Pious and Jolenta of Poland. Her paternal grandparents were Ladislaus Odonic Plwacz and Jadwiga of Pomerania, her maternal grandparents were Béla IV of Hungary and Maria Laskarina. Her elder sister was Elisabeth of Greater... |
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| Mother: Katharine of Hungary |
Maternal Grandfather: Charles I of Hungary Charles I of Hungary Charles I , also known as Charles Robert , was the first King of Hungary and Croatia of the House of Anjou. He was also descended from the old Hungarian Árpád dynasty. His claim to the throne of Hungary was contested by several pretenders... |
Maternal Great-Grandfather: Charles Martel of Anjou Charles Martel of Anjou Charles Martel of the Angevin dynasty, also known as Charles I Martel, was the eldest son of king Charles II of Naples and Maria of Hungary, the daughter of King Stephen V of Hungary.... |
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| Maternal Great-Grandmother: Klementia of Habsburg Klementia of Habsburg Clementia of Habsburg was a daughter of Rudolf I of Habsburg and Gertrude of Hohenberg. She was a member of the House of Habsburg.-Family:... |
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| Maternal Grandmother: ? |
Maternal Great-grandfather: ? |
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| Maternal Great-Grandmother: ? |
Literature
- Andreas Rüther: Anna von Schweidnitz und Jauer. In: Schlesische Lebensbilder, Bd. VIII, ISBN 3-7686-3501-5
- Peter Moraw: Anna von Schweidnitz und Jauer. In: Lexikon des Mittelalters, Bd. I, München 1980, Sp. 655
- F. Machilek: Anna von Schweidnitz. In: Schweidnitz im Wandel der Zeiten, Würzburg 1990, S. 317-322
External links
- genealogie-mittelalter.de
- http://www.boehm-chronik.com/grundherrschaft/landbuch.htm
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