Elisabeth of Cieszyn was a Polish princess, member 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...

 in the Cieszyn branch

Duchy of Cieszyn

The Duchy of Cieszyn or Duchy of Teschen or Duchy of Těšín was an autonomous Silesian duchy centered on Teschen in Upper Silesia. After the feudal division of Poland it was split off in 1281 and ruled by Silesian dukes from the Piast dynasty since 1290...

.

She was the fourth daughter and youngest child of Casimir I, Duke of Cieszyn, by his wife Euphemia, daughter of Duke Trojden I of Czersk

Czersk

Czersk is a town in northern Poland in Chojnice County, Pomeranian Voivodeship.On July 1, 2006 this municipality celebrated 80 years of granting this community the status of city....

-Warsaw

Warsaw

Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...

.

Life

From childhood, Elisabeth was destined for the Church by her father, like her older brothers Bolesław

Bolesław of Cieszyn (d. 1356)

Bolesław of Cieszyn , was a Polish prince, member of the Piast dynasty in the Cieszyn branch.He was the second son of Casimir I, Duke of Cieszyn, by his wife Euphemia, daughter of Duke Trojden I of Czersk-Warsaw.-Life:...

, Jan

Jan of Cieszyn

Jan of Cieszyn , was a Polish prince, member of the Piast dynasty in the Cieszyn branch.He was the fourth son of Casimir I, Duke of Cieszyn, by his wife Euphemia, daughter of Duke Trojden I of Czersk-Warsaw.-Life:...

 and Siemowit

Siemowit of Cieszyn

Siemowit of Cieszyn was a Polish prince, member of the Piast dynasty in the Cieszyn branch.He was the fifth son of Casimir I, Duke of Cieszyn, by his wife Euphemia, daughter of Duke Trojden I of Czersk-Warsaw.-Life:...

 and her older sister Jolanta Helena.

Elisabeth entered as a nun in the Cistercian monastery of Trzebnica

Trzebnica

Trzebnica is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland. It is the seat of Trzebnica County, and of the smaller administrative district called Gmina Trzebnica. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany...

. Presumably in 1363, she fled from the Trzebnica monastery and began a relationship with John Henry, Margrave of Moravia

John Henry, Margrave of Moravia

John Henry of Luxembourg, Czech: Jan Jindřich, German: Johann Heinrich , was Count of Tyrol from 1335 to 1341 and Margrave of Moravia from 1349 until his death....

, brother 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....

. The scandalous news soon reached Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

. By a letter dated on 20 January 1364, Pope Urban V

Pope Urban V

Pope Urban V , born Guillaume Grimoard, was Pope from 1362 to 1370.-Biography:Grimoard was a native of Grizac in Languedoc . He became a Benedictine and a doctor in Canon Law, teaching at Montpellier and Avignon...

 demanded of the Bishop of Wrocław, Przecław of Pogarell, that he convince Elisabeth to break her concubinage

Concubinage

Concubinage is the state of a woman or man in an ongoing, usually matrimonially oriented, relationship with somebody to whom they cannot be married, often because of a difference in social status or economic condition.-Concubinage:...

 with the Margrave of Moravia and return to the Trzebnica monastery. Soon afterwards, the liaison between Elisabeth and John Henry ended, and by 26 February 1364 the Margrave of Moravia was married for the third time, to Margareta, daughter of Albert II, Duke 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...

.

Elisabeth's later fate is unknown, as are the date of her death and the place of her burial.