Anna of Cilli

The first ruling dynasty of Poland was the House of Piast, starting c.960 with Duke Mieszko and ending in 1370 with the death of Casimir the Great. Branches of the Piast dynasty were extensive, and intermarriage with them was a way to strengthen your standing with the Polish people.

Therefore, when Jadwiga of Poland was on her deathbed due to complications from delivering her only child (who had died shortly after birth), she advised her husband, Jogaila of Lithuania, Supreme Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland by virtue of marriage, to marry into the Piast dynasty to help his standing with the Polish people. Her suggestion was Anna of Cilli (also known as Anne of Celje).

Anna was born in 1386, making her only 13 years old at the time. Jogaila waited until 1401 to request Anna's hand in marriage from Herman II, Count of Celje. (Anna's father had died when she was ten, and she was raised by his cousin, Herman.) Herman was related to Jadwiga on his mother's side, and Anna and Jadwiga were cousins, both being descended from Casimir. Herman saw that not only would this match benefit Jogaila, it would bring the House of Celje higher standing, if Anna were to become Queen of Poland and Lithuania.

Anna arrived in Krakow on 16 July 1401, and was met at the gates by Jogaila (the pair are pictured above). Whether it was the 30-year age gap between them, Anna's reported lack of beauty, or some other reason, Jogaila was supposedly not pleased with the choice of bride. The wedding was postponed until January 1402 so that Anna could learn Polish. She lived in a monastery prior to the wedding, which took place at Wawel Cathedral, the site of Jadwiga's burial. She was not crowned queen until the following year.

King Jogaila was frequently traveling, leaving her alone at Wawel Castle. It was five years before Anna became pregnant. She was accused of infidelity by the castellan, with fingers pointing to a couple of knights. One of them was imprisoned, but Polish nobles defended the queen and the prisoner was freed. Other accusations of infidelity arose, but none came to anything substantial.

Anna bore a child on 8 April 1408. It was a daughter, Hedwig (Jadwiga); when Hedwig was five years old she was declared heir presumptive, since it did not appear likely that a male heir would come along. Having finally produced an heir, Anna's life changed somewhat: she started becoming more involved in state functions. She started traveling with Jogaila for diplomatic meetings. Hedwig at five years old went with her parents to Lithuania to be presented to the Lithuanian nobles as their Supreme Duke's heir. Anna even wrote a report to the Council of Constance after observing the Christianization of Samogitia (now called Žemaitija), one of the cultural regions of Lithuania.

In February of 1416, messengers were sent to Jogaila in Lithuania to inform him that Anna was gravely ill in Krakow. He arrived in Krakow in May (he did not hurry), a few days prior to her death. She was buried ai Wawel Cathedral...

...and Jogaila went looking for another wife ... and then another, until he finally got what he wanted: a male heir. But what to do about Hedwig? All will be revealed ... next time.

Sigismund's Change of Heart

Although Sigismund, King of Hungary and brother-in-law to Jadwiga of Poland, had tried to annex parts of Poland and allied himself with the Teutonic Knights (who were engaging in a Crusade against Lithuania) against Poland, he had a change of heart. While the reason for the change of heart is unknown, it is possible that a major defeat against the Ottomans at the Battle of Nicopolis depleted his military sufficiently that he no longer was confident in a potential attempt to take territory from his neighbors.

The Battle of Nicopolis in 1396 was part of a European Crusade, and incredibly demoralizing for Europe, because the Ottomans defeated an army of Hungarian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, Polish, French, Burgundian, German, English, Knights Hospitaller, Iberian, Italian, Bohemian, Serbian, and Byzantine troops. Sigismund was at their head, so it was particularly bad for him. The defeat and loss of several men angered Hungarian lords and led to instability in Hungary. It was at this point that Sigismund met with Jadwiga and Jogaila and offered to mediate between them (Poland and Lithuania) and the Teutonic Order, starting the process that would lead to cessation of the Teutonic Crusade against Lithuania.

Although Jadwiga and Jogaila had seemed to be a good match, working together now for over a decade, they had not yet produced an heir. Contemporary chroniclers claim this was a source of friction for her husband. She finally became pregnant in late 1398. The current Grand Duke of Lithuania, Jogaila's cousin Vytautas, sent a silver cradle for the child, who was predicted by astrologers to be a son. On 22 June, 1399, a daughter was born and given the name Elizabeth Bonifacia. Elizabeth was the name of Jadwiga's mother, and the second name was for Pope Boniface IX, who agreed to be godfather.

Sadly, Elizabeth Bonifacia died a few weeks later, followed four days afterward by Jadwiga. Mother and daughter were buried at Wawel Cathedral on 24 August, 1399.

What followed for Jogaila? Jadwiga had a hand in that. On her deathbed, she advised him to marry again, this time a granddaughter of Casimir III "the Great." And so Jogaila took a second wife on the advice of his first, the teenaged Anna of Cilli. I'll tell you her story tomorrow