Elisabeth of Pilica

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Elisabeth of Pilica Polish: Elżbieta Granowska z Pileckich (1372-1420) was Queen consort of Poland and grand duchess of Lithuania, 1417-1420 as the third wife of King of Poland and Lithuania Władysław Jagiełło (reigned 1387-1434).

She was the only child of Voivode of Sandomierz Otton of Pilica and Jadwiga Melsztyńska (godmother of king Jagiełło). When her father died in 1384 she inherited his vast estates, which included Pilica and Łańcut. She had several husbands before she married Jagiełło: Wiseł Czambor, Jańczyk Jańczykowicz Hińczyński and Wincenty Granowski. Her marriage to Granowski last 13 years, and they had two sons and three doughters. Granowski died on 12 December 1410, widowing Elisabeth. Few years later, in 1416, when Jagiełło himself became a widower, after the death of Anna of Celje, he took liking in Elisabeth; they got married on 2 May 1417 in Sanok, and she was crowned on 19 May on Wawel castle. This marriage was subject to much criticism, as many thought the king should marry a younger woman (Elisabeth was then 45-years old) and try to concive another child. Around 1419 Elisabeth fell ill, with symptoms of tuberculosis, and died in 1420 in Cracow. She was buried in the Wawel Cathedral. However some historians believe that two marriages of Elisabeth (to Wiseł and Jańczyk) were fictitious. Writers who lived in her times wanted to discredit her as coming from lower class. The date of her birth is also discussed. She might have been born in 1382.