Elisabeth of Austria (1436–1505)

Elisabeth of Austria (1436 – 30 August 1505), (in Polish Elżbieta Rakuszanka, Hungarian: Erzsébet), was a Polish-Lithuanian queen. In Polish, she is known as Elżbieta Rakuszanka and Elżbieta Austriaczka, both names meaning Elisabeth of Austria, or Elżbieta Habsburżanka, meaning Elisabeth of Habsburg.

Biography

Elisabeth was the daughter of King Albert of Hungary (also King of Bohemia, and elected but never crowned King of Germany) and his wife Elisabeth of Luxembourg, daughter of Sigismund of Hungary (later also King of Bohemia and Holy Roman emperor). On 10 March 1454, she married King Casimir IV of Poland. Four of her sons became kings, why is why she is also called "mother of the Jagiellons" (or "mother of kings").

After the 1457 death of Elisabeth's childless brother, King Ladislaus the Posthumous, she and her family started to advance their claims to the thrones of Bohemia and Hungary. Ultimately, her eldest son became elected to both monarchies.

Her younger sons, in turn, became monarchs of Poland and Lithuania.

Upon the death of her brother Ladislaus, his remaining heiresses shared the inherited rights in a way which put all their mother's rights to Polish principalities to Elisabeth and her children. Elisabeth's said mother, also named Elisabeth, was the only child of the then deceased Emperor Sigismund, himself the eldest son and heir of his mother, Elisabeth of Pomerania, heiress of her mother, Elisabeth of Poland, the eldest daughter of Casimir III of Poland who also had inherited the principality of Kujavia (the elder branch of Masovia-Sandomir) and some rights to successions in parts of Greater Poland and Silesian principalities (Wladyslaw the Short's wife was from Poznan branch and mother from Wroclaw and Legnica branch). Since 1431, no other legitimate descendants of Casimir III survived than Elisabeth of Pomerania's. This was the way some ancient Piast estate property passed to the Jagiellons.

In 1467, she renounced her claim to the Duchy of Luxembourg to Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, whose father had bought the territory in 1443 from Elisabeth, Duchess of Luxembourg.

Casimir and Elisabeth had the following children:

• Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary (1456–1516), who became elected to thrones earlier held by Elisabeth's parents (Wladyslaw, Vladislav, Ulaszlo)
• Hedwig (1457–1502). Duchess of Bavaria in Landshut, wife of Duke George.
• Saint Casimir (Kazimierz) (1458–84)
• John I Albert of Poland (Jan Olbracht, Jan Wojciech) (1459–1501)
• Alexander (1461–1506) of Lithuania, then also of Poland
• Sophia (Zofia) (1464–1512). Margravine of Brandenburg in Ansbach, wife of Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach and mother of Albert of Prussia
• Elisabeth (Elżbieta) (1465–66)
• Sigismund I of Poland (Zygmunt) (1467–1548)
• Frederick (Fryderyk) (1468–1503) cardinal-archbishop of Gniezno.
• Elisabeth (Elżbieta II) (1472–80)
• Anna (1476–1503). Duchess of Pomerania, wife of Duke Bogislas X.
• Barbara (1478–1534). Duchess of Sacony, wife of George, Duke of Saxony.
• Elisabeth (Elżbieta)(1482–1517). Duchess of Legnica in Silesia, wife of Duke Frederick II.

Ancestors

See also

• Ancestors of Nicholas II of Russia