Viola, Duchess of Opole also known as Wencisława (Polish: Wiola-Wencisława opolska, Bulgarian: Венцислава; d. 7 September 1251), was a Duchess of Opole-Racibórz by virtue of her marriage with Duke Casimir I.
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Viola's origins are a matter of dispute among historians. Chronicler Jan Długosz has reported that she came from Bulgaria.[1][2][3] The most popular of the hypotheses about Viola's parentage was given by Władysław Dziewulski, who stated that Viola could be a daughter of Tsar Kaloyan or his successor Boril.[4] However, this theory was challenged by Wincenty Swoboda. The historian J. Horwat put forward another hypothesis, under which Viola could be an Hungarian princess, daughter of King Béla III (from his second marriage with Margaret of France,[5]) or his son and successor Emeric. Today, the opinion prevails that Viola's origins are considered unknown.
Viola was married to Casimir I, Duke of Opole-Racibórz between the years 1212-1220.
Arguments of the theory of Viola's Bulgarian origin involve her marriage with Casimir I: she wasn't mentioned in any Polish source before the Duke's departure to the Fifth Crusade. They estimated that the marriage of Casimir I and Viola was arranged by King Andrew II of Hungary. On the way home, the Hungarian King arranged several marriage contracts between his children and the courts he visited, one of them was the engagement of his daughter Anna Maria with the Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Asen II. As a near kinswoman of the Tsar of Bulgaria, Viola was married to Casimir I (a close associate of King Andrew II), and returned with the King in order to meet her future husband.
According to another hypothesis, Duke Casimir I became closer to an unknown Hungarian knight, relative of the King and commander of the Hungarian troops, which in January 1218 in Mount Lebanon had been depopulated. This would suggest that the marriage between the Duke of Opole and the King's near kinswoman Viola was performed before the embarkation on the crusade, around 1217.
Duke Casimir I died on 13 May 1230. According to his will, Viola was appointed regent of the Duchy on behalf of their minor sons, Mieszko II and Władysław. Despite her efforts to maintain an independent rule, she finally was forced, firstly to share and later renounce the regency of Opole-Racibórz to Henry I the Bearded, Duke of Wrocław.
In 1233 and probably with the consent of the Duke of Wrocław, Pope Gregory IX issued a Bull, under which the care of the young Dukes was removed from their mother and given to the Archbishop of Gniezno and the Bishops of Wroclaw and Olomouc. A year later (1234), to calm the rebellion which erupted against this decision, Henry I the Bearded give Kalisz and Wieluń to Casimir I's sons, taking full control of Opole-Racibórz, but without denying their hereditary rights.
Viola and her children moved to Kalisz, where they remained even after Henry I's death in 1238, because his son and successor, Henry II the Pious, also took over the regency of Opole-Racibórz. However, soon after, Mieszko II began to claim government over his Duchy. Henry II was forced to accept this, and by late 1238 or early 1239, Mieszko II returned to Opole and began his independent rule. Viola and her second son, Władysław were expected to remain in Kalisz, which held power under the guidance of Henry II. Viola remained as regent of the Duchies of Kalisz and Wieluń on behalf of Władysław until 1241, when he was declared an adult and able to rule by himself.
Mieszko II died on 22 October 1246 without issue. In his will, he left all his lands to his brother Władysław, except Cieszyn, which was given to Viola as her Oprawa wdowia. She ruled this land for the next five years until her death, when Cieszyn was reunited again with the Duchy of Opole-Racibórz.
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mieszko II the Fat |
Duke of Cieszyn Oprawa wdowia 1246–1251 |
Succeeded by merged by the Duchy of Opole-Racibórz next holder Mieszko I |