Origins & Early Life

Jadwiga (Polish: [jadˈviɡa] ; 1373/1374 – 17 July 1399), also known as Hedwig (from German, Hungarian: Hedvig), was Queen of the Kingdom of Poland, as well as its last hereditary ruler. Crowned "King" (in regem Poloniae coronata) to highlight her sovereign status, she reigned from 16 October 1384 until her death. Born in Buda, she was the youngest daughter of Louis I of Hungary and Elizabeth of Bosnia. Jadwiga was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou and had forebears among the Polish Piasts.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

In 1375, Louis I of Hungary planned for Jadwiga to marry William of Austria, to whom she was symbolically married in 1378; she subsequently lived in Vienna from 1378 to 1380. Louis is sometimes thought to have regarded her and William as his favoured successors in Hungary after the 1378 death of her eldest sister, Catherine of Hungary, since the following year the Polish nobility had pledged their homage to Louis I's second daughter, Mary, and her fiancé, Sigismund of Luxembourg. However, in 1382, Louis I died and his widow, Elizabeth of Bosnia, had Mary crowned "King of Hungary". Sigismund of Luxembourg tried to take control of Poland, but the Polish nobility countered that they would only...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Casimir III the Great — Contemporary (Died in 1370) (1370): Last Piast King of Poland; reformed law and expanded state influence.
• Gentile da Fabriano — Contemporary (Born in 1370) (1370): Master of International Gothic style, pivotal to early Renaissance art.
• Jan Hus — Contemporary (Born in 1370) (1370): Czech theologian and philosopher, key figure in the Bohemian Reformation.
• John of Gaunt — Contemporary (Died in 1399) (1399): Influential English prince, Duke of Lancaster, and founder of the royal House of Lancaster.
• Luca della Robbia — Contemporary (Born in 1399) (1399): Pioneering Renaissance sculptor famed for colorful, tin-glazed terracotta statuary.
• Xuande Emperor — Contemporary (Born in 1399) (1399): Fifth Ming Emperor, known for literary passion and reversing capital plans.
• Adam Smith — Shared historical date (07-17 · Died) (1790): Scottish philosopher and economist, considered the father of modern capitalism.
• Ananya Birla — Shared historical date (07-17 · Born) (1994): Indian businesswoman and artist, daughter of Kumar Mangalam Birla.
• Ibn Kathir — Historical peer (Died in 1373) (1373): Leading Sunni scholar, renowned for Quranic exegesis and universal history.
• Margery Kempe — Historical peer (Born in 1373) (1373): Pioneering English mystic whose autobiography shaped early English literature.
• 1370 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1370
• 1399 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1399
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