On October 16, 1384, Jadwiga was crowned King of Poland.
That doesn’t sound to impressive, I mean after all, there have been many Kings of Poland and other countries for that matter.
The difference here is, Jadwiga, was a woman.
And the Poles knew it.
The first female monarch of Poland reigned from 1384 at the age of eleven (11), until her death in 1399.
Her parents were Louis the Great and Elizabeth of Bosnia. She was from an ancient royal house and was the legitimate heir to the throne.
“So why not Queen Jadwiga,” you ask.
Well, it’s not because there was no word for Queen, it’s not because the Poles couldn’t figure it out, and it’s not because the identified as a man.
She had a fiancé BTW, William of Austria was hankering to marry UP with Jadwiga, and she was all for it. It may have confused things had the couple tied the knot prior to the demise of her father, as they could have been co-regnants.
But alas, the Poles were none to fond of Austria’s William, and insisted she be crowned prior to a marriage of any kind.
And they insisted she be crowned King, not Queen.
With her mother’s consent, the Polish nobles started marriage negotiation with the Grand Duke of Lithuania, a pagan. He agreed to convert to roman Catholicism and to “promote” his subjects’ conversion, paving the way for a Royal Wedding.
Back in Austria, William packed his back-pack, mounted his steed, and raced to be the objector at a ‘ceremony nuptial’ of his childhood fiancée and the Lithuanian.
In a sad but providential turn of events, William arrived in time to catch the garter, but missed the ceremony. The Poles were none to excited about the 14-year-old Austrian anyway.
Shortly after the ceremony, Jogaila, the Grand Duke, was also crowned King of Poland, ruling – quite well according to historians – along with his King wife.
The royal pair expanded Poland’s territory, defeated invading Turks, and are considered two of the finest rulers Poland ever had. They made progressive changes such as promoting the use of the vernacular in church services, singing hymns in Polish, and translating the Scriptures to the Polish language. She also built new hospital and restored and refurbished existing ones.
But, it couldn’t last. Nothing ever does.
The couple was childless for over a decade. In 1399, Jadwiga became pregnant and delivered a daughter, Elizabeth Bonifacja, named for the Pope. The child lived until July 13, 1399, her mother followed her in death from child-bed fever four days later.
She was venerated after her death and was referred to as “the most Christian queen” by her eulogist.
Every inch a woman, every inch a King.