Agnieszka (lady-in-waiting)
Agnieszka (* and † in the 16th century) was court dwarf , lady-in-waiting , secretary and confidante of Polish-born Princess Sophia Jagiellonica and later Duchess Sophie of Braunschweig-Lüneburg , Princess of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel .
Live and act
The diminutive Agnieszka part of the 500-strong entourage of Polish Princess Sophia Jagiellon, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg from the family of the Jagiellonian than this in February 1556 by Warsaw after Wolfenbüttel traveled to where the 33-year-older Guelph Henry the Younger of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel to marry.
In contrast to the majority of the retinue, Agnieszka stayed at the court in Wolfenbüttel Castle . As confidante, lady-in-waiting and secretary of Sophies von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel, she held a prominent position until her death. Among other things, she carried out Sophie’s extensive correspondence with representatives of the Polish crown and her family members, including her brother Sigismund II. August , King of Poland.
After the death of Duke Heinrich d. J., 1568, the last Catholic prince on Lower Saxony soil, followed Agnieszka Sophie to her widow's residence in Schöningen Castle, about 30 km east of Wolfenbüttel .
Agnieszka supported Sophie in expanding the widow's residence in Schöningen into a cultural, administrative and economic center of the region. In doing so, she probably gained in-depth insights into the administration and economy of the offices of Schöningen and Jerxheim , the considerable expansion of the ducal art gallery and the religious and charitable activities of Sophie, who converted to Protestantism in 1570 .
In later years Agnieszka's main task was to implement Sophie's energetic efforts regarding the execution of the will of her brother Sigismund, who died in 1572 , through appropriate correspondence .
Nothing is known about Agnieszka's further life, her family name or her death.
literature
- Jan Pirożyński: The Duchess Sophie von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel from the house of the Jagiellonians (1522–1575) and her library. A contribution to the history of German-Polish cultural relations in the Renaissance period (= Wolfenbütteler Schriften für Geschichte des Buchwesen. Volume 18). O. Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1992, ISBN 3-447-03154-9 , p. 44 f. and p. 88 f. (Restricted view: books.google.de )
- Kerstin Rahn: Agnieszka. In: Horst-Rüdiger Jarck , Dieter Lent et al. (Ed.): Braunschweigisches Biographisches Lexikon - 8th to 18th century . Appelhans Verlag, Braunschweig 2006, ISBN 3-937664-46-7 , p. 30-31 . ( appelhans-verlag.de ).
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Agnieszka |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Polish court dwarf, lady-in-waiting and secretary |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 16th Century |
| DATE OF DEATH | 16th Century |