Sophie Holszańska

Sophie Holszańska (Polish Zofia [Sońka] Holszańska , Lithuanian Zofija Alšėniškė ; * 1405 , † 1461 in Cracow ) was a Lithuanian princess of Ruthenian origin from the noble family of the Holszanski . She was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania from 1422 by marrying Władysław II Jagiełło . She was born as the daughter of Prince Andrzej Holszański († approx. 1420), a brother-in-law of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas and the Ruthenian Princess Aleksandra Holszańska from the Drucki dynasty .

Life

Queen Sophie

Vytautas himself arranged the marriage of his 17-year-old niece Sophie to the Polish King Władysław II Jagiełło, who was widowed three times. The wedding took place on February 24, 1422 in what is now the Belarusian city of Nawahrudak .

Władysław had only two children from his previous three marriages: one daughter died as a child, the other, Hedwig of Lithuania, died in 1431 at the age of 23, presumably she was poisoned. Sophie finally gave birth to the two male heirs he had been waiting for so long:

• Wladyslaw III. (1424–1444), king of Poland, Hungary and Croatia
• Casimir II (1427–1492), King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania

Her second son (* 1426), who also had the name Kasimir, died at the age of one year. At the beginning there was resistance from the Polish nobility who refused to recognize Władysław's sons from his relationship with Sophie as heirs to the Polish throne. The king had to make great concessions to them.

Sophie financially supported the translation of the Bible into Polish (1453–1461) and was the grandmother of St. Casimir .

In 1434 her spouse died after twelve years of marriage. Sophie lived as a queen widow for 27 years and died in 1461. She was buried in the St. Michael and Stanislaus church of the Paulan monastery in Krakow.

predecessor	Office	Successor
Elisabeth von Pilitza	Queen of Poland 1422–1434	Elisabeth of Habsburg