Sophia of Halshany
| Sophia of Halshany | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Queen consort of Poland | |
| Reign | 24 February 1422 – 1 June 1434 |
| Coronation | 12 February 1424 |
| Born | c. 1405 |
| Died | 21 September 1461 Kraków, Poland |
| Burial | |
| Spouses | Jogaila |
| Issue | Wladislaus III of Poland Casimir IV of Poland |
| House | Jagiellon dynasty |
| Father | Andrew of Algimantas |
| Mother | Alexandra Drucka |
Sophia of Halshany ([Соф'я Гальшанская, Sofja Halšanskaja] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help); Lithuanian: Sofija Alšėniškė; Polish: Zofia Holszańska) (c. 1405–1461), was a Lithuanian princess of Halshany, Queen of Poland from (1422–1434), and the last wife of Jogaila.
Biography
Sophia was a daughter of Andrew of Algimantas and Alexandra Drucka. Vytautas the Great, the uncle of her aunt's husband, helped arrange the marriage between her and Jogaila, the King of Poland. Jogaila was already at the advanced age of 61 when, on February 24 (or 7), 1422, he married Sophia, his fourth wife, who was then at the approximate age of 17. The marriage took place in the city of Navahrudak and was carried out by Matthias of Trakai, Bishop of Samogitia. Finally, she bore him the male heirs he desired. From previous marriages he had two daughters, one who died as a baby, the other, Hedwig, the last of his children with Piast blood, died in 1431 at 23, amidst rumors of poisoning.
Sophia was crowned Queen of Poland on 12 February 1424 in Krakow Cathedral. She was the mother of:
- Wladislaus III of Poland (1424–1444), King of Poland 1434-1444 and Hungary 1440-1444
- Casimir IV of Poland (1427–1492), Grand Duke of Lithuania 1440-1492, King of Poland 1447-1492
Another son, also named Casimir, died at the age of one. Initially there was resistance from the Polish nobility to recognise Jogaila's and Sophia's sons as the heirs to the Polish throne. Jogaila had to make concessions and grant them new privileges in exchange for this recognition.
Sophia sponsored the translation of the Bible into the Polish language (1453–1461). She was the grandmother of Saint Casimir.
Ancestors
| Ivan Olgimuntovich of Halshany | |||||||||||
| Andrew of Halshany | |||||||||||
| Agrippina Sviatoslavovna of Smolensk | |||||||||||
| Sophia of Halshany | |||||||||||
| Dimitri Semenovich of Drutsk | |||||||||||
| Alexandra of Drutsk | |||||||||||
| Anastasia Olegovna of Ryazan | |||||||||||
Patronage
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Queen Sophia's Chapel (1431-1432) of the Wawel Cathedral, left -
Bible of Queen Sophia in Polish (1453-1455) by Andrzej Jaszowic
References
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See also
Media related to Sophia of Halshany at Wikimedia Commons
Media related to Queen Sophia's Chapel at Wikimedia Commons