Hedwig of Silesia This article is about the 13th-century duchess and saint canonized in 1267. For the 14th-century namesake queen and saint canonized in 1997, see Jadwiga of Poland. Saint Hedwig of Silesia (Polish: Święta Jadwiga Śląska), also Saint Hedwig of Andechs (German: Heilige Hed- wig von Andechs, Latin: Hedvigis) (1174 – 15 October 1243) from the comital House of Andechs was Duchess of Silesia from 1201 and of Greater Poland from 1231 as well as High Duchess consort of Poland from 1232 until 1238. 1 Life The daughter of Count Berthold IV of Andechs and his second wife Agnes of Wettin,[2] she was born at Andechs Castle in the Duchy of Bavaria. Her elder sister Agnes married King Philip II of France (annulled in 1200) and her sister Gertrude (killed in 1213) King Andrew II of Hungary, while the youngest Matilda (Mechtild) be- came abbess at the Benedictine Abbey of Kitzingen in Franconia, where Hedwig also received her education. Through her sister Gertrude, she was the aunt of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. Hedwig intercedes between Henry and Konrad, 19th century de- piction 1.1 Duchess consort At the age of twelve, Hedwig married Henry I the Seniorate Province. In 1229 he was captured and arrested Bearded, son and heir of the Piast duke Bolesław I the Tall at Płock Castle by rivaling Duke Konrad I of Masovia. of Silesia. As soon as Henry succeeded his father in 1201, Hedwig proceeded to Płock pleading for Henry and was he had to struggle with his Piast relatives, at first with able to have him released. his uncle Duke Mieszko IV Tanglefoot who immediately Her actions promoted the reign of her husband: Upon the seized the Upper Silesian Duchy of Opole. In 1206 Henry death of the Polish High Duke Władysław III Spindle- and his cousin Duke Władysław III Spindleshanks of shanks in 1231, Henry also became Duke of Greater Greater Poland agreed to swap the Silesian Lubusz Land Poland and the next year prevailed as High Duke at against the Kalisz region, which met with fierce protest Kraków. He thereby was the first of the Silesian Piast by Władysław’s III nephew Władysław Odonic. When descendants of Władysław II the Exile to gain the rule Henry went to Gąsawa in 1227 to meet his Piast cousins, over Silesia and the Seniorate Province according to the he narrowly saved his life, while High Duke Leszek I the 1138 Testament of Bolesław III Krzywousty. White was killed by the men of the Pomerelian Duke Swietopelk II, instigated by Władysław Odonic. The next year Henry’s ally Władysław III Spindleshanks 1.2 Widow succeeded Leszek I as High Duke; however as he was still contested by his nephew in Greater Poland, he made In 1238, upon his death, Henry was buried at a Cistercian Henry his governor at Kraków, whereby the Silesian duke monastery of nuns, Trzebnica Abbey (Kloster Trebnitz), once again became entangled into the dispute over the which he had established in 1202 at Hedwig’s request. 1 2 3 VENERATION The widow moved into the monastery, which was led by her daughter Gertrude, assuming the religious habit of a lay sister, but she did not take vows. She invited numer- ous German religious people from the Holy Roman Em- pire into the Silesian lands, as well as German settlers who founded numerous cities, towns and villages in the course of the Ostsiedlung, while cultivating barren parts of Silesia for agriculture. Hedwig and Henry had several daughters, though only one surviving son, Henry II the Pious, who succeeded his father as Duke of Silesia and Polish High Duke. The widow however had to witness the killing of her son, vainly awaiting the support of Emperor Frederick II, dur- ing the Mongol invasion of Poland at the Battle of Leg- nica (Wahlstatt) in 1241. The hopes for a re-united Poland were lost and even Silesia fragmented into nu- merous Piast duchies under Henry II’s sons. Hedwig and her daughter-in-law, Henry II’s widow Anna of Bohemia, established a Benedictine abbey at the site of the bat- tle in Legnickie Pole, settled with monks coming from Opatovice in Bohemia. Monument in Wroclaw Wrocław to wear shoes, she carried them in her hands. On 15 October 1243, Hedwig died and was buried in Trzebnica Abbey with her husband, while relics of her are preserved at Andechs Abbey and St. Hedwig’s Cathedral in Berlin. 2 Other References Saint Hedwig’s name inspired J.K. Rowling when writing the Harry Potter series, naming a character, Harry’s owl, after the saint. 3 Veneration Hedwig was canonized in 1267 by Pope Clement IV, a supporter of the Cistercian order, at the suggestion of Scene from an altar of St. Hedwig of Silesia, Breslau around her grandson Prince-Archbishop Władysław of Salzburg. 1430, restored in 1929, National Museum Warsaw She is the patron saint of Silesia, of Andechs, and of the Hedwig and Henry had lived very pious lives, and Hedwig Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wrocław and the Roman had great zeal for religion. She had supported her hus- Catholic Diocese of Görlitz. Her feast day is celebrated band in donating the Augustinian provostry at Nowogród on the General Roman Calendar on 16 October. A 17th- Bobrzański (Naumburg) and the commandery of the century legend has it that Hedwig, while on a pilgrimage Knights Templar at Oleśnica Mała (Klein Oels). Hed- to Rome, stopped at Bad Zell in Austria, where she had wig always helped the poor and donated all her fortune healing waters spring up at a source which today still bears to the Church. According to legend, she went barefoot her name. even in winter, and when she was urged by the Bishop of In 1773 King Frederick II of Prussia, having conquered 3 and annexed Silesia in 1742, had St. Hedwig’s Cathe- dral in Berlin built for the Catholic Upper Silesian im- migrants, now the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Berlin. Hedwig glasses are named after Hedwig of Andechs. 4 Children Hedwig and Henry I had seven children: 1. Agnes (ca. 1190 – before 11 May 1214). 2. Bolesław (ca. 1191 – 10 September 1206/08). 3. Henry II the Pious (ca. 1196 – killed in Battle of Legnica, 9 April 1241). 4. Konrad the Curly (ca. 1198 – Czerwony Kosciol, 4 September 1213). 5. Sophie (ca. 1200 – before 22/23 March 1214). 6. Gertrude (ca. 1200 – Trebnitz, 6/30 December 1268), Abbess of Trebnitz. 7. A son [Władysław?] (before 25 December 1208– 1214/17). 5 References [1] Augustin Knoblich: Lebensgeschichte der heiligen Hedwig, Herzogin und Landespatronin von Schlesien. 1174-1243. Schletter, Breslau 1860 (Digitalisat) [2] “St. Hedwig”. Catholic Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2007- 02-18. 6 External links 4 7 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES 7 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses 7.1 Text • Hedwig of Silesia Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedwig_of_Silesia?oldid=621013890 Contributors: MichaelTinkler, JHK, H.J., XJaM, Space Cadet, Isis, Olivier, JASpencer, Charles Matthews, Adam Bishop, Topbanana, Slawojarek, Dimadick, Robbot, Cautious, MaGioZal, Matthead, Sca, R. fiend, Jonel, Piotrus, Emax, Necrothesp, Rich Farmbrough, Randee15, PaulHanson, SlaveToTheWage, Lo- gologist, Stemonitis, Rjwilmsi, Eubot, Volunteer Marek, YurikBot, Molobo, Bota47, Appleseed, Mohylek, Attilios, SmackBot, Elonka, Carl.bunderson, Ludi, Chris the speller, Mihai Andrei, Nakon, Ser Amantio di Nicolao, Potosino, Ceplm, 5-HT8, Jedudedek, Cydebot, Aldebaran69, Smith2006, JAnDbot, Momoboy, STBot, Captain panda, Skier Dude, Pastordavid, GrahamHardy, VolkovBot, Rei-bot, Den- dodge, AlleborgoBot, SieBot, Monegasque, TheOuterLimits, Vanished user ewfisn2348tui2f8n2fio2utjfeoi210r39jf, PipepBot, Alexbot, ThePiedCow, Joncaire, RogDel, Surtsicna, Some jerk on the Internet, Llewelyn MT, Hermógenes Teixeira Pinto Filho, Lightbot, Legobot, Luckas-bot, Yobot, Daaviiid, The Emperor’s New Spy, KamikazeBot, Roltz, Xqbot, The Banner, Ulf Heinsohn, GrouchoBot, RibotBOT, Gwinndeith, FrescoBot, Jc3s5h, Gugu102, Full-date unlinking bot, Tim1357, Chasuble, Daniel the Monk, Esoglou, ZéroBot, Fidulario, Chester Markel, Mannanan51, Iamthecheese44, VIAFbot, Matty.007, ArmbrustBot, Sam Sailor, AchisDeGeth, Filedelinkerbot, Tridi- aChaplain and Anonymous: 29 7.2 Images • File:Commons-logo.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg License: ? Contributors: ? Original artist: ? • File:Gloriole_blur.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Gloriole_blur.svg License: Public domain Contrib- utors: Own work Original artist: Eubulides • File:HedwigAltarXXX.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/HedwigAltarXXX.jpg License: Public do- main Contributors: Dschingis Khan und seine Erben (exhibition catalogue), München 2005, p. 219 Original artist: Unknown (Master of the Wielowieś Triptych) • File:Sw_Jadwiga_godzi_Henryka_Brodatego_z_Konradem_Mazowieckim.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ commons/d/db/Sw_Jadwiga_godzi_Henryka_Brodatego_z_Konradem_Mazowieckim.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: Grafika pochodzi z książki: Zygmunta Borasa,Książęta Piastowscy Śląska, Katowice 1982. Transferred from pl.wikipedia Original artist: Karmański, Tygodnik Illustrowany. Original uploader was Zuber at pl.wikipedia • File:Św._Jadwiga_przy_Moście_Tumskim_DSC00285.JPG Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/%C5% 9Aw._Jadwiga_przy_Mo%C5%9Bcie_Tumskim_DSC00285.JPG License: CC-BY-SA-3.0-pl Contributors: Own work Original artist: Aw58 7.3 Content license • Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0.