Saint Ryksa

The death of Otto of Brandenburg complicated again Ryksa's situation, because as the only child of the last male member of the Piast Greater Poland line and the first King in almost two centuries, she was the perfect match for every contender to the Polish crown. For this, when King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia (a widower since 1297) received from the lords of Greater Poland the offer of marriage with the princess, he didn't think too much, and even before his own coronation as King of Poland on 25 July 1300 in Gniezno, Ryksa was sent to Prague.


Because of her youth, Wenceslaus II decided to delay the wedding until Ryksa was fifteen years-old. During this time, she was placed under the care of Gryfina of Halych, widow of Leszek II the Black and aunt of the Bohemian King.


The marriage between Ryksa and Wenceslaus II took place on 26 May 1303 in Prague Cathedral. During the ceremony, Ryksa was crowned Queen consort of Bohemia and Poland, and at the request of her husband, she adopted the name Elisabeth, because her name was not used in Bohemia and seen as strange. The ceremony was performed with the consent of the Archbishops of Mainz and Gniezno and the Bishop of Wrocław, Henryk z Wierzbnej.


Two years later, on 15 June 1305, Queen Elizabeth gave birth to her only child, a daughter named Agnes. Only six days later, on 21 June, King Wenceslaus II died in Prague, probably of tuberculosis. The seventeen-year-old Elizabeth, now Queen Dowager, received several lands as her dowry and 20,000 pieces of fine silver.


Elizabeth's stepson Wenceslaus III (also a claimant to the throne of Hungary) succeeded to the thrones of both Bohemia and Poland but was murdered on 4 August 1306 in Olomouc and with him the Premyslid dynasty became extinct. The Kujavian branch of the Piast dynasty ascended to the Polish throne.


With the death of her stepson, the position of Elizabeth again changed considerably, because as Queen Dowager, she was involved in the fight for the vacant Bohemian throne. Duke Rudolph III of Austria and Styria, son of King Albert I of Germany, finally could take the crown thanks to his father's help. In order to strengthen his position, he asked the hand of Elizabeth, both widow and stepmother of the last two Premyslid Kings as his Queen but she declined.

Instead of accepting the marriage with Rudolf, she arranged her marriage with Stephen of Kuyavia as well as the marriage of her stepdaughter, Margaret of Bohemia to Wladyslaw of Kuyavia both sons of Wladyslaw the Elbowhigh, the defacto King of Poland, the marriage was opposed by the Habsburgs and Carinthians.




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The groom is 9-10 years younger than Elizabeth and marrying him would secure Elizabeth on her claims on the Polish throne and Agnes of Bohemia, her daughter is on the custody of Elisabeth Ryksa, most of the Dukes of Silesia, Kuyavia and Mazovia support her the Dukes of Wroclaw, Jawor, Ziebce, Plock and Nysa would not support Elisabeth Ryksa of Poland and supported Elisabeth of Bohemia, most of the Polish dukes supported Elisabeth Ryksa, Dowager Queen of Bohemia and Stephen as the rightful king and queen of Poland, while their rivals supported the Bohemian claimants, Elisabeth and Anna of Bohemia, due to Margaret of Bohemia is in Kuyavian hands they have their own claimant to the Bohemian throne.


The Bishops of Wroclaw, Krakow and Gniezno supported the marriage between Elisabeth Ryksa and Stephen of Kuyavia and their proclamation as King and Queen.


In the case of the Duke of Wroclaw, Elisabeth Ryksa was not supported because she broke the betrothal of Margaret to a son of Henry the Bearded.


Anna of Bohemia is already married to Henry of Carinthia noble while Elizabeth is still finding for a match and she recently refused the match with Rudolf.



Here are the current claimants to Bohemia


Elisabeth Ryksa, the Queen Consort of Poland, married to Stephen of Kuyavia


Margaret of Bohemia, wife of Wladyslaw of Kuyavia


Agnes of Bohemia, daughter of Elisabeth Ryksa, queen of Poland


Elisabeth of Bohemia, unmarried


Anna of Bohemia, wife of Henry of Carinthia


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Elisabeth Richeza, Dowager Queen of Bohemia, Queen of Poland


Elizabeth married John of Luxembourg, apparently, she knew the weakness of Anna of Bohemia which was her marrying John of Luxembourg, the son of Henry VII, the Holy Roman Emperor, in the case of Rudolf he married Elisabeth of Hungary, the former fiancé of Wenceslaus III.


In this case Elisabeth Ryksa chose not to be a part of the Bohemian succession crisis between the Elizabeth and Anna and Pope Boniface had already crowned her with Stephen I of Poland, it would take a year before the marriage will be consummated she is on the same condition as her former step daughter, her husband is 14 year old on 1310, she is happy that Poland has been already united for her.


In this point in time, the former Queen of Bohemia is known for her own piety and she is loved by the people of Poland, she is well revered in Poland and Bohemia for her own chastity at this point and she has been an ardent supporter of the Pope.



At this point Jadwiga of Kalisz gave birth to her last son named Casimir.


Elizabeth Ryksa m. 1303 Wenceslaus II d. 1306(a) m. 1306 Stephen I of Poland(b)

1a. Agnes of Bohemia b. 1305

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Louis receiving a diploma from the Jews, whom he readmitted to France under strict terms.


In France, Margaret of Burgundy, the one accused in the affair of the Tour de Nesle has died, leaving a daughter, Jeanne of France on 1315, in this case Louis X had remarried to Jeanne de Bar, who was earlier refused by John de Warrene, duke of Surrey, the marriage was fruitful and Jeanne de Bar started to give birth on 1315 with her first child, Marie of France, in this case the Kings of France are also descendants of Edward I via Eleanor of England, Countess of Bar, starting with the birth of their first son Henry on 1317, the King of France and England became friends.


In this time the curse of the Templars against the King of France is proven to be false and Louis supported the Edward II against the machinations of Isabella, the She wolf of France, and for that reason Isabella had less powers against her husband the King of England, on 1316, King Edward II made a treaty with Louis X splitting the inheritance of Aquitaine and England and it is that the status of Aquitaine would be confirmed and Aquitaine and England would be split among his two sons, England would go to his son Edward b. 1312 and his son John b. 1316, Edward would get England and John would get Aquitaine, in exchange Edward would marry Jeanne of France.





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