Elizabeth Richeza of Poland
Elisabeth Richza of Poland (Polish Ryksa Elżbieta, Czech Eliska Alžběta Rejčka ) (* September 1, 1286 or 1288 in Poznan, † October 19, 1335 in Brno ) was a queen of Bohemia and Poland. She was the first queen of Bohemia, wife of two rulers was.
Life
The daughter of the Duke of Greater Poland from 1295 and King of Poland Przemysław II and Richenza, daughter of King Valdemar of Sweden, lost both parents still young. The mother died when she was six years old, his father was murdered by Polish nobles in 1296. Originally Richza with Otto, son of the Margrave of Brandenburg, engaged. Here it was also associated with their education. After the early death of the fiancé she became the heiress of Poland a welcome part of the Bohemian king Wenceslas II
1300, the Princess was brought to Bohemia, where she was brought up by Wenzel's aunt. 1303, the seventeen- year-old was married to the 32 -year-old Bohemian and now Polish king and crowned by the Bishop Henry of Breslau Vrbno queen. After the wedding, she took the name Elizabeth.
1305 she gave birth to daughter Agnes. The longed-for son who should inherit the crown of Poland, the King did not live to see. At nineteen, Elizabeth was a widow. After the assassination of the last Přemyslids Wenceslas III. occurred in the country in chaos and power struggles. After the occupation by the Habsburg King Albrecht I. Bohemia handed as a fief to his son Rudolf. So this was accepted by the Bohemian nobility, he held the hand of the King Widow Elisabeth Richza. The 25 -year-old widowed Duke thus was not only King of Bohemia, but also from Poland. In the power struggles against Bavors of Strakonitz he fell ill with dysentery and died in 1307. He left the 21 -year-old a widow. Shortly before his death he had but to double their income, and they thus became one of the richest women in Bohemia. This wealth, however, they could not enjoy at first. She was detained for further power struggles in the yard partially. She succeeded, however, with her daughter to flee to Vienna. Here they spent some time in the monastery.
After the situation calmed in Bohemia, allowed her the King Henry of Carinthia, the return to Bohemia, where they settled in Hradec Kralove. After the recent coup came in 1310 with John of Luxembourg, the youngest daughter of Wenceslas II, also Elizabeth, married, Luxembourg to power in Bohemia. Even from ancient times was an open hostility between the women.
Elisabeth Richza entertained in the meantime with the leader of the Bohemian aristocracy, Henry of Lipa, a close relationship. This ratio was a thorn in the side of the new queen. 1315 Henry was imprisoned, and the country fell into turmoil. After three years, Henry was dismissed at the insistence of the Bohemian nobility, and he took over the Duchy of Moravia in Brno. Here they built a farm on similar to the royal. With the support of the Olomouc Bishop Konrad Elisabeth Richza founded in Old Brno Marienkirche the Cistercian monastery of Maria Hall, where Henry of Lipa was buried in 1329.
The last years of life spent Elisabeth Richza with the administration of estates, gave many towns in South Bohemia privileges and collected writings and equipment for their monastery. The largest portion of their assets received after her death, the Brno monastery. They also took into account other monasteries and their daughter Agnes, who was now married to the Bavarian Duke Henry.
Elisabeth Richza of Poland died on October 19, 1335 and was buried alongside her last lover Henry of Lipa.