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Władysław II Jagiełło

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Władysław II Jagiełło (modern artistic representation)
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Władysław II Jagiełło (modern artistic representation)

This article refers to the 14th century monarch who founded the Jagiellon dynasty. For the 12th century monarch, see Władysław II the Exile, and for other monarchs with similar names see Ladislaus Jagiello (disambiguation) or Ladislaus (disambiguation).
Władysław II Jagiełło or Jogaila; (Polish: Władysław II Jagiełło; Lithuanian: Jogaila Algirdaitis; Belarusian: Jahajła (Ягайла); Ukrainian: Volodislav Jahajlo (Володислав Ягайло); c.1351 – June 1, 1434, Gródek Jagielloński) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1377. After marrying the 11-year-old Queen Jadwiga of Poland and converting to Christianity, he also became King of Poland in 1386, a reign which united Poland and Lithuania and lasted for 49 years.

He was the last pagan ruler of medieval Lithuania, with the title Didysis Kunigaikštis which would be translated as High King according to the contemporary perception. The later construct for its translation is Grand Duke (for its etymology, see Grand Prince). His Lithuanian realm chiefly meant that of Lithuanians and Ruthenians and it was at least half-Slavic. At his baptism, he changed his name from Jogaila to Władysław II.

The Jagiellon era is commonly characterized as the beginning of Poland's "Golden Age", and of the Polish-Lithuanian union. His reign set those countries on the road to becoming a major European power, and extended their frontiers to the north, east and west.

Contents

Titles

From 1386, when ascended in Poland

Please note that Jogaila's title was 'supreme duke/prince of Lithuania' while as the same time the traditional title of 'high duke/prince of Lithuania' was reserved for his cousin Vytautas.

As monarch of Lithuania before religious conversion

(breviary excerpts: from a Latin document in 1383: Nos Jagalo divina deliberacione magnus Rex vel dux litwanorum, Russieque dominus et here; from a German document in 1380: Wir Jagel obirster kung der Littouwen, from a German document in 1382 where together with his brother Skirgailo: Wir Jagal von gotis gnaden grosir konig czu lyttauwen und wir Skirgal Hertzog zcu Tracken, gebrudere - source [link])

(Compare with his grandfather Gediminas' titulary which at least in 1323 had been Gedeminne Dei gratia Letphanorum Ruthenorumque rex, princeps et dux Semigallie.)

Biography

Equestrian statue of Władysław II Jagiełło in Central Park, New York City.
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Equestrian statue of Władysław II Jagiełło in Central Park, New York City.

Jogaila was descended from the Gediminid dynasty of dukes and Grand Dukes of Lithuania. He was born in Vilnius, Lithuania to Algirdas (or Olgierd, ruled 1345-1377), Grand Prince of Lithuania and Uliana Alexandrovna of Tver. His paternal grandparents were Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania and Jewna, reportedly of Polatsk. When Jogaila succeeded his father, Algirdas, as Grand Duke in 1377, he had to share power with his uncle Kestutis. In 1381, Jogaila was overthrown by Kestutis, but within the next year, he deposed and imprisoned his uncle, in the castle at Kreva, where he soon died. Jogaila is suspected of having him killed there. Jogaila, at the behest of his mother, considered marrying the daughter of the Prince of Moscow. However, he probably came to the conclusion, that accepting the Eastern Orthodox faith would not stop the Teutonic Order attacks on Lithuania, so he accepted the different proposition offered from Roman Catholic Poland. After signing the document, known as the Union of Krewo in 1385, Jogaila married Queen Jadwiga of Poland (who was then only 11 years old) in the following year, and established the Jagiellon dynasty, which would rule in Poland and Lithuania until 1572. At the same time, Jogaila accepted Roman Catholicism, as did some other Lithuanian nobles. Thus, he became King Władysław II Jagiełło (Latin:Wladislaus II) of Poland.

After the death of Jadwiga and their newborn daughter in 1399, Władysław II Jagiełło continued to rule, for yet another 35 years. Some believed that he had lost his entitlement to the throne with the death of Jadwiga. However, there were no obvious other successors, and all potential competitors, of which there existed a vast number, were only distant relatives of Piast kings. Although Jogaila faced difficulties from time to time, he remained king more or less by default. He tried to strengthen his position and authority by next marrying Anna of Celje, granddaughter of king Kazimierz III (d. 1370), whose mother Anna, Countess of Celje (died 1425), was the daughter of King Casimir. Anna of Cilli also died in 1416 leaving only a daughter, Jadwiga of Lithuania, died in 1431, on the other hand releasing Wladyslaw to leave Poland to his sons, on the other hand erasing the last possible Jagello heir with Piast blood. Władysław II Jagiełło did not yet have any heirs. His next marriages were with ladies from Polish and Lithuanian dominions, apparently having no ancestors among Polish monarchs. His sons and heirs were born of his fourth wife Sophia, who was from Lithuania/Ruthenia, not Poland. Polish nobles gained concessions and privileges from Jagello when utilizing his need to get confirmation for his sons' succession.

Jagello died in his eighties, in 1434, leaving Lithuania to his younger son Casimir and Poland to his elder, Vladislaus. Both boys were underage at his death.

Polish-Lithuanian coat-of-arms.
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Polish-Lithuanian coat-of-arms.

Jogaila's conversion marked the establishment of Catholic Christianity as the official religion of Lithuania following a brief period of Catholic kingship in the 1250s. Though pagan beliefs continued in the country for some time, the Lithuanian nobility gave its support to the new order upon being promised (in 1401) a voice in the election of the future Polish-Lithuanian rulers.

In military terms, his reign is noted for the crushing defeat inflicted on the Teutonic Knights in neighbouring Prussia by Polish and Lithuanian forces under his supreme command at the Battle of Grunwald (1410).

Jogaila was the first of the dynasty of Lithuanian princes who were also kings of Poland (1386-1572). He was succeeded by his son Władysław III, and after his death at the battle of Varna by second son Casimir IV. Previously rulers from this dynasty, called Gediminaičiai, were grand princes of Lithuania, and after the Union of Krewo, Jogaila adopted both titles (Supreme duke of Lithuania and King of Poland). Later, however, up until the Union of Lublin (1569), the title of Grand duke of Lithuania was sometimes under dispute and not always belonged to the King of Poland. However, both titles, if separate, were used to be held by members of same Gediminaičiai dynasty who were related to each other in close family ties.

Before that the Piasts had been monarchs of Poland, in last century intermitting with the Bohemian Przemysls and followed by a brief period of Angevins.

Although Jagiellonian dynasty was not hereditary in Poland (though in Lithuania it was) and in theory each king of this dynasty was elected, in reality every time when the father died, his son (or brother) was elected as new king.

After the last male member of the Jagiellonian dynasty died, the kings of Poland were elected by the nobility (szlachta) of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Dynastic Relations

Polish 100-złoty banknote with likeness of Władysław II Jagiełło.
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Polish 100-złoty banknote with likeness of Władysław II Jagiełło.

Władysław II Jagiełło was married in 1386 to Queen Jadwiga of Poland (1374-1399). Their only child was:

His second wife was Anna of Celje (1386-1416), married in 1402, a Slovenian noblewoman, and (more importantly) the only child of Anna, a daughter of Casimir III of Poland (d 1370). (Her mother, Anna Countess of Celje, died 1425 without surviving children.) The only child of Jagiello and Anna of Celje was: The third wife was Elisabeth of Pilica (Granowska). No children.

The fourth wife was Sophia of Halshany, a noblewoman from Lithuanian nobility. Their children were:

Władysław II Jagiełło. A 19th-century drawing by Jan Matejko.
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Władysław II Jagiełło. A 19th-century drawing by Jan Matejko.

Mother

Father

Wives

Brothers

Sisters

Sons

Daughters

See also

Bibliography

External links

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Monarchs of Poland
Piast dynasty>Piast:

Siemowit > Lestko | Siemomysł | Mieszko I | Bolesław I the Brave | Mieszko II Lambert | Bezprym | Mieszko II Lambert | Casimir I the Restorer | Bolesław II the Bold | Władysław I Herman | Zbigniew of Poland | Bolesław III Wrymouth | Władysław II the Exile | Bolesław IV the Curly | Mieszko III the Old | Casimir II the Just | Leszek I the White | Władysław III Spindleshanks | Mieszko IV Tanglefoot | Konrad I of Masovia | Henryk I the Bearded | Henryk II the Pious | Konrad I of Masovia | Bolesław V the Chaste | Leszek II the Black | Henryk IV Probus | Przemysł II
Přemyslid dynasty>Přemyslid:

Václav II | Václav III
Piast dynasty>Piast:

Władysław I the Elbow-high > Casimir III the Great
Angevin:

Ludwik the Hungarian | Jadwiga Angevin
Jagiellon dynasty>Jagiellon:

Władysław II Jagiełło > Władysław III of Varna | Casimir IV Jagiellon | John I Albert | Alexander Jagiellon | Sigismund I the Old | Sigismund II Augustus
Free election>Elected:

Henryk III Walezy | Anna Jagiellon | Stefan Batory | Sigismund III Vasa | Władysław IV Vasa | John II Casimir | Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki | Jan III Sobieski | August II the Strong | Stanisław Leszczyński | August II the Strong | Stanisław Leszczyński | August III the Saxon | Stanisław August Poniatowski

 

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