| Margaret of Brandenburg | |
|---|---|
| Duchess consort of Greater Poland | |
| Tenure | 1293–1296 |
| Queen consort of Poland | |
| Tenure | 1295–1296 |
| Coronation | 25 June 1295,Gniezno |
| Duchess consort of Saxe-Lauenburg | |
| Tenure | 1302–1308 |
| Born | between 1270–1281 |
| Died | after 1314 |
| Spouse | Przemysł II Albert III of Saxe-Lauenburg |
| House | Ascania |
| Father | Albert III, Margrave of Brandenburg-Salzwedel |
| Mother | Matilda of Denmark |
Margaret of Brandenburg-Salzwedel (German:Margareta,Polish:Małgorzata; born between 1270-1281 – died after 1314[1]) was a German noblewoman member of theHouse of Ascania and by her two marriagesDuchess of Greater Poland (during 1293–1296),Queen of Poland (during 1295–1296) andDuchess of Saxe-Lauenburg (during 1302–1308).
She was the youngest child and second daughter ofAlbert III, Margrave of Brandenburg-Salzwedel and Matilda of Denmark, daughter of KingChristopher I.[2]
After the death of his second wife Rikissa of Sweden around 1292, DukePrzemysł II of Greater Poland wished to marry for a third time. The choice of Margaret was mainly for political reasons, because for being a member of the powerfulHouse of Ascania and her Pomerelian ancestry (her maternal grandmother wasSambiria of Pomerelia, later Queen Margaret of Denmark), this would have given to the Greater Poland ruler additional rights over his expected inheritance ofGdańsk Pomerania.
Given the relatively close relationship between Przemysł II and Margaret (both were great-grandchildren ofPřemysl Otakar I of Bohemia), they needed a papal dispensation in order to marry.[3] The wedding ceremony took place shortly before 13 April 1293; according to some historians, probably on this occasion the betrothal between Przemysł II's daughterRyksa and Otto of Brandenburg-Salzwedel, Margaret's brother, was also celebrated.[4]
Margaret was crowned queen consort ofPoland with her husband atGniezno Cathedral on Sunday 26 June 1295, the day of Saints John and Paul.[5] It was the first coronation of a Polish king and queen in 219 years. Margaret was the first undisputed queen consort of Poland sinceRicheza of Lotharingia during the 11th century.
Przemysł II's reign didn't last long. On 8 February 1296, he was kidnapped by men of Margaret's family, with some help from the Polish noble families of Nałęcz and Zaremba and murdered inRogoźno by Jakub Kaszuba. German chronicler Dietmar of Lübeck pointed that Margaret took part in the conspiracy who killed her husband, due to her family relations.[6] It's unknown whether the chronicler found this information, from earlier sources or deduced it based on the simple relationship:[citation needed] because Margaret came from the family accused of the murder, she had to participate.
Margaret, now queen dowager, stayed in Poland (where she received parts of Greater Poland as herdower, according to a Piast dynasty custom) and took care of her stepdaughter Ryksa, future wife of her brother Otto. Shortly after, and for unknown reasons, Margaret returned toBrandenburg, taking Ryksa with her.
Once in her homeland, Margaret was engaged withNicholas Ithe Child, Lord of Rostock and member of theHouse of Mecklenburg; however, in 1299 the betrothal was broken by Nicholas I, who chose to marry a Pomeranian princess. Around this time, her stepdaughter Ryksa returned to Poland after the death of her intended husband.
Sometime later, another marriage was arranged to Margaret, this time withAlbert III, who ruled jointly with his brothersEric I andJohn II the Duchy ofSaxe-Lauenburg, partitioned fromSaxony in 1296. Because Albert III and Margaret are closely related (both are members of the House of Ascania), a papal dispensation was granted inAnagni on 24 September 1302; the marriage was probably celebrated shortly after. They are not known to have any children.[7][8]
In 1303 Albert III and his brothers divided Saxe-Lauenburg into three branch duchies. Albert III and Margaret then held Saxe-Ratzeburg. After Albert III's death in 1308, his brother Eric I inherited part of Albert's share, while Margaret retained the other part.
Margaret died probably in 1315 and was buried inRatzeburg Cathedral.[9] On her death Eric I also took her share of Ratzenburg.[10]
Margaret of Brandenburg Born: 1270 Died: 1315 | ||
| Royal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Queen consort of Poland 1295–1296 | Succeeded by |