| Anna of Świdnica | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Holy Roman Empress | |
| Tenure | 1355–1362 |
| Queen consort of Germany andBohemia | |
| Tenure | 1353–1362 |
| Born | c. 1339 Świdnica |
| Died | 11 July 1362 (aged 22 or 23) Prague,Bohemia |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | Wenceslaus, King of the Romans Elisabeth of Bohemia |
| House | Piast |
| Father | Henry II of Świdnica |
| Mother | Katharina of Hungary |
Anna of Schweidnitz (Świdnica)[1][2][3][4] (also known as Anne or Anna of Świdnica,[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]Czech:Anna Svídnická,Polish:Anna Świdnicka,German:Anna von Schweidnitz und Jauer) (Świdnica, 1339 – 11 July 1362 inPrague) wasQueen ofBohemia, German Queen, and Empress of theHoly Roman Empire. She was the third wife of EmperorCharles IV.
Anne was the daughter of Polish Duke Henry II ofŚwidnica-Jawor from theSilesian branch of thePiast dynasty. Her mother wasKatherine of Hungary (hypothesis disproved), the daughter ofCharles I of Hungary. In his autobiography written in Latin,[14] which covers only his youth prior to marrying Anna, emperor Charles mentionscivitatem Swidnitz anddux Swidnicensis, as depicted in the coat of arms room[15] of hisWenzelschloss castle atLauf an der Pegnitz near Nuremberg.
Anne's father died when she was four years old, and her childless uncle, Bolko II, Duke of Świdnica-Jawor became her guardian. She was brought up and educated by her mother atVisegrád in Hungary. At the age of 11, Anne had been promised to Wenceslaus, newborn son and successor to Charles IV. After the infant Wenceslaus and his motherAnna of the Palatinate died, the now-widowed Emperor asked to marry Anne himself. The planned marriage was part of the strategies devised by Charles and his then-deceased fatherJohn to gain control of thePiastDuchies of Silesia asvedlejší země ("neighboring countries") for the Kingdom of Bohemia. Anne's uncle,Louis I of Hungary, the future King of Poland, was able to assist her by renouncing his rights to Świdnica in favor of the House of Luxemburg.
At the instigation of archbishopArnošt of Pardubice,Pope Innocent VI issued a dispensation for the marriage, which was required because of the degree of relationship between the bride and groom (they were second cousins once removed through their common ancestorsRudolf I of Germany andGertrude of Hohenberg). The two were married on 27 May 1353, when Anne was 14; her new husband was 37. The wedding was attended by Anne's guardianBolko II of Świdnica, DukeAlbert II of Austria, King Louis of Hungary, MargraveLouis of Brandenburg, DukeRudolf of Saxony, an envoy of KingCasimir III of Poland, and an envoy of theRepublic of Venice.
On 28 July 1353, Anna was crowned Queen of Bohemia inPrague by Archbishop Arnošt of Pardubice. On 9 February 1354, inAachen, she was crowned German queen. As part of the coronation of Charles asHoly Roman Emperor on 5 April 1355, in the RomanBasilica of Saint Peter, Anne was crowned Empress of the Holy Roman Empire. She was thereby the first Queen of Bohemia to become Empress.
In 1358, Anne bore a daughter,Elisabeth, who was named afterElisabeth of Bohemia (1292–1330). In February 1361 she became mother of the desired successor to the throne,Wenceslaus, who was born inNuremberg, and baptized on 11 April in the Sebalduskirche by the Archbishops ofPrague,Cologne, andMainz. She did not live to see the coronation of the two-year-old Wenceslaus, however. At age 23, she died in childbirth on 11 July 1362. She is buried inSt. Vitus Cathedral. The emperor marriedElisabeth of Pomerania one year later. The Duchies of Świdnica and Jawor passed to Bohemia after Bolko's death in 1368.
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{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Google Books
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| Preceded by | Queen consort of Germany 1353–1362 | Succeeded by |
| Queen consort of Bohemia 1353–1362 | ||
| Preceded by | Holy Roman Empress 1355–1362 | |
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