Anna Jagiellon

## Anna Jagiellon de Pologne

Księżniczka Koronna Polsko-Litewska, Anna Jagiellon, Paolo Veronese (c. 1573)

Sophia Jagiellon, Duchesse de Brunswick-Lunebourg †

Catherine Jagiellon, Reine de Suède

Hedwig Jagiellon, Électrice de Brandebourg †

John, Évêque de Wilno et de Poznań † (Fils Légitimé)

Regina, Starost de Cieszyn † (Fille Légitimée)

Katarzyna, Comtesse de Montfort à Pfannberg † (Fille Légitimée)

Signature of Anna Jagiellonka, 1574

**Anna Jagiellon** (Polish: *Anna Jagiellonka*, Lithuanian: *Ona Jogailaitė,* French: Anna Jagellon; 18 October 1523 – Present) is the Princesse Héritière de Pologne-Lituanie. Daughter of Polish King Sigismund I the Old and Italian duchess Bona Sforza, Anna received multiple proposals, but remains unmarried at the age of 51.

After the death of King Sigismund II Augustus, her brother and the last male member of the Jagiellonian dynasty, her hand was sought by pretenders to the Polish throne to maintain the dynastic tradition.

## Biography

### Childhood

Anna Jagiellon was born on 18 October 1523 in Kraków, Kingdom of Poland. Her parents were the Polish King and Queen, Sigismund I the Old and Bona Sforza. She spent most of her childhood in Kraków with her sisters Sophia and Catherine. From June 1533 to November 1536 and from April 1540 to June 1542, the younger sisters were left alone in Kraków while the rest of the family was in Lithuania. That meant that the three sisters grew closer, but were more distant from their elder brother Sigismund Augustus.

Her upbringing and education were supervised by Bona Sforza, who was considered a strict and demanding mother. Anna and her two sisters, Zofia and Katarzyna, had to work hard to seek their mother’s attention from an early age, as she clearly favoured the older siblings Izabela and Zygmunt. Anna received a good education. She was well-versed in architecture and finances, as well as fluent in Italian and Latin. In her free time, she embroidered and sewed beautiful tapestries (many of her works survived to this day), played chess and dice, and was involved in works of charity.

### Marriage

The issue of marriage of the youngest three Jagiellon sisters was neglected by both their parents. Only after their father's death in 1548, the first serious candidate to husband emerged – Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, but he was a Hohenzollern and a Protestant, had debts and a bad temper. In summer 1548, after a conflict with King Sigismund II Augustus over his secret marriage with Barbara Radziwiłł, Queen Mother Bona and her unmarried daughters moved to Mazovia, mainly Warsaw and Ujazdów Castle. In 1550, Bona attempted to negotiate marriage with Charles Victor or Philip, sons of Henry V, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, or Prince Ernest of Bavaria. After a family meeting in May 1552 in Płock, Sigismund II Augustus considered marrying his sisters to King Gustav I of Sweden, Dukes John Frederick II and Johann Wilhelm of Saxony, and Duke John Albert I of Mecklenburg, but lacked resolve and consistency. In January 1556, Bona managed to arrange a marriage for Sophia. A month later, Bona departed to her native Italy, leaving her two unmarried daughters alone in Warsaw.

After about a year, Sigismund II Augustus brought his sisters to Vilnius where they became close to his third wife, Catherine of Austria. Even though Anna was already in her mid-thirties, Sigismund investigated marriage proposals. Widowed Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, did not want to remarry; his unmarried son Charles II (born 1540) was too young; Tsar Ivan the Terrible was not deemed beneficial for Poland–Lithuania; and John Frederick, Duke of Pomerania did not want an alliance with Poland as it would have drawn the Duchy of Pomerania into the Livonian War. King Eric XIV of Sweden was personally more interested in pursuing marriage with Queen Elizabeth I of England, but sought an alliance with Poland and suggested his half-brother John, Duke of Finland. John agreed, but asked for Catherine. It was against custom for a younger sister to marry first, therefore their wedding was postponed. Three more grooms were proposed for Anna: Danish prince Magnus was supposed to become a Lutheran bishop which would be unacceptable marriage for the Catholic Poles; the last Master of the Livonian Order Gotthard Kettler was not of royal blood and his control of Livonia was tenuous; John's younger brother, Magnus, Duke of Östergötland. Sigismund II Augustus agreed to the double Polish–Swedish alliance, but only John arrived to the wedding in Vilnius. The court demanded that John married Anna, but he insisted on Catherine. Needing Swedish troops and money in the Livonian War, Sigismund II Augustus relented if Anna did not protest. Though it must have been humiliating, Anna agreed and Catherine married John on 4 October 1562.

As Vilnius wasn't safe due to the Livonian War, Anna moved to the Royal Castle in Warsaw and lived there for about ten years with a court of about 70 people. She spent her time playing games, embroidering, praying, and corresponding with her sisters. Her brother visited her annually when he attended sessions of the general sejm ("Parliament") in Warsaw. Even though Anna was already in her forties, marriage proposals continued to come in. In 1564, Reichard, Count Palatine of Simmern-Sponheim, proposed but perhaps was deterred by her relatively small dowry of 32,000 Polish red złoty. In 1568, her sister Sophia proposed Eberhard, eldest son of Christoph, Duke of Württemberg, but he died the same year. In 1569, a project emerged to marry Anna to Barnim X, Duke of Pomerania, who demanded that she would bring eight border territories as her dowry, which was unacceptable to Poland. In 1572, Sophia proposed Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia, but Sigismund II Augustus refused.

### Interregnums

In July 1572, her brother Sigismund II Augustus died, leaving the throne to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth vacant. His death changed Anna's status from a neglected spinster to the heiress of the Jagiellon dynasty. Sigismund left all the wealth of the Jagiellon dynasty to his three sisters, but Polish nobles did not allow a private person to inherit royal possessions. Thus, Anna received only a small portion of her inheritance, but still became a very rich woman. She left Warsaw and traveled to Piaseczno, Płock, Łomża.

Jean de Monluc, Bishop of Valence, offered the French Prince Henry de Valois to the electors of the Commonwealth as the next King. Among other things, Montluc promised the electors that Henry would marry the heiress of the Jagiellons to maintain the dynastic tradition. Although Polish nobles sought to keep her out of the political arena, Anna learned of Henry's offer in spring 1573 and became his strong supporter, flattered that he "cared for her and not only for the Kingdom". With her support, he was elected as King of Poland on 11 May 1573 and officially crowned on 21 February 1574. However, due to an oversight (whether intentional or unintentional), Henrician Articles (Henry's pre-election treaty) did not include the promise to marry the Jagiellon heiress and so he tarried. When it became apparent that Henry would not marry her, Anna was humiliated. In June 1574, he left Poland to assume his new duties as King of France and by May 1575 the Parliament of the Commonwealth had removed him as their monarch.

During the second interregnum, Anna assumed the unprecedented but politically important title of Infanta, mirroring the Spanish custom and highlighting her dynastic status. Poland did not recognize the status of crown prince since, technically, the monarchy was not hereditary but elective between the native noble families and foreign royalty. Despite this, she still referred to herself as "Anna, par la Grâce de Dieu, Infante Héritière du Royaume de Pologne" (Latin: "Anna Dei Gratia Infans Regni Poloniae"). She wanted to marry and become Queen of Poland, but deceived by the French, she was a lot more careful and did not voice her support publicly. She was skeptical of marriage proposals by Archduke Ernest of Austria, Alfonso II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, and Frederick IV of Liegnitz. Finally, in 1575, the last serious marriage proposal was introduced. In order to elect himself to become King of Poland, Charles II, Roi de Bourgogne, needed to marry the Polish Princess. Satisfied with this, Anna accepted the proposal, and the two were set to be wed. Though, the age difference between the two was staggering and not unnoticeable. Charles II, being born in 1559, was 36 years her junior, making the match strictly political and Anna unable to give an heir.

### Appearance

Anna Jagiellon is considered to be ugly. Her face is described as "dull" and her eyes sunken. She is known to have large, dark bags under her eyes, and she rarely covers her face with powder. Anna's nose is crooked, and takes up most of her face. Her nostrils are large and go upwards, and she has almost a hook nose. Her lips are small, though she has a large cupid's bow that took up most of them. She is the victim of rosacea, causing her cheeks to constantly be in a state of redness. Her eyebrows are high up on her face and almost non-existent, causing the illusion of big eyes. Anna's ears are larger than most, and turn red when she is warm. Her blonde hair is riddled with small curls, and frizzes in the heat. Due to her depressive states, she developed a binge-eating disorder, causing her to gain weight and become obese. Due to this, she has a hard time walking long distances, and would rather stay inside. She has a double chin that is prominent, even in her portraits. She forces her artists to make her "more beautiful" in their work, which often confuses potential matches when they see her in person.

#### Personality

Head strong and stubborn, Anna's continuous humiliations from failed marriage proposals made her bitter. Even as a child, she was interested in politics and other activities that were specifically for men. She rode non-side saddle on horses, hunted with her father, and cursed in front of others. She was described as a "tom boy," and when alone in her rooms, she wore men's undergarments instead of a chemise. She did prefer to stay inside and gossip with the women, and was specifically close to her older siblings. Despite her roughness, she partook in womanly activities, such as embroidery, and donated to charities whenever she could. Her piousness was evident from a young age, she would attend mass and pray whenever she could. She understood the concept of etiquette and was able to follow it religiously, especially when she became heir to the Kingdom of Poland. Her attitude towards hierarchy and status is intensely serious, and she heavily judges those who do not know their place. She is not afraid to berate anyone who does not agree with her or questions her way of thinking.

## Titles and Styles

* **18th October 1523 - 12th May 1575** *Jej Królewska Wysokość,* Księżniczka Polski (Polish) *Son Altesse Royale,* Princesse de Pologne (French)

* **12th May 1575 - Present** *Jej Królewska Wysokość,* Księżna Koronna Polski (Polish) Son Altesse Royale, Infante Héritière du Royaume de Pologne (French)