Judith, Queen of Poland

## Judith of Hungary

Queen Consort of Poland

Catherine of Poland

Hedwig of Poland

Lothar of Poland

**Judith of Hungary** (C. 1143 - 1201) was the eldest child of Ladislaus II of Hungary and Blanche of France. She was born in Hungary in 1143 as a Hungarian Princess, and she was named for her paternal great-great-grand-mother Judith of Carinthia. She was betrothed to the High-Duke of Poland when Judith was only 6, but after the High-Duke defeated the other Polish overlords, he declared himself King of Poland, when Judith turned 12, her mother sent Judith from Hungary, through Slovakia to Poland were Judith was married to the King of Poland (Bolesław IV of Poland) and crowned Queen, Bolesław was a faithful husband to his Queen, but he would from time to time would flirt with Judith's ladies in waiting. Judith bore Bolesław 3 daughters and 2 sons, the eldest son would be the son to succeed Bolesław, when Judith was in her late 30's, her husband died after a nobleman he demoted poisoned him, Judith's son Mieszko succeeded Bolesław and executed the noble who poisoned Bolesław. Judith's son became known as Mieszko "The Old" for his long reign, Judith died in Kraków in the company of her ladies-in-waiting. She was buried at Wawel Cathedral, next to her husband.

## Early Life

### Childhood

Judith of Hungary was born in Budapest as the eldest daughter of Ladislaus II of Hungary and Blanche of France. Blanche had one older brother when she was born named Géza of Hungary who was heir to the Hungarian empire, her birth was followed by a younger sister Maria of Hungary and then a younger brother named Andrew of Hungary. Judith was described by the German ambassador to Hungary as "Tall, with dark hair that seems to look blue, though not the prettiest face you ever seen, she is graceful and pleasurable." Judith was educated by the French ambassador to Hungary and was educated in Art, History, dance, and archery, but also educated in the masculan skills of math, reading, writing and war.

### Betrothal

Judith's father wanted to make an alliance with Poland, who was about to become a global superpower, the High Duke of Poland was 22 and still unmarried, mainly because the daughters of Poland's neighbors did not like men with beards, and the High Duke happened to have a beard, When Judith was 6 - 8 years old, Judith and her sister Maria were offered to the high Duke, the High Duke chose Judith over Maria who was later married to the King of Denmark, Judith and her future husband met in Venice where the Doge of Venice presented the couple with a feast, Judith learned Polish from the French ambassador, but she still feared she would mess up as future High-Duchess. When Judith was 10, her husband invaded all the neighboring Polish Micro-kingdom's and Duchies, and crowned himself King of Poland, when her parent's heard of the news, the started educated her on the way of a Queen Consort.

### Marriage

When Judith was 11, the marriage was suppose to take place, but the Pope declared the 8th Crusade, and Judith of Hungary was old enough to fight in it even though she was a year under the age rate, but she got to fight because she was royal, but regular woman were expected to stay at home and there commoner husbands went on crusade. Judith wen't with her 14 year old brother and her parents to Hungary, she learned how to kill in battle and her brother took an oath to protect Judith, but Judith often complained he was to over protective because her brother Géza would not let her go to Jaffa which was the most dangerous place to go crusading. Judith and her brother left there parents to crusade in Antioch, and they traveled to Athens were Judith celebrated her 12th birthday, but her future husband happened to be there and married her in a private ceremony, when her parents heard this, they wanted to re-arrange the wedding, so Judith and her husband Bolesław would not have to be married in a battle field, Judith and her husband were remarried in Kraków, Poland.

## Queen of Poland

Following her wedding in Kraków, Bolesław, she was crowned Queen of Poland, but 6 days after her coronation, there was still an 8th Crusade, so Judith and Bolesław wen't back on Crusade, 2 years into the 8th Crusade after Judith turned 14, she gave birth to a son on campagne to Jerusalem, her son Mieszko who was born in Antioch (being the first Polish King to be born there.) Was sent home with Judith while Bolesław wen't to Jerusalem. Judith was left regent of Poland though she was only 14, her father assisted her in ruling Poland as regent, when Judith was 16, her husband came back with some money he stole from weakened Turkish caphaites, he also came back to see his 3 year old son for the first time in 3 years. Judith gave birth a second time when she was 17, to Elisabeth of Poland who was the future Princess of Kiev. Judith was a popular Polish Queen for taking sides with Poland over her own home nation unlike many Queen's before. During the Polish-Hungarian debate over Slovakia, she sided with Poland stating "Now I sou to be loyal to the land of Poland, I cannot betray by new country." At the end Poland and Hungary split Slovakia up, and they made a second alliance against the Turks.

## 9th Crusade

After the birth of Judith's 3rd child Catherine of Poland, the Pope declared the 9th Crusade during the council of Clermont, Judith and Bolesław prepared there armies in Warclów, Poland. Bolesław wanted to take the Duke of Estonia on crusade who was rejected by the Pope to Crusade, but Judith did not wan't to risk getting excommunicated, and refused to take the Duke on Crusade. Judith and Bolesław wen't to Jaffa where they restored the Count of Jaffa and escaped Jerusalem for the Ottoman forces coming to Jaffa, with the help of Marie of Jerusalem, who was the youngest daughter of the late king Fulk II of Jerusalem. Judith wanted to crusade in Bulgaria, but Bulgaria was currently on fire at the time, and certainly Bolesław would not let his Queen go the a country on fire. Judith and Bolesław joined the famous and infamous "Kings army" which consisted of the King of France, Dublin, England, Hungary, Denmark, Armenia, Georgia, Jerusalem, Germany, Castile, Aragon, Léon, Portugal, Scotland, and Byzantine as an alliance against the expanding Ottoman Empire, Queen's were allowed, but they had to be accompanied by men in order to join the "Kings army." Judith briefly met her older brother Géza and her father, but they wen't to Jerusalem, while Judith was going to Antioch with the rest of the King's army. The 9th crusade ended in a tie, with the Ottoman's taking over northern Cyprus, and the western forces being pushed back, it was a bad year for the crusaders of the 9th Crusade.

## The King's Army

During the 9th Crusade, Judith and her husband joined the "Kings Army" which was a fedoration of christian king's who joined forces against the expanding power of the Turks, Judith had the 7th seat in the king's army right after the King and Queen of Aragon, but before the King and Queen of Denmark, the seat's were organized from most powerful to least powerful, the most powerful sat in the front-middle of the room. The seats looked a little something like this:

1. John I of England sat in the front as he was the most powerful king in Europe at the time.
2. Louis VIII of France sat behind John, as he was the second most powerful European monarch.
3. Fredrick II, Holy Roman Emperor controlled Germany, Italy, the Kingdom of Burgundy, and parts of Austria.
4. Ladislaus II of Hungary (Aka. Judith's father) sat behind Fredrick, he was known for controlling most of the balkans.
5. Alfonso VIII of Castile sat behind Ladislaus, he controlled a lot of the Iberian peninsula.
6. Alfonso II of Aragon controlled parts of Italy and most of what is now eastern Spain (Aragon and Zamora.)
7. Bolesław IV of Poland (Aka. Judith's husband) controlled Poland and some parts of Slovakia and Lithuania.
8. Olaf VIII of Denmark controlled Denmark, and some parts of Northern Germany, sat right behind Bolesław and Judith.
9. Alexander I of Scotland controlled some of the british isles and all of Scotland.
10. Alexios III of Byzantine controlled the Greek isles.
11. Sancho the Great controlled Portugal and most of Galicia.
12. Robert II of Sicily controlled Sicily and the late visigoths.
13. Robert the Great the first king of Naples, and ruled parts of the Vandal kingdoms.
14. Joan I of Navarre controlled Navarre and modern day Monaco, Navarre could be considered a powerful kingdom as the Queen at the time was married to Louis VIII of France.
15. Alfonso IX of León, Léon could be considered a powerful kingdom in name of the kingdom of Castile.
16. Fulk III of Jerusalem was mostly a puppet king by the King of France and the Byzantine Emperor, but held the kingdom of Jerusalem until he died in battle.
17. Ascall mac Ragnaill ruled Dublin and the Irish isles.
18. Leo VIII of Georgia controlled Georgia and parts of Armenia and Russia.
19. Davit II of Armenia, controlled some of what is know Azerbaijan.

The King of Norway and Sweden joined later in the king's army which is still active today, the king's army meets 2 times every-month in Madrid, Spain. Judith of Hungary sat next to her husband's throne, Judith sat along with many other monarchs and there wives/husbands. They discussed war duty such as the crusades, Judith often debated and took sides with her husband while debating subject.

## 10 years war

The Estonian-Latvian Duke of Estonia wanted territory in Polish controlled Litvus City which was near Estonia, but the Duke of Estonia certainly was not powerful enough to defeat the mighty Polish forces. The Duke of Estonia offered 10,000 euros (Which is 7,000,000 euros today) for Litvus city along with an alliance between Estonia and Poland, but Judith and Bolesław were not about to give up Litvus city, after the birth of Judith 4th child Hedwig of Poland, Judith sent a letter to the Duke of Estonia declining the offer, the Duke of Estonia desprately wanted Litvus city to have a better trade rout to the Principality of Volhynia, so the Duke of Estonia declared war on Poland, a lot of kingdom's sided with Poland and aided the Polish king to defeat Estonia, the Kievan Rus' who were neighbor's to Poland sided with Poland and they made a marriage alliance with them, the Grand Prince's daughter Agnes of Kiev was betrothed to Mieszko of Poland (Who was heir to Poland.) when the 10th crusade was announced, Judith promised her husband that he could go on crusade while she fought in Estonia. After the birth to Judith's final child Lothar of Poland, she marched an army to Tallinn with 11,000 armymen, the battle of Tallinn lasted 10 years.

### Battle of Tallinn

When Judith reached Estonia, according to legend Judith spoke to the best general of Poland (Marck Van Vonnerburg) and ordered him to lead the army to Tallinn which was the capital of Estonia and still is, Marck was alerted and told the Queen, "My Queen, your making a mistake! There waiting for you, don't make it easier for you My Lady!" Judith insisted they go to Tallinn and marched without her top general sense he refused to march the army to Tallinn, other then executing him, she wanted to show Marck she was the better general, the Duke of Estonia's army was marching tword's Judith's army, as she closed her eyes while holding her horses harness, and ordered everyone to fire there arrows and swords, the Duke of Estonia ordered there army to fire at the Queen, a group of soldiers died protecting the Queen, Judith's father sent troops to Poland to serve in Judith's army. On the 4th of March on the 6th year of the war, Judith crushed the forces in the Tallinn greenland's killing many Estonian troops, after the 10th Crusade, Bolesław marched an army to Tallinn and met with his wife whom had just celebrated her 28th birthday in battle, Judith was an aggresive Queen, and never wanted to let her husband or Poland down, so she took a risk of going to Alu Manor where a blood hungry Estonian noble family lived, the family wanted the Queen of Poland dead, and they made 7 assassination attempts against the Queen and her husband, Judith's 16 year old son was taken to Kiev around this time to get married to Agnes to secure the alliance. The Kievan Rus' joined the war and sided heavly with Poland, when the 11th Crusade was announced, Judith's husband wen't on Crusade while Judith and the Grand-Prince of Kiev stayed fighting in Estonia, Judith kidnapped the Duke of Estonia but his wife kidnapped Judith's advisors, at the end after 5 years, Judith wrote to his wife stating he would let the Duke free and end the war if he send her advisor in Tallinn, they traded men at Januette Castle, and the war ended with a marriage alliance between Poland and Estonia, Judith's 8 year old daughter Catherine was married to the eldest son of the Duke of Estonia, and the Duke of Estonia's 3 year old daughter was married to Judith youngest child, 5 year old Lothar, Judith also promised the Duke of Estonia he did not need permission to cross Litvus City to trade. Estonia, Kiev and Poland became ally's and Judith convinced the Pope to allow the Duke of Estonia to go on Crusade, which was something the Duke of Estonia wanted to do.

## 15th Crusade

Judith had missed 4 crusades, which her older brother Géza died in the 11th one. Judith was prepared but felt confused at times when she attended the king's army meetings as she had not been there for 10 years, she was 32 and had to rely on her son who was leeding armies into Jerusalem, but Judith was far from done from crusading, Judith met her sister-in-law Maria of Slavonia briefly in Jerusalem with Judith's brother King Andrew of Hungary, Judith of Hungary turned 64 on the 7th year on the 15th Crusade, she was advised to go home, but she refused she would not leave without defeating the Ottomans, her husband was poisoned in 1176 when Judith was 33, now Dowager Queen, her son rushed to Poland with Agnes of Kiev to get declared King and Queen, Judith was very close to her daughter-in-law and Judith appointed mistress of the Dowager Queen's bed chamber, by the end of the 15th Crusade, Judith was 51.

## Death

Judith continued to go on Crusades, when she was 57 she fell ill with yellow fever after visiting the Iberian peninsula, her son begged his mother to stay in Poland so she would continue to live, but she refused, when her son thought she was in Poland, she showed up in Greece. When she returned home, she was even sicker, she did not stand up for the rest of her remaining years, her daughter-in-law attempted to nurse her back to life, but Judith died peacefully in her sleep in 1201, she was buried next to the first ruler of Poland who was High-Duke Waldyslaw of Poland.