Anna of Cilli

Anna of Cilli or Anne of Celje (1386 – 21 May 1416) was Queen of Poland (1402–1416). She was the second wife of Jogaila (Władysław II Jagiełło), King of Poland and Supreme Duke of Lithuania (reigned 1387–1434). Their marriage was politically motivated to strengthen Jogaila's ties with the Piast dynasty and his claims to the Polish throne. Their marriage was rather distant and during fourteen years Anna bore only one daughter, Hedwig Jagiellon, who died without issue. Early life Anna was the only child of William (1361–1392), Count of Celje, and his wife Anna of Poland (1366–1425), the youngest surviving daughter of the late king Casimir III of Poland. It is likely that Anna was born in Celje Castle (in the Duchy of Styria, now in Slovenia), which was ruled by her father William and his cousin Herman II. William died when Anna was around ten years of age. Two years later, her mother married Ulrich, Duke of Teck, and left Anna in care of Herman II and his wife Anna of Schaunberg in Celje. It is very likely that the girl was illiterate and spoke no Polish. Marriage Jogaila's first wife and reigning Queen Jadwiga of Poland, Anna's second cousin, died in July 1399 after childbirth complications. Jogaila, who hailed from Lithuania, was left a ruler of a foreign country with no heir. Therefore, he sought a wife from Piast heirs with claims to the Kingdom of Poland to strengthen his claims to Poland and legitimize his rule. In 1401, Jogaila dispatched envoys to Celje to ask Herman II for the hand of Anna. Herman was related to the late queen Jadwiga through his mother's side: his mother Catherine was the sister of Jadwiga's mother Elizabeth of Bosnia, Queen of Hungary (according to some accounts, they were cousins). The House of Celje was thus related to the Polish court on two sides, and the proposed marriage would further strengthen the alliance, while bringing the House of Celje closer to the highest levels of European nobility. On 16 July 1401 Anna arrived to Kraków where she was met by Jogaila at the city gates. However, Jogaila took a strong dislike to his intended bride. According to Jan Długosz, Jogaila was furious with the envoys who brought Anna to Poland for several years. The wedding was postponed citing the need for Anna to learn Polish. Anna lived in a monastery while Jogaila traveled in eastern territories of his kingdom. He returned only in January 1402. The wedding ceremony took place on 29 January 1402 in Wawel Cathedral.