Siemowit V of Rawa was a Polish prince of the House of Piast from the Masovian branch. He ruled as Duke of Rawa Mazowiecka, Płock, Sochaczew, Gostynin, Płońsk, Wizna, and Belz from 1426 to 1434 with his brothers, and after the 1434 division of their inheritance, solely over Rawa Mazowiecka, Gostynin, and Sochaczew.
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Early life
He was born in 1389, the eldest son of Siemowit IV, Duke of Masovia and Alexandra of Lithuania, daughter of Algirdas. He died on February 17, 1442.
Siemowit V spent his early years at King Władysław II Jagiełło’s court in Kraków. In 1410, he fought in the Battle of Grunwald alongside the Polish king. In 1416, he joined the king’s entourage at the Council of Constance and a meeting with Sigismund of Luxembourg in Kežmarok.
After 1420, Siemowit IV’s increasing blindness led him to delegate governance to his eldest sons, Siemowit V and Casimir II, whome he named co-rulers. In 1425, Siemowit V faced a challenge in Brest-Litovsk, where on November 14, he and his brother vowed loyalty to the Polish crown amid controversy over Stanisław z Pawłowic’s appointment as Bishop of Płock.
Ruler
Siemowit IV died on January 21, 1426, leaving his domains to his four sons: Siemowit V, Casimir II, Trojden II (died 1427), and Władysław I. A fifth son, Alexander, pursued a Church career. To avoid weakening their domains, the brothers co-ruled their inheritance. On September 8, 1426, in Sandomierz, they paid homage to King Władysław II, though Casimir II delayed until 1430.