The Crown of the Kings (Polish: Korona królów) is a Polish historical soap opera. Aired from January 1, 2018, on TVP1. The show is a biographical story about the reign of: King Casimir III the Great (seasons 1–2), Queen Jadwiga and King Władysław II Jagiełło as co-rulers (season 3), and then Jagiełło as the sole ruler (seasons 4–5) of the Kingdom of Poland. The series tells the story of the monarchy in Poland in the 14th and 15th century.
Contents
Plot
Season 1
The first season depicts events from 1325–1339, showing the last years of King Władysław the Elbow-high's reign and the beginnings of the rule of King Casimir the Great. It focuses on his first marriage with Queen Aldona Anna of Lithuania and relationship with mother - Queen Hedvig of Kalisz. Season ends in 1339, the year of death of Aldona and Hedvig.
Season 2
The second season starts three years after events of first season's finale and shows events from years 1342–1370. It shows the threads of three castles: Wawel, Visegrad and Świdnica. The story of King Casimir III the Great and his second wife Queen Adelaide of Hesse, is extended of threads of his sister - Elizabeth of Poland, Queen of Hungary, her son King Louis the Great and his nephew - Duke Bolko II the Small, his wife Agnes von Habsburg and niece Anna of Świdnica, future empress. Season shows also bigamic marriages of Casimir with Christina Rokiczana and Hedwig of Sagan, during Queen Adelaide's life. The action of the final episode takes place in 1374, four years after Casimir's death, when Jadwiga of Poland is born.
Season 3
The third season depicts the life of Saint Jadwiga of Poland and covers 1376–1399. The action begins at the turn of 1376 and 1377 during the reign of Louis I of Hungary. The last years of his reign are shown, as well as the last moments of regency of his mother Queen Elizabeth in the Kingdom of Poland. The season explores the life and reign of Queen Jadwiga of Anjou, crowned King of Poland in 1384. One of the main threads is her relationship with Prince William Courteous of Austria and marriage with the Lithuanian Grand Duke Jogaiła. Season ends with death of Queen Jadwiga, three weeks after childbirth. In the final episode her and her baby daughter's funeral is shown.
Season 4 (The Jagiellonians – season 1)
The fourth season covers 1399–1420, it begins two months after the death of Queen Jadwiga, when the bereaved Jogaila considers returning to Lithuania. Polish nobles allow him to stay on the Polish throne after his wife's death on condition that he marries her cousin Anna of Cilli, granddaughter of Casimir the Great. The marriage is stormy at first, but over time love grows between the king and Anna. The royal couple's only daughter is named Hedvig in honour of Queen Jadwiga. The season also portrays Jogaila's relations with his cousin Vytautas, Grand Duke of Lithuania and rebellious brother Svitrigaila, as well as the growing conflict with the Teutonic Order, leading to the Battle of Grunwald in 1410 and the King's love marriage with widowed Elizabeth Granowska with her death marking the season finale.
Season 5 (The Jagiellonians – season 2)
The fifth season focuses on the final years of King Jogaila and his fourth and last marriage to Sophia of Halshany.
Special episodes
Korona królów: Od księcia do króla (The Crown of Kings: From Prince to King) is a special 25-minute episode of the series. He will explore the mystery of gaining power by Kazimierz. This episode is a summary of the events of the first series of the series - from the engagement of Kazimierz Anna to the moment of his mother's death Jadwiga. This episode will premiere on May 24, 2018 (Thursday), the day after the premiere of the first series issue.
Korona królów: Taka historia... (The Crown of Kings: Such a story ...) is a program that shows the story behind the creation of the series, as well as aimed at historical education. The premiere episodes are announced for Fridays at 18.30, starting from September 7, 2018, i.e. after the first week of the broadcast of the second season of the series
Characters and Cast
Main cast
Mateusz Król (season 1) and Andrzej Hausner (season 2, guest season 3) as King Casimir III the Great
Marta Bryła as Queen Aldona of Lithuania (season 1, guest season 2)
Halina Łabonarska as Queen Hedwig of Kalisz (season 1, guest seasons 2–3)
Katarzyna Czapla as Elizabeth of Poland, Queen of Hungary (seasons 1–3)
Aleksandra Przesław as Queen Adelaide of Hesse (season 2)
Dagmara Bryzek as Saint Queen Jadwiga of Poland (season 3, guest season 4)
Vasyl Vasylyk (season 3) and Sebastian Skoczeń (seasons 4–5) as King Władysław II Jagiełło
Milena Staszuk as Queen Anne of Cilli (season 4, guest season 5)
Karolina Chapko (season 3) and Karolina Porcari (season 4, guest season 5) as Queen Elizabeth Granowska
Maria Pawłowska as Queen Sophia of Halshany (season 5)
Wiktor Bałtaki as King Władysław III of Poland (season 5)
Royal Family
Wiesław Wójcik as King Władysław I the Elbow-high (season 1, guest season 2)
Anna Grycewicz as Princess Kunigunde, Duchess of Świdnica (season 1, guest season 2)
Marta Wiśniewska as Princess Elizabeth (season 2)
Julia Młynarczyk as toddler Princess Elizabeth (season 1)
Gabriela Świerszczyńska as child Princess Elizabeth (season 1)
Martyna Dudek as Princess Cunigunde (season 2)
Wiktoria Zembrzycka as toddler Princess Cunigunde (season 1)
Emilia Rostek as child Princess Cunigunde (season 1)
Krzysztof Rogucki as Duke Casimir "Kaźko" IV of Pomerania (season 2)
Miłosz Kwiecień as child Duke Casimir "Kaźko" IV of Pomerania (season 2)
Andrzej Popiel as Duke Bolko II the Small (seasons 1–2)
Ewelina Pankowska as Princess Agnes of Austria, Duchess of Świdnica (seasons 1–2)
Michał Wolny as Duke Henry II of Świdnica (season 2)
Julia Gawrysiak as Empress Anna of Świdnica (season 2)
Natalia Wolska as toddler Anna of Świdnica (season 2)
Dorota Kuduk as Duchess Constance of Świdnica (season 1)
Castle officials, nobility and knights
Paulina Lasota as Cudka (seasons 1–2)
Joanna Kwiatkowska-Zduń as Cudka (season 3)
Marcelina Chlebna as child Cudka (season 1)
Adrian Brząkała as Pełka, Cudka's Son (season 3)
Karol Czajkowski as Niemierza, Cudka's Son (season 3)
Michalina Sosna as Christine of Rokiczan (season 2)
Anna Terpiłowska as Estera, King Casimir the Great's lover (seasons 2–3)
Sławomir Orzeszowski as Spycimir Leliwita, Castellan of Cracow (seasons 1–2)
Tomasz Sapryk as Chancellor Zbigniew (seasons 1–2)
Marcin Rogacewicz as Jaśko from Melsztyn, knight and Castellan of Cracow (seasons 1–3)
Aleksander Kaleta as Spytko II from Melsztyn, Castellan of Cracow (season 3)
Robert Gonera as Bishop of Cracow, Jan Grot (seasons 1–2)
Artur Dziurman as Bishop of Cracow Jan Bodzęta (season 2)
Grzegorz Wons as Marcin from Rajsk (seasons 2–3).
Agnieszka Mandat as Katarzyna Pilecka (seasons 1–2)
Adam Bobik as Monk Wojciech, Queen Aldona and Adelaide's confessor (seasons 1–3)
Castle servants
Małgorzata Kozłowska as Margit, Queen Jawiga's Maidservant (season 3)
Emma Herdzik as Queen Jadwiga's Maidservant Elizabeth Lackfi (season 3)
Karina Seweryn as Egle, servant of Queen Aldona Anna. (seasons 1–2)
Agata Bykowska as Gabija, Lithuanian cook (seasons 1–2)
Karolina Kominek as Queen Adelaide's Maidservant Oda (season 2)
Hanna Wojak as Queen Adelaide's Maidservant Jutta (season 2)
Zofia Schwinke as Queen Elizabeth's Maidservant Ilona (seasons 2–3)
Paulina Masiak as Duchess Agnes' Maidervant Ilza (season 2)
Ilona Korycka as Maidserwant Halszka (season 1)
Dagmara Bąk as Maiderwant Helena, served Queen Anna, then Duchess Agnieszka. (seasons 1–2)
Kinga Jasik as Helena Reibnitz (season 3)
Magda Groszek as child Helena (season 2)
Aleksandra Ciejek as Maidservant Manita (season 2)
Helena Chorzelska as Servant Weronika (season 2)
Beata Chyczewska as Queen Elizabeth's Maidservant Klara Pukar (seasons 2-2)
Monika Domowicz as Queen Elizabeth's Maidservant Anda (seasons 1–3)
Other characters
Dorota Chotecka-Pazura as Regina (seasons 2–3)
TBA as Urszula (season 3)
Karolina Piechota as Vendor Rozalia (season 1)
Bartłomiej Nowosielski as Potter Józef (season 1)
Maurycy Popiel as Arunas Szymon (season 1)
Zbigniew Waleryś as Innkeeper Samuel (seasons 1–2)
Izabela Bujniewicz as Lenka (season 2)
Aleksandra Grzelak as Barbara Dunin (season 1)
Karolina Porcari as Bella (season 2)
Natalia Lesz as Ragana (season 3)
Jasper Sołtysiewicz as Gedko (season 1)
Karol Zakrzewski as Witautas, Lithuanian trader (seasons 1–2)
Mateusz Burdach as Bogdan (season 2)
Jan Cięciara as Young Bogdan (season 1)
Maciej Mikołajczyk as Stasiek from Wierzbin (seasons 1–2)
Wojciech Starostecki as Trader Jarzynka (seasons 1–2)
Dominik Bąk as Mszczuj (season 1)
Jerzy Mazur as Maidservant Helena's father Przybysław (season 2)
Paweł Tucholski as Guillaume de Machaut (season 2)