Anna of Masovia (c. 1498 – after 26 January 1557) was a Polish princess, Titular Duchess of Masovia and the last representative of the Masovian branch of the

Piast dynasty The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented List of Polish monarchs, Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I of Poland, Mieszko I (–992). The Poland during the Piast dynasty, Piasts' royal rule in Pol ...

. She was the second daughter of Konrad III of Masovia and Anna Radziwiłł, and the sister to

Janusz III Janusz III of Masovia (pl: ''Janusz III mazowiecki''; ca. 27 September 1502 – 9/10 March 1526), was a Polish prince member of the House of Piast in the Masovian branch. He was a Duke of Czersk, Warsaw, Liw, Zakroczym and Nur during 1503-1 ...

, Stanislaus, and Sophia, who married Stephen VII Báthory.

Life

After the death of her brother Janusz III, a group of powerful nobles at the Masovian court attempted to maintain the separate legal status of Masovia and prevent its incorporation into the surrounding Kingdom of Poland. In 1526 this group proclaimed Anna as Duchess, the last representative of the family (however, her elder sister Sophia was still alive at the time). This resistance to the duchy's incorporation, which was largely caused by their fear of losing their significance, was also fuelled by political forces interested in maintaining the status of fiefdoms. In this state Masovia would be united in resistance against the Crown and would also have encouraged the

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful Dynasty, dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout ...

(in comparison with the Polish rivalry for influence in

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

). In 1536 Anna concluded a marriage with

Stanisław Odrowąż Stanisław Odrowąż (1509-1545) was a Polish noble (szlachcic). He married Katarzyna Górka in 1530 and Anna of Masovia from the Piast dynasty in February 1536. He had one child with Anna, Zofia Odrowaz, Zofia Odrowąż. He was castellan of Lw� ...

. But the king refused to return their goods in return for 10,000 ducats. This caused conflict between the couple and

Sigismund I the Old Sigismund I the Old (, ; 1 January 1467 – 1 April 1548) was List of Polish monarchs, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until his death in 1548. Sigismund I was a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty, the son of Casimir IV of P ...

, who deprived the groom of his offices. The dispute ended with the parliament in 1537, which forced Anna and her husband to take an oath before the king, and renounce the hereditary rights of Masovia and the estate for the benefit of the Crown. After leaving Masovia, Anna temporarily settled in Odrowąż and Sprowa, near the city of

Kielce Kielce (; ) is a city in south-central Poland and the capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. In 2021, it had 192,468 inhabitants. The city is in the middle of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains (Holy Cross Mountains), on the banks of the Silnic ...

. The rest of her life was spent mostly at the castle in

Jarosław Jarosław (; , ; ; ) is a town in southeastern Poland, situated on the San (river), San River. The town had 35,475 inhabitants in 2023. It is the capital of Jarosław County in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship. History Jarosław is located in the ...

, where in approximately 1540 she had her only child, Sophia. Anna died and was buried in Jarosław. She was the ancestor of

Marie Leszczyńska Maria Karolina Zofia Felicja Leszczyńska (; 23 June 1703 – 24 June 1768), also known as Marie Leczinska (), was Queen of France as the wife of King Louis XV from their marriage on 4 September 1725 until her death in 1768. The daughter of St ...

who became

Queen consort of France This is a list of the women who were queen consort, queens or empresses as wives of List of French monarchs, French monarchs from the 843 Treaty of Verdun, which gave rise to West Francia, until 1870, when the French Third Republic was declared ...

by her marriage to

Louis XV of France Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anna of Masovia 1490s births 1557 deaths Piast dynasty Odrowąż family