Cecilia Renata of Austria
| Cecilia Renata of Austria | |
|---|---|
| File:CeciliaRenata.jpg | |
| Queen consort of Poland | |
| Tenure | 13 September 1637 - 24 March 1644 |
| Coronation | 13 September 1637 |
| Spouse | Władysław IV Vasa |
| House | House of Vasa House of Habsburg |
| Father | Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor |
| Mother | Maria Anna of Bavaria |
Archduchess Cecilia Renata of Austria (de: Cäcilia Renata von Österreich; pl: Cecylia Renata Habsburżanka) (16 July 1611 – 24 March 1644) was Queen of Poland as consort to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's King Władysław IV Vasa.
Biography
Cecilia Renata was a daughter of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, of the House of Habsburg, and Maria Anna of Bavaria.
Born in 1611 in Graz, she married Władysław on 13 September 1637, and the same day was crowned at St. John's Cathedral in Warsaw. Young and energetic, she soon began organizing the royal court to her liking. She was popular, especially for her politeness — one nobleman wrote in his memoires that she insisted other women sit with her, even though she was queen. She advocated the Habsburg and pro-Catholic point of view and allied herself with the pro-Habsburg faction of chancellor Jerzy Ossoliński and pro-Catholic Albrycht Stanisław Radziwiłł. Her political opponents at the court was the faction of Adam Kazanowski, whose influence over king Władysław, his childhood friend, diminished after her marriage. Kazanowski was allied with Chancellor Piotr Gembicki, who thus became one of her opponents.
Her influence was strong for the first 2–3 years of marriage, and she had much to say about the royal nominations for important official positions. However after 1638/39 when Władysław realised that Habsburgs were prepared to give him little assistance, her power waned, as he started to disregard her advice.
Her two children died in childhood (Sigismund Casimir: 1 April 1640 – 9 August 1647; Maria Anna Isabella: 8 January 1642 – 1643). Cecilia Renata died in 1644[1] in Vilnius.
Ancestors
Gallery
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Cecylia Renata, Queen of Poland by Frans Luycx -
![Cecylia Renata by Peter Danckerts de Rij[2]](/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Cecylia_renata.gif/100px-Cecylia_renata.gif)
Cecylia Renata by Peter Danckerts de Rij[2] -
Cecylia Renata in Spanish dress -
Cecylia Renata on Horseback
![Cecylia Renata by Peter Danckerts de Rij[2]](/enwiki/wiki/File:Cecylia_renata.gif)
Notes
- ^ A few sources give her date of death as 1643.
- ^ Survived example of 22 effigies so-called Jagiellon Family from the Marble Room at the Royal Castle in Warsaw - Lileyko Jerzy, Vademecum Zamku Warszawskiego, Warsaw 1980, ISBN 8322318189
See also
External links
- Discussion of the portrait, in Polish It is unknown whether this picture presents Cecylia Renata or Gryzelda Konstancja z Zamoyskich Wiśniowiecka, as the historical sources are indecisive.
- The Significance of the Crown Portrait of King Sigismund II Augustus by Peter Danckerts de Rij