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Cecilia Renata of Austria

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(Redirected from Cecylia Renata) Queen of Poland from 1637 to 1644

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Cecilia Renata of Austria
Portrait by Peter Danckerts de Rij
Queen consort of Poland
Grand Duchess consort of Lithuania
Tenure12 September 1637 – 24 March 1644
Coronation12 September 1637
Born16 July 1611
Graz, Duchy of Styria, Holy Roman Empire
Died24 March 1644(1644-03-24) (aged 32)
Vilnius, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
SpouseWładysław IV Vasa
IssueSigismund Casimir
Maria Anna Isabella
HouseHabsburg
FatherFerdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor
MotherMaria Anna of Bavaria

Cecilia Renata of Austria (German: Cäcilia Renata, Polish: Cecylia Renata, Lithuanian: Cecilija Renata; 16 July 1611 – 24 March 1644) was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania as the wife of King-Grand Duke Władysław IV Vasa.

Selection and coronation

Cecilia Renata was a daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II, of the House of Habsburg, and Maria Anna of Bavaria. Born in 1611 in Graz, she was chosen as a bride by the Polish-Lithuanian nobility. She married Władysław on 9 August in Vienna by proxy, and then in Warsaw in person on 12 September 1637, and the same day was crowned at St. John's Cathedral. This was the first royal coronation outside of Kraków, the historic, former capital of Poland, and this greatly angered the Polish nobility. A law was instigated to reserve coronations to Kraków in 1638.

Queenship

Young and energetic, Queen Cecilia Renata soon began organising the royal court to her liking. She was popular, especially for her politeness. One noble wrote in his memoirs that she insisted other women sit with her, even though she was queen. Cecilia Renata could not remove her husband's mistress, Hedwig Łuszkowska, by herself, so she arranged a marriage between Hedwig and Starosta Merecki, John Wypyski. In 1638, Cecilia Renata and Władysław visited Vienna.

Cecilia Renata 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 opponent 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. After 1638/1639 when Władysław realised that Habsburgs were prepared to give him little assistance, her power waned, and he started to disregard her advice.

Cecilia Renata kept in contact with her brothers and continued an intimate attachment with them; she also became friends with her sister-in-law Anna Catherine. She enjoyed music, concerts, and theatre performances and this may have greatly influenced her husband, who was one of the founders of Polish national theatre and brought many famous and well-known artists and performers from all around Europe to the country.

Pregnancies and death

During her marriage, she became pregnant three times:

  • Sigismund Casimir (1 April 1640 – 9 August 1647)
  • Maria Anna Isabella (8 January 1642 – 7 February 1642)
  • Stillborn daughter (23 March 1644)

Cecilia Renata died the day after delivering a stillborn daughter as a consequence of an infection, likely related to the childbirth. Following her sudden death, Cecilia Renata was deeply mourned by both Władysław and the Royal Polish-Lithuanian court. She also left a good impression on the public, mostly for her piety and goodwill.

See also

References

  1. Podhorodecki, Leszek (1985). Wazowie w Polsce. Warszawa: Ludowa Spółdzielnia Wydawnicza. pp. 264–265. ISBN 83-205-3639-1.

External links

Media related to Cecilia Renata of Austria at Wikimedia Commons

Cecilia Renata of Austria House of HabsburgBorn: 16 July 1611 Died: 24 March 1644
Royal titles
Preceded byConstance of Austria Queen consort of Poland
Grand Duchess consort of Lithuania

1637–1644
Succeeded byMarie Louise Gonzaga
Austrian archduchesses by descent
Generations are numbered by male-line descent from Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor. Later generations are included although Austrian titles of nobility were abolished and outlawed in 1919.
1st generation
2nd generation
3rd generation
4th generation
5th generation
6th generation
7th generation
8th generation
9th generation
10th generation
11th generation
12th generation
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16th generation
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18th generation
  • * also an infanta of Spain
  • ** also an infanta of Spain and Portugal
  • ^ also a princess of Tuscany
  • # also a princess of Modena
Royal consorts of Poland
Piast dynasty
Fragmentation
period
Přemyslid dynasty
Restored Piast dynasty
Capet-Anjou dynasty
Jagiellonian dynasty
Elective monarchy
Royal consorts of Lithuania
Kingdom of Lithuania
House of Mindaugas (1236–1263)
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
House of Gediminids (1285–1440)
House of Jagiellon (1440–1569)
Polish–Lithuanian
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Elected (1569–1795)
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