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This article refers to the 14th century monarch who founded the Jagiellon dynasty. For the 12th century monarch, see Władysław II the Exile, and for other monarchs with similar names see Ladislaus Jagiello (disambiguation) or Ladislaus (disambiguation).

Template:Infobox Polish monarch

Jogaila or Władysław II Jagiełło (ca.1351 — 1434), was the Grand Duke of Lithuania and the King of Poland. A co-regent of Lithuania between 1377 and 1385, in 1386 he converted to Christianity and married the 11-year-old Queen Jadwiga of Poland. His reign in Poland, uniting both states and giving the birth to a long series of Polish-Lithuanian unions, lasted additional 49 years. He also gave his name to the Jagiellon dynasty that ruled both states until 1596 and became one of the largest and most influential dynasties of Europe.

He was the last pagan ruler of mediaeval Lithuania, the last to hold the title of Didysis Kunigaikštis, and the first to adopt Christianity. With the support of the Teutonic Order he managed to win the struggle for power against his cousin, Vytautas. As the king of Poland, he pursued the policy of close ties with Lithuania against the Teutonic order. His brilliant victory in the battle of Grunwald of 1410 and the subsequent First Peace of Toruń secured both Polish and Lithuanian borders with one of the greatest powers of the region and laid foundations for the later role of Polish-Lithuanian state as a major power.

The Jagiellon era is commonly characterized as the beginning of Poland's "Golden Age", and as the starting point on the path towards the creation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. His reign set those countries on the road to becoming a major European power, and extended their frontiers to the north, east and west.

Biography

Early life

Little is known of the early days of Jogaila's life. A descendant of the Gediminid dynasty of dukes and Grand Dukes of Lithuania, he was most probably born in Vilnius. His parents were Algirdas, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, and his wife, Uliana, the daughter of Alexander I, the Grand Prince of Tver. Jogaila's father was a de facto co-regent of Lithuania and ruled the country together with his brother, Kęstutis. However, with the death of Algirdas and succession of Jogaila in 1377, the fragile alliance and cooperation between the relatives came to an end.

Initially ruling only the relatively secure south-eastern part of Lithuania, bordering mostly weakened lands of the former Kiev Ruthenia, with his takeover of the north-western part of the country Jogaila faced a grave problem of the Teutonic Order. The monastic state, founded after 1226 to fight the aggressive Baltic tribes of Prussians, Yotvingians and Lithuanians, in less then a century became a regional power, raiding Lithuania, Masovia and other neighbouring lands on a yearly basis. Another threat to Jogaila's rule was the growing power of the Principality of Muscovy that in 1380 managed to win the Battle of Kulikovo and overthrow the yoke of the Mongols.

Seeking allies against his uncle, in 1380 Jogaila concluded a secret treaty with the Teutons, in which he was promised help in exchange for Christianisation of Lithuania and the entire land of Samogitia. However, the following year Kęstutis discovered the plan and seized Vilnius and Trakai, overthrowing Jogaila in a successful coup d'etat, imprisoning him and reserving the title of the Grand Duke for himself. Jogaila managed to escape from captivity and raised an army composed of his fathers' vassals, with which he returned to the scene in 1382. Both forces met at the gates of the castle of Kreva, where Jogaila managed to take both Kęstutis and his son, Vytautas, prisoners. Jogaila's uncle died in captivity a week later in the castle of Kreva and, although Vytautas was able to escape, the struggle for power in Lithuania did not end as Vytautas continued the fight against Jogaila's rule.

After Vytautas' escape, both cousins sought help from the powerful, centralised state of the Teutonic Order. Jogaila again promised to convert his state to Christianity and grant the Teutons with parts of Samogitia up to the Dubysa river. At the same time Vytautas fled to Marienburg, where he was baptised by the Teutons under the name of Wigand. However, promising to help both cousins, the Teutons had their own plans and, in the summer of 1383 they took advantage of the internal struggles in Lithuania, and once again invaded it, taking most of Samogitia for themselves. This made Vytautas once again drift towards paganism, while Jogaila was faced with an extremely difficult situation. In 1384 Vytautas tried to win the support of the Teutons also promising them parts of Samogitia up to the Nevėžis, and even took part in the fights against the forces of his cousin on the side of the Teutons. However, his offer was rejected and in July of that year both cousins reconciled. Vytautas yet again switched sides, supporting his cousin, pillaging several Prussian towns taking considerable booty.

Christianisation and marriage

Although the internal problems of the Lithuanian state had mostly come to an end, this was not the case of the external threat from the Teutonic Order. The German monastic state had a long tradition of raiding Lithuanian lands, either in full-scale wars, or in smaller plunder raids organized almost on a yearly basis. Most of these incursions into Jogaila's domain were officially justified as crusades against pagan Lithuanians, who resisted the Christianization. Therefore the only way to put those attacks to an end, or at least remove the claims of validity of such attacks was to Christianise Lithuania. The state was far from being centralised and in fact most of its' inhabitants were already Christians. The pagan Lithuanians, forming the core of the country's elite and numbering roughly 300,000 by the end of 14th century, were but a minority in their own state. They were outnumbered at least sevenfold by Orthodox inhabitants of the lands that were once part of the Kiev Ruthenia, and were already Christians of the Eastern rite. Since for most of his subjects Jogaila was a hospodar rather than didysis kunigaikštis, the adoption of Orthodox rite seemed more natural. On behest of his mother, Jogaila considered marrying the daughter of the Prince of Moscow. However, such an option did not warrant peace at the Teutonic frontier, as the latter state was run by a small elite of Catholic monks who would have treated an Orthodox monarch no better than a heathen. Probably because of that he finally chose a different proposition offered by Roman Catholic Poland.

Under such circumstances, on August 14, 1385, a political act of union with Poland had been signed in the castle of Kreva. The document, known as the Union of Krewo, undertook to return the lands taken from Poland by its neighbours (notably Gdańsk and Pomerania taken by the Teutonic Order), and to adopt Christianity. In exchange, Jogaila was to marry 11 years old queen Jadwiga of Poland and be crowned as the king of Poland, thus obtaining a much stronger diplomatic position in the struggle against the Teutonic Order. In addition, he was to be adopted by Jadwiga's mother, Elisabeth of Hungary. In religious terms, the act of union produced voluntary Christianisation of both the new king and a large part of his court and knights. Jogaila was baptised in the Wawel Cathedral in Kraków on February 15, 1386. His baptismal name of Władysław was seen as a political declaration, as it reminded the Teutonic Order of both Władysław I of Poland who unified the Kingdom a century before and Saint Ladislaus I of Hungary, who actively opposed the Holy Roman Empire in alliance with the Pope. The declaration was received properly in Marienburg, the capital of the Teutonic state, as the Grand Master of the order Ernst von Zöllner declined to become Władysław's godfather. The event was followed by a series of mass baptisms of king's supporters in Lithuanian and Polish rivers. The king himself translated the Lord's Prayer and the Credo to Lithuanian. Although it was mostly the ethnic Lithuanian nobility to convert to Catholicism, while both paganism and Orthodox rite remained strong among the peasants, the event had a great impact on the history of both Lithuania and Poland.

Two weeks afterwards, on March 4 of the same year, Władysław married Jadwiga and was crowned as the king of Poland. The event, widely discussed both in Poland and abroad, was considered a controversial move as the new monarch was still considered a pagan by many of his contemporaries. Prior to his arrival to Kraków, Jadwiga even dispatched one of her knights, Zawisza the Red, to confirm whether Jogaila was indeed a human, as he was believed to be a bear-like creature, uncivilised and cruel. It was not until much later that the general public discovered the new ruler to be a civilised person, holding Christian culture in high regard and a skilled politician and military commander. In addition to those merits, he was reported to be an unusually clean person, as he had a habit of drinking only pure water, and shaving and washing himself every day, a thing uncommon in mediaeval Europe.

Ruler of Lithuania and Poland

Upon her marriage with 36 year old Władysław, twelve year old Jadwiga did not loose her status as a king of Poland and in fact both remained co-regents. Although as a monarch she most probably had little actual power, from her early days she was active in Poland's political, diplomatic and cultural life. She was seen as a warrant of promises made by Władysław to the nobles of Lesser Poland, the most important of which was reclaiming of the Polish lands lost to foreign powers. Already in 1387 she led two successful military expeditions to recapture the land of Red Ruthenia, lost in a dynastic dispute to Hungary. As she was a heir to Louis I of Hungary herself, the campaign was almost completely peaceful and by September of that year Petru I of Moldavia paid homage to the Polish monarchs. In 1390 she also began diplomatic negotiations with the Teutonic Order. It is probable that most of responsibilities of the monarch were now in Władysław's hands, while she focused on charity and cultural activity. She sponsored writers and artists, and donated much of her personal wealth, including her royal insignia, to charity. Among the most notable cultural achievements of Jadwiga was the restoration of the Academy of Kraków, since 1817 called Jagiellonian University in honour of the couple. In addition to that, Jadwiga financed a scholarship for 20 Lithuanians to study at Charles' University in Prague, which was to further strengthen the Christianity.

Along with Christianity and closer ties with Poland, Lithuania also adopted western legal traditions. Soon after his coronation, Władysław granted his native Vilnius with a city charter modelled after the city rights of Kraków, which in turn were modelled after the Magdeburg Law. The following year Vytautas issued a privilege to a Jewish commune of Trakai, which was almost an exact copy of earlier privileges issued to Jews of Poland by Boleslaus the Pious and Casimir the GreatCite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).. The Grand Master knew that without pagan Lithuania, the entire Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights had lost its raison d'etre. However, in fact after 1387 the crusades intensified, as the Teutons claimed the conversion was a forgery and perhaps even a heresy. The first of such attacks took place already during Władysław's coronation ceremonies. The monarchs continued the policy of strengthening Catholicism in Lithuania. A new bishopric was created in Vilnius, with the first bishop being Andrzej Wasilko, former confessor of Elisabeth of Hungary. The bishopric was subordinate to the archbishopric office in Gniezno rather than Königsberg and also covered the lands of Samogitia, then in most part under control of the Teutonic Order. This did not help to resolve the disputes with that state, but at the same time considerably facilitated the Polish-Lithuanian rapprochement and allowed the Polish church to provide help to its' new Lithuanian counterpart.

Also the situation in Lithuania became problematic. Following a short period of cease-fire between Władysław and his cousin Vytautas, the latter started a civil war to oust his relative and secure the throne for himself. As both Poland and the Teutons were drawn to the conflict by both sides, exotic alliances and promises were given. The situation was particularly dangerous to Władysław and Jadwiga, as the Vytautas' lands of Samogitia and Polotsk bordered both the domain of the Teutons and the lands of their former allies, the Livonian Brothers of the Sword. Soon on September 4, 1490 the joint forces of Vytautas and the Teutonic Grand Master Konrad von Wallenrode besieged Vilnius held by Jagiełło's regent Skirgaila and his forces, composed of combined Polish, Lithuanian and Ruthenian troops. Vytautas was also plotting with Muscovy in search of potential allies. Although after the month the siege was lifted, much of the city was reduced to rubble. The bloody conflict eventually came to a temporary end with the Treaty of Ostrów of 1392 negotiated by Henry of Masovia, bishop of Płock.

Following the secret agreement, Jogaila became Jagiełło once and for all, leaving the Lithuanian affairs to his cousin in exchange for peace. The latter was to reign Lithuania until his death as a Grand Duke, subordinate to the Polish monarch. This of course proved unsatisfactory to Vytautas' ambitions and he continued to insist on Lithuania's separation from its western neighbour. In 1398 the lengthy war against the Teutonic raids finally came to an end. On October 12 of that year a peace treaty was signed on a small islet on the Neman River, known by its German name of Sallinwerder. However, the price was high as Lithuania was to officially cede Samogitia and help the Teutons in subduing Pskov, while the Teutons were to help Lithuania in obtaining Novgorod. Taking advantage of the situation, soon afterwards Vytautas yet again claimed the power and was crowned a king by local nobles loyal to him, but the following year his forces were annihilated by the Tartars in a tragic battle of the Vorskla River, and Vytautas was yet again forced to submit himself to Władysław.

King of Poland

Meanwhile, Jadwiga has grown older and became pregnant. On June 22, 1399 she gave birth to a daughter, baptized Elizabeth Bonifacia. However, within a month both the girl and her mother had died from birth complications. With her death, Jagiełło became the sole ruler of Poland. However, his status as a king was seriously undermined by Jadwiga's death and the extinction of Angevins, as Jagiełło had no heirs at the age of 50. Also, the old conflicts between the nobility of Lesser Poland, generally sympathetic to Jagiełło, and the gentry of Greater Poland, returned.

To gain wider support both in Poland and Lithuania, Władysław decided to base his rule on the nobility, providing it with certain privileges. The Union of Vilnius and Radom of 1401 was to settle the Lithuanian dispute once and for all. It confirmed the earlier treaty of Ostrów and set Vytautas' status as a Grand Duke, while Władysław reserved the right to remain his overlord. After Vytautas' death the title of the grand duke was to be passed to Władysław's heirs rather than those of Vytautas, while in case of a heirless death of the earlier the boyars of Lithuania were granted the right to participate in the election of a new monarch. While the act was mostly vague as at the time neither Władysław nor his cousin had any heirs, it also strengthened the ties between the Polish and Lithuanian nobility and also formed some sort of a permanent defensive alliance between the two states. This strengthened the position of Lithuania in a new war against the Teutons, in which Poland did not take part officially. In addition, while the document did not in any way limit the liberties of the Polish nobles, it granted certain power to the boyars of Lithuania, where the grand dukes were masters and owners of all power, unlike in Poland. In short term it allowed Jagiełło to gain supporters in the Grand Duchy at the expense of Vytautas.

Under influence of the nobility of Lesser Poland, in 1402 Władysław married Anna of Celje, young granddaughter of late king Casimir III of Poland of the Piast dynasty. The marriage had purely political character and was to underline Władysław's rights to the Polish throne in face of a combined opposition from the new Grand Master of the Teutonic Order Konrad von Jungingen and former fiancée of Jadwiga, William, Duke of Austria. It was also to strengthen the diplomatic position of the monarch in the constant struggle with the Teutons, who in the meantime managed to recapture all of Samogitia. In late 1401 the war was resumed and did not go well for the Lithuanians. Several uprisings and revolts in the eastern provinces of the Grand Duchy forced the state to wage a two-front war. Also, another of Władysław's brothers Švitrigaila, previously ousted from his domain in Polotsk, became a pretender to the Lithuanian throne and decided to back the Teutons by organizing uprisings behind the lines. On January 31, 1402 he defected to Marienburg, where he confirmed all earlier concessions promised to the Teutonic Order by both Jagiełło and Vytautas. Although Poland offered Lithuania with secret military support and Polish units took part in the fights, by 1404 the victory of the Teutons was apparent. Jagiełło decided to intervene and on May 22 of that year a peace treaty had been signed in Raciąż. The treaty of Raciąż was a huge victory of the Teutons as Jagiełło was forced to agree to almost all demands. In line with the earlier pacts of Kalisz (1343) and Sallinwerder (1398), Samogitia was officially ceded to the order and Jagiełło was to back up the Teutonic claims to Pskov, while Konrad von Jungingen promised to support Vytautas' claims to the town of Novgorod. Perhaps the only positive effect of the treaty was that the Teutons agreed to sell back the disputed Dobrzyń Land and the town of Złotoryja, pawned to the Teutons by Władysław Opolski.

Mediæval cold war

The treaty, while necessary for both sides, was by no means seen as a permanent settlement. The Polish and Lithuanian side needed to secure its northern flank to be able to deal with Silesian matters as well as with Muscovy, while the Teutonic Order needed some time to fortify itself in the newly-acquired lands. In addition, the recent Teutonic acquisitions of Neumark, Santok and Drezdenko separated Poland from Western Pomerania and flanked Polish lands in Pomerelia. The pact did not solve those issues and the geo-political situation remained highly dangerous to both Poland and Lithuania. Another conflict with the Teutons was inevitable.

Following the treaty of Raciąż, both Polish and Lithuanian northern flank was secured, at least temporarily. Already several months after the treaty had been signed, Władysław repaid the debts of Władysław of Opole and retook some of his domain, previously pawned to the Order. Although in 1392, following the death of Agnieszka, widow of Bolko of Świdnica, the Polish crown had lost all claims to the lands of Silesia, the possible conflict with Bohemia remained a serious threat. To settle the dispute, in 1404 Jagiełło visited Vratislav where he met with Wenceclas IV of Bohemia. The latter proposed to return Silesia to Poland in exchange for Władysław's support in the struggle for power in the Holy Roman Empire. However, the proposal was refused, probably due to opposition by both Polish and Silesian nobles. The state, endangered with a war on two fronts, could not risk another war in the west.

In the meantime, Vytautas started yet another war, this time against Muscovy. With his flanks secured, and a powerful ally, Vytautas resumed his raids against all duchies for which Lithuania competed with Moscow. In 1405 the Polish forces seized the important city of Smolensk, which sparked the reaction of Vasili I of Muscovy the following year. Initially a limited scale war, the conflict turned into a serious threat to all sides involved in the spring of 1408. The Teutons, who until then openly supported Vytautas, in line with the provisions of the peace treaty of Raciąż, continued to pact with Moscow and Švitrigaila. The latter was sent to Moscow, where he joined his forces with Vasili I, in an attempt to oust Vytautas. He was soon joined by a large number of Lithuanian boyars, who also defected to the Muscovite side. This forced both sides to gather significant forces. In early autumn of that year Vytautas marched eastwards with a large army. Supported by 5000 Polish pikemen and knights under Zbigniew of Brzezie, he reached the Ugra River, where both armies met. However, during the negotiations it was decided that both Vasili and Jagiełło had too much to loose. Both Poland and Lithuania were constantly threatened by the Teutons, while the Prince of Moscow was threatened by a Mongol invasion of Edigu, who pillaged Nizhny Novgorod, Gorodets and Rostov, and was heading towards Moscow. Both sides agreed to a peace treaty and a new border on the Ugra. In line with the earlier accords with the Teutons, Velikiy Novgorod was granted to Jagiełło's brother, Simeon Lingwen. However, at the same time the important city of Pskov was granted to Władysław's envoy Jerzy Nos, which was a clear violation of the treaty of Raciąż. Despite attempts of mediation by Hermann II of Celje, the war seemed inevitable.

Cold war turns hot

Immediately after the end of the war with Muscovy, in December of 1408 Jagiełło met with Vytautas and Mikołaj Trąba at the castle in Nowogródek. During the meeting, it was decided to start war preparations and prepare an armed uprising against the Teutonic rule in Samogitia, which was to divert the German forces from Pomerania. Jagiełło secured his cousin's support by promising him to retake Samogitia in a future peace treaty. The uprising in Samogitia was started in May of 1409, initially without much opposition from the Teutons. The Order did not manage to consolidate its power there nor had enough time to build large castles in Samogitia, which were the backbone of their power in other parts of their realm.

The Teutonic diplomats arrived to Jagiełło's court in Oborniki in June and tried to convince the nobles more than the monarch himself, that the new conflict was provoked by Lithuania and that they had more to loose than to win in a forthcoming war. Support for such a war among the Polish nobles was relatively high, given the number of border disputes, incidents and provocations on both sides. However, the nobles of Greater Poland feared increased war taxation and the king would have to convince them by granting them certain concessions or privileges. Unwilling to limit his power, Jagiełło decided to create faits accomplis and the following month sent his envoys to Marienburg. The ambassador, Bishop of Gniezno Mikołaj Kurowski, assured the new Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen, that Poland would intervene should the Teutons start hostilities in Samogitia. This created a casus belli and the Teutons declared war against Poland on August 6.

While officially bound by a peace treaty, the Order had also been preparing for a war for a long time. On August 14 Jagiełło received the declaration of war in Nowy Korczyn and already two days afterwards the Teutons invaded Pomerania and northern Greater Poland. For Poland itself it was the first war in 77 years and the castles guarding the northern border were in bad shape. This allowed the Teutons to capture the castles of Złotoryja, Dobrzyń and Bobrowniki, the capital of Dobrzyń Land. The German burghers of Bydgoszcz have opened the gates for the Teutons. However, in late September Jagiełło finally gathered his forces and arrived to Pomerania. His forces besieged Bydgoszcz and retook it in less then a week, after which a cease fire was signed on October 8.

Both sides used the winter for extensive war preparations. Jagiełło ordered construction of a pontoon bridge in Kozienice, which was then transported down the Vistula. King's foragers have organized a gigantic hunting in the Białowieża forest; the meat for the great army was then preserved in salt and transported down the Narew and Vistula to Płock in Masovia, which was turned into a large supply depot. Both sides also started diplomatic preparations. Much like in earlier wars against Poland and Lithuania, the Teutons dispatched letters to the monarchs of Europe asking for reinforcements and vowing for a crusade against the heathens. However, their propaganda was met with counter-propaganda by Jagiełło, who also dispatched letters to the monarchs, in which he underlined that the only reason for war was Teutonic imperialism and claimed that the true plan of the Teutonic Masters was to conquer the entire world. The diplomatic campaign led by both sides led a large number of foreign knights report for duty on both sides. King Wenceslas IV of Bohemia signed a defensive treaty against the Teutons and promised to join the war with his forces, which led his opponent Sigismund of Luxembourg side with the Order. The latter also declared a war against Poland on July 12, but the Hungarian nobility refused to back their overlord and did not take part in hostilities.

The war was resumed in early summer of 1410, but this time it was Poland that was the offensive side. King Władysław led his army of roughly 22,000 men directly towards the Teutonic mainland. After crossing the Vistula through the pontoon bridge at Czerwińsk, his forces assembled with the regiments of Vytautas, which included roughly 17,000 men. The combined forces, consisting mostly of Polish heavy knight cavalry, Lithuanian light cavalry, foot mercenaries and Tartars, formed a great army of roughly 40,000 men-at-arms, a gigantic force by mediaeval standards and one of the largest forces assembled in the Middle Ages. Jagiełło, who personally assumed command over the force, led his army northwards. On July 15 the forces of Poland and the Grand Duchy were stopped by a 25,000 men strong army of the Grand Master at the fields of Grunwald. In the result of the battle the army of the Teutonic Order was almost annihilated, and Ulrich von Jungingen was killed in the battle, along with the majority of notable commanders of the monastic state. The road towards Marienburg lay open, the remnants of the Teutonic forces in retreat and the city itself was undefended.

Difficult peace

However, Jagiełło decided to postpone his pursuit by three days. When he resumed his march towards the Teutonic capital on July 17, the pace of the march was very slow, even by contemporary standards. Advancing towards Grunwald the Polish and Lithuanian forces were travelling at between 30 and 40 kilometres a day, while after the battle their speed was reduced to merely 10 kilometres a day. The forces of Jagiełło finally arrived at Marienburg on July 25, which gave the new Grand Master, Heinrich von Plauen, enough time to organize some defences. But even then, the siege that ensued was only half-hearted and was ended relatively soon, on September 19. The reasons for such a weak stance against a defeated enemy are disputed by numerous historians, but lack of sources prevents them from finding a definite answer. Paweł Jasienica in his monumental Polska Jagiellonów suggests, that Władysław might have remained loyal to Lithuania and wanted to preserve the fragile equilibrium between the two allied states, as Lithuania suffered heavy casualties in the battle of Grunwald and it would be Poland to gain most profits from the destruction of the monastic state. Others point out that Jagiełło might have known that the fortress of Marienburg was impregnable and a lengthy and devoted siege would have only cost him the lives of his soldiers, while had little chance of success.

In any way, in the resulting Peace of Toruń neither Poland nor Lithuania took advantage of the utter defeat of the monastic state. Poland got back the Land of Dobrzyń and Samogitia was returned to Lithuania, while Masovia reclaimed a tiny land across the Wkra river. However, most of the lands of the Order, including the towns that surrendered themselves to the Polish monarch, were left in German hands. In addition, the gigantic number of Teutonic prisoners (both high-ranking knights and officials, and foreign volunteers in Teutonic service) were released for a relatively modest ransom by contemporary standards.

Following the signing of the peace treaty, the internal support for Władysław's rule in Poland diminished.

Anna of Cilli also died in 1416 leaving only a daughter, Jadwiga of Lithuania, died in 1431, on the other hand releasing Wladyslaw to leave Poland to his sons, on the other hand erasing the last possible Jagello heir with Piast blood. Władysław II Jagiełło did not yet have any heirs. His next marriages were with ladies from Polish and Lithuanian dominions, apparently having no ancestors among Polish monarchs. His sons and heirs were born of his fourth wife Sophia, who was from Lithuania/Ruthenia, not Poland. Polish nobles gained concessions and privileges from Jogaila when utilizing his need to get confirmation for his sons' succession.

Jogaila died in his eighties, in 1434, leaving Lithuania to his younger son Casimir and Poland to his elder, Wladyslaw. Both boys were underage at his death.

Although Jagiellonian dynasty was not hereditary in Poland (though in Lithuania it was) and in theory each king of this dynasty was elected, in reality every time when the father died, his son (or brother) was elected as new king.

After the last male member of the Jagiellonian dynasty died, the kings of Poland were elected by the nobility (szlachta) of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Titles

As monarch of Lithuania before religious conversion

• Lithuanian title in Latin: Jagailo, magnus Rex vel dux Lithuanorum, Russieque dominus et heres
• Title in German: oberster/ grosser König der/zu Litauen

(breviary excerpts: from a Latin document in 1383: Nos Jagalo divina deliberacione magnus Rex vel dux litwanorum, Russieque dominus et here; from a German document in 1380: Wir Jagel obirster kung der Littouwen, from a German document in 1382 where together with his brother Skirgailo: Wir Jagal von gotis gnaden grosir konig czu lyttauwen und wir Skirgal Hertzog zcu Tracken, gebrudere - source )

(Compare with his grandfather Gediminas' titulary which at least in 1323 had been Gedeminne Dei gratia Letphanorum Ruthenorumque rex, princeps et dux Semigallie.)

From 1386, when ascended in Poland

• Royal title in Latin: Wladislaus Dei gracia rex Polonie necnon terrarum Cracovie, Sandomirie, Syradia, Lancicie, Cuiavie, Lithuanie princeps supremus, Pomoranie Russieque dominus et heres etc.
• English translation: Vladislaus by God's grace king of Poland, and lands of Kraków, Sandomierz, Sieradz, Łęczyca, Kuyavia, supreme-prince of Lithuania, lord and heir of Pomerania and Ruthenia, etc.
• Polish translation: Władysław, z Bożej łaski król Polski, ziemi krakowskiej, sandomierskiej, sieradzkiej, łęczyckiej, kujawskiej, Wielki Książe Litewski, pan i dziedzic Pomorza i Rusi, etc
• Lithuanian translation: Vladislovas, Dievo valia karalius Lenkijos ir žemių Krokuvos, Sandomiro, Sieradžo, Lenčycos, Kujavijos, Lietuvos didysis kunigaikštis, Pomeranijos ir Rusios valdovas ir paveldėtojas, etc.
• Belarusian translation: Уладзіслаў, з Божай ласкі кароль польскі, зямлі кракаўскай, сандамерскай, серадзкай, лучыцкай, куяўскай, князь літоўскі, пан і дзедзіч паморскі і рускі, etc.

See also

• Family relations of Władysław II of Poland
• History of Poland (1385-1569)
• Gediminids
• List of Belarusian rulers
• List of Lithuanian rulers

Notes and references

In-line:

1. The ruler is known under a number of names: Template:Lang-lt, Template:Lang-pl, Template:Lang-be. For the sake of simplicity this article uses his Lithuanian name of Jogaila for the early period of his life and the Christian name of Władysław for the period following his ascent to the Polish throne.
2. ^ Template:En icon Endre Bojtar (2000). Foreword to the Past: A Cultural History of the Baltic People. Budapest: Central European University Press. pp. 180–186. ISBN 9639116424.
3. Translated as High King in modern Lithuanian studies; other works translate the title either as Grand Duke or Grand Prince.
4. Template:En icon "Ladislaus II, king of Poland". Columbia Encyclopedia. Columbia University Press. 2005.
5. Template:En icon "Wladyslaw II Jagiello". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006.
6. ^ Template:En icon various authors (2000). Michael Jones (ed.). The New Cambridge Medieval History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 709–712. ISBN 0521362903. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
7. Whether he died of natural causes or was murdered, is still an object of debate amongst historians. Some historians claim that it was Jogaila to have Kęstutis killed personally.
8. Template:En icon various authors (1999). "From Pamphlet to Origin Theory". In Erik Simon Kooper (ed.). The Medieval Chronicle: Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on the Medieval Chronicle. Utrecht: Rodopi. p. 157. ISBN 9042008342. {{cite book}}: External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
9. ^ Template:En icon Jerzy Lukowski (2001). A Concise History of Poland. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 33–45. ISBN 0521559170. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
10. ^ Template:En icon various authors (2005). Len Scales, Oliver Zimmer (ed.). Power and the Nation in European History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 215–225. ISBN 0521845807. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
11. ^ Template:En icon Jerzy Kłoczowski (2000). A History of Polish Christianity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 54–57. ISBN 0521364299.
12. Template:Pl icon Marceli Kosman (1976). Drogi zaniku pogaństwa u Bałtów. Wrocław: Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich. p. 22.
13. Technically Jadwiga was the king of Poland, as there was no position of a queen regnant within the Polish political system
14. A Slavic name that could roughly be translated as the one who rules the fame or the one who praises power; often Latinised into either Wladislaus or Ladislaus
15. Eventually Prince Władysław of Opole became Jogaila's godfather
16. Łukowski, op.cit., p.33
17. ^ Template:Pl icon Marceli Kosman (1987). Jagiełło królem Polski: z dziejów unii Polski i Litwy (Jagiełło the king of Poland: the history of Polish-Lithuanian union). Warsaw: WSiP. p. 79. ISBN 8302032921. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
18. ^ Template:Pl icon Paweł Jasienica (1988). "Władysław Jagiełło". Polska Jagiellonów. Warsaw: Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy. pp. 80–146. ISBN 830601796X.
19. Template:En icon Stanisław Waltos (2004). "The Past and the Present". Jagiellonian University's web page. Jagiellonian University. Retrieved 2006-08-04.
20. Paweł Jasienica, op.cit., pp.74-80
21. ^ Template:En icon Jean W. Sedlar (1994). East Central Europe in the Middle Ages, 1000-1500. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 388. ISBN 0295972904.
22. ^ In fact the Teutonic forces were in large part composed of volunteers and mercenaries from western Europe, notably from France, German states and England; as cited in: Paweł Jasienica, op.cit., pp.83-84
23. ^ Template:En icon Francis Dvornik (1992). The Slavs in European History and Civilization. Rutgers University Press. pp. 222–225. ISBN 0813507995.
24. The death of both the mother and her daughter is often attributed to the so-called Angevin sickness, a hypothetical genetic defect that made the mortality rate among children of Angevin blood very high. During the 19th century exhumation of remnants of Jadwiga it was also discovered that her pelvis was unusually narrow, which might have also contributed to her death
25. Albeit not hereditiary
26. ^ Paweł Jasienica, op.cit., pp.103-105
27. Template:En icon Daniel Z Stone (2001). The Polish-Lithuanian State, 1386-1795. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 11. ISBN 0295980931.
28. ^ Template:En icon Norman Housley (1992). The Later Crusades 1274-1580: From Lyons to Alcazar. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 354. ISBN 0198221363. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |chapterurl= (help)
29. ^ Template:Pl icon "Śląsk w polityce Piastów (Silesia within the policies of the Piasts)". Polska Piastów. 2005. Retrieved 2006-08-09.
30. Template:Pl icon Tekla Wołowska (1860). Historya Polska (Polish History). Paris: L. Martinet. p. 433.
31. Template:Pl icon Antoni Prochaska (1908). Król Władysław Jagiełło. Kraków: Akademia Umiejętności. p. 240. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
32. Template:Pl icon Template:La icon Lites ac Res gestae inter Polonos ordinemque Cruciferorum typis mandavis adnotationibus instruxit Hedvigis Karwasińska (Conflicts and Matters between Poland and the Teutonic Order, described and commented by Jadwiga Karwasińska). Warsaw: Bibliotheca Cornicensis. 1935. p. 21. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
33. ^ Paweł Jasienica, op.cit., pp.106-107
34. It was one of the first usages of pontoon bridges in European warfare since the Battle of Garigliano, and the first time such a measure was used by an European power since the antiquity
35. Jagiełło's letter is preserved in several copies, as cited in: Paweł Jasienica, op.cit., p.108
36. Paweł Jasienica, op.cit., p.110
37. ^ Daniel Z. Stone, op.cit., p.17
38. Paweł Jasienica, op.cit., pp.113-120
39. Jagiełło agreed to release all of the captives in exchange for an equivalent of roughly 20 tons of silver

General:

1. Dlugosz, Jan, The Annals of Jan Dlugosz, translated and abridged by Maurice Michael, commentary by Paul Smith (Chichester, UK: IM Publications, 1997).
2. Drabina, Jan, “Die Religionspolitik von König Wladyslaw Jagiello im polnisch-litauischen Reich in den Jahren 1385-1434,” Zeitschrift für Ostforschung vol. 43 (1994), p. 161-173.
3. Jogaila, parašė J. Jakštas, Z. Ivinskis, S. Sužiedėlis, A. Šapoka, P. Šležas; redagavo A. Šapoka, Kaunas, 1935, 333
4. Sruogienė-Sruoga, Vanda, “Jogaila (1350-1434),” Lituanus, vol. 33 (4) (Winter 1987), p. 23-34.
5. Tęgowski, Jan. Pierwsze pokolenia Giedyminowiczow, Poznań-Wrocław, 1999, 319, p.

External links

• "Wladyslaw II" at the Directory of Royal Genealogical Data

• 1350 births
• 1434 deaths
• Jagiellons
• Polish monarchs
• Lithuanian rulers
• Kings consort
• History of Belarus