#jadwiga

jadwiga

rugs with rabbits on them are clearly rugs for rabbits

Jadwiga of Poland. She was of a Hungarian dynasty, approximately 11 years old when crowned as the king - YES, that's correct - of Poland. Because in our language, the queen ("królowa") was merely the wife of the king ("król"), and the king was the rightful ruler.

Jadwiga was a well-educated, intelligent monarch. She had to deal with immense responsibility very early in her life, but many historians claim she was a capable and mature ruler. She valued knowledge and genuinely cared about the well-being of her subjects. It was mainly Jadwiga who contributed to the revival of the Jagiellonian University, one of the oldest universities in Europe.

Her fate wasn't easy - apart from becoming a ruler at such a young age, she also got married very early (by modern standards). Apparently her marriage with Jogaila was a respectful one, but we can only imagine how difficult it was for her to marry a man so much older than her, one she'd never met before. That marriage, however, reshaped Central and Eastern Europe.

She died due to complications after childbirth. She was approximately 25 years old.

January 16th, Jadwiga (with a pipe) from 1670!