- Casimir IV Jagiellon
Infobox Monarch
name=Casimir IV Jagiellon
caption=Kazimierz IV
date of birth=birth date|1427|11|30|mf=y
place of birth=Kraków ,Poland
date of death=death date and age|1492|6|7|1427|11|30|df=y
place of death=Hrodna , modernBelarus
place of burial=Wawel Cathedral , Kraków
reign=June 29 1440 -7 June 1492 (Grand Duke of Lithuania)25 June 1447 -7 June 1492 (King of Poland)
coronation=29 June 1440 inVilnius Cathedral as Grand Duke of Lithuania25 June 1447 inWawel Cathedral as King of Poland
royal house=Jagiellon
father=Jogaila
mother=Sophia of Halshany
consort=Elisabeth of Austria
issue=Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary
Jadwiga Jagiellon
St. Casimir JagiellonJohn I of Poland Alexander of Poland
Zofia
ElżbietaSigismund I the Old
Fryderyk]
Elżbieta II
AnnaBarbara of Poland
Elżbieta IIICasimir IV Jagiellon ( _pl. Kazimierz IV Jagiellończyk IPAudio|Pl-Kazimierz_Jagiellończyk.ogg| [ka'ʑimi̯ɛʒ jagi̯ɛl'lɔɲʧɨk] ; _lt. Kazimieras Jogailaitis; _be. Kazimir Jahajłavič;
30 November 1427 –7 June 1492 ) of theJagiellon dynasty , was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440, and King of Poland from 1447, until his death.Casimir was the second son of King Władysław II Jagiełło (Jogaila), and the younger brother of Władysław III of Varna.
Grand Duke of Lithuania
The death of
Žygimantas Kęstutaitis left the office of theGrand Duchy of Lithuania empty. TheVoivode of Trakai ,Jonas Goštautas , and other magnates of Lithuania, supported Casimir Jagiellon as a pretender to the throne. However many Polish noblemen hoped that the thirteen year old boy would remain aVice-regent for the Polish King in Lithuania.J. Kiaupienë Valdžios krizës pabaiga ir Kazimieras Jogailaitis. Gimtoji istorija 2: Nuo 7 iki 12 klasės (Lietuvos istorijos vadovėlis). CD. (2003). Elektroninės leidybos namai: Vilnius.] Casimir was invited by the Lithuanian magnates to Lithuania, and when Casimir arrived inVilnius in 1440, he was proclaimed as Grand Duke on29 June 1440 by theCouncil of Lords , contrary to the wishes of the Polish noblemen -- an act supported and coordinated by Jonas Goštautas. The fragile personal union between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland was dissolved by this. When the news arrived in the Kingdom of Poland concerning the proclamation of Casimir as Grand Duke of Lithuania, it was met with hostility, even to the point of military threats against Lithuania. Since the young Grand Duke was underaged, the supreme control over the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was in the hands of the Council of Lords, presided by Jonas Goštautas. Casimir had been taught Lithuanian language and customs by appointed court officials. [ [http://ualgiman.dtiltas.lt/vid..html#Hermanas_Vartbergietis_ Lietuvių kalba ir literatūros istorija ] ]During the Casimir's rule the rights of Lithuanian nobility - dukes, magnates and "bajorai" (lesser nobility) - regardless of religion and ethnicity, were given equality to those of the Polish szlachta. Moreover, Casimir promised to protect the Grand Duchy's borders and to not appoint people from Kingdom of Poland to offices of Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He also accepted, that decisions on matters regarding
Grand Duchy of Lithuania would not be made without the Council of Lords' consent. He gave Samogitia the right to elect its elder. Casimir was the first ruler of Lithuania baptised at birth, becoming the first nativelyRoman Catholic Grand Duke.King of Poland
Casimir succeeded his brother Władysław III as King of Poland after a three-year interregnum on 25 June 1447. In 1454, he married Elisabeth of Austria {right}, daughter of the late
King of the Romans Albert II of Habsburg by his late wifeElisabeth II of Bohemia . Her distant relative Frederick of Habsburg became Holy Roman Emperor and reigned as Frederick III until after Casimir's own death. The marriage strengthened the ties between the house of Jagiellon and the sovereigns of Hungary-Bohemia and put Casimir at odds with theHoly Roman Emperor through internal Habsburg rivalry.That same year, Casimir was approached by the
Prussian Confederation for aid against theTeutonic Order , which he promised, by the act of incorporation of Prussia to thePolish Kingdom . However, when the cities of Prussia rebelled against the Teutons, the Order resisted with greater strength than expected, and theThirteen Years' War (1454-1466) ensued. Casimir and the Prussian Confederation defeated theTeutonic Order , taking over its capital at Marienburg (Malbork Castle ). In theSecond Peace of Thorn (1466) , the Order recognized Polish sovereignty overRoyal Prussia and the Polish crown's overlordship over Ducal Prussia.Elisabeth's only brother Ladislas, king of Bohemia and Hungary, died in 1457, and after that Casimir and Elisabeth's dynastic interests were directed also towards her brother's former kingdoms.
Children
* Daughter Jadwiga Jagiellon married George the Rich, of the
Wittelsbach dynasty ofBavaria . Delegates had gone toKraków to negotiate the marriage, and their "Landshut Wedding" took place inBavaria with much pomp and celebration in 1475, starting a tradition which continues to this day.
* Son Casimir was to have married the daughter of Emperor Frederick III, but instead chose a religious life, eventually being canonized asSt. Casimir .
* SonVladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary combined the thrones ofHungary andBohemia .
* Daughter Sophie, married to MargraveFrederick V of Brandenburg-Ansbach
* SonJohn I of Poland succeeded him as the king of Poland while other sons, Alexander andSigismund I the Old , ruled in turns in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and in Poland.
* Daughter Anna married to DukeBogislaw X of Pomerania
* Daughter Barbara married to Duke Georg dem Bärtigen of Saxonyee also
*
History of Poland (1385-1569)
*History of Lithuania
*Nieszawa Statutes References
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