November 5, 1370: Death of Casimir III the Great, King of Poland and Ruthenia Casimir III the Great

Casimir III the Great (April 30, 1310 – November 5, 1370) reigned as the King of Poland from 1333 to 1370. He also later became King of Ruthenia in 1340, and fought to retain the title in the Galicia-Volhynia Wars. He was the third son of Ladislaus the Short and Jadwiga of Kalisz, and the last Polish king from the Piast dynasty. Casimir inherited a kingdom weakened by war and made it prosperous and wealthy. He reformed the Polish army and doubled the size of the kingdom. He reformed the judicial system and introduced a legal code, gaining the title “the Polish Justinian”. Casimir built extensively and founded the Jagiellonian University (back then simply called the University of Krakow), the oldest Polish university and one of the oldest in the world. He also confirmed privileges and protections previously granted to Jews and encouraged them to settle in Poland in great numbers.

The Great King Casimir III the Great was born on April 30, 1310 in Kowal, Kuyavia. He had two brothers who died in infancy and three sisters: Kunegunda, Elżbieta, and Jadwiga. When Casimir attained the throne in 1333, his position was in danger, as his neighbours did not recognise his title and instead called him “king of Kraków”. The kingdom was depopulated and exhausted by war, and the economy was ruined. In 1335, in the Treaty of Trentschin, Casimir was forced to relinquish his claims to Silesia “in perpetuity”. Casimir took up to rebuild the country and strengthen its defense system. During his reign, nearly 30 towns were supplied with fortification walls and some 50 castles were constructed, including castles along the Trail of the Eagle’s Nests. He organized a meeting of kings in Kraków in 1364 at which he exhibited the wealth of the Polish kingdom. Casimir is the only king in Polish history to both receive and retain the title of “Great”, as Bolesław I is more commonly known as “the Brave”. Reforms Casimir ensured stability and great prospects for the future of the country. He established the Corona Regni Poloniae – the Crown of the Polish Kingdom, which certified the existence of the Polish lands independently from the monarch. Prior to that, the lands were only the property of the Piast dynasty. At the Sejm in Wiślica, on March 11, 1347, Casimir introduced reforms to the Polish judicial system and sanctioned civil and criminal codes for Great and Lesser Poland, earning the title “the Polish Justinian”. In 1364, given the permission from pope Urban V, Casimir established the University of Kraków, the oldest Polish University. It was regarded a rare distinction, since it was the second university founded in Central Europe, after the Charles University in Prague. Relationships and children Casimir III was married four times: 1. Aldona of Lithuania On April 30 or 16 October 1325, Casimir married Aldona of Lithuania. She was also known as Anna, possibly a baptismal name. She was a daughter of Grand Duke Gediminas of Lithuania and Jewna. They had two children: Elisabeth of Poland (ca. 1326–1361); married Duke Bogislaus V of Pomerania Cunigunde of Poland (1334–1357); married Ludwig Roman, the son of Ludwig IV, Holy Roman Emperor. Ludwig the Roman was Duke of Upper Bavaria as Ludwig VI (1347–1365) and Margrave of Brandenburg (1351–1365) as Ludwig II. As of 1356, he also served as Prince-Elector of Brandenburg. Aldona died on May 26, 1339. Casimir remained a widower for two years. 2. Adelheid of Hesse On September 29, 1341, Casimir married his second wife, Adelaide of Hesse. She was a daughter of Heinrich II, Landgrave of Hesse, and Elizabeth of Meissen. They had no children. Casimir started living separately from Adelaide soon after the marriage. Their loveless marriage lasted until 1356, when he declared himself divorced. 3. Christina Rokiczana After Casimir “divorced” Adelaide he married his mistress Christina Rokiczana, the widow of Miklusz Rokiczani, a wealthy merchant. Her own origins are unknown. Following the death of her first husband she had entered the court of Bohemia in Prague as a lady-in-waiting. Casimir brought her with him from Prague and convinced the abbot of the Benedictine abbey of Tyniec to marry them. The marriage was held in a secret ceremony but soon became known. Queen Adelaide renounced it as bigamous and returned to Hesse. Casimir continued living with Christine despite complaints by Pope Innocent VI on behalf of Queen Adelaide. This marriage lasted until 1363–64 when Casimir again declared himself divorced. They had no children. 4. Hedwig of Żagań In about 1365, Casimir married his fourth wife Hedwig of Żagań. She was a daughter of Heinrich V of Iron, Duke of Żagań and Anna of Mazovia. They had three children: Anna of Poland, Countess of Celje (1366 – 9 June 1422); married firstly William of Celje; their only daughter was Anne of Celje, who married Jogaila of Lithuania when he was king of Poland (as Władysław II Jagiełło). Anna married secondly Ulrich, Duke of Teck; they had no children. Kunigunde of Poland (1367 – 1370) Jadwiga of Poland (1368 – ca. 1382) As Queen Adelheid was still alive (and possibly Christina as well), the marriage to Hedwig was also considered bigamous. Because of this, the legitimacy of his three young daughters was disputed. Casimir managed to have Anna and Kunigunde legitimated by Pope Urban V on December 5 1369. Jadwiga the younger was legitimated by Pope Gregory XI on October 11, 1371 (after Casimir’s death). Casimir left no lawful male heir to his throne, producing only daughters. When he died in 1370 from an injury received while hunting, his nephew, King Louis I of Hungary, succeeded him as king of Poland in personal union with Hungary. Title and style Casimir’s full title was: Casimir by the grace of God king of Poland and Ruthenia lord and heir of the land of Kraków, Sandomierz, Sieradz, Łęczyca, Kuyavia, Pomerania (Pomerelia).