Anne of Bohemia, Duchess of Silesia

2.1. Birth and Family

Anne was likely born in Prague, within the Kingdom of Bohemia, around 1203 or 1204. She was the daughter of Ottokar I of Bohemia, who was King of Bohemia, and his second wife, Constance of Hungary. Her noble lineage extended through her maternal grandparents, Béla III of Hungary and his first wife, Agnes of Antioch. On her paternal side, her grandparents were Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Judith of Thuringia. Anne was also the sister of the influential Franciscan nun Agnes of Bohemia (1211-1282) and Wenceslaus I of Bohemia, who succeeded their father as King of Bohemia.

2.2. Ancestry

Anne of Bohemia's ancestry reflects a rich tapestry of prominent medieval European dynasties, underscoring her extensive dynastic connections.

Her paternal lineage traces back through the Přemyslid dynasty of Bohemia. Her father, Ottokar I of Bohemia, was the son of Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Judith of Thuringia. Vladislaus II's parents were Vladislaus I of Bohemia and Richeza of Berg. Vladislaus I, in turn, was the son of Vratislaus II of Bohemia and Świętosława of Poland. Through her paternal grandmother, Judith of Thuringia, Anne was connected to the Ludovingians, the Landgraves of Thuringia, as Judith was the daughter of Louis I, Landgrave of Thuringia and Hedwig of Gudensberg. Louis I's parents were Louis the Springer and Adelheid von Stade, while Hedwig was the daughter of Giso IV, Count of Gudensberg and Kunigunde von Bilstein. Further connections on this side include Henry I of Berg-Schelklingen and Adelheid of Mochental.

Her maternal lineage connected her to the Árpád dynasty of Hungary through her mother, Constance of Hungary, and maternal grandfather, Béla III of Hungary. Béla III was the son of Géza II of Hungary and Euphrosyne of Kiev. Géza II's parents were Béla II of Hungary and Helena of Raška, and Euphrosyne was the daughter of Mstislav I of Kiev and Liubava Dmitrievna. Anne's maternal grandmother, Agnes of Antioch, brought connections to the Principality of Antioch and the House of Châtillon, as Agnes was the daughter of Raynald of Châtillon and Constance of Antioch. Raynald's parents were Henri de Châtillon and Ermengarde de Montjay, while Constance was the daughter of Bohemund II of Antioch and Alice of Antioch. These diverse connections illustrate her position at the nexus of Central and Eastern European nobility, providing a broad network of familial alliances and influences that shaped the political landscape of her time.

3.1. Marriage to Henry II the Pious

Around the age of twelve, in 1216, Anne was married to Henry II the Pious, a member of the Silesian Piasts, a branch of the Piast dynasty. Henry was the son and heir of Duke Henry the Bearded, a powerful ruler who significantly expanded the influence of the Silesian Piasts. This marriage was politically significant, aligning the Bohemian Přemyslids with the rising power of the Silesian Piasts in Poland. During a period of internal political struggles in Poland, the Silesian Piasts gained substantial control over Polish territories following the assassination of High Duke Leszek the White in 1227. Henry the Bearded further consolidated power by inheriting the Duchy of Greater Poland in 1231 and subsequently attaining the Seniorate Province and the Polish throne at Kraków in 1232. Upon his father's death on 19 March 1238, Henry II, who had been co-ruler in the Silesian lands since 1226, succeeded him as Duke of Silesia and High Duke of Poland.

3.2. Children

Anne and Henry II the Pious had ten children, whose lives and marriages further solidified the dynastic connections of the Silesian Piasts across Central Europe and shaped the political landscape of the region. After lengthy dynastic struggles, Anne's younger sons claimed their rights to the Lower Silesian lands.

• Gertrude** (c. 1218/1220 - 23/30 April 1247), became the first wife of Bolesław I of Masovia by 1232.
• Constance** (c. 1221 - c. 21 February 1257), married by 1239 to Casimir I of Kuyavia.
• Bolesław II the Bald** (c. 1220/1225 - 25/31 December 1278), who, after a partition of Silesian lands in 1248, went on to rule as Duke of Legnica.
• Mieszko** (c. 1223/1227 - 1242), Duke of Lubusz.
• Henry III the White** (1227/1230 - 3 December 1266), who ruled as Duke of Silesia at Wrocław after the 1248 partition.
• Konrad I of Głogów** (1228/1231 - c. 6 August 1274), who became the first Silesian Duke of Głogów from 1251.
• Elizabeth** (c. 1232 - 16 January 1265), married in 1244 to Przemysł I of Greater Poland.
• Agnes of Trebnitz** (c. 1236 - after 14 May 1277), who was placed with the Franciscans at St. Clare in Wrocław by her mother and later became Abbess of St. Clare in Trzebnica.
• Władysław** (1237 - 27 April 1270), who pursued an ecclesiastical career, serving as Bohemian chancellor for King Ottokar II of Bohemia from 1256, elected Prince-bishop of Bamberg (1257) and Passau, and eventually becoming Prince-archbishop of Salzburg from 1265.
• Hedwig** (c. 1238/1241 - 3 April 1318), who became Abbess of St Clara in Wrocław.

4.1. Widowhood and Regency

Anne's life took a tragic turn only three years into her husband's reign. On 9 April 1241, Henry II the Pious was killed fighting against the Mongols at the Battle of Legnica. This devastating loss thrust Anne into a challenging role as a widow and regent for her young sons. During the aftermath of the battle, the identification of Henry's body was made possible only by Anne's knowledge of a distinctive physical characteristic: her husband had six toes on his left foot.

The years following her husband's death were largely defined by her regency for her eldest son, Bolesław II the Bald, and his younger brothers. Despite her efforts, the Silesian Piasts were unable to maintain their dominant position in the Polish lands, as the throne of Kraków ultimately passed to Duke Konrad I of Masovia. Anne also faced personal difficulties during her long widowhood, reportedly living in fear of her eldest son, Bolesław II, who was known for his volatile temper.

4.2. Religious Patronage and Foundations

Anne of Bohemia was a devoted patron of religious institutions, demonstrating a deep commitment to supporting monastic life and community welfare. On 8 May 1242, she and her son jointly founded the Benedictine abbey of Krzeszów (known as Grüssau in German).

Beyond this, Anne was a particularly generous benefactor of the Franciscan nuns in Wrocław, often acting in consultation with her sister, Agnes of Bohemia, who was herself a Franciscan nun. In 1256, Pope Alexander IV acknowledged Anne's initiative, writing to the bishops of Wrocław and Lebus about her proposal to construct a monastery for a community of Franciscan nuns, fulfilling a desire she shared with her late husband. Construction of this monastery commenced in 1257. Anne's donations to the monastery were substantial, but she meticulously ensured that her gifts did not violate the vow of voluntary poverty taken by the nuns. A papal bull issued by Pope Urban IV in 1263 to the nuns at Wrocław explicitly stated Anne's intention that the property she donated should only be used by the nuns in times of genuine need. The Notæ Monialium Sanctæ Claræ Wratislaviensium, a chronicle written by the Franciscan nuns at Wrocław, explicitly names Anne as the founder of the St Clare monastery there. Furthermore, her vita, written in the early 14th century, highlights the significant influence of her mother-in-law, Hedwig of Andechs, on Anne's spiritual and religious life.

5.1. Death and Burial

Anne of Bohemia died on 26 June 1265. According to the Notæ Monialium Sanctæ Claræ Wratislaviensium, she was buried in the nuns' choir within the Chapel of St Hedwig, a chapel located in the St Clara of Prague Abbey in Wrocław. Her burial alongside her husband's coffin in the monastery that she helped complete and generously supported marked the final resting place of this influential medieval duchess.

5.2. Veneration

In Poland, Anne of Bohemia was venerated as a saintly figure, a testament to her reputation for piety and her significant contributions as a patron of religious life and charity. Despite this popular veneration, she was never formally canonized by the Church. Her legacy endures through the historical memory of her devout life, her role in founding and supporting monastic institutions, and her efforts to maintain dynastic stability during a period of considerable upheaval in Silesia and Poland.