Jogaila or Władysław II Jagiełło
Presumed image of Jogaila, painted c. 1475–80, Wawel Cathedral
Born	about 1362
in	Vilnius
Died	June 1, 1434
in	Gródek Jagielloński (now Horodok, Ukraine)
Buried	Wawel Cathedral
Reign	Lithuanian grand duke (later supreme duke) from 1377; king of Poland from 1386 to 1 June 1434
Coronation	As Polish king: March 4, 1386 in Wawel Cathedral
Family or dynasty	Jagiellon dynasty
Coat of Arms	Vytis. Wawel Cathedral &ndash the Cathedral Basilica of Sts Stanisław and Vaclav &ndash is Poland 's national sanctuary located on Wawel Hill in Kraków Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected Horodok (Городок Gródek Jagielloński is a city in Lviv Oblast ( province) of Ukraine. Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe. Wawel Cathedral &ndash the Cathedral Basilica of Sts Stanisław and Vaclav &ndash is Poland 's national sanctuary located on Wawel Hill in Kraków Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth Wawel Cathedral &ndash the Cathedral Basilica of Sts Stanisław and Vaclav &ndash is Poland 's national sanctuary located on Wawel Hill in Kraków Szlachta ( refers to the noble class in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (since 1569 semi-federal semi-confederal The Jagiellons (Jogailaičiai Jagiellonowie were a royal Dynasty originating from Lithuanian House of Gediminas dynasty that reigned in Central European The history of Polish heraldry is an integral part of the history of the Szlachta, the Polish Nobility. The Coat of arms of Lithuania, consisting of an armor-clad knight on horseback holding an olden Sword and Shield, is also known as
Parents	Algirdas Uliana Alexandrovna of Tver
Marriage and children	with Jadwiga of Poland:  Elżbieta Bonifacja
	with Anna of Celje:  Jadwiga of Lithuania
	with Elisabeth of Pilica:  None
	with Sophia of Halshany:  Władysław III of Poland, † Casimir IV Jagiellon

Jogaila, later Władysław II Jagiełło^[1] (b. Algirdas, (ɑlgərdɑːs known as Olgierd Альгерд Ольгерд b Jadwiga of Anjou (1373/4 – July 17 1399 was King of Poland from 1384 to her death Anna of Celje (1381 &ndash May 21 1416) was Queen consort of Poland and grand duchess of Lithuania, 1402-1416 as second wife of Jadwiga (Jadvyga Jogailaitė ( 8 April, 1408 - 8 December, 1431) of the House of Jagiellon was a daughter of Jogaila (ca Elisabeth of Pilica (Elżbieta Granowska z Pileckich (1372-1420 was Queen consort of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania (1417-1420 as the third wife Biography Vytautas the Great helped arrange the marriage between Sophia and Jogaila. This article refers to the 15th century Jagiellon monarch For the 12th century Piast monarch see Władysław III Spindleshanks, and for other monarchs with similar Casimir IV Jagiellon (Kazimierz IV Jagiellończyk; Kazimieras Jogailaitis Kazimir Jahajłavič 30 November 1427 &ndash about 1362 d. 1 June 1434), was a Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland. Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected The Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė old literary Lithuanian Didi Kunigiste Letuvos, Ruthenian: Wialikaje Kniastwa Litowskaje Poland, or at least its nucleus was ruled at various times either by książęta (Dukes(ca He ruled in Lithuania from 1377, at first with his uncle, Kęstutis. Kęstutis (kæsˈtuːtıs born ca 1297 died on August 3 or August 15, 1382 in Kreva) was Monarch of medieval Lithuania In 1386, he converted to Christianity, was baptized as Władysław, married the young Queen Jadwiga of Poland, inducted into the Order of the Dragon and was crowned Polish king as Władysław Jagiełło. The Christianization of Lithuania (Lietuvos krikštas was the event that took place in 1387 initiated by the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Jadwiga of Anjou (1373/4 – July 17 1399 was King of Poland from 1384 to her death The Order of the Dragon ( lat. Societas Draconistrarum, ger. der Drachenorden, hun. ^[2] His reign in Poland lasted a further forty-eight years and laid the foundation for the centuries-long Polish-Lithuanian union. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The term Polish–Lithuanian Union sometimes called as United Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania refers to a series of acts and alliances between the Kingdom of Poland He gave his name to the Jagiellon branch of the established Lithuanian Gediminids dynasty, which ruled both states until 1572,^[3] and became one of the most influential dynasties in medieval Central and Eastern Europe. The Jagiellons (Jogailaičiai Jagiellonowie were a royal Dynasty originating from Lithuanian House of Gediminas dynasty that reigned in Central European Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the The Gediminids ( Lithuanian: Gediminaičiai, singular Gediminaitis) were a Dynasty of Monarchs of the medieval Lithuania ^[4]

Jogaila was the last pagan ruler of medieval Lithuania. This article discusses the history of Lithuania and of the Lithuanians. He held the title Didysis Kunigaikštis. The Lithuanian nobility was historically a legally privileged class in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania consisting of Lithuanian (from historical ^[5] As King of Poland, he pursued a policy of close alliances with Lithuania against the Teutonic Order. The Teutonic Order is a German Roman Catholic religious order. The allied victory at the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, followed by the Peace of Thorn (1411), secured the Polish and Lithuanian borders and marked the emergence of the Polish-Lithuanian alliance as a significant force in Europe. The Battle of Grunwald (or 1st Battle of Tannenberg) took place on 15 July 1410 with the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led by The (First Peace of Thorn (1411 was like the Second Peace of Thorn (1466, a Peace treaty between allied Poland and Lithuania fom The reign of Władysław II Jagiełło extended Polish frontiers and is often considered the beginning of Poland's "Golden Age". Polish Golden Age refers to the times from 15th century Jagiellon Poland to mid-17th century when in 1648 the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was ravaged by the

Early life

Lithuania

Little is known of Jogaila's early life, and even his date of birth is not certain. Previously historians have given his date of birth as 1352, but some recent research suggests a later date—about 1362. ^[6] He was a descendant of the Gediminid dynasty and probably born in Vilnius. The Gediminids ( Lithuanian: Gediminaičiai, singular Gediminaitis) were a Dynasty of Monarchs of the medieval Lithuania His parents were Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and his second wife, Uliana, daughter of Alexander I, Grand Prince of Tver. Algirdas, (ɑlgərdɑːs known as Olgierd Альгерд Ольгерд b Grand Prince Alexander or Aleksandr Mikhailovich (Александр Михайлович Тверской ( 7 October 1301 &ndash 29 October Tver (Тверь is a city in Russia, the administrative center of Tver Oblast.

The Lithuania to which Jogaila succeeded in 1377 was a political entity composed of two different nationalities and two political systems: ethnic Lithuania in the north-west and the vast Ruthenian territories of former Kievan Rus', comprising lands of modern Ukraine, Belarus, and parts of western Russia. Ruthenia is a geographic and culturo-ethnic name applied to the parts of Eastern Europe populated by Eastern Slavic peoples, as well as to the past various Kievan Rus′ (Ки́евская Русь romanised: Kievskaya Rus', rusʲ also written as Kyivan Rus′ (Ки́ївська Русь or Kievan ^[7] At first, Jogaila—like his father, who had besieged Moscow in 1370^[8]—based his rule in the southern and eastern territories of Lithuania, while his uncle, Kęstutis, the duke of Trakai, continued to rule the north-western region. Trakai is a historic city and lake resort in Lithuania. It lies 28 km west of Vilnius, capital of Lithuania ^[9] Jogaila's succession, however, soon placed this system of dual rule under strain. ^[4]

At the start of his reign, Jogaila was preoccupied with unrest in the Lithuanian Rus' lands. In 1377–78, for example, his own half-brother, the russified Andrii the Hunchback, prince of Polotsk, manoeuvred to secede to Moscow. Polotsk ( Polatsk, По́лацк Полоцк Polockas Połock is a historical city in Belarus, situated on the Dvina river ^[10] In 1380, Andrii and another brother, Dmytro, sided with Prince Dmitri of Moscow against Jogaila's alliance with the Tatar Khan Mamai. Mamai was a powerful military commander of the Blue Horde in the 1370s, who resided in the western part of this nomadic state which is now the Southern Ukrainian ^[11] Jogaila failed to arrive with his troops in time to support Mamai,^[10] who was defeated by Prince Dmitri at the Battle of Kulikovo, after which the principality of Moscow posed a heightened threat to Lithuania. The Battle of Kulikovo (Куликовская битва битва на Куликовском поле was fought by the Tartaro - Mongols (the Golden Horde In the same year, Jogaila began a struggle for supremacy with Kęstutis.

In the north-west, Lithuania faced constant armed incursions from the monastic state of the Teutonic Order—founded after 1226 to fight and convert the pagan Baltic tribes of Prussians, Yotvingians and Lithuanians—which had established itself as a centralised regional power. The Teutonic Order is a German Roman Catholic religious order. "Prussians" redirects here "Prussians" may also refer to citizens of the former German state of Prussia. Yotvingians or Sudovians (also called Suduvians, Jatvians, or Jatvingians in English (Jotvingiai Sūduviai Jatvingi Jaćwingowie Яцьвягі Lithuanians are the Baltic Ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number a little over 3 million In 1380, Jogaila secretly concluded the Treaty of Dovydiškės with the Order, in which he agreed to the Christianisation of Lithuania in return for the Order's backing against Kęstutis;^[4] but Kęstutis discovered the plan, seized Vilnius, overthrew Jogaila, and pronounced himself grand duke in his place. The Treaty of Dovydiškės (Dovydiškių sutartis Traktat w lasach dawidyskich or Traktat w Dawidyszkach; Treaty of Dovydiškės Daudiske, or Daudisken The Christianization of Lithuania (Lietuvos krikštas was the event that took place in 1387 initiated by the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland ^[12]

Equestrian statue of Wladyslaw II Jagiello, Central Park, New York

In 1382, Jogaila raised an army from his father's vassals and confronted Kęstutis near Trakai. The King Jagiello Monument is an equestrian monument of king of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Władysław II Jagiełło, located in Central Park is a large public Urban park in New York City, with about twenty-five million visitors annually New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Kęstutis and his son Vytautas, under a promise of safe conduct from Skirgaila, Jogaila's brother, entered Jogaila's encampment in Vilnius for negotiations but were tricked and imprisoned in the castle of Kreva, where Kęstutis was found dead, probably murdered, a week later. Vytautas the Great ( Lithuanian:; Vitaŭt; Latin: Alexander Vitoldus; Witold Ruthenian: Vitovt; c Skirgaila, also known as Ivan; ca 1353 or 1354 – 11 January 1397 in Kiev; baptized 1383/1384 as Casimir) was a regent of the Kreva (Крэва 'krɛva Krėva Krevas Krewo is a township in Hrodna Voblast, Belarus. ^[13] Vytautas escaped to the Teutonic fortress of Marienburg and was baptised there under the name Wigand. Malbork (Marienburg in Westpreußen Civitas Beatae Virginis is a Town in northern Poland in the Żuławy region with 41000 inhabitants (2001 ^[12]

Jogaila conducted further talks with the Order, renewing his promises of Christianisation and granting the Knights an area of Samogitia up to the Dubysa river. Samogitia ( Samogitian: Žemaitėjė, Žemaitija literally lowlands) is one of the five Ethnographic Regions of Lithuania. Dubysa The Knights, however, pretending to assist both cousins at once, entered Lithuania in summer 1383 and seized most of Samogitia, opening a corridor between Teutonic Prussia and Teutonic Livonia further north. Bishop Albert of Riga founded the Military order of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword (Fratres militiæ Christi Livoniae Schwertbrüderorden in 1202 Having taken arms with the Knights, Vytautas then accepted assurances from Jogaila about his inheritance and joined him in attacking and looting several Prussian castles. ^[14]

Baptism and marriage

See also: Jadwiga of Poland

When the time came for Jogaila to choose a wife, it became clear that he intended to marry a Christian. Jadwiga of Anjou (1373/4 – July 17 1399 was King of Poland from 1384 to her death His Russian mother urged him to marry Sofia, daughter of Prince Dmitri of Moscow, who required him first to convert to Orthodoxy. ^[15] That option, however, was unlikely to halt the crusades against Lithuania by the Teutonic Order, who regarded Orthodox Christians as schismatics and little better than heathens. ^[12][4]

Wawel Cathedral's towers

Jogaila chose therefore to accept a Polish proposal to become a Catholic and marry the eleven-year-old Queen Jadwiga of Poland. Wawel Cathedral &ndash the Cathedral Basilica of Sts Stanisław and Vaclav &ndash is Poland 's national sanctuary located on Wawel Hill in Kraków Jadwiga of Anjou (1373/4 – July 17 1399 was King of Poland from 1384 to her death ^[16][17] He was also to be legally adopted by Jadwiga's mother, Elisabeth of Hungary, so retaining the throne in the event of Jadwiga's death. St Elisabeth of Hungary (St Elisabeth von Thüringen Árpád-házi Szent Erzsébet 7 July, 1207 &ndash 17 November, 1231) spent most of ^[12] On these and other terms, on 14 August 1385 at the castle of Kreva, Jogaila agreed to adopt Christianity, repatriate lands "stolen" from Poland by its neighbours, and terras suas Lithuaniae et Russiae Coronae Regni Poloniae perpetuo applicare, a clause interpreted by historians to mean anything from a personal union between Lithuania and Poland to a prenuptial agreement superseded when the marriage took place. Events 1183 - Taira no Munemori and the Taira clan take the young Emperor Antoku and the three sacred treasures The Union of Krewo, also known as Krėva Act (other names Union of Krevo, Act of Kreva) was a set of promises of Jogaila, Grand Duke ^[18] The agreement at Krėva has been described both as far-sighted and as a desperate gamble. ^[19]

Jogaila was duly baptised at the Wawel Cathedral in Kraków on 15 February 1386 and from then on formally used the name Władysław or Latin versions of it. Wawel Cathedral &ndash the Cathedral Basilica of Sts Stanisław and Vaclav &ndash is Poland 's national sanctuary located on Wawel Hill in Kraków Kraków, in English also spelled Krakow or Cracow (ˈkrækaʊ M-W: krăk'ou krāk'ō is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland Events 590 - Khosrau II is crowned as king of Persia 1637 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor ^[20] An official declaration of the baptism was sent to Grand Master Ernst von Zöllner, who had declined an invitation to become the new Christian's godfather, at the Order's capital, Marienburg. Grand Master is the typical Title of the supreme head (in some national orders below the Sovereign Head of state of various orders of knighthood including Military orders Conrad Zöllner von Rothenstein (died August 20, 1390) was the 23rd Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, serving from 1382-90 ^[21] The royal baptism triggered the conversion of most of Jogaila's court and knights, as well as mass baptisms in Lithuanian rivers,^[22] a beginning of the final Christianization of Lithuania. Though the ethnic Lithuanian nobility were the main converts to Catholicism—both paganism and the Orthodox rite remained strong among the peasants—the king's conversion and its political implications created lasting repercussions for the history of both Lithuania and Poland. ^[22]

Reception in Poland

Cross of Jagiellons, Władysław's personal insignia, acquired after his marriage

Before Władysław's arrival in Kraków for the wedding, Queen Jadwiga despatched one of her knights, Zawisza the Red, to confirm that her future husband was really a human, as she had heard he was a bear-like creature, cruel and uncivilised. This article is about the medieval knight "Zawisza the Red" not to be confused with Zawisza Czarny or others named Zawisza. ^[23] Despite her misgivings, the marriage went ahead on 4 March 1386, two weeks after the baptism ceremonies, and Jogaila was crowned King Władysław. Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth In time, the Poles discovered their new ruler to be a civilised monarch with a high regard for Christian culture, as well as a skilled politician and military commander. An athletic man, with small, restless, black eyes and big ears,^[24] Władysław dressed modestly and was said to be an unusually clean person, who washed and shaved every day, never touched alcohol, and drank only pure water. ^[23][25] His pleasures included listening to Ruthenian fiddlers and hunting. ^[26] Some medieval chroniclers attributed such model behaviour to Wladyslaw's conversion. ^[27]

Ruler of Lithuania and Poland

Jadwiga's sarcophagus, Wawel Cathedral

Władysław and Jadwiga reigned as co-monarchs; and though Jadwiga probably had little real power, she took an active part in Poland's political and cultural life. Wawel Cathedral &ndash the Cathedral Basilica of Sts Stanisław and Vaclav &ndash is Poland 's national sanctuary located on Wawel Hill in Kraków In 1387, she led two successful military expeditions to Red Ruthenia, recovered lands her father had transferred from Poland to Hungary, and secured the homage of Petru I, Voivode of Moldavia. Red Ruthenia ( Червона Русь, Chervona Rus, Polish: Ruś Czerwona, Latin: Ruthenia Rubra or Russia Louis I the Great (I (Nagy Lajos Ludwik Węgierski Serbian: Lajoš I/Лајош I Croatian: Ludovik I Czech: Ludvík I Petru I Muşat was Voivode (prince of Moldavia from 1375 to 1391, the son of Costea Muşat, the first ruler from the dynastic ^[28] In 1390, she also personally opened negotiations with the Teutonic Order. Most political responsibilities, however, fell to Władysław, with Jadwiga attending to the cultural and charitable activities for which she is still revered. ^[28]

Soon after Władysław's accession to the Polish throne, Władysław granted Vilnius a city charter like that of Kraków, modelled on the Magdeburg Law; and Vytautas issued a privilege to a Jewish commune of Trakai on almost the same terms as privileges issued to the Jews of Poland in the reigns of Boleslaus the Pious and Casimir the Great. Kraków, in English also spelled Krakow or Cracow (ˈkrækaʊ M-W: krăk'ou krāk'ō is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland Magdeburg Rights (Magdeburger Recht or Magdeburg Law were a set of German town laws regulating the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages granted with Trakai is a historic city and lake resort in Lithuania. It lies 28 km west of Vilnius, capital of Lithuania Boleslaw the Pious (born between 1221-1227 died 14 April 1279) was a Duke of Greater Poland (provinces of Poznań, Kalisz Casimir III the Great (Kazimierz Wielki April 30 1310 – November 5 1370 last King of Poland from the Piast dynasty (1333–1370 was the son of King Władysław ^[29] Władysław's policy of unifying the two legal systems was partial and uneven at first but achieved a lasting influence. ^[28][30]

One effect of Władysław's measures was to be the advancement of Catholics in Lithuania at the expense of Orthodox elements; in 1387 and 1413, for example, Lithuanian Catholic boyars were granted special judicial and political privileges denied the Orthodox boyars. ^[31] As this process gained momentum, it was accompanied by the rise of both Rus' and Lithuanian identity in the fifteenth century. ^[32]

Challenges

Vytautas

Władysław's baptism entirely failed to end the crusade of the Teutonic Knights, who claimed his conversion was a sham, perhaps even a heresy, and renewed their incursions on the pretext that pagans remained in Lithuania. Vytautas the Great ( Lithuanian:; Vitaŭt; Latin: Alexander Vitoldus; Witold Ruthenian: Vitovt; c ^[12][33] From now on, however, the Order found it harder to sustain the cause of a crusade and faced the growing threat to its existence posed by a genuinely Christian Lithuania. ^[34][35]

If anything, Władysław and Jadwiga's policy of Catholicising Lithuania served to antagonise rather than disarm their Teutonic rivals. They sponsored the creation of the diocese of Vilnius under bishop Andrzej Wasilko, the former confessor of Elisabeth of Hungary. Bishops of Vilnius (Vilna Wilno Diocese from 1388 and Archdiocese ( Archdiocese of Vilnius) from 1925 Andrzej Jastrzębiec, also known as Andrzej Wasilko or Andrzej Polak (died 1398 was a Polish Catholic priest and diplomat a first bishop of St Elisabeth of Hungary (St Elisabeth von Thüringen Árpád-házi Szent Erzsébet 7 July, 1207 &ndash 17 November, 1231) spent most of The bishopric, which included Samogitia, then largely controlled by the Teutonic Order, was subordinated to the see of Gniezno and not to that of Teutonic Königsberg. Gniezno (Gnesen is a Town in central-western Poland, some 50 km east of Poznań, inhabited by about 73000 people Königsberg (Karaliaučius Low German: Königsbarg; Królewiec see also other names) was until 1946 the name of Kaliningrad. ^[12] The decision may not have improved Władysław's relations with the Order, but it served to introduce closer ties between Lithuania and Poland, enabling the Polish church to freely assist its Lithuanian counterpart. ^[22]

In 1390, Władysław's rule in Lithuania faced a revived challenge from Vytautas, who resented the power given to Skirgaila in Lithuania at the expense of his own patrimony. Skirgaila, also known as Ivan; ca 1353 or 1354 – 11 January 1397 in Kiev; baptized 1383/1384 as Casimir) was a regent of the ^[14] On 4 September 1390, the joint forces of Vytautas and the Teutonic Grand Master, Konrad von Wallenrode, laid siege to Vilnius, which was held by Władysław's regent Skirgaila with combined Polish, Lithuanian and Ruthenian troops. Events 476 - Romulus Augustus, last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, is deposed when Odoacer proclaims himself Konrad von Wallenrode (c 1330s – 23 July 1393) was the 24th Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from 1391-93 ^[4][36] Although the Knights, "with all their powder shot away", lifted the siege of the castle after a month, they reduced much of the outer city to ruins. ^[37] This bloody conflict was eventually brought to a temporary halt in 1392 with the secret Treaty of Ostrów, by which Władysław handed over the government of Lithuania to his cousin in exchange for peace: Vytautas was to rule Lithuania as a grand duke until his death, under the overlordship of a supreme prince or duke in the person of the Polish monarch. The Ostrów or Astrava Agreement (Astravos sutartis Ugoda w Ostrowie was a treaty between Jogaila (Władysław II Jagiełło King of Poland and ^[38] Vytautas accepted his new status but continued to demand Lithuania's complete separation from Poland. ^[39][28]

Lithuania and Poland, ca. 1400.

This protracted period of war between the Lithuanians and the Teutonic Knights was ended on 12 October 1398 by the treaty of Sallinwerder, named after the islet in the Neman River where it was signed. Events 539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon. "Nieman" and "Niemen" redirects here For other uses see Neman and Nieman (disambiguation. Lithuania agreed to cede Samogitia and assist the Teutonic Order in a campaign to seize Pskov, while the Order agreed to assist Lithuania in a campaign to seize Novgorod. Pskov (Псков ancient Russian spelling Пльсковъ Pleskov) in Latvian Pleskava, in Estonian Pihkva, is an ancient city located in Veliky Novgorod (Вели́кий Но́вгород is the foremost historic city of North-Western Russia and the administrative center of Novgorod ^[28] Shortly afterwards, Vytautas was crowned as a king by local nobles; but the following year his forces and those of his ally, Khan Tokhtamysh of the White Horde, were crushed by the Timurids at the Battle of the Vorskla River, ending his imperial ambitions in the east and obliging him to submit to Władysław's protection once more. Tokhtamysh (d ca 1406 was the last khan of the White Horde, who unified the White Horde and Blue Horde subdivisions of the Golden Horde into The White Horde (Ақ Орда/Aq Orda Ак Урда/Aq Urda) was one of the uluses within the Mongol Empire formed around 1226, after the death of The Timurids, self-designated Gurkānī ( were a Persianate Central Asian Sunni Muslim dynasty The Battle of the Vorskla River was a great battle in the medieval history of Eastern Europe. ^[4][39]

King of Poland

On 22 June 1399, Jadwiga gave birth to a daughter, baptised Elżbieta Bonifacja; but within a month both mother and baby were dead from birth complications, leaving the fifty-year-old king sole ruler of Poland and without an heir. Events 217 BC - Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. Jadwiga's death, and with it the extinction of the Angevin line, undermined Władysław's right to the throne; and as a result old conflicts between the nobility of Lesser Poland, generally sympathetic to Władysław, and the gentry of Greater Poland began to surface. Angevin (ˈændʒəvɪn ( French, from Old French, from Medieval Latin Andegavinus from Andegavia Anjou, France) is the name applied Lesser Poland (also "Little Poland" Polish: Małopolska, Latin: Polonia Minor) is one of the historical regions of Poland Greater Poland or Great Poland, Polish Wielkopolska (Großpolen Latin: Polonia Maior) is a historical region of west-central Poland In 1402, Władysław answered the rumblings against his rule by marrying Anna of Celje, a granddaughter of Casimir III of Poland, a political match which re-legitimised his monarchy. Anna of Celje (1381 &ndash May 21 1416) was Queen consort of Poland and grand duchess of Lithuania, 1402-1416 as second wife of Casimir III the Great (Kazimierz Wielki April 30 1310 – November 5 1370 last King of Poland from the Piast dynasty (1333–1370 was the son of King Władysław

The Union of Vilnius and Radom of 1401 confirmed Vytautas's status as grand duke under Władysław's overlordship, while assuring the title of grand duke to the heirs of Władysław rather than those of Vytautas: should Władysław die without heirs, the Lithuanian boyars were to elect a new monarch. The Union of Vilnius and Radom was a set of acts passed in 1401 in Vilnius, Lithuania, and confirmed by the Crown Council in Radom later the This article refers to the aristocratic title of boyar. For the Boyar caste of India, see Boyar (caste. ^[40][41] Since no heir had yet been produced by either monarch, the act's implications were unforeseeable, but it forged bonds between the Polish and Lithuanian nobility and a permanent defensive alliance between the two states, strengthening Lithuania's hand for a new war against the Teutonic Order in which Poland officially took no part. Defensive alliance is a type of a diplomatic union in which both sides agree to certain actions in case one of the sides is attacked by a third party ^[34][39] While the document left the liberties of the Polish nobles untouched, it granted increased power to the boyars of Lithuania, whose grand dukes had till then been unencumbered by checks and balances of the sort attached to the Polish monarchy. The Union of Vilnius and Radom therefore earned Władysław a measure of support in Lithuania. ^[28]

In late 1401, the new war against the Order overstretched the resources of the Lithuanians, who found themselves fighting on two fronts after uprisings in the eastern provinces. Another of Władysław's brothers, the malcontent Švitrigaila, chose this moment to stir up revolts behind the lines and declare himself grand duke. Švitrigaila (ca 1370 – 10 February 1452) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1430 to 1432 ^[33] On 31 January 1402, he presented himself in Marienburg, where he won the backing of the Knights with concessions similar to those made by Jogaila and Vytautas during earlier leadership contests in the Grand Duchy. Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes Malbork (Marienburg in Westpreußen Civitas Beatae Virginis is a Town in northern Poland in the Żuławy region with 41000 inhabitants (2001 ^[40]

Defeat

Władysław II Jagiełło's royal seal

The war ended in defeat for Władysław. On 22 May 1404 in the Treaty of Raciąż, he acceded to most of the Order's demands, including the formal cession of Samogitia, and agreed to support the Order's designs on Pskov; in return, Konrad von Jungingen undertook to sell Poland the disputed Dobrzyń Land and the town of Złotoryja, once pawned to the Order by Władysław Opolski, and to support Vytautas in a revived attempt on Novgorod. Events 334 BC - The Greek army of Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus. Pskov (Псков ancient Russian spelling Пльсковъ Pleskov) in Latvian Pleskava, in Estonian Pihkva, is an ancient city located in Konrad von Jungingen (also Conrad; ca 1355 &ndash 30 March 1407) was the 25th Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from Dobrzyń Land (Dobriner Land ziemia dobrzyńska is a territory of historical interest surrounding present day Dobrzyń nad Wisłą in Poland. Złotoryja (Goldberg Latin: Aureus Mons, Aurum) is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, southwestern Poland. This artivle is about a 13th century noble For the 14th century one see Władysław Opolczyk. Veliky Novgorod (Вели́кий Но́вгород is the foremost historic city of North-Western Russia and the administrative center of Novgorod ^[40] Both sides had practical reasons for signing the treaty at that point: the Order needed time to fortify its newly acquired lands, the Poles and Lithuanians to deal with territorial challenges in the east and in Silesia. Etymology One theory claims that the name Silesia is derived from the Silingi, who were most likely a Vandalic (East Germanic people

Also in 1404, Władysław held talks at Vratislav with Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia, who offered to return Silesia to Poland if Władysław would support him in his power struggle within the Holy Roman Empire. Wrocław (Breslau Vratislav Vratislavia or Wratislavia Yiddish: ברעסלוי) is the chief City of the historical region of Lower Silesia Wenceslaus (also Wenceslas, Wenzel Václav Venceslao February 26, 1361 – August 16 1419) called the Drunkard, was The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in ^[42] Władysław turned the deal down with the agreement of both Polish and Silesian nobles, unwilling to burden himself with new military commitments in the west. ^[43]

Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic war

Main articles: Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic War and Battle of Grunwald

Władysław II Jagiełło by Jan Matejko

In December 1408, Władysław and Vytautas held strategic talks in Navahrudak, where they decided to foment a revolt against Teutonic rule in Samogitia to draw German forces away from Pomerelia. The Battle of Grunwald (or 1st Battle of Tannenberg) took place on 15 July 1410 with the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led by Jan Matejko ( (also known as Jan Mateyko; June 24 1838 Free City of Kraków; - November 1 1893 Kraków) was a Polish painter Navahrudak, Novgorodok or Novogrudok (Навагрудак nava'ɣrudak Новогрудок also known as Nowogródek and Naugardukas is a city in the Hrodna Pomerelia (Pommerellen is a historical region in northern Poland. Władysław promised to repay Vytautas for his support by restoring Samogitia to Lithuania in any future peace treaty. ^[44] The uprising, which began in May 1409, at first provoked little reaction from the Knights, who had not yet consolidated their rule in Samogitia by building castles; but by June their diplomats were busy lobbying Władysław's court at Oborniki, warning his nobles against Polish involvement in a war between Lithuania and the Order. For the town in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship see Oborniki Śląskie. ^[45] Władysław, however, bypassed his nobles and informed new Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen that if the Knights acted to suppress Samogitia, Poland would intervene. Ulrich von Jungingen (1360 &ndash July 15 1410) was the 26th Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from 1407-10 This stung the Order into issuing a declaration of war against Poland on August 6, which Władysław received on August 14 in Nowy Korczyn. Events 1538 - Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. Events 1183 - Taira no Munemori and the Taira clan take the young Emperor Antoku and the three sacred treasures Nowy Korczyn is a Village in Busko County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. ^[45]

The castles guarding the northern border were in such bad condition that the Knights easily captured those at Złotoryja, Dobrzyń and Bobrowniki, the capital of Dobrzyń Land, while German burghers invited them into Bydgoszcz (German: Bromberg). Bobrowniki is a village in Lipno County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland Dobrzyń Land (Dobriner Land ziemia dobrzyńska is a territory of historical interest surrounding present day Dobrzyń nad Wisłą in Poland. Bydgoszcz (Bromberg Bydgostia is a city in northern Poland, on the Brda and Vistula rivers with Władysław arrived on the scene in late September, retook Bydgoszcz within a week, and came to terms with the Order on October 8. Events 314 - Roman Emperor Licinius is defeated by his colleague Constantine I at the Battle of Cibalae, and loses During the winter, the two armies prepared for a major confrontation. Władysław installed a strategic supply depot at Płock in Masovia and had a pontoon bridge constructed and transported north down the Vistula. Płock is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river with 131011 inhabitants Masovia or Mazovia (Mazowsze is a geographic and historic region situated in eastern Poland 's Masovian Plain. A pontoon bridge or floating bridge is a Bridge that floats on water supported by barge-or-boat-like pontoons to support the bridge deck and its dynamic ^[46]

Meanwhile, both sides unleashed diplomatic offensives. The Knights despatched letters to the monarchs of Europe, preaching their usual crusade against the heathens;^[47] Władysław countered with his own letters to the monarchs, accusing the Order of planning to conquer the whole world. ^[48] Such appeals successfully recruited many foreign knights to each side. Wenceslas IV of Bohemia signed a defensive treaty with the Poles against the Teutonic Order; his brother, Sigismund of Luxembourg, allied himself with the Order and declared war against Poland on July 12, though his Hungarian vassals refused his call to arms. Wenceslaus (also Wenceslas, Wenzel Václav Venceslao February 26, 1361 – August 16 1419) called the Drunkard, was For other nobles of the same name please see Sigismund. Sigismund ( February 14, 1368 – December 9, Events 1191 - Saladin 's garrison surrenders ending the two-year Siege of Acre. ^[49][50]

Battle of Grunwald

Battle of Grunwald, 1410. The Battle of Grunwald (or 1st Battle of Tannenberg) took place on 15 July 1410 with the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led by Painting by Jan Matejko

When the war resumed in June 1410, Władysław advanced into the Teutonic heartland at the head of an army of about 20,000 mounted nobles, 15,000 armed commoners, and 2,000 professional cavalry mainly hired from Bohemia. After crossing the Vistula over the pontoon bridge at Czerwińsk, his troops met up with those of Vytautas, whose 11,000 light cavalry included Ruthenians and Tatars. Czerwińsk nad Wisłą is a village in Poland located on the Vistula, near Płońsk. Vytautas the Great ( Lithuanian:; Vitaŭt; Latin: Alexander Vitoldus; Witold Ruthenian: Vitovt; c Tatars ( Tatar: Tatarlar/Татарлар sometimes spelled Tartars, are a Turkic -speaking ethnic group or multiple ethnic groups ^[51] The Teutonic Order's army numbered about 18,000 cavalry, mostly Germans and 5,000 infantry. On July 15, at the Battle of Grunwald,^[52] after one of the largest and most ferocious battles of the Middle Ages,^[53] the allies won a victory so overwhelming that the Teutonic Order's army was virtually annihilated, with most of its key commanders killed in combat, including Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen and Grand Marshal Friedrich von Wallenrode. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Christian soldiers take the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after the final The Battle of Grunwald (or 1st Battle of Tannenberg) took place on 15 July 1410 with the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led by Ulrich von Jungingen (1360 &ndash July 15 1410) was the 26th Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from 1407-10 Thousands of troops were reported to have been slaughtered on either side. ^[54]

The Teutonic Order's castle at Marienburg

The road to the Teutonic capital Marienburg now lay open, the city undefended; but for reasons the sources do not explain, Władysław hesitated to pursue his advantage. ^[55] On July 17, his army began a laboured advance, arriving at Marienburg only on July 25, by which time the new Grand Master, Heinrich von Plauen, had organised a defence of the fortress. Events 180 - Twelve inhabitants of Scillium in North Africa are executed for being Christians Events 285 - Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler For the similarly-named Grand Master see Heinrich Reuß von Plauen. ^[56][57] The apparent half-heartedness of the ensuing siege, called off by Władysław on September 19, has been ascribed variously to the impregnability of the fortifications, to high casualty figures among the Lithuanians, and to Władysław's unwillingness to risk further casualties; but a lack of sources precludes a definitive explanation. Events 335 - Dalmatius is raised to the rank of Caesar by his uncle Constantine I. Paweł Jasienica, in his monumental Polska Jagiellonów (Poland of the Jagiellons) suggests Władysław, as a Lithuanian, might have wished to preserve the equilibrium between Lithuania and Poland, the Lithuanians having suffered particularly heavy casualties in the battle. Paweł Jasienica was the Pen-name of Leon Lech Beynar ( November 10, 1909 – August 19, 1970) a Polish amateur Historian ^[58] Other historians point out that Władysław might have assumed Marienburg was impregnable and therefore seen no advantage in a lengthy siege with no guarantee of success. ^[59]

Final years

Dissent

Polish and Lithuanian conflict with Teutonic Prussia, 1377–1434.

The war ended in 1411 with the Peace of Thorn, in which neither Poland nor Lithuania drove home their negotiating advantage to the full, much to the discontent of the Polish nobles. The (First Peace of Thorn (1411 was like the Second Peace of Thorn (1466, a Peace treaty between allied Poland and Lithuania fom Poland regained Dobrzyń Land, Lithuania regained Samogitia, and Masovia regained a small territory beyond the Wkra river. Dobrzyń Land (Dobriner Land ziemia dobrzyńska is a territory of historical interest surrounding present day Dobrzyń nad Wisłą in Poland. Wkra is a River in north-eastern Poland, a tributary of the Narew river with a length of 249 kilometres (13th longest and the basin area of 5322 km² Most of the Teutonic Order's territory, however, including towns which had surrendered, remained intact. Władysław then proceeded to release many high-ranking Teutonic Knights and officials for apparently modest ransoms. ^[60] This failure to exploit the victory to his nobles' satisfaction provoked growing opposition to Władysław's regime after 1411, further fuelled by the granting of Podolia, disputed between Poland and Lithuania, to Vytautas, and by the king's two-year absence in Lithuania. The region of Podolia (also spelled Podilia or Podillya) is a historical region in the west-central and south-west portions of present-day Ukraine, ^[61]

A lingering Polish distrust of Władysław, who never became fluent in Polish, was expressed later in the century by the chronicler and historian Jan Długosz:

In an effort to outflank his critics, Władysław promoted the leader of the opposing faction, bishop Mikołaj Trąba, to the archbishopric of Gniezno in autumn 1411 and replaced him in Kraków with Wojciech Jastrzębiec, a supporter of Vytautas. Mikołaj Trąba, of Trąby Coat of Arms (1358 &ndash 2 December 1422) was a Polish Roman Catholic priest Royal Notary from 1390 Gniezno (Gnesen is a Town in central-western Poland, some 50 km east of Poznań, inhabited by about 73000 people ^[61] He also sought to create more allies in Lithuania. In 1413, in the Union of Horodło, signed on October 2, he decreed that the status of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was "tied to our Kingdom of Poland permanently and irreversibly" and granted the Catholic nobles of Lithuania privileges equal to those of the Polish szlachta. The Pact of Horodlo or Union of Horodło was a set of acts introduced in the town of Horodło in 1413. Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule Szlachta ( refers to the noble class in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (since 1569 semi-federal semi-confederal The act included a clause prohibiting the Polish nobles from electing a monarch without the consent of the Lithuanian nobles, and the Lithuanian nobles from electing a grand duke without the consent of the Polish monarch. ^[63]

Last conflicts

In 1414, a sporadic new war broke out, known as the "Hunger War" from the Knights' scorched-earth tactics of burning fields and mills; but both the Knights and the Lithuanians were too exhausted from the previous war to risk a major battle, and the fighting petered out in the autumn. The Hunger War was a brief conflict between the Kingdom of Poland, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and Teutonic Knights in summer 1414 in an attempt to resolve A scorched earth policy is a military strategy or operational method (possibly more often referred to as a tactic but this is not entirely correct as there is a difference between ^[61] Hostilities did not flare up again until 1419, during the Council of Constance, when they were called off at the papal legate's insistence. In the Roman Catholic Church, the Council of Constance is the 16th Ecumenical council. ^[61]

The Council of Constance proved a turning point in the Teutonic crusades, as it did for several European conflicts. Vytautas sent a delegation in 1415, including the metropolitan of Kiev; and Samogitian witnesses arrived at Constance at the end of that year to point out their preference for being "baptised with water and not with blood". ^[64] The Polish envoys, among them Mikołaj Trąba, Zawisza Czarny, and Paweł Włodkowic, lobbied for an end to the forced conversion of heathens and to the Order's aggression against Lithuania and Poland. Mikołaj Trąba, of Trąby Coat of Arms (1358 &ndash 2 December 1422) was a Polish Roman Catholic priest Royal Notary from 1390 Zawisza Czarny z Garbowa ( Zawisza the Black of Garbów, also known as The Black Knight; c ^[65] As a result of the Polish-Lithuanian diplomacy, the council, though scandalised by Włodkowic's questioning of the monastic state's legitimacy, denied the Order's request for a further crusade and instead entrusted the conversion of the Samogitians to Poland-Lithuania. ^[66]

The diplomatic context at Constance included the revolt of the Bohemian Hussites, who looked upon Poland as an ally in their wars against Sigismund, the emperor elect and new king of Bohemia. The Hussites were a Christian movement following the teachings of Czech reformer Jan Hus or John Huss (c For other nobles of the same name please see Sigismund. Sigismund ( February 14, 1368 – December 9, In 1421, the Bohemian Diet declared Sigismund deposed and formally offered the crown to Władysław on condition he accept the religious principles of the Four Articles of Prague, which he was not prepared to do. ^[67]

In 1422, Władysław fought another war, known as the Gollub War, against the Teutonic Order, defeating them in under two months before the Order's imperial reinforcements had time to arrive. The Gollub War was a two-month War of the Teutonic Knights against the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1422 The resulting Treaty of Lake Melno ended the Knights' claims to Samogitia once and for all and defined a permanent border between Prussia and Lithuania. The Treaty of Melno (Melno taika Pokój melneński or Treaty of Lake Melno (Friede von Melnosee was a Peace treaty ending the Gollub War. ^[68] The terms of this treaty have, however, been seen as turning a Polish victory into defeat, thanks to Władysław's renunciation of Polish claims to Pomerania, Pomerelia, and Chełmno Land, for which he received only the town of Nieszawa in return. Nieszawa is a town and a commune in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. ^[69] The Treaty of Lake Melno closed a chapter in the Knights' wars with Lithuania but did little to settle their long-term issues with Poland. Further sporadic warfare broke out between Poland and the Knights between 1431 and 1435.

Cracks in the cooperation between Poland and Lithuania after the death of Vytautas in 1430 had offered the Knights a revived opportunity for interference in Poland. Władysław supported his brother Švitrigaila as grand duke of Lithuania,^[70] but when Švitrigaila, with the support of the Teutonic Order and dissatisfied Rus' nobles,^[32] rebelled against Polish overlordship in Lithuania, the Poles, under the leadership of Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki of Kraków, occupied Podolia, which Władysław had awarded to Lithuania in 1411, and Volhynia. Švitrigaila (ca 1370 – 10 February 1452) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1430 to 1432 The region of Podolia (also spelled Podilia or Podillya) is a historical region in the west-central and south-west portions of present-day Ukraine, ^[71] In 1432, a pro-Polish party in Lithuania elected Vytautas's brother Žygimantas as grand duke,^[70] leading to an armed struggle over the Lithuanian succession which stuttered on for years after Władysław's death. For other nobles of the same name see Sigismund. Sigismund Kęstutaitis (Žygimantas I Kęstutaitis Zygmunt Kiejstutowicz born ca ^[72]

Succession

Tomb effigy of Władysław II Jagiełło, Wawel Cathedral

Władysław's second wife, Anna of Celje, had died in 1416, leaving a daughter, Jadwiga. Wawel Cathedral &ndash the Cathedral Basilica of Sts Stanisław and Vaclav &ndash is Poland 's national sanctuary located on Wawel Hill in Kraków Jadwiga (Jadvyga Jogailaitė ( 8 April, 1408 - 8 December, 1431) of the House of Jagiellon was a daughter of Jogaila (ca In 1417, Władysław married Elisabeth of Pilica, who died in 1420 without bearing him a child, and two years later, Sophia of Halshany, who bore him two surviving sons. Elisabeth of Pilica (Elżbieta Granowska z Pileckich (1372-1420 was Queen consort of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania (1417-1420 as the third wife Biography Vytautas the Great helped arrange the marriage between Sophia and Jogaila. The death in 1431 of Princess Jadwiga, the last heir of Piast blood, released Władysław to make his sons by Sophia of Halshany his heirs, though he had to sweeten the Polish nobles with concessions to ensure their agreement, since the monarchy was elective. Władysław finally died in 1434, leaving Poland to his elder son, Władysław III, and Lithuania to his younger, Casimir, both still minors at the time. This article refers to the 15th century Jagiellon monarch For the 12th century Piast monarch see Władysław III Spindleshanks, and for other monarchs with similar Casimir IV Jagiellon (Kazimierz IV Jagiellończyk; Kazimieras Jogailaitis Kazimir Jahajłavič 30 November 1427 &ndash ^[73]

Family tree (incomplete)

For more exhaustive relations see:

Main article: Family relations of Jogaila

External links

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