Little did Anna know as a child that of the five children of Zygmunt I Stary and Queen Bona, she would be crowned King of Poland in the Wawel Castle. Her brother King Zygmunt II August had died and the newly elected King  Henry Walezy had abandoned the Polish throne. By 1575 Anna Jagiellonka was 50 years old, but she had not been married before and so it was possible to arrange a marriage between her and the Hungarian prince of the noble Báthory family. In 1575 Anna Jagiellonka and Stefan Batory were crowned the King and Queen of Poland in the Wawel. Anna, being the last descendant of the Jagiellonian dynasty, was given the title of king. Thus, as in the times of Queen Jadwiga and King Jagiełło, Poland had not one, but two kings on the throne.

Anna’s influence on politics was not significant, but, as the last Jagiellonian, she was an important, wealthy and educated woman. She knew Italian, German and Latin, but not Hungarian. Some claim that she communicated with her husband through a translator. This must have been true because Stefan Batory never learned to speak Polish.

Thanks to Anna Jagiellonka the Royal Castle in Warsaw was rebuilt, the Ujazdowski Manor House was constructed  and beautiful tombs at the Wawel Cathedral were funded by the queen herself. She was also known for donating part of her precious collection of jewels to the Jagiellonian Academy in Kraków. Her more personal preferences included a liking for embroidery and a passion for gardens and gardening. All in all, she must have led an interesting and significant life!

Illustrations:

Martin Kober, Anna Jagiellon in coronation robes, circa 1587

Lucas Cranach the Younger, Anna Jagiellon, circa 1553

Anonymous painting, Anna Jagiellonka, 16^th century

Hans Maler zu Schwarz, Anna Jagiello, 1520

Photo: Mathiasrex, Maciej Szczepańczyk, 2016,  Embroidery from a coat of Anna Jagiellonka