Beatrice of Silesia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Beatrice of Silesia |
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| Queen consort of Germany | |
| Tenure | 1314–1322 |
| Born | VM 1290 |
| Died | 24 August 1322 (aged 31–32) |
| Spouse | Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor |
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| House | Silesian Piast |
| Father | Bolko I the Strict |
| Mother | Beatrice of Brandenburg |
Beatrice of Silesia (born 1290, died 1322) was a princess from Poland. She belonged to the House of Piast, a very old Polish royal family. When she married, she became the Duchess of Bavaria and also a German Queen. She lived a long time ago, in the 1300s.
Her Family Background
Beatrice was the second daughter of Bolko I the Strict. He was the Duke of Jawor-Świdnica. Her mother was also named Beatrice, and she was from Brandenburg.
Beatrice was one of ten children in her family. Her brothers included Bernard of Świdnica, Henry I of Jawor, and Bolko II of Ziębice. She also had a sister named Judith.
After her father passed away, her mother remarried. Her new husband was Władysław of Bytom. This gave Beatrice two half-siblings: Casimir and Euphemia.
Life as a Princess and Queen
Beatrice's father died when she was young, in 1301. She and her siblings were then looked after by their uncle, Herman, Margrave of Brandenburg-Salzwedel. This continued until 1305.
After that, her oldest brother, Bernard, took over. He became their guardian and managed their family lands. Bernard wanted to make a strong connection with Bavaria. So, he arranged for Beatrice to marry Louis IV, who was the Duke of Upper Bavaria.
Their wedding happened by October 14, 1308. Beatrice and Louis had six children together. Sadly, only three of them lived to become adults. These were Matilda, Louis V the Brandenburger, and Stephen II.
Becoming a German Queen
On October 20, 1314, her husband, Duke Louis IV, was chosen to be the German King. But there was a problem. Another group had chosen a different person, Frederick I of Austria, to be King just one day before.
This meant there were two kings at the same time! Beatrice became one of two rival German Queens. The other queen was Isabella of Aragon, who was married to Frederick I. This disagreement between the two kings lasted for the rest of Beatrice's life.
Beatrice passed away in Munich on August 24, 1322. This was several years before her husband, Louis IV, was crowned Holy Roman Emperor. Two years after Beatrice's death, Louis IV married again. His second wife was Margaret II, Countess of Hainaut.
Her Children
Beatrice and Louis had six children. Three of them grew up to be adults:
- Mathilde (born after June 21, 1313 – died July 2, 1346). She married Frederick II, Margrave of Meissen.
- A daughter (born late September 1314 – died shortly after).
- Louis V the Brandenburger (born July 1316 – died September 17 or 18, 1361). He became the Duke of Upper Bavaria, Margrave of Brandenburg, and Count of Tyrol.
- Anna (born around July 1317 – died January 29, 1319).
- Agnes (born around 1318 – died shortly after).
- Stephen II (born autumn 1319 – died May 19, 1375). He became the Duke of Lower Bavaria.
