Adelaide of Poland

Who is Adelaide of Poland?

Adelaide of Poland was a Polish princess and member of the Piast dynasty.

She was the daughter of Casimir II the Just, Duke of Poland, by his wife Helen of Znojmo.

Relatively little is known about her. Primary sources are limited to a few mentions by the chronicler Jan Długosz, and inscriptions from her ceremonial tombstone. Her exact date of birth is not known, nor is the exact order in which Casimir children were born. She never married, nor did she enter a monastery in her youth. This was most likely due to the fact that her father, on his death in 1194, had not yet decided upon her fate.

Modern research has clarified certain facts regarding her life, in particular, dispelling the theory that she might have been the daughter of Casimir I of Kuyavia. It is likely she became a nun in the Sanctuary of St. Jadwiga in Trzebnica. It is also probable that she sponsored the construction of the Dominican Church and Convent of St. James in Sandomierz, where she is buried.