Elisabeth of Habsburg

Who was Elisabeth of Habsburg?

Elisabeth of Habsburg was the only wife of Polish King Casimir IV Jagiellon and the queen-consort of Poland–Lithuania. Orphaned at an early age, she spent her childhood in the court of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor. As one of the three surviving grandchildren of Sigismund of Hungary, Holy Roman Emperor, she was considered to be heiress to the Kingdom of Hungary and the Kingdom of Bohemia. That made her an attractive bride for a Polish prince. Polish nobility, seeking to increase Polish influence in Hungary and Bohemia, pursued marriage with Elisabeth since she was born and finally succeeded in 1454. Her marriage to Casimir was one of most exemplary royal marriages in Poland. She gave birth to thirteen children, eleven of whom survived to adulthood. Four of her sons were crowned as kings.