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{{Short description|Queen of Poland from 1402 to 1416}}
{{one source|date=May 2018}}
{{distinguish|text=the second wife of [[Nicholas II Garai]]}}
{{Infobox royalty
| image        = Annacelje.png
| caption      = Anna with Jogaila
| birth_date   = 1386
| birth_place  = 
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1416|5|21|1386|df=yes}}
| death_place  = [[Kraków]], Poland
| place of burial = [[Wawel Cathedral]]
| succession   = [[Queen consort of Poland]]
| reign        = 29 January 1402 – 21 May 1416
| consort      = yes
| coronation   = 25 February 1403
| cor-type     = poland
| house        = [[House of Celje|Celje]]
| father       = [[William, Count of Celje]]
| mother       = [[Anna of Poland, Countess of Celje|Anna of Poland]]
| spouses      = [[Władysław II Jagiełło]]
| issue        = [[Hedwig Jagiellon (1408–1431)|Hedwig Jagiellon]]
}}

'''Anna of Cilli''' or '''Anne of Celje''' ({{langx|pl|Anna Cylejska}}; 1386 – 21 May 1416) was [[List of Polish royal consorts|Queen of Poland]] from 1402 to 1416. She was the second wife of [[Jogaila]] (Władysław II Jagiełło), [[King of Poland]] and [[Supreme Duke of Lithuania]] (reigned 1387–1434). Their marriage was politically motivated to strengthen Jogaila's ties with the [[Piast]] dynasty and his claims to the Polish throne. Their marriage was rather distant and during fourteen years Anna bore only one daughter, [[Hedwig Jagiellon (1408–1431)|Hedwig Jagiellon]], who died without issue.

==Early life==
Anna was the only child of [[William, Count of Celje|William]] (1361–1392), [[Counts of Celje|Count of Celli (Celje)]], and his wife [[Anna of Poland, Countess of Celje|Anna of Poland]] (1366–1425), the youngest surviving daughter of the late king [[Casimir III of Poland]]. It is likely that Anna was born in [[Celje Castle]] (in the [[Duchy of Styria]], now in [[Slovenia]]), which was ruled by her father William and his cousin [[Herman II, Count of Celje|Herman II]].{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|p=360}} William died when Anna was around ten years of age. Two years later, her mother married Ulrich, [[Duke of Teck]], and left Anna in care of Herman II and his wife [[Anna of Schaunberg]] in [[Celje]].{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|pp=360–361}} It is very likely that the girl was illiterate and spoke no Polish.{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|p=360}}

==Marriage==
Jogaila's first wife and reigning Queen [[Jadwiga of Poland]], Anna's second cousin, died in July 1399 after childbirth complications. Jogaila, who hailed from Lithuania, was left a ruler of a foreign country with no heir. Therefore, he sought a wife from [[Piast]] heirs with claims to the Kingdom of Poland to strengthen his claims to Poland and legitimize his rule.{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|p=361}} In 1401, Jogaila dispatched envoys to Celje to ask Herman II for the hand of Anna. Herman was related to the late queen Jadwiga through his mother's side: his mother [[Catherine of Bosnia, Countess of Cilli|Catherine]] was the sister of Jadwiga's mother [[Elizabeth of Bosnia]], Queen of Hungary (according to some accounts, they were cousins). The House of Celje was thus related to the Polish court on two sides, and the proposed marriage would further strengthen the alliance, while bringing the House of Celje closer to the highest levels of European nobility. 

On 16 July 1401 Anna arrived to [[Kraków]] where she was met by Jogaila at the city gates.{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|p=361}} However, Jogaila took a strong dislike to his intended bride. According to [[Jan Długosz]], Jogaila was furious with the envoys who brought Anna to Poland for several years.{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|p=368}} The wedding was postponed citing the need for Anna to learn Polish.{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|p=361}} Anna lived in a monastery while Jogaila traveled in eastern territories of his kingdom.{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|p=362}} He returned only in January 1402. The wedding ceremony took place on 29 January 1402 in [[Wawel Cathedral]]. For unknown reasons, Anna's coronation as Queen of Poland was postponed for a year until 25 February 1403.{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|p=362}}

==Queen==
The marriage was rather distant. There was an approximately thirty-year age gap between Anna and Jogaila. It was acknowledged that Anna was not a very attractive woman. The King traveled frequently leaving Anna alone in the [[Wawel Castle]].{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|pp=362–363}} Anna was not very ambitious or politically active. She was known as a religious woman and obedient wife.{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|p=367}}

In fall 1407, five years after the marriage, Anna was pregnant. Klemens Moskarzewski, [[Castellan]] of [[Wiślica]], accused the queen of marital infidelity with [[Jakub Kobylański]] and Mikołaj Chrząstowski.{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|pp=363–364}} Jogaila believed the rumors and imprisoned Jakub. During a congress in [[Niepołomice]], [[Polish nobles]] defended the queen and the accusations were dismissed. A year later, Jogaila accused Anna of an affair with Jędrzej Tęczyński, but that case did not reach a public hearing.{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|p=364}} In 1411, [[Mikołaj Kurowski]], [[Archbishop of Gniezno]], accused Anna again, but he died before the rumors could be investigated.{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|p=365}}

On 8 April 1408 Anna gave birth to a daughter, [[Hedwig Jagiellon (1408–1431)|Hedwig]]. It was not a male heir desired by Jogaila or Polish nobles, but it still strengthened Anna's position and she became a little more visible in politics.{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|p=364}} In February 1410, during the [[Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War]], Anna was present when Jogaila met with Herman II. After the [[Battle of Grunwald]], Jogaila wrote two letters – one to Anna and another to Bishop [[Wojciech Jastrzębiec]].{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|p=364}} In February 1412, Anna and Jogaila hosted the wedding of [[Ernest, Duke of Austria]], and [[Cymburgis of Masovia]].{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|p=365}} After the wedding, Anna and Jogaila traveled to Hungary for negotiations between Jogaila and [[Sigismund von Luxembourg]]. Anna met with [[Barbara of Cilli]], Sigismund's wife and daughter of Herman II – the girls grew up together.{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|pp=365–366}} However, Anna did not participate in the negotiations in [[Buda]] between April and August 1412.{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|p=366}}

In early 1413, Anna's five-year-old daughter Hedwig was officially proclaimed [[heir presumptive]] to the Polish throne during a congress in [[Jedlnia]].{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|p=366}} It was an important political victory for Anna. Jogaila, Anna, and Hedwig traveled to Lithuania to introduce the princess to the [[Lithuanian nobility]].{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|p=366}} There the [[Union of Horodło]] was signed in October 1413. Anna also visited [[Samogitia]] to observe [[Christianization of Lithuania|its Christianization]]; later she sent a report to the [[Council of Constance]].{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|p=366}} In early 1415, Anna traveled with Jogaila and in May met with [[Alexander I of Moldavia]] in [[Sniatyn]]. It was her last known political action.{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|p=366}}

== Death ==

At the end of 1415, Jogaila traveled to Lithuania while Anna stayed in Kraków, perhaps already ill.{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|p=367}} In February 1416, a special envoy was dispatched to inform Jogaila that the queen was seriously ill. Despite the news, Jogaila did not hurry back to Kraków. He reached the capital city only in May and Anna died after a few days. She was buried in [[Wawel Cathedral]].{{sfn|Duczmal|2012|p=367}}

==References==
;Notes

{{reflist|25em}}

;References

*{{cite book |last=Duczmal |first=Małgorzata |title=Jogailaičiai | location=Vilnius |year=2012 |publisher=[[Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos centras]] |isbn=978-5-420-01703-6 | language= Lithuanian |translator=Birutė Mikalonienė |translator2=Vyturys Jarutis}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[House of Celje]]||ca. 1381|21 May|1416|}}
{{S-roy|pl}}
|-
{{S-vac|last=[[Elizabeth of Bosnia]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[List of Polish consorts|Queen consort of Poland]]|years=1402–1416}}
{{S-vac|next=[[Elizabeth Granowska]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Royal consorts of Poland}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anna Of Celje}}
[[Category:1386 births]]
[[Category:1416 deaths]]
[[Category:Queens consort of Poland]]
[[Category:Countesses of Celje]]
[[Category:Burials at Wawel Cathedral]]
[[Category:14th-century Polish women]]
[[Category:14th-century Polish people]]
[[Category:15th-century Polish women]]
[[Category:15th-century Polish people]]