The life of Anastasia, wife of Prince Siemowit of Dobrzyń, was no fairy tale. She came from a powerful Ruthenian dynasty, but ended up in a modest court threatened from all sides, where wars, rebellions, and captivity were everyday occurrences. Despite this, she survived everything – as a duchess, mother, regent, and finally as a ruler in her own right. What do we know about Anastasia?
Prince Siemowit
Siemowit was the youngest son of Casimir of Kuyavia and his third wife Euphrosyne, Princess of Opole. According to the will of Casimir, who died in 1267, the northern part of Kuyavia with Inowrocław and Bydgoszcz went to Siemomysł, who already ruled this area. The southern Kuyavia was divided among the three youngest brothers: Władysław, Casimir II, and the three-year-old Siemowit.
Siemowit, understandably, could not rule independently, so Euphrosyne was appointed regent. However, the woman did not perform well in her role, and the duchy she administered faced various problems. She quickly remarried Prince Mestwin II of Pomerania and left Kuyavia, which was already heavily fragmented, forever.
Around 1287, Siemowit became the independent Prince of Dobrzyń. He had to rule a border duchy, exposed to invasions from outside. In 1293, the young ruler had to repel a dangerous attack by Lithuanians, who managed to capture him and transport him to their homeland. He escaped from captivity after about two years, following a daring escape worthy of a film adaptation. During his absence, his brother Władysław Lokietek governed Dobrzyń and the surrounding area, as we learn from the testimony of Łęczyca’s vice-chamberlain, Marcin Ogończyk, given during the Warsaw trial against the Teutonic Knights.
Bride from the East
After regaining his freedom and returning to the Duchy of Dobrzyń, Siemowit decided to settle down and married Anastasia. The name itself, extremely popular among Ruthenian princesses at that time, indicates that the Piast formed a bond with a Ruthenian woman.
Unfortunately, Anastasia’s closer origin is unknown, as no source directly states who the bride’s parents were. It is generally accepted that Anastasia was the daughter of Prince Leo of Halych and Constance, daughter of Béla IV. Leo would therefore be the father-in-law of both Siemowit and Euphemia – sister of Władysław Lokietek. Anastasia, as the granddaughter of the King of Hungary, would in turn be the cousin of Hedwig, Łokietek’s wife.
Historians attribute the initiative in contracting this marriage to Władysław Łokietek and place its time between 1296-1300. Łokietek had previously entered into affinity relations with Leo of Halych and his son George, as the mother of his wife Hedwig of Kalisz, Helena, was the sister of Constance, Leo’s wife and George’s mother. Władysław’s wedding to Hedwig took place around 1279.
Anastasia’s life alongside her husband was not easy. Siemowit, as the ruler of a small duchy, had to constantly navigate between powerful neighbors. If he didn’t, the fate of his domain would have been sealed. In 1300, after the political catastrophe of Władysław Lokietek, who was forced to flee Poland, Siemowit submitted to the new Polish king, Wenceslaus II. Many Piast princes did likewise. However, this displeased the Lithuanians who, as Lokietek’s allies, decided to strike the Dobrzyń land as punishment for Siemowit’s departure from Władysław’s camp. Fortunately, the pagans did not cause major damage to the attacked duchy and after taking spoils, they quickly withdrew to Lithuania.
Shortly thereafter, Siemowit experienced another shock. This time it was because of his subjects who, under the command of Wojsław Trojanowic deprived him of power and imprisoned him. Historians speculate that Bolesław II of Mazovia had a hand in the outbreak of this rebellion, or possibly Leszek of Inowrocław, with whom Siemowit had entered into conflict by seizing the Osieckie estates in the Michałów castellany which were under Leszek’s sovereignty.
We can assume that the turn of events must have also shocked Anastasia, who probably didn’t imagine life at the Dobrzyń court this way. The only positive outcome of this unfortunate situation was that the rebels spared the Ruthenian woman, which shows that they were only after her husband, on whom they vented their anger.
Ultimately, however, Siemowit emerged victorious from the conflict between ruler and subjects, as he managed to gain his freedom. This happened thanks to the initiative of the princely courtier Andrew of Cracow, who risked his life fighting the rebels and drove them out of Dobrzyń, which they had previously occupied. In return for this sacrifice, Siemowit rewarded him with many estates and even became godfather to Stanisław, Andrew’s son.
Difficult Life of the Duchess
Anastasia must have been happy about the release of her husband, who had been severely tested by fate. It is not known, however, whether she resented him for setting out to war with Leszek of Inowrocław shortly after regaining his freedom, at whose expense he gained Wyszogrod and the Słonsk castellany. Additionally, the castle in Raciążek, property of Bishop Gerward of Włoclawek, fell into the hands of the Dobrzyń prince. In an act of revenge, the attacked bishop might have even placed a curse on Siemowit, which would have made life difficult for both him and his subjects. Ultimately, Gerward did not decide to take such a step, which must have calmed Anastasia, who was certainly kept informed about her husband’s actions.
Siemowit’s expansionist policy brought results opposite to those expected. The Dobrzyń prince was driven out of the newly conquered lands by Leszek of Inowrocław, who, rich in cash, could respond without delay to his competitor’s actions. The campaign carried out by the Inowrocław prince proceeded lightning-fast (October-November 1304), which undoubtedly surprised Siemowit, who had been enjoying his acquisitions for only a few weeks.
Anastasia’s reaction to the success of her husband’s enemies is not known. Perhaps she reproached him for unnecessarily starting to wage war with Leszek, which sooner or later had to turn against him due to his worse starting position? Or perhaps, on the contrary, she supported him in every possible way, encouraging him during subsequent moments of crisis?
Certainly, Anastasia must have been pained by the fact of her husband’s re-imprisonment, which happened for the third time in the last dozen or so years. Written sources inform that in 1306, Lithuanian raiding parties set out into the depths of Poland and, passing through the Dobrzyń land, took with them many captives, among whom was Siemowit. The prince’s captivity probably did not last very long, as in the following years we see him actively participating in political games alongside Władysław Łokietek, who after returning to Poland from forced exile began the process of slowly unifying the Piast lands.
Beside Her Spouse
In 1306, Władysław Łokietek managed to take Gdańsk Pomerania. Two years later, the Brandenburgers invaded Gdańsk, from where they were driven out by the Teutonic Knights, who acted here on the explicit order of Łokietek, who was surprised by the development of events. According to one witness at the trial of 1322, a certain Kuyavian prince, who enjoyed Władysław’s trust, encouraged him to seek help from the Teutonic Knights. According to historians, this could have been Siemowit, known for his good relations with the northern neighbor, whose wife was a cousin of two Teutonic dignitaries, Günter and Sieghard von Schwarzburg.
It is not inconceivable that Anastasia participated alongside her husband in talks with her Teutonic relatives, asking them together with him to provide help to Łokietek. As it later turned out, this decision was a serious mistake that triggered a series of Polish-Teutonic wars stretching with interruptions until the beginning of the 16th century.
We know very little about what happened to Siemowit and Anastasia after 1308. In 1310, the spouses and their family were placed under church interdict in connection with Siemowit’s cessation of tithe payment. The excommunication was lifted only after four years. Siemowit himself did not live to see this, as he died in 1312.
We do not know whether Anastasia accompanied her husband in the last hours of his life and how long she cried after he closed his eyes. She certainly took care of the prince’s proper burial, although it is difficult to determine exactly where she ordered the deceased’s body to be laid. From a document dating from 1323, of which Anastasia was a co-issuer, we know that monks from Rypin prayed for Siemowit’s soul. This information confirms the assumption that the widow princess did not forget about her husband, who departed this world unreconciled with the Church. For this reason, prayer for Siemowit’s salvation was a necessity, despite the lifting of excommunication by church authorities.
Anastasia’s Regency
From the union of Siemowit of Dobrzyń and Anastasia, at least two sons were born, Bolesław and Władysław. Some genealogists suspected that Anastasia gave birth to another son, Leszek, born around 1300. He was supposed to be the eldest son of the princely couple, who died at a young age (before 1316). Leszek’s existence was mentioned in 1339 by Jan of Kisielew during the Polish-Teutonic trial in Warsaw, although his account is questioned by some experts on the issue.
Anastasia’s second eldest son was Władysław. He came into the world between 1303 and 1305. From childhood, he struggled with disability, and therefore was given the nickname „Garbaty”. The Ruthenian woman’s third son was Bolesław, who came into the world no later than 1306. He most likely received his name after his father’s cousin, Bolesław II of Płock.
According to Kazimierz Jasiński, Anastasia might also have had a daughter named Judyta. She was mentioned in a document by the abbess of Trzebnica, Constance, which referred to „Judyta from Kuyavia.” Judyta, assuming she existed, was a cantor in the Trzebnica monastery. We are unable to say anything more about her due to the lack of sources.
After Siemowit’s death, Anastasia took over the reign of the Dobrzyń land on behalf of her minor sons. Władysław Łokietek became her protector. It is believed that Anastasia’s regency and Władysław’s guardianship complemented each other perfectly. The internal affairs of the duchy remained in the hands of the Ruthenian woman, while foreign policy was managed by her brother-in-law. With time, however, Łokietek’s duties fell on Anastasia’s shoulders, making her a full-fledged ruler. From preserved sources, it appears that the duchess found herself quite well in her new role and took care of the proper development of the Dobrzyń land.
The final years of life
In 1323, Anastasia must have bitterly wept when she saw the deplorable effects of the invasion of pagan Lithuanians, who unexpectedly invaded the area of the Duchy of Dobrzyń, leaving behind only ruins and ashes. According to the Teutonic chronicler Peter of Dusburg, „The Lithuanians, seeing that everything was going according to their plan, again gathered a strong army and entered the duchy belonging to the noble lady and Duchess of Dobrzyń. They led to the loss of six thousand people of both sexes, some they murdered, others they led in a pitiful way into captivity to serve the pagans for a long time. In addition, they killed seven parish priests and two brothers from the Order of Saint Benedict, and with them all sixty clergy, both ordained and unordained, whom they caught outside or within the school. Then they destroyed ten parish churches by fire as well as the capital of the aforementioned duchy called Dobrzyń, where they took captive and killed two thousand Christians, and burned all the villages in the duchy. Moreover, they took with them such great spoils, consisting of various things, that the land of this duchy will hardly or never be able to recover from the said losses, which should be mentioned with sadness”.
In the opinion of historians, Lithuanian troops appeared in the Dobrzyń land because they were persuaded to do so by the Prince of Płock, Wenceslaus, who was disputing with Princess Anastasia over the succession to the Halych-Volodymyr throne. Initially, her aspirations were supported by Władysław Łokietek, but later he withdrew, promoting the candidacy of Bolesław Trojdenowic, matrilineal great-grandson of Conrad of Mazovia, whom he even settled in Volodymyr (1325). This, of course, could not please Anastasia – she wanted the Ruthenian principality to be in the hands of her sons, but in the face of the decisive advantage of her brother-in-law, who had been King of Poland since 1320, her opinion practically did not count.
The duchy ruled by Anastasia was constantly threatened not only by the plunder-hungry Lithuanians but also by the Teutonic Knights, thirsty for new lands. The latter became increasingly dangerous as time passed. In 1327, the Polish-Teutonic war broke out, during which the rulers of Dobrzyń took the Piast side. Moreover, Anastasia, along with her son Władysław the Hunchback, decided to transfer the Dobrzyń land to Władysław Łokietek, receiving in exchange the Łęczyca land, where she could feel safer.
The entire transaction was mentioned years later by Jan Długosz, writing about the Dobrzyn Władysław’s visit to Łokietek’s court in Cracow. Here, according to the chronicler, „he earnestly begs him to come to the aid of him and his mother Anastasia, widow of the late Prince Siemowit of Dobrzyń, who are in a very difficult situation, and to designate some estate where he could live decently with his aforementioned mother. […] After consultation with his advisors, the Polish king Wladysław, moved by the requests of the aforementioned Prince Władysław of Dobrzyń and blood ties, cedes, gives, records and hands over for life to him and his mother Anastasia more than he asked for, namely the land and duchy of Łęczyca, far superior to the Dobrzyń land both in fertile soil and in income and rich tributes, and takes from him the Dobrzyń land.”
Anastasia spent several years at the Łęczyca court. Due to the lack of sources, we are unable to say what she did then, apart from serving her sons with advice and help. She died on March 12, 1335.
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