Dynastic identity, death and posthumous legacy of Sophie Jagiellon (1522–1575) in contemporary sources
Dynastic identity, death and posthumous legacy of Sophie Jagiellon (1522–1575) in contemporary sources

Summary/Abstract: The daughter of King Sigismund I of Poland (1506–1548) and Queen Bona Sforza (1518–1548), Sophie Jagiellon (1522–1575) is one of the most remarkable figures among the important women of the 16th century. Like her sisters of the Jagiellonian family, she served as a representative of the Polish ruling dynasty and as a guarantee of good relations in the field of dynastic politics and contemporary diplomacy. This study aims to explore the diverse forms of her identity as captured by contemporary sources. We will gradually focus on the reconstruction of her dynastic identity as a royal daughter living in the milieu of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation, her position as the wife of the eminent imperial aristocrat Henry of Brunswick, and then address issues related to her death and, above all, her posthumous legacy and place in collective memory in the centuries that followed. The long-standing dynastic, legal and economic dispute between Sophie’s heirs in Poland and in the territory of the Holy Roman Empire, which significantly shaped the regional political situation after her death, will also play an important role.

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