Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Duchess Alexandra

Alexandra of Lithuania, Duchess consort of Masovia

Alexandra was the youngest daughter of Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and his second wife, Uliana of Tver. Though Alexandra's exact date of birth is not known, it is thought that she was born in the late 1360s or early 1370s. In 1387, she married Siemowit IV, Duke of Masovia, and bore him thirteen children.

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Queen Jadwiga


Queen Jadwiga of Poland (1373 or 1374 – 17 July 1399) also known as Hedwig, was the first female monarch of the Kingdom of Poland, reigning from 16 October 1384 until her death. She was the youngest daughter of Louis the Great, King of Hungary and Poland, and his wife Elizabeth of Bosnia. Jadwiga was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou, but she had more close forebears among the Polish Piasts. In 1997 she was canonized by the Catholic Church.

Jadwiga was crowned "king" in Poland's capital, Kraków, on 16 October 1384. With her mother's consent, Jadwiga's advisors opened negotiations with Jogaila, Grand Duke of Lithuania, who was still a pagan, concerning his potential marriage to Jadwiga. 

Jogaila signed the Union of Krewo, pledging to convert to Catholicism and to promote his pagan subjects' conversion. Jogaila, who took the baptismal name Władysław, married Jadwiga on 15 February 1386. Legend says that she had agreed to marrying him only after lengthy prayer, seeking divine inspiration.


Te Deum


 The "Te Deum" - Te Deum laudamus - Latin for 'Thee, O God, we praise' is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to AD 387 authorship, but with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin Church with other parts of the Milanese Rite in the 6th to 8th centuries. It is sometimes known as the "Ambrosian Hymn", although authorship by Saint Ambrose is unlikely. The term "Te Deum" can also refer to a short religious service (of blessing or thanks) based upon the hymn.

Friday, January 15, 2021

Powała (Powala) of Taczew



 Sir Mikołaj Powała of Taczew was a Polish knight in the Middle Ages. He took part in the Battle of Grunwald of 1410. He was also one of the Polish knights to represent the king at the tournament at Buda held to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Lubowla.

There is a hill (mound) named after him outside Taczew. However, his Castle is now in ruins. Descendants of Pan Mikołaj Powała z Taczewa also fought in the battles for Vienna in Austria. Their family coat of arms is engraved in the Cathedral of Vienna.

Świdnica Beer

 The name comes from the city of Świdnica, from which beer was delivered to the restaurants in the Middle Ages. 

Świdnica was a renowned brewing center, and its beer was served in restaurants called "Świdnica Cellars", which existed in large cities such as Kraków (Poland), Prague (Czechia), Pisa (Italy), Heidelberg (Germany), Toruń (Poland), and Wrocław (Poland), the last of which, established in 1273, still operates to this day.