Anna Catherine Constance Vasa

Anne Catherine Constance Vasa
Portrait by Johannes Spilberg, ca. 1648.
Born	7 August 1619 Warsaw
Died	8 October 1651 (aged 32) Cologne
Burial	Church of the Jesuits, Düsseldorf
Spouse	Philip William, Elector Palatine
House	Vasa
Father	Sigismund III Vasa
Mother	Constance of Austria

Anna Catherine Constance Vasa of Poland (Polish: Anna Katarzyna Konstancja Waza; 7 August 1619 in Warsaw – 8 October 1651 in Cologne) was a Polish princess, daughter of King Sigismund III Vasa and his second wife Constance of Austria.

Life

After the succesive deaths of her mother (1631) and father (1632), and in order to secure her upkeeping according to her rank, in 1632 the parliament bestowed her with the counties of Brodnickie, Gołubskie and Tucholskie, who previously belonged to her mother; however, she only entered in possession of them when she came of age in 1638.^[1] Since 1637 a marriage was suggested between Anne Catherine Constance and Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Austria, heir of Tyrol and nephew of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor. Despite arrangements in 1639 and 1642, the marriage never actually took place, because of the age of Charles Ferdinand and because of disagreement about the amount of dowry.

Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg and Gaston, Duke of Orléans (brother of King Louis XIII of France) were also candidates for her hand,^[1] but finally Anne Catherine Constance married Philip William, Elector Palatine in Warsaw on 8 June 1642.^[2] She brought a considerable dowry in jewels and cash, calculated at a total of 2 million thalers.^[1] On 18 July 1645 she gave birth her only child, a son, who died the same day.^[3]

She died childless^[2] in Cologne and was buried in the church of the Jesuits in Düsseldorf.

Ancestors

Ancestors of Anna Catherine Constance Vasa

16. Erik Johansson Vasa               8. Gustav I of Sweden                       17. Cecilia Månsdotter               4. John III of Sweden                             18. Erik Abrahamsson Leijonhufvud               9. Margaret Leijonhufvud                       19. Ebba Eriksdotter Vasa               2. Sigismund III Vasa                                   20. Casimir IV Jagiellon               10. Sigismund I the Old                       21. Elisabeth of Austria               5. Catherine Jagiellon                             22. Gian Galeazzo Sforza, Duke of Milan               11. Bona Sforza                       23. Isabella of Naples               1. Anna Catherine Constance Vasa                                         24. Philip I of Castile               12. Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor                       25. Joanna of Castile               6. Charles II, Archduke of Austria                             26. Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary               13. Anna of Bohemia and Hungary                       27. Anne of Foix-Candale               3. Constance of Austria                                   28. William IV, Duke of Bavaria               14. Albert V, Duke of Bavaria                       29. Margravine Marie of Baden-Sponheim               7. Duchess Maria Anna of Bavaria                             30. Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor               15. Archduchess Anna of Austria                       31. Anna of Bohemia and Hungary

Notes

1. S. Ochmann-Staniszewska: Dynastia Wazów w Polsce (The Vasa dynasty in Poland), PWN, Warsaw 2007, pp. 165-167.
2. Zygmunt Wdowiszewski: Genealogia Jagiellonów i Domu Wazów w Polsce (Genealogy of the Jagiellonian dynasty and the House of Vasa in Poland), Kraków 2005, p. 236.
3. Complete Genealogy of the House of Wittelsbach (retrieved 17 June 2014).