Dynasty as a Patchwork House, or the (Evil) Stepmother: The Example of Zofia Jagiellonka

Bues, Almut (2019) Dynasty as a Patchwork House, or the (Evil) Stepmother: The Example of Zofia Jagiellonka. Hungarian Historical Review - New Series of Acta Historica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 8 (4). pp. 669-694. ISSN 2063-8647 (nyomtatott); 2063-9961 (online)

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Abstract

The significant age difference between Princess Zofia Jagiellonka and her husband had as one advantage for the princess that she had no competitors within her age group (e.g. a stepmother). Moreover, her stepdaughters were approximately the same age and, after her husband’s death, she found herself in similar circumstances to the as a widow. Zofia Jagiellonka eventually resolved the long-standing relationship between her husband and his mistress, knowing in this regard how to defend her social position. She consciously took up the role of mediator among the relatives, and she had a mitigating effect on the tensions between father and son. Her social consciousness included providing for the welfare of the new family by meeting the expectations placed on her with regards to her stepchildren. Her life was not that of the stereotypical “evil stepmother.” Rather, she was someone from whom her stepchildren and others repeatedly sought counsel. Through her royal birth, she was (with regard to her social status) superior to her Guelph relatives, and she had the king—her brother—as her protector. In terms of her relationship to her stepchildren, it was perhaps a great advantage that she herself bore no children, and thus there was no competitive milieu at the court in Wolfenbüttel.

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