Born around 1305, Elżbieta was raised during a time of political turmoil. Her father, Władysław the Elbow-high, was engaged in a prolonged struggle to reunite Poland after decades of fragmentation. When he finally secured the crown in 1320, Elżbieta was already playing her part in the dynastic chessboard of Europe. Her marriage to Charles I Robert of Hungary, one of the most powerful monarchs in the region, was both a diplomatic alliance and a personal turning point. She became Queen of Hungary at a time when royal women were expected to support from the shadows—but Elżbieta’s influence would extend far beyond the throne room.

Elżbieta and Charles had five sons, including Louis I of Hungary, later known as Louis the Great. Elżbieta played a central role in her children’s upbringing and political orientation, ensuring that they were prepared not only to govern but to strengthen ties across borders. Her guidance helped shape Louis into one of the most capable and ambitious rulers of his time.

When Elżbieta’s brother, Casimir III the Great, died in 1370 without a legitimate male heir, it was her son Louis who inherited the Polish crown—a dynastic coup made possible through Elżbieta’s bloodline and behind-the-scenes diplomacy. For the first time, Hungary and Poland were united under a single ruler. While Louis struggled to keep both realms aligned, the foundation of that union was Elżbieta’s doing.

She herself returned to Poland as Queen Mother and regent after her son’s coronation. Though her tenure was brief and not without controversy—many Polish nobles resented her Hungarian retinue—her authority as a female regent in a male-dominated political world was remarkable. She remained deeply involved in political affairs until her death in Buda on 29 December 1380.

Despite her importance, Elżbieta is often overlooked in mainstream narratives. Her granddaughter, Saint Queen Jadwiga, often dominates cultural memory, thanks to her sanctity, her marriage to Jogaila, and her role in the Polish-Lithuanian Union. But it was Elżbieta who paved the way, securing the dynastic bridge between Anjou Hungary and Piast Poland.

She wasn’t a saint or a reformer. She didn’t found universities or lead armies. But she made monarchs, ensured succession, and kept lines of power flowing through a turbulent century. In a world that often dismissed women as secondary figures, Elżbieta stood as the very foundation of two royal houses.

Elżbieta Łokietkówna’s name may not be carved in as many monuments or invoked in as many prayers as her descendants, but her legacy is written in the continuity of power. She embodied a different kind of strength—patient, strategic, and dynastic—and proved that queens could shape the fate of nations without ever needing a crown of their own.

In recognizing Elżbieta, we honor not only the matriarch who unified two thrones, but the countless women in history whose power was exercised not in spectacle, but in subtle, lasting consequence.