Cymburgis of Masovia
| Cymburgis of Masovia | |
|---|---|
| Duchess of Austria | |
Posthumous portrait by Anton Boys, c. 1580
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| Reign | 1412–1424 |
| Spouse(s) | Ernest, Duke of Austria |
| Noble family | Piast dynasty |
| Father | Siemowit IV, Duke of Masovia |
| Mother | Alexandra of Lithuania |
| Born | 1394 or 1397 Warsaw, Masovia |
| Died | 28 September 1429 Türnitz, Austria |
| Buried | Lilienfeld Abbey |
Cymburgis of Masovia (German: Cimburgis von Masowien), also Zimburgis or Cimburga (Polish: Cymbarka mazowiecka; 1394 or 1397 – 28 September 1429), a member of the Polish Piast dynasty, was Duchess of Austria from 1412 until 1424, by her marriage with the Habsburg duke Ernest the Iron. As the mother of later Emperor Frederick III, Cymburgis, after Gertrude of Hohenburg, became the second female ancestor of all later Habsburgs, as only her husband's Ernestine branch of the family survived in the male line.
She was the second daughter of Duke Siemowit IV, a scion of the Masovian branch of the Piasts, and his consort Alexandra, a daughter of Grand Duke Algirdas of Lithuania and sister of King Władysław II Jagiełło of Poland.
Though his elder brother William's engagement with the Polish princess Jadwiga had mortifyingly failed, Duke Ernest the Iron, after the death of his first wife Margaret of Pomerania, proceeded to Kraków in disguise to court Cymburgis. According to legend, he stepped into her heart when he participated in a royal hunt and saved the princess from an attacking bear. Actually, her uncle King Władysław II, stuck in the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War and struggling with the Luxembourg king Sigismund of Hungary took the occasion to strengthen ties with the Habsburg dynasty and gave his consent.
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