Margaret of Celje (, ; 1411 â 22 July 1480) was a noblewoman, who was a member of the Slovenian House of Celje and by marriage Duchess of both half Gà Âogów and à Âcinawa. Her husband willed his Duchies to her, making her Duchess regnant between 1460 and 1476.
She was the only child of Herman III, Count of Celje (b. 1380? - d. after falling from his horse, 30 July 1426), by his first wife, Elisabeth (b. 1377? - d. bef. 1423), daughter of Baron Johann II of Abensberg and widow of Ulrich II of Schauenburg. From her mother's first marriage, Margareta had two older half-brothers, Johann I (d. 16 November 1453) and George I of Schauenburg (d. young, 1404).
From her father's side, she was a niece of Barbara of Celje, second and last wife of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and Bohemia.
On 15 March 1430 Margareta married firstly with Herman I, Count of Montfort-Pfannberg-Bregenz. They had four children, three sons â Herman II (born in 1431), George I (born in 1433) and Johann III (born in 1434) â and one daughter â Barbara (born in 1435). Count Hermann I died on 24 July 1435.
In December 1444 Margareta married secondly with Wà Âadysà Âaw, Duke of both half Gà Âogów and à Âcinawa, member of the Cieszyn branch of the House of Piast. They had no children.
Wà Âadysà Âaw died on 14 February 1460. In his will, he left all his domains to Margareta (as her dower) and his brother Przemysà Âaw II; however, soon Przemysà Âaw II took the effective government over all his late brother's domains.
Margareta, dispossessed from the rule over her lands, remained in Gà Âogów, even after her brother-in-law Przemysà Âaw II lost the sovereignty over the half Gà Âogów and à Âcinawa in 1476, when King Matthias Corvinus annexed this lands to the Bohemian crown. Recognized her authority (although purely formal) over her dower, Margareta had to face the ambitions of Jan II the Mad, Duke of à »agaà Â, who wanted to obtain the direct control over half Gà Âogów and à Âcinawa.
Casimir II, nephew of Wà Âadysà Âaw and Przemysà Âaw II, claimed his rights over half Gà Âogów and à Âcinawa as the only male heir of the whole Cieszyn branch. Soon, he was sworn by the Gà Âogów city council ruler of the city as guardian of Margareta; however, he was defeated by Jan II's forces shortly after. At the end, Casimir II renounced to all his claims over Wà Âadysà Âaw's inheritance in exchange of a monetary compensation from King Matthias Corvinus in 1479.
Now Margareta was forced to defend the city alone from Jan II the Mad. She maintained the resistance in Gà Âogów until 1 May 1480, when, after a siege of seven weeks, Jan II finally conquered the city, and the Duchy of Gà Âogów was finally reunited after almost 150 years of separation. Margareta died two months later.
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