Editing Hedwig of Silesia (section)

===Widow===
[[File:Landkern St. Servatius 10418.JPG|thumb|right|Stained glass at St.Servatiuskirche Landkern]]
Upon his death in 1238, Henry was buried at a [[Cistercian]] monastery of nuns, [[Sanctuary of St. Jadwiga in Trzebnica|Trzebnica Abbey]] (''Kloster Trebnitz''), which he had established in 1202 at Hedwig's request. Hedwig accepted the death of her beloved husband with faith. She said:<ref name=SHMI>{{cite book|author=Fr. Paolo O. Pirlo, SHMI|title=My First Book of Saints|year=1997|publisher=Sons of Holy Mary Immaculate - Quality Catholic Publications|isbn=971-91595-4-5|pages=243–244|chapter=St. Hedwig}}</ref>
{{Blockquote|"Would you oppose the will of God? Our lives are His."}}
The widow moved into the monastery, which was led by her daughter Gertrude, assuming the [[religious habit]] of a [[lay brother|lay sister]], but she did not take vows. She invited numerous [[Germans|German]] religious people from the [[Holy Roman Empire]] into the Silesian lands, as well as German settlers who founded numerous cities, towns and villages in the course of the ''[[Ostsiedlung]]'', while cultivating barren parts of Silesia for agriculture.

[[File:HedwigAltarXXX.jpg|thumb|160px|left|Scene from an altar of St. Hedwig of Silesia, [[Wrocław|Breslau]], around 1430, restored in 1929, [[National Museum, Warsaw|National Museum Warsaw]]]]
Hedwig and Henry had several daughters, though only one surviving son, [[Henry II the Pious]], who succeeded his father as Duke of Silesia and Polish High Duke. The widow, however, had to witness the killing of her son, vainly awaiting the support of Emperor [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]], during the [[First Mongol invasion of Poland|Mongol invasion of Poland]] at the [[Battle of Legnica]] (''Wahlstatt'') in 1241. The hopes for a re-united Poland were lost, and even Silesia fragmented into numerous Piast [[Duchies of Silesia|duchies]] under Henry II's sons. Hedwig and her daughter-in-law, Henry II's widow [[Anne of Bohemia (1204–1265)|Anna of Bohemia]], established a [[Benedictine abbey]] at the site of the battle in [[Legnickie Pole]], settled with monks coming from [[Opatovice nad Labem|Opatovice]] in [[Bohemia]].

Hedwig and Henry had lived very pious lives, and Hedwig had great [[diligence|zeal]] for her faith. She had supported her husband in donating the [[Augustinians|Augustinian]] provostry at [[Nowogród Bobrzański]] (''Naumburg'') and the commandery of the [[Knights Templar]] at [[Oleśnica Mała]] (''Klein Oels''). Hedwig always helped the poor, the widows and the orphans, founded several hospitals for the sick and the lepers and donated all her fortune to the [[Catholic Church|Church]]. She allowed no one to leave her uncomforted, and one time she spent ten weeks teaching the [[Lord's Prayer|Our Father]] to a poor woman. According to legend, she went barefoot even in winter, and when she was urged by the [[Bishop of Wrocław]] to wear shoes, she carried them in her hands.<ref name=SHMI /> On 15 October 1243, Hedwig died and was buried in Trzebnica Abbey with her husband, while [[relic]]s of her are preserved at [[Andechs Abbey]] and [[St. Hedwig's Cathedral]] in [[Berlin]].