For most of her life she, as the only child of Władysław II Jagiełło (Jogaila, Jagiello), was considered to be heiress of the Polish and Lithuanian thrones.

After it became apparent that Queen Anna would not be able to bear any further children, Hedwig was officially proclaimed heir presumptive to the throne during a congress in Jedlnia in early 1413.

Eric proposed to marry Hedwig to his cousin and presumptive heir Bogislaw IX, Duke of Pomerania, who at the time was eight or nine years old.

The young Brandenburg prince had to live in Poland as soon as was possible, in order to get acquainted with the language and customs of his future country.

Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, lobbied against the marriage while Scandinavian King Eric renewed his proposal for the Polish–Scandinavian–Pomeranian alliance against Brandenburg.

[5] The death of her maternal grandmother, Anna of Poland, in 1425 left Hedwig without any close relatives in the power struggle with Sophia.

[6] There is evidence to suggest that Frederick II was genuinely in love with Hedwig and suffered bouts of depression as a result of her death.