Venceslaus II of Bohemia
Encyclopedia
Wenceslaus II Premyslid was King of Bohemia (1278–1305), Duke of Cracow (1291–1305) and King of Poland (1300–1305).
He was the only son of King Ottokar II of Bohemia
"the Great" and Ottokar's second wife Kunigunda
. He was born in 1271, ten years after the marriage of his parents. Kunigunda was the daughter of Rostislav Mikhailovich, lord of Slavonia
, son of a Grand Prince of Kiev, and Anna of Hungary, daughter of Béla IV of Hungary
. His great-grandfather was the German king Philip of Swabia
. He was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty
.
In 1276 Rudolf I, King of the Romans, placed Ottokar under the ban of the empire
and besieged Vienna
. This compelled Ottokar in November 1276 to sign a new treaty by which he gave up all claims to Austria and the neighbouring duchies, retaining for himself only Bohemia and Moravia. Ottokar's son Wenceslaus was also betrothed to Rudolph's daughter Judith. It was an uneasy peace. Wenceslaus's father died in battle August 26, 1278, shortly before Wenceslaus's seventh birthday.
Before Wenceslaus became of age, the government was handled by Otto IV Margrave of Brandenburg
, who is said to have held Wenceslaus captive in several locations. He returned to Bohemia in 1283, at the age of twelve. His mother's second husband, Záviš of Falkenštejn ruled instead of him for a few years.
On January 24, 1285, Wenceslaus married Judith of Habsburg
, daughter of Rudolf I, to whom he had been betrothed since 1276. In 1290, Wenceslaus had Záviš beheaded for alleged treason and began ruling independently.
was associated with the overlordship of Poland, but Przemysł held the other duchies and in 1295 was crowned King of Poland. After Przemysł's death in 1296, Wenceslaus became overlord of Poland and in 1300, he was crowned King of Poland.
was discovered at Kuttenberg, Hory Kutné (Kutná Hora
in Central Bohemia
. Wenceslaus took control of the mine by making silver production a royal monopoly, and issued the Prague groschen which became the most popular of the early Groschen
-type coins. Kuttenberg (Kutná Hora) was one of the richest European silver strikes ever: between 1300 and 1340 the mine may have produced as much as 20 tons of silver a year.
In 1300, Wenceslaus issued the new royal mining code Ius regale montanorum. This was a legal document that specified all administrative as well as technical terms and conditions necessary for the operation of mines.
, daughter of Przemysł II, King of Poland 1295 - 1296 (later she remarried to Rudolph of Habsburg
, duke of Austria, who also became king of Bohemia for a brief period in those unruly years).
In 1301, Wenceslaus' kinsman Andrew III of Hungary died and the Árpád dynasty
became extinct in the male line. Wenceslaus was one of the relatives who claimed the throne, and he accepted it from a party of Hungarians on behalf of his young son. On August 27, 1301, Wenceslaus III was crowned in Székesfehérvár
as the King of Hungary and as such assumed the name Ladislaus V (Hungarian: László, Czech, Slovak and Croatian: Ladislav).
At that time the Kingdom of Hungary
was split into several de-facto principalities, and young Wenceslaus was only accepted as the King of Hungary by the rulers in modern Slovakia
(Matthew Csák and the Abas), in Burgenland
(the Güssing
s [Kőszegis]) and on territory around the capital, Buda
. But the Abas and Matthew Csák switched sides in 1303 and started to support Wenceslaus' rival Charles Robert of Anjou. Consequently, the young Wenceslaus, in Ofen (Buda), became afraid and wrote to his father in Prague
for help. His father took a large army and invaded Buda, but having considered the situation, he took his son and the Hungarian crown and returned to Bohemia (1304). Ivan of Güssing was named to represent Wenceslaus III in Hungary.
Wenceslaus II died in 1305, at the age of 34, probably of tuberculosis
. He was succeeded by his son, Wenceslaus III
(Václav III.), last of the Přemyslid
kings in male line.
to the Danube river and established numerous cities such as Plzeň in 1295. He won for his family three royal crowns (Bohemia
, Hungary
and Poland
). The Kingdom of Bohemia
was the largest producer of silver
in Europe in his time. He created a penny of Prague, which was an important European currency for centuries.
During his reign, there was a large urban development. He planned to build the first university in Central Europe
. The Power and wealth of the Kingdom of Bohemia
gave rise to great respect but to the hostility of European royal families as well. His son, King Wenceslaus III
, was unfortunately unable to keep a mighty empire, and soon after the untimely death of Wenceslaus II, his empire began to crumble. With the death of Wenceslaus II, one glorious era of the Kingdom of Bohemia ended, the time of great political and economic power of the country.
In 1285 in Eger (Cheb
), he married Judith of Habsburg
(1271–1297), daughter of Rudolph I of Germany
and his wife Gertrude of Hohenburg
. She died shortly after their 10th child was born:
In 1300, he married Elisabeth Richeza
(1286–1335), daughter of Przemysł II. They had one child:
Wenceslaus has also numerous illegitimate children, including Jan Volek (?? – September 27, 1351), bishop of Olomouc
He was the only son of King Ottokar II of Bohemia
Ottokar II of Bohemia
Ottokar II , called The Iron and Golden King, was the King of Bohemia from 1253 until 1278. He was the Duke of Austria , Styria , Carinthia and Carniola also....
"the Great" and Ottokar's second wife Kunigunda
Kunigunda of Slavonia
Kunigunda Rostislavna was Queen consort of Bohemia and its Regent from 1278 until her death. She was a member of the House of Chernigov, and a daughter of the ruler of Slavonia....
. He was born in 1271, ten years after the marriage of his parents. Kunigunda was the daughter of Rostislav Mikhailovich, lord of Slavonia
Slavonia
Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
, son of a Grand Prince of Kiev, and Anna of Hungary, daughter of Béla IV of Hungary
Béla IV of Hungary
Béla IV , King of Hungary and of Croatia , duke of Styria 1254–58. One of the most famous kings of Hungary, he distinguished himself through his policy of strengthening of the royal power following the example of his grandfather Bela III, and by the rebuilding Hungary after the catastrophe of the...
. His great-grandfather was the German king Philip of Swabia
Philip of Swabia
Philip of Swabia was king of Germany and duke of Swabia, the rival of the emperor Otto IV.-Biography:Philip was the fifth and youngest son of Emperor Frederick I and Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy, daughter of Renaud III, count of Burgundy, and brother of the emperor Henry VI...
. He was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty
Premyslid dynasty
The Přemyslids , were a Czech royal dynasty which reigned in Bohemia and Moravia , and partly also in Hungary, Silesia, Austria and Poland.-Legendary rulers:...
.
Early years
Reichsacht
The imperial ban was a form of outlawry in the Holy Roman Empire. At different times, it could be declared by the Holy Roman Emperor, by courts like the Vehmgericht or the Reichskammergericht, or by the Reichstag....
and besieged Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. This compelled Ottokar in November 1276 to sign a new treaty by which he gave up all claims to Austria and the neighbouring duchies, retaining for himself only Bohemia and Moravia. Ottokar's son Wenceslaus was also betrothed to Rudolph's daughter Judith. It was an uneasy peace. Wenceslaus's father died in battle August 26, 1278, shortly before Wenceslaus's seventh birthday.
Before Wenceslaus became of age, the government was handled by Otto IV Margrave of Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
, who is said to have held Wenceslaus captive in several locations. He returned to Bohemia in 1283, at the age of twelve. His mother's second husband, Záviš of Falkenštejn ruled instead of him for a few years.
On January 24, 1285, Wenceslaus married Judith of Habsburg
Judith of Habsburg
Judith of Habsburg was the youngest daughter of Rudolph I of Germany and his wife Gertrude of Hohenburg. Judith was a member of the Habsburg family.-Biography:When Judith was five, she became the object of her father's political plans...
, daughter of Rudolf I, to whom he had been betrothed since 1276. In 1290, Wenceslaus had Záviš beheaded for alleged treason and began ruling independently.
King of Bohemia and Poland
In 1291, Przemysł II, High Duke of Poland, ceded the sovereign Duchy of Kraków to Wenceslaus. KrakówKraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
was associated with the overlordship of Poland, but Przemysł held the other duchies and in 1295 was crowned King of Poland. After Przemysł's death in 1296, Wenceslaus became overlord of Poland and in 1300, he was crowned King of Poland.
Silver in Kutná Hora
In 1298, silverSilver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
was discovered at Kuttenberg, Hory Kutné (Kutná Hora
Kutná Hora
Kutná Hora is a city in Bohemia, now the Czech Republic in the Central Bohemian Region.-History:The town began in 1142 with the settlement of the first Cistercian Monastery in Bohemia, Kloster Sedlitz, brought from the Imperial immediate Cistercian Waldsassen Abbey...
in Central Bohemia
Central Bohemian Region
Central Bohemian Region is an administrative unit of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative center is placed in the Czech capital Prague , which lies in the center of the region...
. Wenceslaus took control of the mine by making silver production a royal monopoly, and issued the Prague groschen which became the most popular of the early Groschen
Groschen
Groschen was the name for a coin used in various German-speaking states as well as some non-German-speaking countries of Central Europe , the Danubian principalities...
-type coins. Kuttenberg (Kutná Hora) was one of the richest European silver strikes ever: between 1300 and 1340 the mine may have produced as much as 20 tons of silver a year.
In 1300, Wenceslaus issued the new royal mining code Ius regale montanorum. This was a legal document that specified all administrative as well as technical terms and conditions necessary for the operation of mines.
The Crown of Hungary and death
Queen Judith had died in 1297. Wenceslaus's second wife was Elisabeth RichezaElisabeth Richeza of Poland
Elisabeth Richenza of Poland was a daughter and the only surviving child of Przemysl II of Poland and his second wife Richenza of Sweden, herself a daughter of Valdemar I of Sweden and Sofia of Denmark.Her name at birth was Richeza; she adopted the name Elisabeth after her first marriage...
, daughter of Przemysł II, King of Poland 1295 - 1296 (later she remarried to Rudolph of Habsburg
Rudolph I of Bohemia
Rudolf I of Habsburg was Duke of Austria and Styria from 1298 and King of Bohemia and titular King of Poland from 1306 until his death...
, duke of Austria, who also became king of Bohemia for a brief period in those unruly years).
In 1301, Wenceslaus' kinsman Andrew III of Hungary died and the Árpád dynasty
Árpád dynasty
The Árpáds or Arpads was the ruling dynasty of the federation of the Hungarian tribes and of the Kingdom of Hungary . The dynasty was named after Grand Prince Árpád who was the head of the tribal federation when the Magyars occupied the Carpathian Basin, circa 895...
became extinct in the male line. Wenceslaus was one of the relatives who claimed the throne, and he accepted it from a party of Hungarians on behalf of his young son. On August 27, 1301, Wenceslaus III was crowned in Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár is a city in central Hungary and is the 9th largest in the country. Located around southwest of Budapest. It is inhabited by 101,973 people , with 136,995 in the Székesfehérvár Subregion. The city is the centre of Fejér county and the regional centre of Central Transdanubia...
as the King of Hungary and as such assumed the name Ladislaus V (Hungarian: László, Czech, Slovak and Croatian: Ladislav).
At that time the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
was split into several de-facto principalities, and young Wenceslaus was only accepted as the King of Hungary by the rulers in modern Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
(Matthew Csák and the Abas), in Burgenland
Burgenland
Burgenland is the easternmost and least populous state or Land of Austria. It consists of two Statutarstädte and seven districts with in total 171 municipalities. It is 166 km long from north to south but much narrower from west to east...
(the Güssing
Güssing
Güssing is a town in Burgenland, Austria. It is located at , with a population of 3,811 , and is the administrative center of the Güssing district.The Güssing Castle, built in 1157, is the oldest castle in Burgenland and a regional landmark....
s [Kőszegis]) and on territory around the capital, Buda
Buda
For detailed information see: History of Buda CastleBuda is the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest on the west bank of the Danube. The name Buda takes its name from the name of Bleda the Hun ruler, whose name is also Buda in Hungarian.Buda comprises about one-third of Budapest's...
. But the Abas and Matthew Csák switched sides in 1303 and started to support Wenceslaus' rival Charles Robert of Anjou. Consequently, the young Wenceslaus, in Ofen (Buda), became afraid and wrote to his father in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
for help. His father took a large army and invaded Buda, but having considered the situation, he took his son and the Hungarian crown and returned to Bohemia (1304). Ivan of Güssing was named to represent Wenceslaus III in Hungary.
Wenceslaus II died in 1305, at the age of 34, probably of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. He was succeeded by his son, Wenceslaus III
Wenceslaus III of Bohemia
Wenceslaus III Premyslid was the King of Hungary , King of Bohemia and the king of Poland ....
(Václav III.), last of the Přemyslid
Premyslid dynasty
The Přemyslids , were a Czech royal dynasty which reigned in Bohemia and Moravia , and partly also in Hungary, Silesia, Austria and Poland.-Legendary rulers:...
kings in male line.
Review government of Vaclav II
Vaclav II is considered as one of the most important Czech Kings. He built a great empire stretching from the Baltic SeaBaltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
to the Danube river and established numerous cities such as Plzeň in 1295. He won for his family three royal crowns (Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
). The Kingdom of Bohemia
Kingdom of Bohemia
The Kingdom of Bohemia was a country located in the region of Bohemia in Central Europe, most of whose territory is currently located in the modern-day Czech Republic. The King was Elector of Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution in 1806, whereupon it became part of the Austrian Empire, and...
was the largest producer of silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
in Europe in his time. He created a penny of Prague, which was an important European currency for centuries.
During his reign, there was a large urban development. He planned to build the first university in Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
. The Power and wealth of the Kingdom of Bohemia
Kingdom of Bohemia
The Kingdom of Bohemia was a country located in the region of Bohemia in Central Europe, most of whose territory is currently located in the modern-day Czech Republic. The King was Elector of Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution in 1806, whereupon it became part of the Austrian Empire, and...
gave rise to great respect but to the hostility of European royal families as well. His son, King Wenceslaus III
Wenceslaus III
Wenceslaus III may refer to:* Wenceslaus III of Oława , Duke of Oława * Wenceslaus III Adam, Duke of Cieszyn , Duke of Cieszyn...
, was unfortunately unable to keep a mighty empire, and soon after the untimely death of Wenceslaus II, his empire began to crumble. With the death of Wenceslaus II, one glorious era of the Kingdom of Bohemia ended, the time of great political and economic power of the country.
Family
He was married twice:In 1285 in Eger (Cheb
Cheb
Cheb is a city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic, with about 33,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the river Ohře , at the foot of one of the spurs of the Smrčiny and near the border with Germany...
), he married Judith of Habsburg
Judith of Habsburg
Judith of Habsburg was the youngest daughter of Rudolph I of Germany and his wife Gertrude of Hohenburg. Judith was a member of the Habsburg family.-Biography:When Judith was five, she became the object of her father's political plans...
(1271–1297), daughter of Rudolph I of Germany
Rudolph I of Germany
Rudolph I was King of the Romans from 1273 until his death. He played a vital role in raising the Habsburg dynasty to a leading position among the Imperial feudal dynasties...
and his wife Gertrude of Hohenburg
Gertrude of Hohenburg
Gertrude of Hohenzollern was the first Queen consort of Rudolph I of Germany.-Family:She was born to Burckhard III of Hohenzollern, Count of Hohenberg and his wife Mechtild of Tübingen....
. She died shortly after their 10th child was born:
- Přemysl Otakar (May 6, 1288 – November 19, 1288).
- Wenceslaus IIIWenceslaus III of BohemiaWenceslaus III Premyslid was the King of Hungary , King of Bohemia and the king of Poland ....
(October 6, 1289 – August 4, 1306); King of Bohemia, King of HungaryKing of HungaryThe King of Hungary was the head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 to 1918.The style of title "Apostolic King" was confirmed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 and used afterwards by all the Kings of Hungary, so after this date the kings are referred to as "Apostolic King of...
and King of Poland. - Agnes (October 6, 1289 – soon after August 6, 1296), twin of Wenceslaus; married in 1296 to Rupert, eldest surviving son of German King Adolf of NassauAdolf of Nassau-WeilburgAdolf was the King of Germany from 1292 until 1298. Though his title in his lifetime was Rex Romanorum , he is usually known as Adolf of Nassau...
. - Anne (October 10, 1290 – September 3, 1313), married in 1306 to Henry of Carinthia.
- Elisabeth (January 20, 1292 – September 28, 1330), married in 1310 to John of LuxembourgJohn I of BohemiaJohn the Blind was the Count of Luxembourg from 1309 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of Poland. He was the eldest son of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII and his wife Margaret of Brabant...
. - Guta (March 3, 1293 – August 3, 1294).
- John (February 26, 1294 – March 1, 1295).
- John (February 21, 1295 – December 6, 1296).
- Margaret (February 21, 1296 – April 8, 1322), married in 1308 to Bolesław III the Generous, Duke of Wrocław.
- Guta (*†May 21, 1297).
In 1300, he married Elisabeth Richeza
Elisabeth Richeza of Poland
Elisabeth Richenza of Poland was a daughter and the only surviving child of Przemysl II of Poland and his second wife Richenza of Sweden, herself a daughter of Valdemar I of Sweden and Sofia of Denmark.Her name at birth was Richeza; she adopted the name Elisabeth after her first marriage...
(1286–1335), daughter of Przemysł II. They had one child:
- AgnesAgnes of Bohemia (1305–1337)Agnes of Bohemia was the only child of King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia by his second wife, Elisabeth Richeza of Poland. She was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty.- Family :...
(June 15, 1305 – before January 4, 1337), married to Henry IHenry I of JaworHenry I of Jawor , was a Duke of Jawor-Lwówek-Świdnica-Ziębice during 1301-1312 , sole Duke of Jawor-Lwówek since 1312 and Duke of Głogów since 1337 until his death....
, Duke of JaworJaworJawor is a town in south-western Poland with 24,347 inhabitants . It is situated in Lower Silesian Voivodeship . It is the seat of Jawor County, and lies approximately west of the regional capital Wrocław.In the town can be found a Protestant Church of Peace...
.
Wenceslaus has also numerous illegitimate children, including Jan Volek (?? – September 27, 1351), bishop of Olomouc