Wenceslaus III of Bohemia
Encyclopedia
Wenceslaus III Premyslid (Czech
and , , , , , ; October 6, 1289 – August 4, 1306, Olomouc
, Moravia
) was the King of Hungary
(1301–05), King of Bohemia
(1305–06) and the king of Poland
(1305–06).
Wenceslaus III was the son of Wenceslaus II, King of Bohemia and Poland
, and Judith of Habsburg
, the daughter of Rudolph I
, King of the Romans. He faced the problem of internal quarrels in Hungary and in Poland.
Wenceslaus was the last of the male Přemyslid rulers of Bohemia. His sister, Elisabeth married John of Luxembourg, who was elected King of Bohemia.
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 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
. Wenceslaus took the name of Ladislaus in honor to one of the most important figures in the Hungarian early history: the King Saint Ladislaus I of Hungary.
However, soon the Abas and Matthew Csák switched sides in 1303 and started to support Wenceslaus' rival Charles Robert of Anjou, who was supported also by the Holy See. 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. Ivan of Güssing was named to represent Wenceslaus III in Hungary. After his father's death, Wenceslaus III decided to renounce the Hungarian throne, and on December 6, 1305, he relinquished the crown to Otto, Duke of Lower Bavaria
. But Otto, supported only by the Güssings, was imprisoned in 1307 and abdicated the throne in 1308, leaving Charles Robert as ruler of Hungary. In Hungarian historiography he is noted as an antiking
during the interregnum
of 1301-1310.
In 1305, Wenceslaus III married, Viola Elisabeth of Cieszyn
who was a daughter of Mieszko I, Duke of Cieszyn; the marriage was childless. Wenceslaus III, however, wanted to claim his hereditary right to the Polish throne, but was murdered under mysterious circumstances in Olomouc
, Moravia
on August 4, 1306, while on a campaign to that end.
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
and , , , , , ; October 6, 1289 – August 4, 1306, Olomouc
Olomouc
Olomouc is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis and historical capital city of Moravia. Nowadays, it is an administrative centre of the Olomouc Region and sixth largest city in the Czech Republic...
, Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
) was the King of 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...
(1301–05), King of 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...
(1305–06) and the king of 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...
(1305–06).
Wenceslaus III was the son of Wenceslaus II, King of Bohemia 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...
, and 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...
, the daughter of Rudolph I
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...
, King of the Romans. He faced the problem of internal quarrels in Hungary and in Poland.
Wenceslaus was the last of the male Přemyslid rulers of Bohemia. His sister, Elisabeth married John of Luxembourg, who was elected King of Bohemia.
Kingdom of Hungary
His father accepted the crown of Hungary on behalf of Wenceslaus III in 1301. On August 27, 1301, Wenceslaus III was crowned in SzékesfehérvárSzékesfehérvár
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 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...
. Wenceslaus took the name of Ladislaus in honor to one of the most important figures in the Hungarian early history: the King Saint Ladislaus I of Hungary.
However, soon the Abas and Matthew Csák switched sides in 1303 and started to support Wenceslaus' rival Charles Robert of Anjou, who was supported also by the Holy See. 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. Ivan of Güssing was named to represent Wenceslaus III in Hungary. After his father's death, Wenceslaus III decided to renounce the Hungarian throne, and on December 6, 1305, he relinquished the crown to Otto, Duke of Lower Bavaria
Otto III, Duke of Bavaria
Otto III of Bavaria , member of the Wittelsbach dynasty, was Duke of Lower Bavaria from 1290 to 1312 and disputably King of Hungary and Croatia between 1305 and 1307 as Béla V.-Family:...
. But Otto, supported only by the Güssings, was imprisoned in 1307 and abdicated the throne in 1308, leaving Charles Robert as ruler of Hungary. In Hungarian historiography he is noted as an antiking
Antiking
An Antiking is a would-be king who, due to succession disputes or simple political opposition, declares himself king in opposition to a reigning monarch. Antikings are more often found in elected monarchies than in hereditary monarchies like those of England and France; such figures in hereditary...
during the interregnum
Interregnum
An interregnum is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order...
of 1301-1310.
Poland
Viola Elisabeth of Cieszyn
Viola Elisabeth of Cieszyn was a Polish princess member of the House of Piast in the Cieszyn branch and by marriage Queen of Bohemia and Poland....
who was a daughter of Mieszko I, Duke of Cieszyn; the marriage was childless. Wenceslaus III, however, wanted to claim his hereditary right to the Polish throne, but was murdered under mysterious circumstances in Olomouc
Olomouc
Olomouc is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis and historical capital city of Moravia. Nowadays, it is an administrative centre of the Olomouc Region and sixth largest city in the Czech Republic...
, Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
on August 4, 1306, while on a campaign to that end.
Ancestry
See also
- History of Poland (966-1385)