Boresch II of Riesenburg

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Boresch II. Von Riesenburg , also Boress Freiherr von Osek and Riesenburg , also Bohuslav II. Von Riesenburg (Czech Boreš II. Z Rýzmburka ) (* about 1210 to 1215 ; † 1277 or 1278 ) was a Bohemian nobleman of primitive origin and a politician.

Boresch II. Freiherr von Osek und Riesenburg was one of the well-known personalities of the von Riesenburg family, who descended from the ancient nobility of the Hrabischitz , whose verifiable history goes back to the eleventh century. The social rise of the noble Osek family (Ossegg) made it possible to build and expand the Riesenburg Castle (Rýzmburk in Czech, today also called Osek Castle) , two kilometers northeast of the town of Alt-Ossegg in north-west Bohemia .

Origin and youth

Boress II. Freiherr von Osek und Riesenburg was the younger son of Bohuslaw (I.) Lord von Osek (z Oseku), 1210 land treasurer of the Margraviate of Moravia , then from 1214 to 1219 land under chamberlain and from 1224 Oberstland treasurer in the Kingdom of Bohemia, who after 1240 passed away. From his marriage (the name of the wife is unknown) he had the older brother Slawek (III.), From 1231 abbot of the Osek (Ossegg) monastery , 1239 bishop of Prussia and died after 1250. His grandfather was Slawek alias Slawebor (the elder) called von Osek, wealthy in the Elbogner district in western Bohemia and from 1188 on Mr. Ossegg (old Czech "Osek", later "Monastery Alt-Ossegg in the Dux district), who around 1190 the town" Slawkenwerde "(Schlackenwerth) and founded the Ossegg monastery around 1196 for the Cistercian order from the Waldsassen monastery in Nordgau (Bavaria) . From 1212 to 1222 he was chief treasurer and died in 1226.

In his youth, Boress II had a good education for the time in the Latin school of the Osek monastery founded by his grandfather . He spoke several languages. In addition to Czech , it was Latin and German that he learned from the monks in Waldsassen , but also at the king's court in Prague . There he encountered knight culture , poetry, minnesong and the first approaches to Gothic architecture and art in Bohemia.

In his youth he was often out and about, due to contacts with the royal court in Prague and with aristocratic families in neighboring northern Bavaria and Saxony . In German society and through the numerous German-speaking colonists, he took over the German names that were valid at that time, also for his castles Riesenburg , Borschenstein in Böhmen, Rechenberg Castle , in Pleißenland (?) And Hochstein in Moravia .

Political career

After the death of his father Bohuslav I. von Hrabischitz , Mr. von Osek (z Oseku), Boresch II took over the management of the family property at the age of about 30. In the early days of his administrative work, he was probably not active at the king's court in Prague, as he was not listed in accessible documents. It was only mentioned on January 26, 1246 by an Austrian chronicler, Heinrich von Haimburg. During King Wenceslas' army march , the Moravian unit was surprised by the army of the Austrian Duke Friedrich under the leadership of Ulrich von Kärnten south of Laa an der Thaya . Numerous nobles were arrested, including Boresch.

When a group of nobility, led by the heir to the throne Přemysl , attempted an uprising, the Hrabischitzer succeeded in 1249 in defeating the rebels near Brüx in western Bohemia and forcing them to negotiate with the king. He was richly rewarded by King Wenceslaus, appointed court marshal and royal chamberlain. It was during this time that he used the Riesenburg title for the first time . Until the death of Wenceslas he was one of the leading noblemen of the Bohemian crown.

After taking power, Přemysl retaliated by plundering his monastery in Osek . On January 25, 1254, Boresch was captured at the king's behest and imprisoned in Prague . Historians assume that the reason is that Boresch was endowed with numerous privileges and too powerful through his services for the deceased king. The young, ambitious king, who had to accept a few failures at the beginning of his rule and whose self-confidence had been clouded as a result, saw in him an internal enemy. Ottokar wanted to demonstrate his power with this imprisonment. Boresch, on the other hand, was a good general and a patron of the Church. The imprisonment was probably ended in 1244/1245, because Boresch took part in a king's crusade to Poland .

At the same time he had the eponymous castle Rýzmburk (Giant Castle) in northwestern Bohemia expanded. Boresch does not appear in the annals of the rulers of the castle in Prague for a long time. Presumably during this time he took care of the administration of his own lands, which now stretched from Sayda to the White Carpathian region.

In 1260 Boresch successfully took part in the Battle of Kressenbrunn , as Dalimil describes in his chronicle. With his mercenary army he is said to have attacked the Hungarian camp directly, which ultimately led to the final victory. On this occasion he is said to have found, among other treasures, the legendary finger of John the Baptist , which the Hungarian king always carried with him. After Dalimil, he transferred it to Ossegg and gave it to the Osek monastery there . This relic has disappeared since the Second World War (1939–1945) .

In the following years, Boresch increased his assets, received fiefs, bought land in Mährisch Trübau , where he was the founder of the Augustinian convent Corona Santae Mariae (German Marienkron) and gave the monastery the village of Tatenice.

In 1271 Boresch was one of the signatories of the peace agreement between King Ottokar and the Hungarian King Stephen . In the following years the relationship between the king and Boresch deteriorated again. According to the Neplachova kronika , the king is said to have even confiscated his lands. Boresch also did not forget the humiliation by the Bohemian ruler. In 1274 Cosmas of Prague wrote in his chronicle: "... the noble Mr. Boresch moved away from the king, lost the affection of the king through no fault, since his enemies wrongly informed the king ..."

In addition, the international situation was changing. Přemysl stood between the newly elected Roman-German King Rudolf von Habsburg and a growing opposition both in Austria and in Bohemia. In 1276 there was an open uprising of the Bohemian nobles, the Habsburgs invaded Austria. In Styria and Carinthia , which were under the Bohemian crown, the subjects rebelled. According to Heinrich von Heimburg's notes, the Bohemian aristocrats were led by Boresch in addition to the Witigonen .

The situation forced Přemysl Ottokar II to reconcile with the Habsburgs. As a result, he lost revenue from his non-Bohemian territories and his royal right of inheritance was restricted to Bohemia. The peace did not last long. In 1277 there were new battles in which the Bohemian supporters of the Habsburg Rudolf joined. Přemysl took Neuhaus and was able to book further victories in northern Bohemia . Another peace treaty was concluded in which he had to undertake not to take action against the insurgents. Shortly afterwards the fighting flared up again, the Witigonen complained to Rudolf von Habsburg that Ottokar was not complying with the conditions. In response to a letter from Rudolf, Ottokar forbade interfering in internal affairs and set an example. Boresch, the now seventy-year-old supporter of the aristocratic revolt, was arrested, tried before the regional court and executed in 1277. On January 10, 1278, Ottokar gave all of the Hrabischitzer lands to the town of Hungarian Brod .

Bohuslav II, to whom Rudolf von Habsburg showed his favor after the death of his father, Boresch had left large parts of northern Bohemia, from the legendary Staditz to Beschau , parts of Meissen and parts of Moravia .

Boresch II. Freiherr von Osek and Riesenburg and his time

During the rule of the Hrabischitzer the colonization of Bohemia reached a high point and spread to Moravia. German settlements emerged in which woodcutters, craftsmen, miners and farmers settled. Many small towns and villages provided bailiffs and castle castles, also in the lands of the Hrabischitz near Mährisch Trübau.

Boresch had a soldier group of mercenaries on duty who accompanied him on his travels and maintained a court with employees with whom he took part in social events. Given the political role he had played, he was proud of his origins and the achievements his ancestors had made for the country.

family

Boresch II was married to Richardis, who was presumably of German origin. According to the genealogist Roman von Procházka, he had two sons, Slawek (III.) 1231 abbot of the Osek monastery (Cistercian monastery Ossegg) and Boress (II.) Freiherr von Osek and Riesenburg († 1278 or 1279)

in 1264 a Slauko IV. (Slawek IV.) was performed once. According to the genealogist novel by Procházka , it is the older son of Boress II. Fhrh. von Osek und Riesenburg, who died unmarried before his father around 1277.

Source studies literature

personal data
SURNAME Boresch II of Riesenburg
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bores of Riesenburg; Bohuslav von Riesenburg; Boresch II of Hrabischitz; Boreš z Rýzmburka
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Czech nobleman and politician
DATE OF BIRTH between 1210 and 1215
DATE OF DEATH 1277