Wenceslas I (Bohemia)

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Wenzel I in the Gelnhausen Codex , early 15th century

Wenzel I. Přemysl (Czech Václav I. Jednooký ; * in 1205; † 23. September 1253 in Počaply ) came from the dynasty of Premyslid and was from 1230 to 1253 King of Bohemia .

Life

Wenceslas was the son of King Ottokar I Přemysl of Bohemia and Constance , daughter of Béla III. , King of Hungary.

His father had his son crowned king in 1228. According to the historian Palacký (see below), he was an enthusiastic hunter, gifted and energetic, but on the other hand also devoted to the luxurious life. He lost an eye on a hunt. This earned him the nickname 'jednooký' - the one-eyed man .

After his installation as king, he continued the politics of the Premyslids. He promoted the settlement of Germans in order to modernize agriculture and to give impetus to mining. In addition, a wave of city and monastery foundations began under his rule, especially by the Cistercian order . Among other things, he founded the cities of Trautenau , Schlan and Mies . Funded by his growing wealth, he organized knight tournaments organized by his German knight Holger von Friedberg . Numerous minstrels were at the royal court, and it is said that Walther von der Vogelweide also performed there.

As one of his first statesmanship, he ended the dispute with the last Austrian Babenberger , Duke Friedrich . The latter rejected his wife Sophie , daughter of the Byzantine emperor and sister-in-law of the Hungarian king, because of childlessness. Wenzel's mother, who came from Hungary, found this an offense, and Wenzel took this as an opportunity to invade Austria around 1230. Friedrich in turn took advantage of the dispute between Wenceslas and his younger brother Přemysl of Moravia and invaded Moravia. He occupied Bítov Castle , which was then considered impregnable . Wenzel, who was nearby with his army, did not intervene. When Friedrich fell ill and withdrew to Austria, Wenzel seized the opportunity and conquered Brno . The worsening dispute ultimately led to Emperor Friedrich II imposing the imperial ban on the Austrian and commissioning Wenzel to persuade him to obey. Wenzel conquered Lower Austria and Vienna , Friedrich retired to Wiener Neustadt . The imperial princes' concern that the emperor's growing power might weaken theirs led to political encounters that ultimately resulted in a peace between Wenceslaus and the Austrian duke. Friedrich engaged his niece Gertrud to Wenceslas son Vladislav. As a dowry, the Bohemian received the administration of Austria north of the Danube.

In 1241 the Mongols invaded Moravia under Batu Khan after the battle of Wahlstatt . Wenzel was able to drive them away, but the damage from the incursion was great. In 1242, Wenzel and Heinrich Raspe were appointed imperial governor for his underage son Conrad IV by Friedrich II . This was to prevent an impending war among the rival German princes. From the end of 1247 Wenceslas son Ottokar II opposed ; supported by Moravian aristocrats, he finally rose up against his father in 1248, who at that time hardly ruled, but instead devoted himself to more festivals. The wars between son and father, who was looking for followers in Germany and Austria, lasted the whole year - with varying successes. The father had to leave Prague and went to the territory of his follower Boresch II von Riesenburg . After Wenzel's victory at Brüx , he had his son imprisoned and he had to submit to him.

progeny

Wenzel I was married to Kunigunde von Swabia . The following descendants from this marriage are known:

  • Vladislav († January 3, 1247), Margrave of Moravia, candidate for the duchies of Austria and Styria in 1246/47
⚭ 1246 Gertrude of Austria .

literature

Web links

Commons : Wenceslaus I of Bohemia  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ František Teplý: Dějiny města Jindřichova Hradce . Dílu I. svazek 1., Jindřichův Hradec 1927, p. 56
  2. ^ Přemyslovci. Budování českého státu, red. P. Sommer, D. Třeštík, J. Žemlička, Praha 2009, s. 567.
predecessor Office successor
Ottokar I. King of Bohemia
1230–1253
Ottokar II.