Wilhelm von Rosenberg

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Wilhelm von Rosenberg (in Czech Vilém z Rožmberka ; * March 10, 1535 , † August 31, 1592 ) was Oberstlandesämmerer and Supreme Burgrave of Bohemia .

Wilhelm von Rosenberg

Life

Wilhelm von Rosenberg came from the noble family of the same name Rosenberg . His parents were Jost III. von Rosenberg and his second wife Anna von Roggendorf († 1562). From the age of seven he attended the private school of Ernst ( Arnošt ) Kraiger von Kraigk in Bunzlau , which was influenced by Protestants. In 1544 he switched to the Catholic school for young aristocrats in Passau , which was located on the court of Bishop Wolfgang von Salm .

On April 23, 1551 Wilhelm, who was just sixteen years old, took control of the family property after Ferdinand I had declared he was of legal age . He chose Krumlov Castle as his residence , which he had rebuilt in the Renaissance style. From 1552 to 1556 he led a legal dispute with the highest chancellor of Bohemia, Heinrich IV. Von Plauen , in which it was a matter of priority in the Bohemian estates society and which ended with the success of Wilhelm. In 1560 King Ferdinand appointed Wilhelm to the state treasurer. After he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Bohemian armies in the war against the Turks in 1566, he formed an army near Znojmo on June 10, 1566 . It was supposed to recapture the besieged Szigetvár , which Wilhelm's brother-in-law Nikolaus Zrinski had lost to the Ottomans . The Habsburg armies were to meet at Raab . There was no fight because the Turks withdrew to the south after the death of Suleyman I.

Youth portrait

With the appointment to the high burgrave on May 26, 1570 Wilhelm received the highest office in the Kingdom of Bohemia. Because of his high position, he was entrusted several times with diplomatic tasks. He was sent to Germany twice. In 1572 he negotiated with Emperor Maximilian II about the further course of action of the Holy League in the fight against the Turks. In 1574 he was involved in the negotiations for the imperial crown for the Bohemian King Rudolf II . In Poland he represented the interests of Archduke Ernst of Austria in his candidacy for the Polish king. Although his efforts failed, he gained so much sympathy that he was considered a serious candidate for the Polish crown after King Henry of Valois fled . Since the Bohemian king had also made claims to the Polish throne, Wilhelm let him take precedence for reasons of loyalty. King of Poland was finally the Transylvanian Prince Stephan Báthory , who died shortly afterwards. In 1585, Wilhelm was awarded the Golden Fleece for his diplomatic mediation .

As Sigismund III. Wasa was elected the new Polish king, Maximilian tried in 1587 by force to seize power in his eastern neighbor. The king's armies were repulsed in 1588 and Maximilian was taken prisoner. Wilhelm was finally assigned to resolve the conflict. After secret negotiations with Jan Zamoyski , he managed to bring about a peace treaty in March 1589.

In addition to his high political offices, Wilhelm also turned to the promotion of science, literature, music and architecture and worked together with his brother Peter Wok von Rosenberg as a patron . Both supported Charles University and set up secondary schools on their domains. The library they set up contained valuable manuscripts and incunabula . With around 11,000 volumes, it was one of the largest aristocratic libraries of its time. Like his brother, he promotes alchemy , Anselmus de Boodt , John Dee and Edward Kelley lived at his castle for a while (1580s) .

Wilhelm von Rosenberg took care of their economic and cultural development on his dominions. 1565–1575 he had the Třeboň Castle ( Wittingau Castle ) rebuilt by the architect Antonio Ericer in the Renaissance style and expanded to include the southwest wing, the entrance gate and a tower. The Rosenberg Palace built by his uncle Peter at Prague Castle was expanded under Wilhelm in 1573 according to plans by Ulrico Aostalli . In Raudnitz , acquired in 1577 , he had the castle and the Elbe bridge renewed.

In 1580 Wilhelm Seltschan and Křepenice exchanged with his economic manager Jakob Krčín von Jelčany , from whom he received the large game reserve and the Rohn ( Leptáč ) farm near Netolice . There Wilhelm built the Kratochvíle Castle ( Kurzweil Castle ) between 1583 and 1589 , which is one of the most important Renaissance buildings in South Bohemia. In 1584 he brought the Jesuits to Český Krumlov and had them build a large college building from 1586–1588 . Krumlov Castle, where he resided, was extensively redesigned during his reign and numerous state rooms in the Upper Castle were refurbished. In 1580 he had the tower increased and connected with a Renaissance arcade, and around 1590 he built the Small Castle. He elevated Forbes , which was in his possession , to a town and in Libějovice he had the fortress transformed into a Renaissance chateau. On his rule Třeboň ( Wittingau ) he pushed the development of carp farming and built the Rosenberg pond .

Wilhelm was buried at the side of his third wife Anna Marie von Baden in the St. Veith Church in Krumau . Since he left no descendants, his younger brother Peter Wok von Rosenberg followed him in the reign of the House of Rosenberg. With this, the Rosenbergs died out in 1611.

family

Although Wilhelm was married four times, all marriages remained childless. Through his marriage to German imperial princesses, he also gained political influence outside of Bohemia, which he benefited in his diplomatic efforts. His wives were:

  • Katarina of Braunschweig (* 1534; † May 10, 1559). The marriage took place on February 28, 1557 in Münden . She died either in Karlsbad or Teplitz and was buried in the Rosenberg family crypt in Hohenfurth Abbey .
  • Sophie von Brandenburg (* December 14, 1541; † June 27, 1564), granddaughter of the Polish King Sigismund I. The marriage took place on December 14, 1561 in Cölln near Berlin . She died in Krumau and was buried in the Hohenfurth family crypt.
  • Anna Marie von Baden (* May 22, 1562 - † April 25, 1583). The marriage with the then 15-year-old took place on January 27, 1578. Anna Marie died in Wittingau and was buried in the church of St. Vitus in Krumau.
  • Polyxena von Pernstein (* 1566 - † May 24, 1642). The marriage took place on January 11, 1587. After Wilhelm's death she married Zdeněk Vojtěch von Lobkowicz .

literature

Web links

Commons : Wilhelm von Rosenberg  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Martina Schneibergová: News from Prague Castle: Rožmberk Palace reopened. In: radio.cz. January 9, 2008, accessed April 12, 2020 .
  2. ^ Václav Bůžek, Josef Hrdlička: Dvory velmožů s erbem růže. Všední a sváteční dny posledních Rožmberků a pánů z Hradce. Mladá Fronta, Praha 1997, ISBN 80-204-0651-4 , p. 90.
personal data
SURNAME Wilhelm von Rosenberg
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Vilém z Rožmberka (Czech)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Chamberlain and Supreme Burgrave of Bohemia
DATE OF BIRTH March 10, 1535
DATE OF DEATH August 31, 1592