Christian, Duke of Brieg
Christian von Liegnitz - Brieg ( Czech Kristian Břežsko - Lehnický, Polish Chrystian legnicki; * April 1618 in Ohlau, † February 28, 1672 ibid ) was from 1639 to 1653 together with his brothers George III. and Ludwig IV Duke of Brieg, from 1653 sole Duke of Wohlau and Ohlau and after the death of his brothers in 1664, the sole ruler of Liegnitz, Brieg, Wohlau and Ohlau. He came from a branch of the Silesian Piast Legnica.
Origin and family
His parents were Johann Christian Herzog and his first wife Dorothea Sybille, daughter of Duke Johann Georg of Brandenburg Brandenburg.
On November 24, 1648 Christian married in Dessau with Luise of Anhalt- Dessau, a daughter of Prince John Casimir. The couple had children
Life
From 1635 Christian lived with his parents and his father's farm in exile in Thorn, which a year later was followed by the exile in the Prussian Osterode. At the instigation of his father in 1638 he returned to his older brothers George III. , Louis IV back to Brieg. On his arrival had Wenzel Scherffer of Scherffenstein, the later poet laureate at the court Brieger was written a poem which he presented Christian New Year's Day 1639.
After the death of his father Johann Christian in 1639 his three sons inherited from the first marriage of George III. , Louis IV and the Duchy of Christian Brieg and Ohlau which, however, was assigned as a jointure testament to her mother. They ruled their possessions first together. A division they refused initially, as their relatively small inheritance was additionally burdened with a severance package for the foreclosed from following siblings of the second marriage of the father. Only after them 1653 after the death of her childless deceased uncle Georg Rudolf the Duchy of Legnica with Wohlau devolved, they divided the property in the principalities of Liegnitz of overland and Wohlau and Ohlau, the latter two Christian received. At his residence, he determined Ohlau, where he among other things, extend the lock to the so-called Christiansbau designed by the Italian architect Carlo Rossi. The Duke Georg II instead of a castle built by Brieger ducal palace in Wohlau, which was destroyed in the Thirty Years' War, Christian left, from 1653, rebuilt in the Renaissance style.
1648 Christian was taken under the member number 505 and the name " The Any " in the Fruitbearing society.
After 1660 all three brothers were still without male descendants, the oldest George III tried. at his sovereign, the Bohemian King Leopold I, an extension of the right of succession on the daughters, but received no confirmation of this. However, was born in September of this year, Christian's son Georg Wilhelm, which seemed assured the continued existence of their tribe.
1664 Duke Christian inherited the oldest brother of George III. , Who in turn had inherited a year before the second-born Ludwig IV. This Christian was able to unite all the territories formerly Liegnitzschen again in one hand. 1668 he applied for the succession to the Polish king John II Casimir, who came from the Swedish Vasa dynasty. His candidacy was not successful because he was rejected by the Polish nobility.
Although in his territory due to the provisions of the Peace of Westphalia recatholicisation did not have to be carried out, Duke Christian was exposed to religious oppression. At the instigation of officers tential and later Breslau Bishop Sebastian of Rostock in 1662 had dismissed the Christian Reformed superintendent, as only the Augsburg Confession was approved. In addition, various Protestant hymns were banned. 1664 Christian took over the guardianship of the sons of the late Duke Silvius Oelser I. To an imperial guardianship prevent that would probably follow a Catholic education of the prince, he sent her to study at the Tübingen Collegium Illustre. In 1771 he had the expulsion of Czech Brethren have that were previously fled from Poland to Cross Castle.
In Christian services was a native of mountain lions lutenist Reusner Esaias, which in Brieg the "Musical Taffel - amusement of " published in 1668. Longtime Christian Chamberlain and Governor was Wilhelm Wenzel Freiherr von Lilgenau (1634-1693), who in 1670 released from unspecified reasons. As a ducal Council was among other things Christoph Ernst von Uechtritz.
Christian died on 28 February 1672. His body was interred in the Church of St. John of Legnica. Inheritance and succession by his son Georg Wilhelm, with the ducal Liegnitzer line became extinct in the male line. He was the last male descendant of all the Silesian Piast dynasty. Duke Christian widow Luise of Anhalt- Dessau, the city received Ohlau as a widow seat.