John II, Duke of Opava-Ratibor
John II of Opava (also: John II of Opava - Ratibor; Johann the Iron; Czech: Jan II Opavský; Hanus Ferreus; * after 1365, † 1424) was Duke of ( Opava ) Ratibor, Jägerndorf and Freudenthal. From 1388 to 1397 he was Governor and 1397-1422 pledge of Mr. Glatz and Frankenstein. He came from the family branch Opava Opava - Ratibor the Přemyslids.
Life
His eponymous father Johann I, who arrived in 1365 as the sole heir to the Duchy of Ratibor, founded the přemyslidische lineage Opava - Ratibor. He also received in 1377 the areas of Hunters Village and Freudenthal in the division of the Duchy of Opava. John II 's mother was Anna, daughter of Henry V of Glogau - Sagan.
After the death of John I his sons John II " the Iron " and Nicholas IV shared his possessions. The younger Nicholas received a share of Freudenthal, that up to the age of majority in 1385 Johann " the Iron " managed and this after Nicholas 's death ( 1405/ 07) inherited. Already in 1384 John sold the self-employed since 1377 Duchy Jägerndorf to Władysław II of Opole. The pledged already by his father Władysław of Opole Pless and Nikolai was John II recover.
1387 John II founded the town of Alt Berun and gave the city a certain bailiwick Cussowitz. In 1391 he gave the Bishop of Cracow, situated on the eastern border of the Duchy Ratibor villages Imielin, Kosztow and Great Chelm with all sovereign rights, which these towns were no longer expected to Silesia. From an iron hammers settlement founded by him and his brother Nicholas in 1394 the town developed at Halemba Ruda. 1397, Johann II another iron hammer at the point of desert village Bogutschütz, which was designated as Bogutzker hammer and from which developed at the end of the 16th century Katowice.
Since John II was one of the followers of Margrave Prokop, he entered in 1389 the Treaty of Hotzenplotz, the front of the bishops of Breslau, and Olmutz and the Prince of Legnica, oil which Glogau, Opava and Teschen to preserve the public peace and mutual protection Prokop was completed, not at.
As the highest steward of King Wenceslas IV Johann was one of the leading figures of the Kingdom of Bohemia. In this position, he provided the office of Karl Steiner viscount. Together with other aristocratic councils in 1397 he accused King Wenceslas IV of neglecting his duties as Roman- German king and asked him to convene a parliament. The accusations were accused of Wenceslas boards and minions Stefan Poduska of Martinitz, Stefan von Opočno, Burkhard Strnad of Janowitz and the Prior of the Order of St. John Marquard of Strakonitz. After this continue the demands Johanns and his colleagues stood in the way, John invited her on June 11, 1397 to a banquet on the Karlstejn Castle. There he attacked her with the words: "You, gentlemen, have day and night come our lord the king, not to take care of the German country because you wanted to take him to the office of the Roman- German king! " He then had them murder. In the same year Johann received by King Wenceslas IV the pledge shaft over the county Glatz and Frankenstein, which had to issue the feuding with King Wenceslas Margrave Jodok.
After Wenceslas stepbrother Sigismund Ratibor in 1400, besieged sat Johann II on the occasion of the meeting of the Kings Wenceslas IV and Władysław II of Poland in 1404 in Breslau by an alliance, which was directed against Hungary. After the death of King Wenzel Johann supported his successor King Sigismund, to whom he paid homage in 1420 on the occasion of the Wroclaw Reichstag. As an envoy of the insurgent Czechs go to the Lithuanian Grand Duke Witold was, she wanted APPLICATIONS the Bohemian crown, was arrested on September 21, 1421 by Ratiborer citizens and delivered by John II to King Sigismund. As a reward, John got back the 1384 sold by him Jägerndorf, which had last been in the hands of Louis II of Legnica. The Hussites retaliated with an incident in the Ratiborer country.
After his death, John was buried in the monastery church of the Dominican Sisters in Ratibor. It was not until 1437 a settlement was reached and the division of his lands: son Wenzel received city and country Ratibor, son Nicholas was Jägerndorf, Freudenthal, Pless, Rybnik and Bauerwitz.
Family
On January 16, 1407 to John II married with the Lithuanian Princess Helene, a niece of the Polish King Władysław II Jagiello. She received in 1407 as a jointure the soft images Pless, Old Berun and Nikolai and 1412 in addition to Waldhufen villages south Sohrau. After John's death she dubbed 1424-1449 as mistress of Pless.
The couple had children
- Nicholas V († 1452 )
- Wenzel von Ratibor and Jägerndorf († 1456 )
- Margarethe / Markéta († 1449 ) ∞ 1 with Casimir of Auschwitz († 1434 ); 2 ∞ with Siemowit / Ziemowit V. of Mazovia.