Vladislaus II, Duke of Bohemia

Vladislav II (* 1110, † January 18, 1174 in Predium Mer ( Meerane ) ) was a Bohemian duke, who secured the title of king for himself and his kingdom.

Life

Election to the Duke

The eldest son of Vladislav I and Richinza of mountain experienced an adventurous youth. Under the reign of his uncle Soběslav I. He left Bohemia in 1133 and went to Bavaria to relatives. In 1133 he should build a small army, which wanted to ask the Emperor for the disposal of the Bohemian duke. He took the money and disappeared in Hungary. After the death of his uncle he was in 1140 appointed by the Estates to the Duke, although they had chosen himself two years earlier Soběslavs son the Duke. The emperor confirmed the choice and Vladislav went back to Prague.

1142, a group of Moravian nobleman Vladislav overthrow. Conrad II of Znojmo put on an army with which he invaded Bohemia. In the Battle of the hill Vysoká ( 49.94 ° N, 15.19 ° O49.94224615.188449471Koordinaten: 49 ° 57 ' N, 15 ° 11 ' E) at Kutna Hora won first Vladislav, but by an act of betrayal in his army, he had to eventually withdraw. In Prague arrived, he left the defense of the city his representative Děpold and rode to King Conrad III. , there to seek to Würzburg for help. Prince Theobald ( Děpold, Dippold ) successfully defended Prague and after arrival, the royal army had defeated the Moravians. Vladislav used this victory to, finally forcing Moravia, which had previously been a source of resistance to the Bohemian princes repeatedly in the decades up to 1144 under the rule of Prague. An important tool to was the collaboration with the Bishop of Olomouc, Heinrich Zdik. Church Goods and subjects were withdrawn completely the rule of the secular princes. This weakened the Moravian nobility, to a lesser extent, also in the Prague princes.

Under Vladislav Bohemia is tied closely to the kingdom. Thus, a Bohemian prince in 1147 joined the Second Crusade to Palestine, the army of the king of. During this time, the papal legate Guido prevailed in Bohemia. However, Vladislav completed only part of the way. He came to Zagreb, where he met the Byzantine emperor Manuel I and continued his crusade against pagan Slavs Kiev and Krakow.

Vladislav is king

After the accession of Frederick Barbarossa, relations cooled down first, as the new emperor favored the descendants of Soběslav. Soon, however, Vladislav put his loyalty to the new emperor to the test and was subsequently included in the mercy of Barbarossa. Its involvement in campaigns to Italy and Poland brought him in 1158 as the second from the Přemyslovci after 1092 died Vratislav II, the royal crown of Bohemia. On January 11, 1158, he was elected ruler. In addition Barbarossa spoke to him in Bautzen, whereby the Bohemian rulers could north of the Ore again play an important role. In addition, the emperor confirmed the obligation to pay tribute to Poland's Silesia and supported Vladislav in expanding into the tribal area of Wilzen. Even in the dispute over the succession to the Kievan Rus Vladislav was active without being able to exert great influence eventually.

In the sixties years Vladislav II distinguished himself in disputes with Hungary. In times of his absence, it was always Theobald, who led the state affairs. After this in 1167 died of the plague, the relations with the Emperor clouded again, especially as the son of Vladislav, Adalbert III. was appointed Archbishop of Salzburg.

In the long rule of the Bohemian country flourished. His relations with other countries brought many new influences, especially in the cultural field. Already under his predecessors, but strengthened under his rule, came to Bohemia religious reform, such as the Norbertine, Cistercian and later the Hospitallers. A number of monasteries founded, among others, Strahov Monastery, Monastery Plasy monastery and convent Želiv Doksany. In 1160 he built a stone bridge in Prague.

Late phase of the rule

The reign of Vladislav represents the final end of a more than a hundred years of crisis phase of Bohemia Represents the country stabilized as a closed composite rule. Although Moravia remained an independent margravate, but it was the Margrave from this period usually a Prague Přemyslide. In addition, during the troubled decades of the influence of the nobility and of the empire was previously grown, so that under Bohemia Vladislav II and his successors was a stable and powerful part of the empire with a strong aristocracy. His expression of this development, not least in the presentation of the kingship of Vladislav II

During the period of his rule also changed the social status of the princes, which were referred later than territorial nobility. The former benefit, in this case, the temporal transfer of a part of the country to fulfill its duties and services, has now been transformed so that it was left to the nobles throughout and largely hereditary. In the villages created his first own Romanesque churches, whose construction was mostly given by the Prince in order. To these churches settlements were small celebrations. After the place name then usually referred to the ruler ( oldest documented families were Marquart de Dubraua and Bleh de Trebusen ). Especially in previously untapped, wooded areas, the land was donated by the Crown to the respective leaders to colonize. Thus, the first small, fast-growing but often old Bohemian noble families such as the Hrabischitzer, Rosenberger, Bavors of Strakonitz and others appeared.

At the end of his life Vladislav tried his son Friedrich ( Bedrich ) without choice and consent of the emperor to inherit the throne. In 1172 he resigned his offices and certain Bedřich to the Duke. So that the good relations with the Emperor were finally disrupted, especially strengthened the Moravian nobility opposition again in the debate over the rule of consequence. Barbarossa did not recognize the procedure and Bedřich had to resign. As Soběslavs son Oldrich rejected the fief offered by the emperor because he had no support in the Bohemian nobility, remained only Soběslav II, the Duke was.

The old king was forced to leave Bohemia. He went to Thuringia to the goods of his second wife. He died in 1174 in Meerane. His remains were buried in the Strahov Monastery.

Wives and offspring

Vladislav II was married twice. His first wife was Gertrude of Babenberg 1140, daughter of Margrave Leopold III. of Austria. She died on 8 April 1150 and left the children Bedřich, Anežka, Svatopluk and Vojtěch. The second time married Vladislav 1153 Judith, daughter of Landgrave Ludwig I., with whom he had children Otakar I, Vladislav Henry and Richsa.

Footnotes

  • Přemyslids
  • King (Bohemia )
  • Duke (Bohemia )
  • Crusaders ( Second Crusade )
  • Crusaders ( Wendish Crusade )
  • Monastery founder
  • Born in the 12th century
  • Died in 1174
  • Man
807469
de