Euphemia of Münsterberg (c. 1385 – 17 November 1447), also known as Euphemia, Countess of Oettingen, was a princess from the Münsterberg (Ziębice) branch of the

Piast dynasty The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (c. 930–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir III the Great. Branch ...

, by marriage Countess of Öttingen and sovereign Duchess of Münsterberg during 1435–1443. She was the third child and eldest daughter of Duke

Bolko III of Münsterberg Bolko is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Bolko I of Opole (1258–1313), Duke of Opole from 1282, Niemodlin and Strzelce Opolskie until his death *Bolko I the Strict (1252–1301), Duke of Lwówek, Jawor and of Świdnica-Ziębi ...

and Euphemia, daughter of Duke

Bolesław of Bytom Bolesław of Bytom (1330 – ) was a duke of Koźle from 1347 and Duke of Bytom from 1352 to his death. He was the second son of Duke Władysław of Bytom but the eldest by his second wife Ludgarda, daughter of Henry II the Lion, Prince of Meck ...

Life

In 1397 Euphemia married the widower Count Frederick III of

Oettingen Oettingen in Bayern ( Swabian: ''Eadi'') is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is situated northwest of Donauwörth, and northeast of Nördlingen. Geography The town is located on the river Wörnitz, a tributar ...

. They had nine children, five sons and four daughters. Perhaps under her influence, a German translation of the ''"Life of St.

Hedwig of Andechs Hedwig of Silesia ( pl, Święta Jadwiga Śląska), also Hedwig of Andechs (german: Heilige Hedwig von Andechs, la, Hedvigis; 1174 – 15 October 1243), a member of the Bavarian comital House of Andechs, was Duchess of Silesia from 1201 and ...

"'' with rich colors and illustrations was made, which remained in the Comital Library of Oettingen. After the death of her husband (23 January 1423), Euphemia returned to Münsterberg. After the death of her brother

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

in 1428, the Duchy of Ziębice was incorporated into the

Bohemian Kingdom The Kingdom of Bohemia ( cs, České království),; la, link=no, Regnum Bohemiae sometimes in English literature referred to as the Czech Kingdom, was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe, the predecessor of the modern Czec ...

and one year later (1429) granted to the magnate

Půta III of Častolovice Půta III of Častolovice (also known as ''Puota the Younger of Czastolowitz''; cz, Půta III. z Častolovic or ; d. 1434 in Pressburg) was a member of the Bohemian Častolowitz family. He was Landeshauptmann and later pledge lord of the County ...

Starost The starosta or starost (Cyrillic: ''старост/а'', Latin: ''capitaneus'', german: link=no, Starost, Hauptmann) is a term of Slavic origin denoting a community elder whose role was to administer the assets of a clan or family estates. Th ...

Kłodzko Kłodzko (; cz, Kladsko; german: Glatz; la, Glacio) is a historic town in south-western Poland, in the region of Lower Silesia. It is situated in the centre of the Kłodzko Valley, on the Eastern Neisse river. Kłodzko is the seat of Kłodzko Co ...

. Shortly after, Euphemia loaned the

Emperor Sigismund Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was a monarch as King of Hungary and Croatia ('' jure uxoris'') from 1387, King of Germany from 1410, King of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in ...

the sum of 4,000

guilder Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch and German ''gulden'', originally shortened from Middle High German ''guldin pfenninc'' "gold penny". This was the term that became current in the southern and western parts of the Holy Roman Empir ...

s and bought with another 100 guilders the claims of Půta III's mother (Anna of Oświęcim) and eldest daughters (Anna and Katharina of Častolovice). On 11 November 1435, Euphemia was formally invested as Duchess of Ziębice.Women in Power: 1400-1450
/ref> Nicholas, Abbot of ( Henryków), was strongly opposed to Euphemia's rule; it was suspected that he was a

Hussite The Hussites ( cs, Husité or ''Kališníci''; "Chalice People") were a Czech proto-Protestant Christian movement that followed the teachings of reformer Jan Hus, who became the best known representative of the Bohemian Reformation. The Hussit ...

. In revenge, the Duchess ordered Sigismund of Rachenau, the

castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

of Neuhaus ( Chałupki) to plunder and burn the monastery of Heinrichau in 1438. The disputes with Půta III's widow Anna of Koldice and her second husband

Hynek Krušina of Lichtenburg Hynek Krušina of Lichtenburg (also: ''Henry Kruschina of Lichtenburg'', in cz, Hynek Krušina IV. z Lichtenburka; 1392 – 4 March 1454, Kłodzko ( cs, Kladsko, german: Glatz)) was a Hussite commander and governor and lien holders of the Cou ...

continued during Euphemia's reign. Finally, a settlement was made in 1443: Münsterberg was given to Duke William of Opava, Euphemia's nephew (son of her late younger sister Katharina) and son-in-law of Půta III (husband of his younger daughter Salome). After definitely losing the government of the Duchy, Euphemia returned to Germany. She died four years later.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Euphemia of Munsterberg 1380s births 1447 deaths Piast dynasty 15th-century women rulers