George William (german: Georg Wilhelm), also known as George IV William ( pl, Jerzy IV Wilhelm; 29 September 1660 – 21 November 1675) was the last
Silesian duke of
Legnica (Liegnitz) and
Brzeg
Brzeg (; Latin: ''Alta Ripa'', German: ''Brieg'', Silesian German: ''Brigg'', , ) is a town in southwestern Poland with 34,778 inhabitants (December 2021) and the capital of Brzeg County. It is situated in Silesia in the Opole Voivodeship on t ...
(Brieg) from 1672 until his death. He was the last male member of the
Silesian Piast
The Silesian Piasts were the elder of four lines of the Polish Piast dynasty beginning with Władysław II the Exile (1105–1159), eldest son of Duke Bolesław III of Poland. By Bolesław's testament, Władysław was granted Silesia as his her ...
dynasty descending from
Władysław II the Exile (1105–1159).
Family
George William was the eldest but only surviving son of Duke
Christian of Legnica-Brzeg (1618–1672) by his wife
Louise (1631–1680), a daughter of the
Ascanian
The House of Ascania (german: Askanier) was a dynasty of German rulers. It is also known as the House of Anhalt, which refers to its longest-held possession, Anhalt.
The Ascanians are named after Ascania (or Ascaria) Castle, known as ''Schloss ...
prince
John Casimir of Anhalt-Dessau. He had three siblings:
*
Karolina of Legnica-Brieg
Karolina of Legnica-Brieg-Wohlau (german: Charlotte von Liegnitz-Brieg-Wohlau, pl, Karolina Piastówna; 2 December 1652 in Brzeg – 24 December 1707 in Wrocław), was a Silesian noble, duchess of Legnica, Brzeg and Wołów and the last mem ...
(1652–1707), last Silesian Piast duchess, married to
Frederick, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Wiesenburg (1651–1724) in 1672;
* Louise (1657–1660);
* Christian Louis (1664).
As the only surviving son, George William was the sole heir to his father's possessions. Duke Christian of Legnica-Brzeg had spent many years in exile in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
and in the
Duchy of Prussia
The Duchy of Prussia (german: Herzogtum Preußen, pl, Księstwo Pruskie, lt, Prūsijos kunigaikštystė) or Ducal Prussia (german: Herzogliches Preußen, link=no; pl, Prusy Książęce, link=no) was a duchy in the region of Prussia establish ...
during the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...
, after George William's grandfather Duke
John Christian of Brieg
John Christian of Brieg ( pl, Jan Chrystian; german: Johann Christian; Ohlau, 28 August 1591 – Osterode in Ostpreußen (today Ostróda), 25 December 1639), was a Duke of Brzeg–Legnica–Wołów (since 1602; with his brother as co-ruler in Leg ...
had fallen out of favour with the
Habsburg emperor
Ferdinand II.
Duke Christian became sole ruler over the Silesian duchies of Legnica and Brzeg in 1664. After the abdication of King
John II Casimir Vasa
John II Casimir ( pl, Jan II Kazimierz Waza; lt, Jonas Kazimieras Vaza; 22 March 1609 – 16 December 1672) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1648 until his abdication in 1668 as well as titular King of Sweden from 1648 ...
of Poland in 1668, he even put forward his candidacy for the Polish throne; to win the affection and support of the old nobility, he initially wanted to give his newborn son an old Piast name (like
Mieszko or Bolesław); however, the
Calvinist
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
clergy of his duchy opposed this, maintaining that the idea could bring the return to paganism over Poland. The duke, however, saw to it that his son spoke
Polish and wore Polish clothes.
Life
The deaths in 1663 and 1664 of his paternal uncles Duke
George III of Brzeg and Duke
Louis IV of Legnica without surviving issue left him as the only heir of his father in the still vast Duchy of Legnica-Brzeg. As a result, since his early years, George William received a careful education. During his upbringing, he was put in the hands of the
Anhalt-Bernburg count-marshal August Friedrich Bohne, and the personal doctor Henry Martini. During this first period of his education, he acquired an excellent knowledge of
German,
French and
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
, also understood
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
,
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
and Polish; he was also educated in theology, philosophy, and rhetoric.
After his father's death in 1672, the then twelve-year-old George William succeeded him as Duke of Legnica and Brzeg; during his minority, the regency was exercised by his mother, Dowager Duchess Louise who held the towns of
Wołów
Wołów (german: Wohlau, cz, Volov) is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland. It is the seat of Wołów County and Gmina Wołów. It lies approximately north-west of the regional capital Wrocław. , the town has a popul ...
and
Oława
Oława (pronounced , , szl, Oława) is a historic town in south-western Poland with 33,029 inhabitants (2019). It is situated in Lower Silesian Voivodeship (from 1975–1998 it was in the former Wrocław Voivodeship), within the Wrocław ...
as her
dower
Dower is a provision accorded traditionally by a husband or his family, to a wife for her support should she become widowed. It was settled on the bride (being gifted into trust) by agreement at the time of the wedding, or as provided by law. ...
(''
wittum Wittum (), Widum or Witthum is a medieval Latin legal term, known in marital and ecclesiastical law.
Provide for a widow at the wedding
The term referred initially to steps taken by a husband to provide for his wife if she became a widow. The wi ...
''). Fearing claims raised by the
Habsburg Emperor
Leopold I in his capacity as ruler over the
Crown of Bohemia
The Lands of the Bohemian Crown were a number of incorporated states in Central Europe during the medieval and early modern periods connected by feudal relations under the Bohemian kings. The crown lands primarily consisted of the Kingdom of Bo ...
, Duke Christian had devised by will that his son was formally under the tutelage of his maternal uncle Prince
John George II of Anhalt-Dessau and the mighty
Hohenzollern elector
Frederick William of Brandenburg
Frederick William (german: Friedrich Wilhelm; 16 February 1620 – 29 April 1688) was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia, thus ruler of Brandenburg-Prussia, from 1640 until his death in 1688. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he is ...
. The day before his father's death, Louise sent her son to study at the
Viadrina University
European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) (german: Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder)) is a university located at Frankfurt (Oder) in Brandenburg, Germany. It is also known as the University of Frankfurt (Oder). The city is on the ...
in Brandenburgian
Frankfurt/Oder, considered as an act of mistrust by the Imperial court. On the other hand, the regency of the dowager duchess faced the opposition of the Protestant estates of Legnica-Brzeg, thanks to her increasingly open support for the
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
faith; a major scandal occurred when the young duke's sister Karolina secretly married Frederick, a member of the aristocrat Catholic family of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Wiesenburg.
The Brandenburg elector reached an understanding with the Habsburg emperor, and in 1673 George William returned to Brzeg, where he received the homage by the estates. On 14 March 1675, the young duke could take formal possession of the government of his lands after he went to the Imperial court in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, making his solemn homage to Emperor Leopold I, who confirmed his coming of age and the succession to his father's lands. Immediately after the beginning of George William's rule, Duchess Louise was forced to give up her area of Wołów.
The announcements of the start of a good and prosperous government by George William were stopped with the sudden death of the duke on 21 November 1675. The cause of his death was an intense fever, developed shortly after his return from a hunt, the first sign of
smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
. The duke was buried in the church of St. John in
Legnica, alongside his father, where his grieved mother had a mausoleum built.
Legacy
Upon his death, the Duchy of Legnica-Brzeg reverted to Emperor Leopold as ruler over the Bohemian crown lands, which since 1526 were integral part of the Austrian
Habsburg monarchy. Leopold took up the government by a ''
Landeshauptmann'' deputy, despite the claims of George William's morganatic uncle Count
August of Legnica
{{ infobox nobility
, name = August
, title = Count of Legnica
, image = Herb hrabiego legnickiego.jpg
, image_size =
, caption = Coat of arms of the Barons and later Counts of Legnica.
, noble family = Silesian ...
, and had several
Counter-Reformation measures implemented. Duchess Louise retained her lands of Oława until her death in 1680, when they were also incorporated into the Bohemian lands.
The independent
Masovian Piasts had died out in 1526, while the
Teschen (Cieszyn) line had become extinct in 1653. George William was therefore the last ruling member of all the
Piast dynasty, which finally became extinct with the death of his only surviving sibling, Karolina, in 1707. The term "Piast dynasty" was first used by the Polish historian
Adam Naruszewicz
Adam Stanisław Naruszewicz ( lt, Adomas Naruševičius; 20 October 1733 – 8 July 1796) was a Polish-Lithuanian nobleman, poet, historian, dramatist, translator, publicist, Jesuit and Roman Catholic bishop.
Born in a szlachta family, he wen ...
in his books ''History of Poland'', which he started in 1779. On George William's burial crypt a text was carved referring to him as the last of the Piast dukes of Silesia, who are since the 17th century
[Encyklopedia Powszechna PWN Warsaw 1975 vol. III page 505]: Encyclopædia Britannica: Piast Dynasty
/ref> referred to as "Silesian Piasts".
Ancestry
Patrilineal descent
Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...
, descent from father to son, is the principle behind membership in royal houses, as it can be traced back through the generations.
George William, Duke of Liegnitz was the last legitimate male of the Piast dynasty. Descent before Mieszko I is partly fictional. This is the descent of the primary male heir.
# Chościsko
# Piast the Wheelwright
Piast the Wheelwright ( 740/741? – 861 AD; Latin: ''Past Ckosisconis'', ''Pazt filius Chosisconisu''; Polish: ''Piast Chościskowic'', ''Piast Kołodziej'' , ''Piast Oracz'' or ''Piast'') was a semi-legendary figure in medieval Poland (9th cen ...
# Siemowit
Siemowit (Polish pronunciation: �ɛˈmɔvit also Ziemowit �ɛˈmɔvit was, according to the chronicles of Gallus Anonymus, the son of Piast the Wheelwright and Rzepicha. He is considered to be the first ruler of the Piast dynasty.K. Jasiński, ...
# Lestko, b. 870–880
# Siemomysł
Siemomysł or Ziemomysł (died ) was the third duke of Polans of the Piast dynasty, and the father of Poland's first Christian ruler, Mieszko I. He was listed by Gallus Anonymous in his ''Gesta principum Polonorum'' and was the son of Lestek, ...
, d. 950–960
# Mieszko I of Poland
Mieszko I (; – 25 May 992) was the first ruler of Poland and the founder of the first independent Polish state, the Duchy of Poland. His reign stretched from 960 to his death and he was a member of the Piast dynasty, a son of Siemomysł and a ...
, 920/45-992
# Bolesław I Chrobry Boleslav or Bolesław may refer to:
In people:
* Boleslaw (given name)
In geography:
*Bolesław, Dąbrowa County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland
*Bolesław, Olkusz County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland
*Bolesław, Silesian Voivodeship, Pol ...
, 967–1025
# Mieszko II Lambert
Mieszko II Lambert (; c. 990 – 10/11 May 1034) was King of Poland from 1025 to 1031, and Duke from 1032 until his death.
He was the second son of Bolesław I the Brave, but the eldest born from his third wife Emnilda of Lusatia. He was pro ...
, 990–1034
# Casimir I the Restorer
Casimir I the Restorer (; 25 July 1016 – 28 November 1058), a member of the Piast dynasty, was the duke of Poland from 1040 until his death. Casimir was the son of Mieszko II Lambert and Richeza of Lotharingia. He is known as the Restorer beca ...
, 1016–1058
# Władysław I Herman
Władysław I Herman ( 1044 – 4 June 1102) was the duke of Poland from 1079 until his death.
Accession
Władysław was the second son of the Polish duke Casimir the Restorer and Maria Dobroniega of Kiev. As the second son, Władysław was not ...
, 1044–1102
# Bolesław III Wrymouth
Bolesław III Wrymouth ( pl, Bolesław III Krzywousty; 20 August 1086 – 28 October 1138), also known as Boleslaus the Wry-mouthed, was the duke of Lesser Poland, Silesia and Sandomierz between 1102 and 1107 and over the whole of Poland between ...
, 1086–1138
# Władysław II the Exile, 1105–1159
# Bolesław I the Tall, 1127–1201
# Henry I the Bearded
Henry the Bearded ( pl, Henryk (Jędrzych) Brodaty, german: Heinrich der Bärtige; c. 1165/70 – 19 March 1238) was a Polish duke from the Piast dynasty.
He was Duke of Silesia at Wrocław from 1201, Duke of Kraków and High Duke of all Pol ...
, 1165/70–1238
# Henry II the Pious
Henry II the Pious ( pl, Henryk II Pobożny; 1196 – 9 April 1241) was Duke of Silesia and High Duke of Poland as well as Duke of South-Greater Poland from 1238 until his death. Between 1238 and 1239 he also served as regent of Sandomierz and ...
, 1196–1241
# Bolesław II the Bald Boleslav or Bolesław may refer to:
In people:
* Boleslaw (given name)
In geography:
* Bolesław, Dąbrowa County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland
* Bolesław, Olkusz County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland
* Bolesław, Silesian Voivodeship, ...
, 1220/5-1278
# Henry V the Fat
Henry V the Fat (german: Heinrich V der Dicke, pl, Henryk V Brzuchaty) ( – 22 February 1296) was a Duke of Jawor (Jauer) from 1273, of Legnica (Liegnitz) from 1278, and Duke of Wrocław ( Breslau) from 1290.
He was the eldest son of Bo ...
, 1248–1296
# Bolesław III the Generous
Boleslaw III the Wasteful ( pl, Bolesław III Rozrzutny; 23 September 1291 – Brieg, 21 April 1352), was a Duke of Legnica, Brzeg (Brieg) from 1296 until 1342, and Duke of Wrocław from 1296 until 1311.
He was the eldest son of Henry V the Fa ...
, 1291–1352
# Ludwik I the Fair
Louis I the Fair, also known as the Wise or the Righteous ( pl, Ludwik I Sprawiedliwy, ''Roztropny'', or ''Prawy'') or Louis I of Brzeg (''Ludwik I brzeski''; – 6/23 December 1398), a member of the Silesian Piasts, was a Silesian duke of Legn ...
, 1321–1398
# Henry VII of Brzeg
Henry VII with a Scar also known as the Courageous or of Brzeg ( pl, Henryk VII z Blizną, Waleczny or brzeski; 1343/45 – 11 July 1399), was a Duke of Brzeg (Brieg) since 1361 (as co-regent of his father until 1398) and ruler of Niemcza since ...
, 1343/45-1399
# Henryk IX of Lubin, 1369–1420
# Ludwik III of Oława, 1405–1441
# John I of Lüben, 1425–1453
# Frederick I of Legnica
Frederick I of Liegnitz (3 May 1446 – 9 May 1488), was a Duke of Chojnów and Strzelin from 1453, of Oława and Legnica from 1454, of Brzeg from 1481 and of Lubin from 1482.
Biography
Frederick was born in Brzeg. He was the only son of Jan I o ...
, 1446–1488
# Frederick II of Legnica
Frederick II, Duke of Legnica ( pl, Fryderyk II Legnicki) (12 February 1480 – 17 September 1547), also known as the Great of Legnica ( pl, Legnicki Wielki), was a Duke of Legnica from 1488 (until 1495 and 1505 with his brothers), of Brzeg from ...
, 1480–1547
# George II of Brieg, 1523–1586
# Joachim Frederick of Brieg, 1550–1602
# John Christian of Brieg
John Christian of Brieg ( pl, Jan Chrystian; german: Johann Christian; Ohlau, 28 August 1591 – Osterode in Ostpreußen (today Ostróda), 25 December 1639), was a Duke of Brzeg–Legnica–Wołów (since 1602; with his brother as co-ruler in Leg ...
, 1591–1639
# Christian, Duke of Brieg
Christian of Brieg-Legnica (german: Christian von Liegnitz-Brieg, pl, Chrystian Brzeski-Legnicki, cz, Kristián Břežsko-Lehnický; 19 April 1618 in Oława – 28 February 1672 in Oława) was a Duke of Legnica (during 1653–1654 and 1663–16 ...
, 1618–1672
# George William, Duke of Liegnitz, 1660–1675
References
External links
Genealogical database by Herbert Stoyan
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:George William, Duke of Liegnitz
1660 births
1675 deaths
People from Oława
17th-century Polish people
Dukes of Legnica