Charles II of Münsterberg-Oels (also: ''Charles II of Poděbrady''; cs, Karel II. z Minsterberka; 15 April 1545 – 28 January 1617) was Duke of Oels from 1565 to 1617 and Duke of Bernstadt from 1604 to 1617. He also held the titles of Duke of Münsterberg and Count of Glatz. From 1608 to 1617 he was

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

under the emperors Rudolf and

Matthias Matthias is a name derived from the Greek Ματθαίος, in origin similar to Matthew. People Notable people named Matthias include the following: In religion: * Saint Matthias, chosen as an apostle in Acts 1:21–26 to replace Judas Iscariot * ...

Life

Charles II was a member of the Münsterberg branch of the

House of Poděbrady A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

. His parents were Henry II of Münsterberg and Oels (1507–1548) and Margaret (1515–1559), daughter of Duke

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

Mecklenburg-Schwerin The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1701, when Frederick William and Adolphus Frederick II divided the Duchy of Mecklenburg between Schwerin and Strelitz. Ruled by the successors of the Nikloting Hous ...

. In 1561, Charles II went to Vienna with his tutor to study. In Vienna, he lived at the court of Emperor Ferdinand I. After Ferdinand's death in 1565, he stayed for another six years at the court of Emperor Maximilian II, whom he accompanied at all

diets The Low Countries comprise the coastal Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta region in Western Europe, whose definition usually includes the modern countries of Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. Both Belgium and the Netherlands derived their ...

as well as on journeys to Hungary and further. After the death of his uncle John of Poděbrady in 1565 Charles inherited the

Duchy of Oels The Duchy of Oels (german: Herzogtum Oels) or Duchy of Oleśnica ( pl, Księstwo Oleśnickie, la, Ducatus Olsnensis) was one of the duchies of Silesia with its capital in Oleśnica in Lower Silesia, Poland.Zofia Uszyńska, University of MichiganP ...

. On 17 September 1570 he married Catherine

Berka of Dubá Berka of Dubá ( cs, Berka z Dubé) was a cadet branch of a Bohemian noble family of Lords of Dubá established by Hynek Berka of Dubá (1249–1306). It held estates in what is today the Czech Republic and Saxony in Germany throughout the Middl ...

(1553–1583) at

Moravská Třebová Moravská Třebová (; german: Mährisch Trübau) is a town in Svitavy District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,700 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument ...

. Through this marriage he acquired to Lordship of

Šternberk Šternberk (; (german: (Mährisch-)Sternberg) is a town in Olomouc District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 13,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone ...

in North Moravia, which remained in his family until 1647. After Catherine's death in 1583, Charles married Elisabeth Magdalena (1562–1630), daughter of the Duke

George II George II or 2 may refer to: People * George II of Antioch (seventh century AD) * George II of Armenia (late ninth century) * George II of Abkhazia (916–960) * Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051) * George II of Georgia (1072–1089) * ...

of Brzeg, on 30 September 1585. After the death of Lord Jiřík Zajímač of Kunštát in 1587, his sister Catherine, who was married to Hynek Brtnický of Waldstein, transferred the Lordship of

Jevišovice Jevišovice (german: Jaispitz) is a town in Znojmo District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,100 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Geograph ...

in South Moravia to Charles II, because the Münsterberg line was the only surviving branch of the Kunštát family. In 1588 Charles swapped with Bishop Stanislaus Pavlovský of Pavlovitz of

Olomouc Olomouc (, , ; german: Olmütz; pl, Ołomuniec ; la, Olomucium or ''Iuliomontium'') is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 99,000 inhabitants, and its larger urban zone has a population of about 384,000 inhabitants (2019). Located on th ...

, the Lordship of Zdar nad Sazavou in Moravia for some smaller estates in the vicinity of Šternberk. Charles was a follower of the

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

teaching which he promoted in his Moravian lordships. In

Trzebnica Trzebnica (Polish pronunciation: ; german: Trebnitz, cs, Třebnice, szl, Trzebńica) is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in west-central Poland. It is the seat of Trzebnica County, and of the smaller administrative district (gmina) called Gm ...

he was able to establish the evangelical church, even though the abbess of the

Sanctuary of St. Jadwiga in Trzebnica Sanctuary of St. Jadwiga in Trzebnica, also known as Trzebnica Abbey, Was a convent for Cistercian nuns in Trzebnica, north of Wrocław, in Silesia, Poland, founded in 1203. It was abandoned for a few decades in the 19th century, and then was taken ...

fought fiercely against it and was supported by the bishop in Wroclaw as well as by the Emperor. In 1602, he assumed the guardianship of his nephews John Christian of Brieg and George Rudolf of

Liegnitz Legnica (Polish: ; german: Liegnitz, szl, Lignica, cz, Lehnice, la, Lignitium) is a city in southwestern Poland, in the central part of Lower Silesia, on the Kaczawa River (left tributary of the Oder) and the Czarna Woda. Between 1 June 1975 a ...

, who were raised at his court in Oels. In 1604 he bought back the

Duchy of Bernstadt The Duchy of Bernstadt (german: Herzogtum Bernstadt, pl, Księstwo bierutowskie, cz, Bernštatské knížectví) was a Silesian duchy centred on the city of Bernstadt (present-day Bierutów) in Lower Silesia (now in Poland) and formed by separ ...

, which his brother Henry III had sold in 1574. After the death of Bishop John VI of Sitsch of Breslau in 1608, he was appointed governor of Silesia by Emperor

Rudolf II Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg), Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–160 ...

Legacy

In his residence of Oels, Charles completed the palace that his uncle

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 ...

had started. In 1594, he founded the "illustrious high school" as well as a library that served the faculty and students, but was also available to the citizens of Oels. It was housed in a room of the Castle Church and, after the church collapsed in 1905 a new wing attached to the front hall. After the Second World War and the associated transition to Poland, this room was not accessible and the library was initially listed as missing. In 1997, the files could by indexed by the Commission for Personal Libraries of the

Academy of Sciences and Literature The Academy of Sciences and Literature (german: Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur Mainz, AdW Mainz) is a scientific academy in Mainz, Germany. It was established in 1949 on an initiative of Alfred Döblin. The academy's goal is to su ...

in Mainz. The damaged book collection was restored with the financial support of the German

Federal Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

.http://web.uni-marburg.de/fpmr/html/fs/kettenbuch/kettenbuch.html Commission site (in German)

Issue

Charles's first marriage to Catherine produced two children: # Henry Wenceslaus the Elder (1575–1591) and # Margareta Magdalene (born 13 May 1578, died 14 May 1578) His second marriage to Elizabeth Magdalene produced: # George (born August 31, 1587; † November 14, 1587) # Charles (born January 8, 1590 † May 20, 1590) # Henry Wenceslaus the Younger (1592–1639). Issue: Anna Elisabeth (1637–1642) # Charles Frederick I (1593–1647), the last person in the male line of the

# Barbara Margaret (1595–1652) # George Joachim (1597–1598) # Elisabeth Magdalena (1599–1631) married to Georg Rudolf of Legnica # Sophie Catherine (1601–1659), married to

George III of Brieg George III of Brieg ( pl, Jerzy III Brzeski; Brzeg, 4 September 1611 – Brzeg, 4 July 1664), was a Duke of Brzeg since 1633 (as administrator; in 1639 he took formally the title, together with his brothers until 1654) and Legnica-Wołów during ...

(d. 1664)

References and sources

* Ludwig Petry, Joseph Joachim Menzel (eds): ''Geschichte Schlesiens'', vol. 2, , p. 34, 36, 39, 43 and 49 * Hugo Weczerka: ''Handbuch der historischen Stätten: Schlesien'', Stuttgart, 1977, , p. 368-373 and family trees on p. 602-603.

Footnotes

External links

*
History of the Moravian town of Šternberk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karl 02, Duke of Munsterberg-Oels Podiebrad family 1545 births 1617 deaths Dukes of Münsterberg People from Oleśnica Silesian nobility