Polyxena of Lobkowicz (1566 – 24 May 1642) was a politically active Czech noble and styled Princess of the

House of Lobkowicz The House of Lobkowicz (''Lobkovicové'' in modern Czech, sg. ''z Lobkovic''; ''Lobkowitz'' in German) is a Czech noble family that dates back to the 14th century and is one of the oldest Bohemian noble families. The family also belong to the G ...

. She played an important role as the channel between the noble families of Bohemia and the imperial court in Vienna through her connection with the Spanish envoy during the counter-reformation in Bohemia after 1618.

Life

She was the daughter of the Imperial High Chancellor of Bohemia, Vratislav of Pernštejn (1530–1582), and a Spanish noblewoman, Maria Maximiliana Manrique de Lara y Mendoza. Maria brought with her from Spain a statue of the Child Jesus, which she had received as a wedding present. It became well-known for its purported miraculous healing powers. Maria Pernštejn presented the statue to her daughter, upon Polyxena's marriage to the High Burgrave Wilhelm von Rosenberg in 1587. William died in 1592. In 1603, the widowed Polyxena married the Imperial High Chancellor Zdeněk Vojtěch Popel of

Lobkowitz The House of Lobkowicz (''Lobkovicové'' in modern Czech, sg. ''z Lobkovic''; ''Lobkowitz'' in German) is a Czech noble family that dates back to the 14th century and is one of the oldest Bohemian noble families. The family also belong to the Ge ...

. In 1618, the aging Emperor Matthias named his cousin Ferdinand of Styria his heir, and had him crowned King of Bohemia. Tensions increased between the Catholic Ferdinand and the Protestant nobles. The application of the

Letter of Majesty The Letter of Majesty (1609) was a 17th-century European document, reluctantly signed by the Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf II, granting religious tolerance to both Protestant and Catholic citizens living in the estates of Bohemia. The letter also ...

was controversial in Bohemia. The Protestants argued that it allowed them to build churches on Crown and Catholic prelates' lands, but the Catholics did not accept their interpretation. In 1618 two of the Emperor's royal governors were thrown from the windows of Hradčany Castle by Protestant nobles. They survived the fall and took refuge from a mob in the Lobkowicz Palace below the castle, protected by Polyxena Lobkowicz.Carey, Nick. "The Lobkowicz family", Radio Prague International, September 20, 2000
/ref> The Defenestration in Prague contributed to the subsequent

Bohemian Revolt The Bohemian Revolt (german: Böhmischer Aufstand; cs, České stavovské povstání; 1618–1620) was an uprising of the Bohemian estates against the rule of the Habsburg dynasty that began the Thirty Years' War. It was caused by both relig ...

. In 1628, Polyxena Pernštejn von Lobkowicz donated the statue to the

Discalced Carmelites The Discalced Carmelites, known officially as the Order of the Discalced Carmelites of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel ( la, Ordo Fratrum Carmelitarum Discalceatorum Beatae Mariae Virginis de Monte Carmelo) or the Order of Discalced Carme ...

of the Carmelite Church of Our Lady Victorious. It became known as the Infant of Prague. She is the ancestor of several royal families, including that of the Russian Emperors, the kings of Denmark and England, and others.

References

Bibliography

* Petr Vorel: Páni z Pernštejna. Vzestup a pád rodu zubří hlavy v dějinách Čech a Moravy. Rybka, Prag 1999, , S. 265, 267f., 271–274 und 276–280. {{Authority control 1566 births 1642 deaths 16th-century Bohemian people 17th-century Bohemian people Bohemian nobility Lobkowicz family