Wenceslaus I of Opava ( cz, Václav I. Opavský; german: Wenzel I. von Troppau; – 1381) was a member of the Opava branch of the

Přemyslid dynasty The Přemyslid dynasty or House of Přemyslid ( cs, Přemyslovci, german: Premysliden, pl, Przemyślidzi) was a Bohemian royal dynasty that reigned in the Duchy of Bohemia and later Kingdom of Bohemia and Margraviate of Moravia (9th century–130 ...

. He was Duke of

Opava Opava (; german: Troppau, pl, Opawa) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Opava (river), Opava. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia. It was a histori ...

from 1367 until his death.

Life

His parents were Duke

Nicholas II Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Pola ...

of Opava and his third wife, Judith (born: before 1346; died: after October 1378), daughter of Duke

Bolesław the Elder Bolesław the Elder ( – ) was a Silesian duke. He was the duke of Wieluń during 1313–1326, duke of Niemodlin from 1313 and ruler of Prudnik from 1336 until his death. He was the eldest son of Duke Bolko I of Opole by his wife Agnes, prob ...

Niemodlin Niemodlin (; german: Falkenberg O.S., Falkenberg Oberschlesien; szl, Ńymodlin) is a town in Opole County, Opole Voivodeship, Poland, with 6,315 inhabitants (2019). History The community was first mentioned as ''Nemodlin'' in a 1224 deed and r ...

(german: Falkenberg). After their father's death in 1365 Wenceslaus I and his younger brother Przemko I at first stood under the guardianship of their elder brother

John I John I may refer to: People * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I, Pope from 523 to 526 * John I (exarch) (died 615), Exarch of Ravenna * John I o ...

, who was the sole heir of the

Duchy of Racibórz Duchy of Racibórz (german: Herzogtum Ratibor, cs, Ratibořské knížectví) was one of the duchies of Silesia. Its capital was Racibórz in Upper Silesia. History After Bolesław I the Tall and his younger brother Mieszko I Tanglefoot backed b ...

from his mother, as well as a joint heir of the

Duchy of Opava The Principality of Opava ( cs, Opavské knížectví; pl, Księstwo Opawskie) or Duchy of Troppau (german: Herzogtum Troppau) was a historic territory split off from the Margraviate of Moravia before 1269 by King Ottokar II of Bohemia to prov ...

(from his father). In 1367, the Duchy of Opava was divided among the four brothers. In 1377, when Wenceslaus and Przemko had come of age, a new division was made. John received the

Duchy of Krnov The Duchy of Krnov ( la, Ducatus Carnoviensis, cs, Krnovské knížectví, pl, Księstwo Karniowskie) or Duchy of Jägerndorf (german: Herzogtum Jägerndorf) was one of the Duchies of Silesia, which in 1377 emerged from the Duchy of Troppau (O ...

and the Lordship of

Bruntál Bruntál (; german: Freudenthal) is a town in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. It is located in the historical region of Czech Silesia. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected ...

; the

Duchy of Głubczyce Duchy of Głubczyce ( cs, Hlubčické knížectví, german: Herzogtum Leobschütz, pl, Księstwo Głubczyckie) was one of the duchies of Silesia. Its capital was Głubczyce in Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( pl, Górny Śląsk; szl, Gůrny Ślůns ...

was split off from Opava and given to Nicholas. Wenceslaus and Přemysl jointly ruled the rest of Opava. Wenceslaus I died without issue in 1381, at an age of around 20. His brother Przemko I inherited his share of Opava.

References

* Ludwig Petry ''et al.'': ''Geschichte Schlesiens'', vol. 1, Sigmaringen, 1988, , pp. 171 and 184. * Hugo Weczerka (ed.): ''Handbuch der historischen Stätten: Schlesien'', Stuttgart, 1977, , genealogical tables on pages 600 and 601.

External links

* Moravian nobility Opavian Přemyslids 14th-century births 1381 deaths Year of birth uncertain Dukes of Silesia {{Germany-noble-stub