Henry VII of Brzeg
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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 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 the ...
(Brieg) since 1361 (as co-regent of his father until 1398) and ruler of
Niemcza Niemcza (german: Nimptsch) is a town in Dzierżoniów County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Niemcza. The town lies on the Ślęza River, approximately eas ...
since 1395. He was the eldest son of Louis I the Fair, Duke of
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 the ...
by his wife Agnes, daughter of Henry IV of Głogów-Żagań. The death of his younger brother Wenceslaus in 1358 left him as the only male heir of his father. In the almost contemporary "''Kronice Legnickiej''" Henry VII was assigned the term "z Blizną" (''with a scar''), which was adopted later by historians as a nickname. This term was maybe the result of the wounds on his face obtained under unknown circumstances (ca. 1373), where apparently he was near to death.


Life

Henry VII's first official appearance was only in 1358, and despite he being of age to assume government affairs, it wasn't until 1395 (when he was more than fifty years old!), when he received his own district,
Niemcza Niemcza (german: Nimptsch) is a town in Dzierżoniów County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Niemcza. The town lies on the Ślęza River, approximately eas ...
(in fact, he had already obtained in 1382 the right to buy this district from the
King Wenceslaus IV Wenceslaus IV (also ''Wenceslas''; cs, Václav; german: Wenzel, nicknamed "the Idle"; 26 February 136116 August 1419), also known as Wenceslaus of Luxembourg, was King of Bohemia from 1378 until his death and King of Germany from 1376 until he w ...
, but the formal purchase was made only ten years later, in 1392). The reason for this decision was the policy of Louis I the Fair, who didn't want to make further divisions of the already small Duchy of Brzeg. Instead, since 1360 or 1361 Henry VII was named by his father as co-regent, but without any formal power. He didn't make any protests to his father or claim a separated land for himself, a fact which was very unusual, if other Piast Duchies are considered. In 1365 Henry VII, together with his cousin Rupert I took part in the expedition of
Emperor Charles IV Charles IV ( cs, Karel IV.; german: Karl IV.; la, Carolus IV; 14 May 1316 – 29 November 1378''Karl IV''. In: (1960): ''Geschichte in Gestalten'' (''History in figures''), vol. 2: ''F–K''. 38, Frankfurt 1963, p. 294), also known as Charle ...
to
Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...
, during which he visited, among others, the city of
Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...
, where he tried to obtain a
Prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the ...
from his family. Louis I the Fair died on 6/23 December 1398 and Henry VII finally received the long-awaited Duchy of Brzeg as a sole ruler. However, he died unexpectedly eight months later, on 11 July 1399.


Marriages and Issue

By 1369, Henry VII married firstly Helena (d. 19 June 1369), daughter of
Otto V, Count of Orlamünde Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', ''Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded fr ...
. They had one son: # Henry IX (b. 1369 - d. 9 January 1419/10 July 1420). In July 1379, Henry VII married secondly Margareta (b. bef. 1358 - d. ca. 14 May 1388), daughter of
Siemowit III, Duke of Masovia Siemowit III of Masovia (his name also rendered Ziemowit; – 1381) was a prince of Masovia and a co-regent (with his brother Casimir I of Warsaw) of the lands of Warsaw, Czersk, Rawa, Gostynin and other parts of Masovia. Life Siemowit ...
and widow of
Casimir IV, Duke of Pomerania Casimir IV ( pl, Kazimierz IV or Kaźko Słupski, ger, Kasimir IV or Kasimir V ; 1351 – 2 January 1377) was a duke of Pomerania in Pomerania-Stolp since 1374. Life Casimir was the son of Bogislaw V, Duke of Pomerania and Elizabeth of Polan ...
. They had two children: #Margareta (b. 1380/84 - d. aft. 2 October 1408); she was betrothed to Sigismund of Luxemburg, King of Bohemia, Hungary and later Holy Roman Emperor, but the wedding never took place. # Louis II (b. 1380/85 - d. 30 May 1436).


References

* *''This article was translated from his version on Polish Wikipedia''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Henry 07 of Brzeg 1343 births 1399 deaths Dukes of Brzeg Piast dynasty