Charles Christopher, Duke of Münsterberg (also ''Charles Christopher of Poděbrady'', cz, Karel Krištof z Poděbrad or ; 22 May 1545,
Oleśnica
Oleśnica (pronounced ; german: Oels; szl, Ôleśnica) is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland, within the Wrocław metropolitan area. It is the administrative seat of Oleśnica County and also of the rural district of ...
– 17 March 1569, Oleśnica) was duke of Münsterberg from 1565 until his death. He also held the title of Count of Glatz.
Life
Charles Christopher, Duke of Münsterberg 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 Duke
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
* Secon ...
of Münsterberg-Oels and his first wife Christina Catherine of Schidlowitz ( cz, Kristyna Katarzyna Szydłowiecka; 1519–1556).
In 1558 Charles Christopher undertook a
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tut ...
through Europe and then stayed at the court of Emperor Ferdinand I. After the death of his father, who had married his second wife Margaret (d. 1580), a daughter of Duke
Henry II of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Henry may refer to:
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*Henry (given name)
* Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
since 1561, Charles Christopher inherited in February 1565 the duchy of Münsterberg. 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 Michigan ...
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 ...
was inherited by his brother Henry III. Like his father and his brothers Charles Christopher supported the
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
in his territory. In 1567, Catholic services were suspended in the Peter and Paul cathedral in Münsterberg.
Charles Christopher was not married, and died after a short reign only four years later at the age of 24 years. With his death the rule of the House of Poděbrady in Münsterberg ended. The duchy fell to the Bohemian Crown as a vacant
fief
A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...
. The other lines of the Poděbrady family were allowed to use the title of "Duke of Münsterberg" until the Poděbrady family died out in 1647.
Ten years after Charles Christopher's death his cousin Barbara of Bieberstein donated a marble
epitaph
An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...
to the Castle Church at Oels. It was probably created by Hans Fleiser (also called Gruyter) and shows Duke Charles Christopher clad in armour.
Georg Dehio
Georg Gottfried Julius Dehio (22 November 1850 in Reval (now Tallinn), Governorate of Estonia, Russian Empire – 21 March 1932 in Tübingen), was a Baltic German art historian.
In 1900, Dehio started the "''Handbuch der deutschen Kunstgesch ...
: ''Handbuch der Kunstdenkmäler in Polen: Schlesien'', München / Berlin, 2005, , p. 687.
References
* Hugo Weczerka: ''Handbuch der historischen Stätten: Schlesien'', Stuttgart, 1977, , pp. 18, 98 and 322 and genealogical tables on pages 602–603.
*
Ludwig Petry
Ludwig Petry (b. 3 June 1908 in Alzey, d. 25 November 1991 in Mainz) was a German historian.
Petry was born into lawyer's family and grew up in Darmstadt.Josef Joachim Menzel (eds.): ''Geschichte Schlesiens'', vol. 2, , p. 67.