Euphemia of Münsterberg (c. 1385 – 17 November 1447), also known as Euphemia, Countess of Oettingen, was a princess from the Münsterberg (Ziębice) branch of the

Piast dynasty The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented List of Polish monarchs, Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I of Poland, Mieszko I (–992). The Poland during the Piast dynasty, Piasts' royal rule in Pol ...

, by marriage Countess of Öttingen and sovereign Duchess of Münsterberg during 1435–1443. She was the third child and eldest daughter of Duke Bolko III of Münsterberg and Euphemia, daughter of Duke

Bolesław of Bytom Bolesław of Bytom (1330 – ) was a duke of Koźle from 1347 and Duke of Bytom from 1352 to his death. He was the second son of Duke Władysław of Bytom but the eldest by his second wife Ludgarda, daughter of Henry II the Lion, Prince of Meckl ...

Life

In 1397 Euphemia married the widower Count Frederick III of Oettingen. They had nine children, five sons and four daughters. Perhaps under her influence, a German translation of the ''"Life of St.

Hedwig of Andechs Hedwig of Silesia (also Hedwig of Andechs (, , ; 1174 – 15 October 1243), a member of the Bavarian comital House of Andechs, was Duchess of Silesia from 1201 and of Greater Poland from 1231 as well as High Duchess consort of Poland from ...

"'' with rich colors and illustrations was made, which remained in the Comital Library of Oettingen. After the death of her husband (23 January 1423), Euphemia returned to Münsterberg. After the death of her brother

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 E ...

in 1428, the Duchy of Ziębice was incorporated into the

Bohemian Kingdom The Kingdom of Bohemia (), sometimes referenced in English literature as the Czech Kingdom, was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe. It was the predecessor state of the modern Czech Republic. The Kingdom of Bohemia was an Im ...

and one year later (1429) granted to the magnate Půta III of Častolovice,

Starost Starosta or starost (Cyrillic: ''старост/а'', Latin: ''capitaneus'', ) is a community elder in some Slavic lands. The Slavic root of "starost" translates as "senior". Since the Middle Ages, it has designated an official in a leadersh ...

Kłodzko Kłodzko (; ; ; ) is a historic town in south-western Poland, in the region of Lower Silesia. It is situated in the centre of the Kłodzko Valley, on the Eastern Neisse (Nysa Kłodzka) river. Kłodzko is the seat of Kłodzko County (and of the ru ...

. Shortly after, Euphemia loaned the

Emperor Sigismund Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in 1437. He was elected King of Germany (King of the Romans) in 1410, and was also King of Bohemia from 1419, as well as prince-elect ...

the sum of 4,000

guilder Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch and German ''gulden'', originally shortened from Middle High German ''guldin pfenninc'' (" gold penny"). This was the term that became current in the southern and western parts of the Holy Rom ...

s and bought with another 100 guilders the claims of Půta III's mother (Anna of Oświęcim) and eldest daughters (Anna and Katharina of Častolovice). On 11 November 1435, Euphemia was formally invested as Duchess of Ziębice.Women in Power: 1400-1450
/ref> Nicholas, Abbot of ( Henryków), was strongly opposed to Euphemia's rule; it was suspected that he was a

Hussite file:Hussitenkriege.tif, upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century file:The Bohemian Realm during the Hussite Wars.png, upright=1.2, The Lands of the ...

. In revenge, the Duchess ordered Sigismund of Rachenau, the

castellan A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...

of Neuhaus ( Chałupki) to plunder and burn the monastery of Heinrichau in 1438. The disputes with Půta III's widow Anna of Koldice and her second husband

Hynek Krušina of Lichtenburg Hynek Krušina of Lichtenburg (also: ''Henry Kruschina of Lichtenburg'', in ; 1392 – 4 March 1454, Kłodzko (, )) was a knight, Hussite commander and governor and lien holders of the County of Kladsko, the Duchy of Münsterberg and the ci ...

continued during Euphemia's reign. Finally, a settlement was made in 1443: Münsterberg was given to Duke William of Opava, Euphemia's nephew (son of her late younger sister Katharina) and son-in-law of Půta III (husband of his younger daughter Salome). After definitely losing the government of the Duchy, Euphemia returned to Germany. She died four years later.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Euphemia of Munsterberg 1380s births 1447 deaths Piast dynasty 15th-century women monarchs