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 an important Bohemian noble family that dates back to the 14th century and is one of the oldest noble families of the region. Over the cen ...

. 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

Born into an ancient House of Pernšejn, she was the daughter of the Imperial High Chancellor of Bohemia,

Vratislav II of Pernštejn Vratislav II of Pernštejn (; 9 July 1530 – 27 October 1582) was a Czech nobleman. From 1567 until his death in 1582, he held the office of High Chancellor of Bohemia. He was also a member of the Geheimrat, Privy Council, and a Knight in the Ord ...

(1530–1582), and his wife, Maria Maximiliana Manrique de Lara y Mendoza (1538-1608), a Spanish noblewoman. 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 remarried the Imperial High Chancellor

Zdeněk Vojtěch Popel of Lobkowicz Prince Zdeněk Vojtěch Popel of Lobkowicz (also Zdenko Adalbert Popel of Lobkowitz; 15 August 1568 – 16 June 1628) was a Czech noble and High Chancellor of Bohemia. Biography Zdeněk came from the Popel of Lobkowicz branch of the Lobkowicz ...

(1568-1628). This marriage produced only one son, Wenzel Eusebius von Lobkowicz, whom she gave birth to in 1609 at the age of 42. In 1618, the aging Emperor

Matthias Matthias is a name derived from the Greek Ματθαίος, in origin similar to Matthew. Notable people Notable people named Matthias include the following: Religion * Saint Matthias, chosen as an apostle in Acts 1:21–26 to replace Judas Isca ...

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 Rudolf II in his capacity as king of Bohemia, granting religious tolerance to both Protestant and Catholic citizens living in the estates of Bohemia. The l ...

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 Hradčany (; ), is the Districts of Prague, district of the city of Prague, Czech Republic surrounding Prague Castle. The castle is one of the biggest in the world at about in length and an average of about wide. Its history stretches back to ...

by Protestant nobles. They survived the fall and took refuge from a mob in the Lobkowicz Palace below the castle, protected by Polyxena Lobkowicz. The Defenestration in Prague contributed to the subsequent

Bohemian Revolt The Bohemian Revolt (; ; 1618–1620) was an uprising of the Kingdom of Bohemia, Bohemian Estates of the realm, estates against the rule of the Habsburg dynasty that began the Thirty Years' War. It was caused by both religious and power dispu ...

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

Discalced Carmelites The Discalced Carmelites, known officially as the Order of the Discalced Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel () or the Order of Discalced Carmelites (; abbreviation, abbrev.: OCD; sometimes called in earlier times, ), is a Catho ...

of the Carmelite Church of Our Lady Victorious. It became known as the

Infant of Prague The Infant Jesus of Prague (: ) is a 16th-century wax-coated wooden statue of the Child Jesus holding a ''globus cruciger'' of Spanish origin, now located in the Discalced Carmelite Church of Our Lady of Victories in Malá Strana, Prague, Czech ...

. She is the ancestor of several royal families, including that of the

Russian Emperors Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

, the Kings of

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

, and others.https://www.genealogics.org/descendtext.php?personID=I00050092&tree=LEO&display=block&generations=8

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 nobility from Bohemia 16th-century women from Bohemia 17th-century people from Bohemia Lobkowicz family Czech Catholics