Wenceslaus I of Opava (; ; – 1381) was a member of the Opava branch of the

Přemyslid dynasty The Přemyslid dynasty or House of Přemysl (, , ) was a Bohemian royal dynasty that reigned in the Duchy of Bohemia and later Kingdom of Bohemia and Margraviate of Moravia (9th century–1306), as well as in parts of Poland (including Silesia ...

. He was Duke of

Opava Opava (; , ) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Opava (river), Opava River. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia and was a historical capital of Czech Sile ...

from 1367 until his death.

Life

His parents were Duke

Nicholas II Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. He married ...

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, pro ...

Niemodlin Niemodlin (; ) 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 received town privileges in 1283. The German place-name ''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 Religious figures * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John I of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope from 496 to 505 * Pope John I, P ...

, who was the sole heir of the

Duchy of Racibórz Duchy of Racibórz (, , ) was one of the duchies of Silesia, formed during the medieval fragmentation of Poland into provincial duchies. Its capital was Racibórz in Upper Silesia. States and territories disestablished in the 1200s States and ...

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

Duchy of Opava The Principality of Opava (; ) or Duchy of Troppau () was a historic territory split off from the Margraviate of Moravia before 1269 by King Ottokar II of Bohemia to provide for his natural son, Nicholas I, Duke of Troppau, Nicholas I. The Opav ...

(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 (, , ) or Duchy of Jägerndorf () was one of the Duchies of Silesia, which in 1377 emerged from the Duchy of Troppau (Opava), itself a fief of the Bohemian Crown. Its capital was at Krnov in the present-day Czech Republic. H ...

and the Lordship of

Bruntál Bruntál (; ) is a town in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 15,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urban monument zon ...

; the

Duchy of Głubczyce Duchy of Głubczyce (, , ) was one of the duchies of Silesia. Its capital was Głubczyce in Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located t ...

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