Individual Details
Wenceslas II (Vaclav) King of Bohemia and Poland
(27 Sep 1271 - 21 Jun 1305)
Wenceslas was born on 27 September 1271, the son of Przemysl Ottokar II 'the Great', king of Bohemia and Kunigunde of Halicz, daughter of Rosztiszlo, grand duke of Kiev, king of Bulgaria and Anna of Hungary. Wenceslas' father died in battle on 26 August 1278, shortly before Wenceslas' seventh birthday.
Wenceslas' early reign was tainted with abuses of power by his regent Otto, margrave of Brandenburg, and later by his mother's secret husband Zawiss, Burggraf von Falkenstein und Rosenberg.
On 24 January 1285 Wenceslas married Guta (Bona) von Habsburg, daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf I. Wenceslas and Guta had nine children. In 1290 Wenceslas had Zawiss beheaded and began ruling independently.
In 1291 he was invited by a group of Polish lords to take over the duchy of Kraków, and in 1300 he was crowned King of Poland. In 1298 silver was discovered at Kutná Hora in central Bohemia. Wenceslas took control of the mine by making silver production a royal monopoly. Kutná Hora was one of the richest European silver strikes ever: between 1300 and 1340 the mine may have produced as much as 20 tons of silver a year.
Queen Guta died in 1297. Wenceslas' second wife was Ryksa Elzbieta of Poland, daughter of Przemyslaw II, king of Poland. Wenceslas and Ryksa Elzbieta had one daughter. Wenceslas was planning to invade Austria when he died on 21 June 1305. He was succeeded by his son, Wenceslas III, the last of the Przemyslid kings. His daughters Anna, Elisabeth, Margarete and Agnes all outlived him, Elisabeth and Margarete would have progeny.
After Wenceslas' death Ryksa Elzbieta married Rudolf III, duke of Austria, who also became king of Bohemia for a brief period in those unruly years.
Wenceslas' eldest surviving daughter Anna of Bohemia married Heinrich VI, duke of Kärnten who upon her rights became elected as king of Bohemia in 1306, but he was deposed in 1310. Elisabeth, Wenceslas' second surviving daughter married Johann 'the Blind' of Luxembourg, who succeeded as king of Bohemia in 1310. His third surviving daughter Margarete married Boleslaw III, duke of Breslau, Liegnitz and Brieg, and they had three sons. His youngest surviving daughter Agnes married Heinrich I, duke of Schlesien-Jauer and Fürstenberg, but their marriage produced no progeny.
Source: Leo van de Pas
Wenceslas' early reign was tainted with abuses of power by his regent Otto, margrave of Brandenburg, and later by his mother's secret husband Zawiss, Burggraf von Falkenstein und Rosenberg.
On 24 January 1285 Wenceslas married Guta (Bona) von Habsburg, daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf I. Wenceslas and Guta had nine children. In 1290 Wenceslas had Zawiss beheaded and began ruling independently.
In 1291 he was invited by a group of Polish lords to take over the duchy of Kraków, and in 1300 he was crowned King of Poland. In 1298 silver was discovered at Kutná Hora in central Bohemia. Wenceslas took control of the mine by making silver production a royal monopoly. Kutná Hora was one of the richest European silver strikes ever: between 1300 and 1340 the mine may have produced as much as 20 tons of silver a year.
Queen Guta died in 1297. Wenceslas' second wife was Ryksa Elzbieta of Poland, daughter of Przemyslaw II, king of Poland. Wenceslas and Ryksa Elzbieta had one daughter. Wenceslas was planning to invade Austria when he died on 21 June 1305. He was succeeded by his son, Wenceslas III, the last of the Przemyslid kings. His daughters Anna, Elisabeth, Margarete and Agnes all outlived him, Elisabeth and Margarete would have progeny.
After Wenceslas' death Ryksa Elzbieta married Rudolf III, duke of Austria, who also became king of Bohemia for a brief period in those unruly years.
Wenceslas' eldest surviving daughter Anna of Bohemia married Heinrich VI, duke of Kärnten who upon her rights became elected as king of Bohemia in 1306, but he was deposed in 1310. Elisabeth, Wenceslas' second surviving daughter married Johann 'the Blind' of Luxembourg, who succeeded as king of Bohemia in 1310. His third surviving daughter Margarete married Boleslaw III, duke of Breslau, Liegnitz and Brieg, and they had three sons. His youngest surviving daughter Agnes married Heinrich I, duke of Schlesien-Jauer and Fürstenberg, but their marriage produced no progeny.
Source: Leo van de Pas
Events
| Birth | 27 Sep 1271 | ||||
| Marriage | 24 Jan 1285 | Guta (Jutta) von Habsburg | |||
| Death | 21 Jun 1305 | Prague |
Families
| Spouse | Guta (Jutta) von Habsburg (1271 - 1297) |
| Child | Elisabeth of Bohemia (1292 - 1330) |
| Child | Johann "The Blind" King of Bohemia (1296 - 1346) |
| Father | Przemysl Ottokar II King of Bohemia (1230 - 1278) |
| Mother | Kunhata of Slavonia (1245 - 1285) |