Early Life
Vaclav II came to this world on September 27, 1271, as the son of
Bohemia King Premysl Ottokar II and Queen Kunigunda of Slavonia. His father
Premysl Ottokar II dominated Central European politics for over 2 decades
earning a reputation as an immensely wealthy ruler being dubbed as “King of
Iron and Gold.” During the apex of his power, the Premyslid Dynasty ruled over
the lands from Bohemia to the north to the Adriatic Sea to the south. His power
brought him the candidacy to become the Holy Roman Emperor. Alas, his fate
turned sour as his ambitions collided with another rising house in the region,
that of the Habsburg Dynasty. He faced the combined might of the House of Habsburg
and Hungary’s House of Arpad in the Battle of Marchfeld in 1278.
In the battle, Vaclav II, only 7 years old, lost his father, thus inheriting
the Kingdom Bohemia. As a child, a regent ruled on his stead appointed by the ruler
of the Holy Roman Empire, the King of Germany Rudolf I of the victorious
Habsburgs. Otto V of Brandenburg, the brother-in-law of King Ottokar II, took
the role of regent and guardian of the young monarch. Otto V’s regency,
however, marred by abuse, corruption, and repression became known as the “evil
years” in Bohemian history. While Otto V squandered Bohemia’s resources, Vaclav
went to his regent’s dominion of Brandenburg as a virtual prisoner and hostage.
Epidemic and bad harvest worsened Bohemia’s condition causing massive discontent
among the populace and went so far as the nobility negotiating with Otto to
relinquish the regency in exchange for concessions. As a result of the talks Wenceslas
to the country in 1283. With the rightful King returning to Prague, Vaclav set
his house in order. To maintain peace between his House of Premysl and
the Habsburgs of Rudolf I, he decided to marry the King of Germany’s daughter
Judith.
Domestic Rule
His initial rule of Bohemia saw the rise of the ambitious Zavis of
Falkenstein of House Vitkovci of Southern Bohemia. The ambitious noble became
the lover of Vaclav II’s mother the Queen Dowager Kunigunda and the couple even
married. Zavis, after Kunigunda passed away in 1285, decided to marry
Elisabeth, the sister of the King of Hungary building up a Bohemian claim to
the Hungarian throne. He wanted to retake and rule over the lands which the
late Ottokar II dominated. His ambitions alarmed King Rudolf I who pressured
Vaclav into ordering the arrest of Zavis in 1289 and execution in 1290
following the suppression of a revolt by the Vitkovci family. The fall of Zavis
marked Vaclav’s direct rule over Bohemia.
To gain the support or at least pacification of the Bohemian nobility,
Vaclav II ensured private ownership of property. He respected local “Land
Diets” that served as a political mouthpiece and administration of local
nobility. Later on, he offered them offices in Poland and Hungary during the
course of his expansion. This made the nobility contented and allowed him to
rule at ease.
During Vaclav II’s reign, Bohemia also continued to be a mining powerhouse
driven by mines of Vihlava and Kutna Hora. The wealth generated from these
mines financed Vaclav’s endeavors and washed Prague with incredible wealth. In
1297, during his formal coronation, Prague became a party city with fountains
flowing with wine instead of water for days. Celebrations lasted for over a
week. To stimulate trade, Vaclav II introduced a new currency, the Bohemian
groschen.
The wealth from the mines also allowed for culture to flourish. Czech
language flourished exemplified by Kunigunde’s Prayer, a spiritual poetry
written by Kunigunde, daughter of King Ottokar II and sister of Vaclav II, who
served as an abbess in St. George’s Convent. Moreover, Gothic architecture also
grew in popularity such as the case of Zvikov Castle, Spilberk Castle, and Kolin
Cathedral.
Vaclav II also made advances in Bohemia law. He hired Italian lawyers as advisers such as Gozzo of Orvieto. The King with advice from Gozzo formulated a mining code called Lus
Regale Montanorum.
As domestic affairs settled down and stabilized, he then ventured out
where his skills as a diplomat became renowned.
Foreign Policy
Vaclav II ruled during a time of great instability in Central European
Geopolitics. Interregnums trended while dynasties died out and various feudal
lords betting on different overlords. Vaclav must play his hand well to survive
and to rise to the occasion developing into a shrewd diplomat and ruler in
Central Europe.
During his younger years, Bohemia suffered a defeat at the hands of the
Habsburg that damaged Premysl prestige. Moreover, his minority and domestic instability
brought by a brutal regent and an ambitious lover required a stable foreign
policy. Luckily, King Rudolf maintained Bohemia’s position as Elector in the
Holy Roman Empire and forged a peace with Vaclav cemented by his marriage to
Judith. Furthermore, after Otto V pulled out of Bohemia, he also maintained
good relations with his former regent in the North.
An opportunity for privileges, however, aroused in 1291 with the death
of King Rudolf. A power struggle erupted for the title of King of Germany
between Count Adolf of Nassau and Rudolf’s son Albert of Austria. Vaclav
decided to place his bet with Adolf after receiving a promise of Bohemian
control over Meissen in Saxony. The bet paid off with Adolf’s election as King
of Germany, but the promise of Meissen never materialized resulting in souring
relations. Betrayed, Vaclav decided to support the ousting of Adolf who fell in
battle against Albert of Habsburg in 1298. For few years, Premysl-Habsburg
relation remained peaceful until Vaclav proved himself to be an expansionist as
his father.
Polish and Hungarian Affairs.
The Battle of Marchfeld traumatized Bohemia from clashing with the
Habsburg for years to come. Thus, Vaclav II decided to expand his sphere of
influence elsewhere. He set his sights upon 2 vulnerable states – Poland and
Hungary.
Poland descended in the so-called Feudal Fragmentation from 1138.
Several Poland duchies existed in place of the once Piast-ruled Kingdom of
Poland. This divide showed itself as an opportunity to be exploited by Vaclav
II. In 1289, several Polish nobles in Silesia looked up to Bohemia for
leadership being attracted by the immense wealth held by Premyslid King. Bit by
bit, Silesian nobles swore fealty to Vaclav II. In 1291, the Duchy of Krakow,
one of the major duchies in Poland opened its gates to the Bohemian leader. He
then expanded to the Sandomierz region and further cemented his rule over much
of Poland by marrying Richenza (Rejcka in Bohemia), the daughter of the late
assassinated King Przemysl II of Greater of Poland. With much of the country
under his dominion, in 1300 Vaclav II became King Wenceslaus II of Poland. He secured his hold of Poland further by defeating a rival claimant Wladyslaw I around 1301.
Following Poland, Hungary also became a prime target for expansion by
Vaclav. In 1301, he received an offer to become the King of Hungary after King
Andrew III of the Arpad Dynasty passed away without an heir. To prevent the
condemnation of the King of Germany as well as the influential Pope in Rome, he
decided to place his son the later Wenceslaus III or Vaclav III as King of
Hungary. Vaclav III then went to Buda ruling as Ladislaus V. His attempts to
prevent the ire of King of Germany and Rome, however, ultimately failed. Vaclav
II’s apparent similarity to his father’s expansionism alarmed Rome and Germany
who supported the rival claim of Charles Robert of Anjou for Hungary. Vaclav
refused to back down and exploited the wider European geopolitics to his
advantage. As King Albert with the support of Pope Boniface VIII mobilized
against Bohemia, Vaclav II took the support of France’s King Philip IV who also
fought the Pontiff.
Just as the situation seemed equal, everything went downhill then. In
1304, Boniface VIII passed away giving way for the ascension of Benedict XI as
Pope which brought peace between France and Rome, hence pulling out French
involvement. Moreover, resistance from Hungarian magnates also grew against
Vaclav and his son. Vaclav had to march into the Kingdom to bring his son and
heir out of Hungary. He then faced an invasion by members of the Habsburg
family led by King Albert and the new King Charles Robert of Hungary, grandson
of King Rudolf I, and successfully repulsed it.
Demise
Vaclav prepared to make an offensive as a counter for Albert I’s
invasion. However, before the attack, Vaclav fell ill and passed away in 1305.
He left his son Vaclav to rule as Vaclav III. However, he fell to an assassin
in 1306 with the bigger perpetrator remaining unknown to this day. Vaclav’s III
death marked the extinction of the Premyslid Dynasty of Bohemia. The future of
Bohemia rested upon Vaclav II’s daughter Elizabeth (Eliska) who married John of
Luxembourg. By 1310, John took the crown of Bohemia starting the new dynasty of
House Luxembourg.
Summing Up
Vaclav II’s reign proved to be the last shot for the Premyslid Dynasty
for greatness. He stood firm in a volatile and hostile political environment
using the benefit of Bohemia’s mines to the fullest. His reign saw economic,
legal, and cultural achievements while witnessing a revival of Bohemian
expansion during the reign of Ottokar II. The balance of power, however, stood
in his way incurring the wrath of Rome and the Habsburg. Tragically, illness
took him before he can take his enemies.
See also:
Bibliography:
Websites:
"Wenceslaus II (King of Bohemia)." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Encyclopedia.com. Accessed on January 16, 2021. URL: https://www.encyclopedia.com/reference/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/wenceslaus-ii-king-bohemia
Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. "Wenceslas II." Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed on January 16, 2021 URL: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wenceslas-II
Zeman, Z.A.B. et. al. "Czechoslovak History." Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed on January 16, 2021. URL: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Czechoslovak-history
Books:
Panek, Jaroslav et. al. A History of the Czech Lands, Prague: Karolinum Press, 2009.
Tanner, J.R. The Cambridge Medieval History, Volume VI: Victory of the Papacy. London: Cambridge University Press, 1929.
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