Who was Vaclav II (Wenceslas II) of Bohemia?

In 1278, the dreams of a Bohemian Empire crumbled, what followed came a son who sought to revive this dream amidst the rise of another prominent House – the Habsburgs. King Vaclav II (Wenceslas II) ruled Bohemia from 1278 until his passing in 1305.

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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