Wenceslaus I of Bohemia

• Preferred Name: Wenceslaus I of Bohemia ^{[1] [2]}
  
• Alternate Name: Wenzel 1 of Bohemia
  
• Alternate Name: Vaclav I King Of Bohemia
  
• Alternate Name: Bohemia
  
• Alternate Name: Wenceslaus the One-Eyed
  
• Alternate Name: Vaclav Bohemia King Bohemia I
  
• Gender: M
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: King
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: with note: Description: King of Bohemia
  
• Fact: with note: Description: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenceslaus_I_of_Bohemia
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: Associate King of Bohemia6 FEB 1228
  
• FSID: LHJ6-ZPQ
  
• Death: 23 SEP 1253 in Počaply, Beroun, Czechia at LATI: N9.9414 LONG: E4.0198
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: King of Bohemia1231 in Melfi at LATI: N1.0597 LONG: E7.9331
  
• AFN: with note: Description: 8BG6-NN
  
• Birth: 1205 in Bohemia, Czech Republic at LATI: N0 LONG: E5
  
• Burial: 1253 in Prague, Czechia at LATI: N0.0868 LONG: E4.4207
  
• Nickname:
  
• Notes:

  === Life Sketch ===
  Wenceslaus I (Czech: Václav I.; c. 1205 - 23 September 1253), called One-Eyed, was King of Bohemia from 1230 to 1253.
  
  Wenceslaus was a son of Ottokar I of Bohemia and his second wife Constance of Hungary.
  
  Marriage and children
  In 1224, Wenceslaus married Kunigunde of Hohenstaufen, third daughter of Philip of Swabia, King of Germany, and his wife Irene Angelina. Wenceslaus encouraged large numbers of Germans to settle in the villages and towns in Bohemia and Moravia. Stone buildings began to replace wooden ones in Prague as a result of the influence of the new settlers.
  
  Wenceslaus and Kunigunde had five known children:
  1.) Vladislaus III of Moravia (c. 1228 - 3 January 1247)
  
  2.) Ottokar II of Bohemia (c. 1230 - 26 August 1278)
  
  3.) Beatrice (c. 1231 - 27 May 1290), who married Otto III of Brandenburg
  
  4.) Agnes (died 10 August 1268), who married Henry III of Meissen
  
  5.) A daughter who died young
  
  Early reign
  On 6 February 1228, Wenceslaus was crowned as co-ruler of the Kingdom of Bohemia with his father. On 15 December 1230, Ottokar died and Wenceslaus succeeded him as the senior King of Bohemia.
  
  His early reign was preoccupied by the threat to Bohemia posed by Frederick II, Duke of Austria. The expansionism of Frederick caused the concern and protestation of several other rulers. In 1236, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II was involved in a war against the Lombard League. The Emperor demanded Wenceslaus and other rulers of the Holy Roman Empire to lend him part of their own troops for his war effort. Wenceslaus led a group of princes who expressed their reluctance to divert any troops from the defense of their own territories, citing fear of invasion from the Duchy of Austria. They requested imperial intervention in the situation.
  
  In June 1236, the Emperor imposed an imperial ban on the Duke of Austria. Troops dispatched against the Duke forced him to flee Vienna for Wiener Neustadt. He would continue to rule a rump state for the following year. The Emperor declared direct imperial rule in both Austria and the Duchy of Styria, also held by the fleeing Duke. Ekbert von Andechs-Meranien, former Bishop of Bamberg was installed as governor in the two Duchies. Ekbert would govern from February to his death on 5 June 1237. Wenceslaus was hardly pleased with this apparent expansion of direct imperial authority close to his borders. Wenceslaus and Duke Frederick formed an alliance against the Emperor. Frederick the Emperor chose to lift the ban in 1237 rather than maintain another open front. Wenceslaus managed to negotiate the expansion of Bohemia north of the Danube, annexing territories offered by Duke Frederick in order of forming and maintaining their alliance.
  
  Wenceslaus and Frederick also found another ally in the person of Otto II, Duke of Bavaria. In June 1239, Wenceslaus and Otto left the Reichstag at Eger, abandoning the service of excommunicated Emperor Frederick II. Despite their intent to elect an anti-king, no such election would take place until 1246. In 1246, Henry Raspe, Landgrave of Thuringia, was elected King of Germany in opposition to Emperor Frederick II and Conrad IV of Germany.
  
  Mongol invasion
  In 1241 Wenceslaus successfully repelled a raid on Bohemia by forces serving under Batu Khan and Subutai of the Mongol Empire as part of the Mongol invasion of Europe. The Mongols raided the Kingdom of Poland, Silesia and Moravia, led by Baidar, Kadan and Orda Khan with a force of around 20,000 Mongols, causing much destruction.
  
  During the Mongol invasion of Poland, Duke Henry II the Pious of Silesia, Wenceslaus' brother in law, initially asked his help in fighting off the Mongols. However as Wenceslaus was coming to his aid in Legnica with a force of 50,000 soldiers, impatience forced Henry II to attack the Mongols without Bohemia's help which resulted in the devastating Battle of Legnica. Following the Mongol victory, Wenceslaus fell back to protect Bohemia. He gathered reinforcements from Thuringia and Saxony along the way, before taking refuge in Bohemia's mountainous countries whose terrain would reduce the mobility of the Mongolian cavalry. When a Mongol vanguard assaulted Klodzko, the Bohemian cavalry easily defeated them in the mountain passes. After their failure against Wenceslaus' army, the Mongols led by Baidar and Kadan turned away from Bohemia and Poland and went southward to reunite with Batu and Subutai in Hungary, who had crushed the Hungarians at the Battle of Mohi.
  
  When Subutai heard in 1242 that Grand Khan Ögedei had died the previous year, the Mongol army retreated eastward, because Subutai had three princes of the blood in his command and Genghis Khan had made clear that all descendants of the Khagan (Grand Khan) should return to the Mongol capital of Karakorum for the kurultai which would elect the next Khagan. Such was Wenceslaus' success against the invaders that chroniclers sent messages to Emperor Frederick II of his "victorious defense".
  
  Duchy of Austria for Premyslids
  On 15 June 1246, Frederick II, Duke of Austria, was killed in the Battle of the Leitha River against Béla IV of Hungary. His death ended reign of the Babenberg dynasty in Austria. The matter of his succession would result in years of disputes among various heirs. Wenceslaus' foreign policy became focused on acquiring Austria for the Premyslid dynasty. Meanwhile, Emperor Frederick II managed to once again place Austria under direct imperial rule. However imperial governor Otto von Eberstein had to contend with an Austrian rebellion, preventing immediate benefits from the annexation of the Duchy.
  
  The Privilegium Minus, the document which had elevated Austria to a Duchy on 17 September 1156, allowed for the female line of the House of Babenberg to succeed to the throne. Gertrude, Duchess of Austria, niece of the late Frederick II, thus was able to claim the Duchy in her own right. Wenceslaus arranged for her marriage to his eldest son, Vladislaus, Margrave of Moravia. Vladislaus was declared a jure uxoris Duke of Austria and managed to secure the support of part of the Austrian nobility. On 3 January 1247, Vladislaus died suddenly and the initial plan of Wenceslaus was negated. Gertrude continued her claim and proceeded to marry Herman VI, Margrave of Baden.
  
  The rebellion
  In 1248, Wenceslaus had to deal with a rebellion of the Bohemian nobility, led by his own son Ottokar II. Ottokar had been enticed by discontented nobles to lead the rebellion, during which he received the nickname "the younger King" (mladší král). Wenceslaus managed to defeat the rebels and imprisoned his son. Ottokar II held the title of King of Bohemia from 31 July 1248 to November 1249.
  
  By the end of 1250, both the Emperor and Herman VI were deceased. The latter having never been accepted by the Austrian nobles, Gertrude and their only son Frederick I, Margrave of Baden continued their claim. Wenceslaus led a successful invasion of Austria, completed by 1251. Wenceslaus released Ottokar II and named him Margrave of Moravia. Wenceslaus had Ottokar proclaimed Duke of Austria and acclaimed by the nobility. In order to secure dynastic rights to Austria, Wenceslaus had another female Babenberg proclaimed Duchess and betrothed to his son. Margaret, Duchess of Austria, was a sister of Duke Frederick II and an aunt of Gertrude. She was also the widow of Henry (VII) of Germany, who had died in 1242. However, Margaret was much older than Ottokar. Their marriage took place on 11 February 1252.
  
  Wenceslaus did not enjoy his victory for long. He died on 23 September 1253 and Ottokar II succeeded him.
  
  Evaluation of the reign of Wenceslas I
  Under the reign of Wenceslas I of Bohemia, the royal court came to cultivate lifestyles typical of contemporary Western Europe, including the culture of jousting and tournaments and the enjoyment of courtly poetry and songs. His government is associated with the establishment of Czech statehood, an increase of Czech political influence in Europe, the rise of Czech nobility, and continued development of urban life, trade and crafts.
  
  Wenceslas, like his father and son, supported the arrival of ethnic Germans into the country. He was also the first to allow privileges to the Jews; however, they were expected to pay considerable sums of money for them.
  
  Cities founded by Wenceslaus
  Jihlava , 1233
  Brno, 1238
  Olomouc, c. 1240
  Old Town, Prague, c. 1240
  Silver , c. 1240
  Loket , c. 1250
  Zatec , No. 1250
  Cheb , c. 1250
  Prerov , 1252
  
  Venceslas Ier de Bohême (1205-1253)
  Venceslas Ier (ou III) de la dynastie des Přemyslides (en tchèque: Václav I Přemyslid) (1205 – 23 septembre 1253), dit le Borgne est élu roi de Bohême en 1226 et couronné en 1228.
  
  Origine
  
  Venceslas
  
  Wenceslaus I (Czech: Václav I.; c. 1205 - 23 September 1253)
  Wenceslaus I (Czech: Václav I.; c. 1205 - 23 September 1253), called One-Eyed, was King of Bohemia from 1230 to 1253.
  
  Wenceslaus was a son of Ottokar I of Bohemia and his second wife Constance of Hun
  
  === King of Bohemia (1230-53), he repulsed t ===
  King of Bohemia (1230-53), he repulsed the Mongol invaders in 1241. He received Emperor Frederick II's support against Austria, but later supported Pope Gregory IX in his struggle against the emperor. During his reign many towns of Bohemia and Moravia, into which he called German settlers, were granted charters modeled on that of Magdeburg.
  
  === BETHAMIS GENEALOGICAL TABLES (GS NUMBER ===
  BETHAMIS GENEALOGICAL TABLES (GS NUMBER Q929.2 B465G) TAB 425; ANCESTRAL FILE, LDS GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY;
  
  === My PAF Notes ===
  from thepeerage.com, 6/2009:
  Wenceslas I, King of Bohemia1
  M, #113954, b. 1205, d. 1253
  Wenceslas I, King of Bohemia|b. 1205\nd. 1253|p11396.htm#i113954|Premysl Ottokar I, King of Bohemia|b. c 1155\nd. 15 Dec 1230|p10547.htm#i105462|Constance Arpád|d. 1240|p10465.htm#i104646|Vladislav I., King of Bohemia|d. 1174|p11392.htm#i113916|Judith von Thuringe|d. a 1174|p11392.htm#i113917|Béla I. Arpád, King of Hungary|b. 1148\nd. c 1196|p10465.htm#i104645|Marguerite de France, Princesse de France|b. 1158\nd. 1198|p10216.htm#i102152|
  Last Edited=5 Nov 2008
  Wenceslas I, King of Bohemia was born in 1205.1 He was the son of Premysl Ottokar I, King of Bohemia and Constance Arpád .1 He married Kunigunde of Swabia, daughter of Philip von Hohenstaufen, Duke of Swabia and Irene of Constantinople , in 1224.1 He died in 1253.1
  Wenceslas I, King of Bohemia also went by the nick-name of Wenceslaus 'the One-Eyed'. He was Co-regent of Bohemia in 1228.2 He succeeded to the title of King Wenceslas I of Bohemia in 1230.1
  Children of Wenceslas I, King of Bohemia and Kunigunde of Swabia
  Beatrice of Bohemia, + d. 12861
  Agnes of Bohemia + d. 10 Oct 12681
  Wladislaw, Margrave of Moravia b. 1227, d. 12471
  Premysl II Ottokar, King of Bohemia + b. 1233, d. 12781
  Citations
  [S16 ] Jirí Louda and Michael MacLagan, Lines of Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe, 2nd edition (London, U.K.: Little, Brown and Company, 1999), table 86. Hereinafter cited as Lines of Succession.
  [S38 ] John Morby, Dynasties of the World: a chronological and genealogical handbook (Oxford, Oxfordshire, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1989), page 155. Hereinafter cited as Dynasties of the World.
  
  === ! Europaishe Stammtafeln neue folge vol ===
  ! Europaishe Stammtafeln neue folge vol 1 tafel 55;

• m. 1224 in Prague, Czechia

1. Ottokar II of Bohemia , b. 1232 in Městec Králové, Nymburk, Czechia     d. 26 AUG 1278 in Dürnkrut, Gänserndorf, Lower Austria, Austria
2. Beatrice of Bohemia , b. 1225     d. 27 MAY 1290 in Breslau

1. Title: Václav I Český on WikiTree
   Author: WikiTree contributors, "Václav I Český", WikiTree, http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Český-2 (accessed 3 June 2022)
   Publication: Name: http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Český-2;
   
2. Title: Wenceslaus I of Bohemia, "Find A Grave Index"
   Author: "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVKR-6YR1 : 3 June 2020), Wenceslaus I of Bohemia, 1253; Burial, , ; citing record ID , Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
   Publication: Name: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVKR-6YR1;