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59-482: Křivoklát was founded in the 12th century, belonging to the kings of Bohemia. During the reign of Otakar II of Bohemia a large, monumental royal castle was built, later rebuilt by King Wenceslaus IV and later enlarged by King Vladislaus II . The castle was damaged by fire several times. It was turned into a harsh prison and the building slowly deteriorated. During the 19th century, the Fürstenberg family became

118-510: A duchy in 1156, and from then until the extinction of the line in 1246, whereafter they were succeeded by the House of Habsburg . The Babenberg family can be broken down into two distinct groups: 1) The Franconian Babenbergs, the so-called Elder House of Babenberg, whose name refers to Babenburg Castle, the present site of Bamberg Cathedral . Also called Popponids after their progenitor Count Poppo of Grapfeld (d. 839-41), they were related to

177-590: A granddaughter of the Emperor , John II Komnenos . Subsequently, Leopold V 's younger son, Leopold VI , also married a Byzantine princess ( Theodora Angelina ), as did his youngest son (by Theodora ), Frederick II , who married Sophia Laskarina . The next dynasty in Austria—the Habsburgs —were originally not descendants of the Babenbergs. It was not until the children of Albert I of Germany that

236-774: A large army to meet the forces of Rudolf and his ally King Ladislaus IV of Hungary in the Battle on the Marchfeld on 26 August 1278, where he was defeated and killed. Rudolf had his body laid out in state at the Minorites Church in Vienna. (In 1297 Ottokar's mortal remains were finally transferred to St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague.) His 6-year-old son Wenceslaus II succeeded him as King of Bohemia. On 11 February 1252, Přemysl Ottokar II married Margaret of Austria . Margaret

295-773: A new election for the Imperial German throne took place in 1273. However, the Bohemian king again failed to win the Imperial crown, as the electors voted for the "little count" Rudolf of Habsburg , Ottokar's last and finally victorious rival. Přemysl Ottokar refused to acknowledge Rudolf's election, and urged the Pope to adopt a similar policy. At a convention of the Imperial Diet at Nuremberg in 1274, Rudolf decreed that all Imperial lands that had changed hands since

354-475: A new treaty by which he gave up all claims to Austria and the neighboring duchies, retaining for himself only Bohemia and Moravia. Ottokar's son Wenceslaus became betrothed to Rudolf's daughter Judith . There followed an uneasy peace. Two years later, the Bohemian king made a last attempt to recover his lost lands by force. Přemysl Ottokar again found allies in Bavaria, Brandenburg and Poland . He collected

413-658: A number of relatives, allies and vassals in Germany, such as the Margraviate of Brandenburg — and spiritual principalities, including the Archbishopric of Salzburg and the Patriarchate of Aquileia . After the death of Konradin in 1268 he was an heir of the House of Hohenstaufen 's claim to the imperial crown. However, he did not raise this claim, remaining content with informal influence in Germany. In 1267 he

472-668: A precursor of modern civil law. In the country, Ottokar's introduction of the Law of Emphyteusis into the Czech law is sometimes interpreted as "Germanization". In fact it was creative, for it freed subjects from feudal obligations, except for rent — and tax, if such was levied. Free selling and leaving of estates could also be bought and soon became common. Thus, Ottokar can be reckoned an early Bohemian ruler who furthered Bohemian rights in medieval times. This change of legal environment in Bohemia

531-566: A prison for his son Wenceslaus II of Bohemia for short time after Ottokar's death. The castle housed Bohemian legal records Zemské desky and many spiritual and temporal treasures during the destructive civil strife of the Hussite wars (1419–1434) in Bohemia. It was conquered in 1620, during the 30 Years' War , but by then it was long deserted, and in that state was defended by rebelling subjects against an Imperial army. Before his conflict with Rudolf of Habsburg , Ottokar exacted influence over

590-721: Is assumed. Like the French royal Capetian dynasty , the Elder Babenbergs descended from the Robertians . The earliest known Babenberg count Poppo was first mentioned as a ruler in the Gau of Grabfeld , a historic region in northeastern Franconia bordering on Thuringia , in 819 AD. He may be a descendant of the Robertian count Cancor of Hesbaye . One of Poppo's sons, Henry , served as princeps militiae under King Louis

649-558: Is considered one of the greatest kings of Bohemia, along with Charles IV . He was a founder of many new towns (about 30 — not only in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia, but also in Austria and Styria) and incorporated many existing settlements through civic charters, giving them new privileges. He was a strong proponent of trade, law and order. Furthermore, he instituted open immigration policies through which skilled German-speaking immigrants settled in major cities throughout his domains. As noted,

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708-547: Is more celebrated as a lawgiver, a patron of letters, and a founder of many towns. Under him Vienna became the centre of culture in Germany and the great school of Minnesingers . His later years were spent in strife with his son Frederick, and he died in 1230 at San Germano, now renamed Cassino , whither he had gone to arrange the peace between Emperor Frederick II and Pope Gregory IX . Frederick II , Leopold VI's son by Theodora Angelina , succeeded his father as duke upon

767-575: Is regarded as the patron saint of Lower and Upper Austria . One of Leopold's younger sons was Bishop Otto of Freising . His eldest son Leopold IV became margrave in 1136, and in 1139 received the Duchy of Bavaria from the hands of King Conrad III , who had banned the Welf duke Henry the Proud . Leopold's brother Henry Jasomirgott (allegedly named after his favourite oath, "Yes, so [help] me God!")

826-492: The Battle of Kressenbrunn , ending years of disputes over Styria with Béla IV. Béla now ceded Styria back to Ottokar, and his claim to those territories was formally recognized by Richard of Cornwall , then king of Germany and nominal ruler of all the German lands. This peace agreement was also sealed by a royal marriage. Ottokar ended his marriage to Margaret and married Béla's young granddaughter Kunigunda of Halych , who became

885-669: The Holy Roman Empire . His expectations of the imperial crown, however, were never fulfilled. Ottokar was the second son of King Wenceslaus I of Bohemia (reigned 1230–1253). Through his mother, Kunigunde , daughter of Philip of Swabia , he was related to the Holy Roman Emperors of the Hohenstaufen dynasty , which became extinct in the male line upon the execution of King Conradin of Sicily in 1268. Named after his grandfather King Přemysl Ottokar I , he

944-538: The Investiture Controversy , when he supported the papal side of Bishop Altmann of Passau . Though Leopold had to cope with the invading troops of Duke Vratislaus II of Bohemia and was defeated at the 1082 Battle of Mailberg , the emperor was unable to oust him from his march or to prevent the succession of his son Leopold III in 1096. Between 1075 - 1095 the dynasty had its seat at Babenberg Castle of Gars am Kamp . Leopold III supported Henry V,

1003-553: The Iron and Golden King , was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned as King of Bohemia from 1253 until his death in 1278. He also held the titles of Margrave of Moravia from 1247, Duke of Austria from 1251, and Duke of Styria from 1260, as well as Duke of Carinthia and landgrave of Carniola from 1269. With Ottokar's rule, the Přemyslids reached the peak of their power in

1062-772: The Sponheim duke Ulrich III of Carinthia , succeeding him in Carinthia , Carniola and the Windic March the next year. In 1272 he also acquired Friuli . His rule was once again contested by the Hungarians on the field of battle. After another victory , Ottokar became the most powerful king within the Empire. After Richard of Cornwall died in April 1272 and Pope Gregory X rejected the claims raised by Alfonso of Castile,

1121-552: The Wettin family ). Frederick's heir general was Gertrude of Austria , the only child of his late elder brother, Henry of Austria by that man's wife, Agnes of Thuringia . However, neither her husbands nor her son succeeded in settling the Babenberg inheritance under their power. Gertrude's only surviving child, Agnes of Baden , tried to reclaim at least part of her inheritance through her third husband Ulrich II of Heunburg , but

1180-516: The Zähringen margrave Herman VI of Baden . Herman, rejected by the Austrian nobility, could not establish his rule. Wenceslaus used this as pretext to invade Austria when Herman died in 1250 — according to some sources, the estates called upon him to restore order. Wenceslaus released Přemysl Ottokar very soon and in 1251 again made him Margrave of Moravia and installed him, with the approval of

1239-448: The 19th-century Austrian playwright Franz Grillparzer , titled König Ottokars Glück und Ende . There is a statue dedicated to him. House of Babenberg The House of Babenberg was a noble dynasty of Austrian Dukes and Margraves . Originally from Bamberg in the Duchy of Franconia (present-day Bavaria ), the Babenbergs ruled the imperial Margraviate of Austria from its creation in 976 AD until its elevation to

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1298-556: The Austrian nobles, as governor of Austria. The same year Ottokar entered Austria, where the estates acclaimed him as Duke. To legitimize his position, Přemysl Ottokar married the late Duke Frederick II's sister Margaret of Babenberg , who was his senior by 30 years and the widow of the Hohenstaufen king Henry (VII) of Germany . Their marriage took place on 11 February 1252 at Hainburg . In 1253, King Wenceslaus died and Přemysl Ottokar succeeded his father as King of Bohemia. After

1357-583: The Babenberg blood was brought into the Habsburg line, though this blood was from the pre-ducal Babenbergs. A side effect of this marriage was the use of the Babenberg name Leopold by the Habsburgs for one of their sons. The Habsburgs did eventually gain descent from the Babenberg dukes, though at different times. The first Habsburg line to be descended from the Babenbergs was the Albertine line. This

1416-592: The Babenberg brothers were also killed. The third, Adalbert , was summoned before the imperial court by the regent Archbishop Hatto I of Mainz , a partisan of the Conradines. He refused to appear, held his own for a time in his castle at Theres against the king's forces, but surrendered in 906, and in spite of a promise of safe-conduct by Hatto was beheaded . Conrad the Younger became Duke of Franconia in 906 and King of East Francia (as Conrad I) in 911, while

1475-673: The Babenbergs lost their influence in Franconia. Timeline In 962, the Bavarian count Leopold I ( Liupo ), possibly a descendant of the Luitpolding duke Arnulf of Bavaria , was first mentioned as a faithful follower of Emperor Otto I . He remained a loyal supporter of Otto's son and successor Otto II and in 976 appears as count of the Bavarian Eastern March, then a district not more than 60 miles in breadth on

1534-463: The Babenbergs occupied the city of Würzburg and expelled Bishop Rudolf. Meanwhile, Rudolf's brother Gebhard was appointed Duke of Lotharingia in 903, and had to cope both with revolting nobles and the continuing attacks by Babenberg forces. Both sides met in the battle of Fritzlar on 27 February 906, where the Conradines won a decisive victory, although Conrad the Elder fell in the battle. Two of

1593-597: The Elder , a member of the Conradine dynasty from the Lahngau in Rhenish Franconia and relative of Arnulf's consort Ota . The leaders of the Babenbergs were the sons of Duke Henry, who called themselves after their castle of Babenburg on the upper Main river , around which their possessions centred. The city of Bamberg was built around the ancestral castle of the family. The Conradines were led by Conrad

1652-399: The Elder and his brothers Rudolf and Gebhard , probably the sons of Count Udo of Neustria . The rivalry between the Babenberg and Conradine families was intensified by their efforts to extend their authority in the region of the middle Main, and this quarrel, known as the "Babenberg feud", came to a first head in 892, when King Arnulf deposed Poppo II as Thuringian ruler, appointing Conrad

1711-579: The Elder instead, and installed Conrad's brother Rudolf as Bishop of Würzburg . The struggle intensified at the beginning of the 10th century during the troubled reign of Arnulf's son King Louis the Child . Clashes of arms occurred in 902, when the Conradine laid siege to Babenburg Castle and arrested Adalhard of Babenberg . The next year, Adalhard was executed at the Reichstag of Forchheim ; in return,

1770-602: The Frankish Robertian dynasty and ancestors of the Franconian Counts of Henneberg and of Schweinfurt . 2) The Austrian Babenbergs, descendants of Margrave Leopold I , who ruled Austria from 976 onwards. This second group claimed to have originated from the first, however, scholars have not been able to verify that claim. Today, a direct lineal descent from the Bavarian House of Luitpolding

1829-474: The Jews could from then on claim support of any royal officer. Ottokar followed with a systematic policy of strengthening his domains by building fortifications. Besides supporting towns, he built many fortresses himself — Zvíkov Castle , Křivoklát Castle or Bezděz Castle in Bohemia, and the famed Hofburg Palace in Vienna — and also induced his vassals to build castles. A sign of rising strength of Bohemia, it

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1888-681: The Younger and was sometimes called margrave ( marchio ) and duke ( dux ) in Franconia under King Charles the Fat of East Francia . He was killed fighting against the Vikings during the Siege of Paris in 886. Another son, Poppo II , was margrave in Thuringia from 880 to 892, when he was deposed by King Charles' successor Arnulf of Carinthia . The Popponids had been favoured by Charles the Fat, but Arnulf reversed this policy in favour of rivalling Conrad

1947-485: The children of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary , the latter of whom descended from Babenberg dukes. It was actually from Elizabeth of Austria , the sister of Ladislas V Posthumus of Bohemia , that the Styrian line gained their Babenberg blood. The Spanish line was the last Habsburg line to gain Babenberg blood. Again it was via the previous Habsburg line to gain Babenberg blood (i.e.

2006-699: The death of the German King Konrad IV in 1254 while his son Conradin was still a minor, Ottokar also hoped to obtain the Imperial dignity - as King of the Romans - for himself. However, his election bid was unsuccessful and Count William II of Holland , the German anti-king since 1247, was generally recognised. Feeling threatened by Ottokar's growing regional power beyond the Leitha River, his cousin King Béla IV of Hungary challenged

2065-740: The death of the last Hohenstaufen emperor Frederick II must be returned to the crown. This would have deprived Ottokar not only of the Egerland, but also of the Austrian, Styrian, and Carinthian duchies. In 1275 Rudolf placed Ottokar under the Imperial ban and besieged his Hofburg residence in Vienna , while a rebellion led by the Vítkovci noble Záviš of Falkenstein disrupted the Bohemian lands. This compelled Přemysl Ottokar in November 1276 to sign

2124-738: The duchy of Bavaria to Henry the Proud's son, Duke Henry the Lion of Saxony. As compensation for this, Austria, the capital of which had been transferred to Vienna about 1155, was elevated into a duchy according to the Privilegium Minus . The second duke was Henry's son Leopold V , who succeeded him in 1177 and took part in the crusades of 1182 and 1190 as well as the Third Crusade . In Palestine, he quarrelled with King Richard I of England , captured him on his homeward journey and handed him over to Emperor Henry VI . Leopold increased

2183-476: The eastern frontier of the duchy, which grew into the Margraviate of Austria . Leopold, who received the territory as a reward for his fidelity to Emperor Otto II during the uprising of Duke Henry II of Bavaria , extended its area down the Danube river into what is today Lower Austria at the expense of the retreating Magyars . Leopold was succeeded in 994 by his son Henry I , who continued his father's policy,

2242-473: The elder man's death in 1230. Frederick II soon earned the epithet "the Quarrelsome" from his ongoing disputes with the kings of Hungary and Bohemia and with Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II . Duke Frederick deprived his mother and sisters of their possessions, was hated by his subjects on account of his oppressive rule, and, in 1236, was placed under the imperial ban and driven from Austria. However, he

2301-518: The historic East Prussian city of Königsberg ( King's Mountain ) was named in his honor as a tribute to his support of the Teutonic Knights in their war with the pagan Old Prussians . As Czech traditional law was different from that of his other domains, many principles introduced during his reign formed core of the Czech law for the following centuries. From his time stems the oldest preserved source of Czech law, Zemské desky , and also

2360-547: The king's aim of acquiring the neighbouring Duchy of Austria , where the last Babenberg duke, Frederick II had been killed in the 1246 Battle of the Leitha River . King Wenceslaus had initially attempted to acquire Austria by marrying his heir, Vladislaus, to the last duke's niece Gertrude of Babenberg . That marriage came to an end after half a year with Vladislaus's death in January 1247, and in 1248 Gertrude married

2419-529: The mother of his children. The youngest of them became his only legitimate son, Wenceslaus II . During the Imperial Imperial interregnum of 1250 to 1273, Ottokar could increase his personal influence while Richard of Cornwall and Alfonso of Castile jostled to attain the Imperial dignity. In 1266 he occupied the Egerland in north-west Bohemia, and in 1268 he signed an inheritance treaty with

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2478-401: The oldest written Czech communal law, recorded in the founding deeds of the respective towns. By supporting the city of Jihlava (German: Iglau) with its mines, he laid foundation of the silver wealth of later Bohemian kings. Privileges of civic charters usually excluded the towns from obedience to the traditional courts held by members of nobility. This can be seen as a step towards equality and

2537-708: The owners of the castle and had it reconstructed after a fire in 1826. The Fürstenberg family owned the castle until 1929. Today the castle serves as a museum, tourist destination and place for theatrical exhibitions. Collections of hunting weapons, Gothic paintings and books are stored there. 50°02′16″N 13°52′21″E  /  50.03778°N 13.87250°E  / 50.03778; 13.87250 Otakar II of Bohemia Ottokar II ( Czech : Přemysl Otakar II. ; c.  1233 , in Městec Králové , Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut , Lower Austria ),

2596-537: The remainder of Austria. Subsequently, King Ottokar II led the two crusade expeditions against the pagan Old Prussians (1254–1255 and 1268). Königsberg (now Kaliningrad , Russia), founded in 1255 by the Teutonic Order , was named in his honour and later became the capital of the Duchy of Prussia . After a few years of peace the conflict with Hungary resumed: Ottokar defeated the Hungarians in July 1260 at

2655-442: The son of Emperor Henry IV, in his rising against his father, but was soon drawn over to the emperor's side. In 1106 he married the daughter of Henry IV, Agnes , widow of Duke Frederick I of Swabia . In 1125 he declined the royal crown in favour of Lothair of Supplinburg . His zeal in founding monasteries, such as Klosterneuburg Monastery , earned for him his surname "the Pious", and canonization by Pope Innocent VIII in 1485. He

2714-403: The territories of the Babenbergs by acquiring the Duchy of Styria under the will of his kinsman Duke Ottokar IV . He died in 1194, and Austria fell to one son, Frederick , and Styria to another, Leopold ; but on Frederick's death in 1198 they were again united by Leopold as Duke Leopold VI, surnamed "the Glorious". The new duke fought in the crusades in Spain , Egypt , and Palestine , but

2773-435: The young king. Béla formed a loose alliance with the Wittelsbach duke Otto II of Bavaria and tried to install his own son Stephen as Duke of Styria , which since 1192 had been ruled in personal union with Austria under the terms of the Georgenberg Pact of 1186. Papal mediation settled the conflict : the parties agreed that Ottokar would yield large parts of Styria to Béla in exchange for recognition of his right to

2832-517: Was 26 years older than he, and the couple's childless marriage ended with an annulment. On 25 October 1261, Ottokar married Kunigunda of Slavonia . They probably had four children: Ottokar also had two extramarital sons and daughters. The most important was his firstborn, Nicholas . He was never accepted as heir apparent to the Bohemian crown by the sitting pope, but was given the Duchy of Opava as fief in 1269. Other illegitimate children include John, provost of Vyšehrad Chapter . Přemysl Ottokar

2891-424: Was achieved through the marriage of Albert III, Duke of Austria to Beatrix of Nuremberg . As such, their son, Albert IV, Duke of Austria , was the first Habsburg duke who was descended from the Babenberg dukes. However, the male line of that branch of the Habsburgs died out in 1457 with Ladislas V Posthumus of Bohemia . The next Habsburg line to gain Babenberg blood was the Styrian line, which occurred with

2950-453: Was also a reaction to the Mongol raids of the 13th century (see Béla IV of Hungary ). Conflict for the title of ownership to these fortified places built by members of nobility was probably the source of an uprising in 1276, which cost Ottokar the Austrian lands, and two years later (in an attempt for reconquest) his life. Some of the fortresses built by Ottokar were for centuries the strongest in Bohemia. Ironically, Bezděz Castle served as

3009-407: Was appointed protector of the royal domains (of the Holy Roman Empire ) east of the Rhine by the German king, Richard of Cornwall . He held this office till 1273. Ottokar is a significant figure in history and legend. In the Divine Comedy by Dante , Ottokar is seen outside the gates of Purgatory, in amiable companionship with his imperial rival Rudolf. He is also the protagonist of a tragedy by

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3068-400: Was elected "the younger King" ( mladší král ) on 31 July 1248 and temporarily expelled his father from Prague Castle . Přemysl Ottokar II held the title of King of Bohemia until November 1249. However, Pope Innocent IV excommunicated Ottokar, whereafter Wenceslaus finally managed to defeat the rebels and imprisoned his son at Přimda Castle. Father and son eventually reconciled to assist

3127-406: Was followed in 1018 by his brother Adalbert , whose marked loyalty to Emperor Henry II and his Salian successor Henry III was rewarded by many tokens of favour. Adalbert expanded the Austrian territory up to the present borders on the Leitha , March and Thaya rivers. He was succeeded in 1055 by his son, Ernest . Leopold II , margrave from 1075, quarrelled with Emperor Henry IV during

3186-424: Was introduced by systematic founding of villages chartered under this law. He issued also a general privilege to the Jews (1254), which established principles of integration of the Jews into the Czech society until 1848. The Jews were now eligible for various positions, such as servants of crown, thereby being somewhat less subject to discrimination. Instead of being able to claim only the support of individual lords,

3245-402: Was later restored to his duchy when Emperor Frederick II was excommunicated. Subsequently, Duke Frederick II treated with Emperor Frederick II in vain to make Austria a kingdom. The male line of the Babenbergs became extinct in 1246, when Frederick II was killed in battle (the Henneberg branch of the Franconian Babenbergs lived on until 1583 when its lands were divided among the two branches of

3304-408: Was made Count Palatine of the Rhine in 1140, and became Margrave of Austria on Leopold's death in 1141. Having married Gertrude, the widow of Henry the Proud, he was invested in 1143 with the Duchy of Bavaria, and resigned his office as count palatine. In 1147 he participated in the Second Crusade , and after his return, renounced Bavaria at the instance of the new king Frederick Barbarossa who gave

3363-444: Was originally educated for the role of an ecclesiastical administrator, while his elder brother Vladislaus was designated heir of the Bohemian kingdom . He was possibly educated by the Bohemian chancellor Philip of Spanheim , who would later become a rival for the rule of the Duchy of Carinthia. When his brother Vladislaus died in 1247, Ottokar suddenly became the heir to the Bohemian throne. According to popular oral tradition, he

3422-471: Was profoundly shocked by his brother's death and did not involve himself in politics, becoming focused on hunting and drinking. His father appointed the new heir as Margrave of Moravia , and Ottokar took up residence in Brno , where he was occupied with the reconstruction of the Moravian lands devastated by Mongol raids of 1242. In 1248, some discontented nobles enticed him into leading a rebellion against his father King Wenceslaus. During this rebellion he

3481-470: Was unsuccessful. After some years of struggle known as the Austrian Interregnum  [ de ; uk ] or War of the Babenberg Succession (1246–1256/78/82), the Duchies of Austria and Styria fell to Ottokar II of Bohemia , and subsequently to Rudolph I of Habsburg , whose descendants were to rule Austria until 1918. All the Babenberg dukes from Leopold V onward were descended from Byzantine emperors — Leopold 's mother, Theodora Komnene , being

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