Křivoklát Castle ( Czech : hrad Křivoklát ) is a castle in Křivoklát in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic . It is protected as a national cultural monument .
61-482: 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
122-869: A Kingdom in 1198) and the Moravian lands, both of which were held by the Czech Přemyslid dynasty . In the east, the Imperial border with the Kingdom of Hungary (present-day Slovakia ) had gradually shifted towards the plains of the Morava River and the eastern rim of the Vienna Basin . On the right shore of the Danube, the lower Leitha River marked the Imperial–Hungarian border for centuries. In
183-691: A feudal possession of the younger House of Babenberg. Margrave Leopold the Generous (1136–1141) was a loyal vassal of the imperial House of Hohenstaufen in the struggle against the Bavarian Welf dynasty . In 1139, after King Conrad III of Germany deposed the Welf duke Henry the Proud , he gave the Bavarian duchy to his half-brother Margrave Leopold. Leopold's brother and successor Henry Jasomirgott
244-756: A former border march , it was located on the eastern periphery of the Empire, on the northern and southern shores of the Danube River, east of ("below") the Enns tributary. Drosendorf , Raabs , Laa and other fortifications along the Thaya River , north of the historic Waldviertel and Weinviertel regions and separated by the Manhartsberg range, marked the border with the Duchy of Bohemia (elevated to
305-774: 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
366-717: 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
427-475: 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
488-709: 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
549-457: A period of several decades during which the status of the country's rulers was disputed. While in the following years several candidates were elected King of the Romans , none of them were able to control the Empire. It was the ambitious Přemyslid ruler Ottokar II of Bohemia , son of King Wenceslaus I, who took the occasion to take over the rule in the "princeless" lands of late Duke Frederick II
610-668: 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
671-566: 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
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#1732793741192732-558: 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,
793-741: The Babenberg count Leopold the Illustrious with the Austrian margraviate. A large-scale German settlement ( Ostsiedlung ) along the Danube down to the border with Hungary followed, which ultimately disrupted the Slavic continuity between the West Slavic ( Slovak ) and South Slavic ( Slovene ) lands. Although today closely associated with the Habsburg dynasty , Austria was, until 1246,
854-492: 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
915-650: The County of Tyrol was ceded to Duke Rudolf IV of Austria by Countess Margaret in 1363. These territories, together, became known as the Habsburg 'Hereditary Lands', although they were sometimes referred to in sum as Austria. Rudolf established his residence at the Vienna Hofburg Palace and in 1358/59 he had the Privilegium Maius forged to elevate himself to a privileged " archduke " of
976-669: 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
1037-553: 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
1098-476: The Luxembourg and Wittelsbach dynasties. The Habsburg Albertinian line was again elevated to the Imperial throne in 1438. Duke Albert V of Austria was chosen King of the Romans as the successor to his House of Luxembourg father-in-law, Emperor Sigismund . Although Albert's reign spanned only one year, he was succeeded by his Leopoldian cousin, Duke Ernest's son, Frederick V , who eventually reunified
1159-415: The Margraviate of Austria ( Ostarrîchi ) was detached from Bavaria and elevated to a duchy in its own right. After the ruling dukes of the House of Babenberg became extinct in male line, there was as much as three decades of rivalry on inheritance and rulership, until the German king Rudolf I took over the dominion as the first monarch of the Habsburg dynasty in 1276. Thereafter, Austria became
1220-719: 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,
1281-543: The Treaty of Neuberg , signed in 1379. Albert retained Austria proper, while Leopold took the remaining territories. In 1402, there was another split in the Leopoldian line , when Duke Ernest took Inner Austria (i.e. the duchies of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola) and Duke Frederick IV became the ruler of Tyrol and Further Austria . The partitions decisively weakened the Habsburg position, in favour of their rivals from
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#17327937411921342-460: 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
1403-531: The flag of Austria . His son Leopold VI, sole ruler of the Austrian and Styrian lands from 1198, married the Byzantine princess Theodora Angelina and later married his daughter Margaret to Henry of Hohenstaufen , son of Emperor Frederick II , in 1225. Notable minnesingers like Reinmar von Hagenau and Walther von der Vogelweide were regular guests at the Vienna court and Middle High German poetry flourished. The poem Nibelungenlied probably arose in
1464-477: The 19th-century Austrian playwright Franz Grillparzer , titled König Ottokars Glück und Ende . There is a statue dedicated to him. Duchy of Austria The Duchy of Austria ( Austriae Ducatus ( Latin ) ; Herzogtuom Osteriche ( Middle High German ) ) was a medieval principality of the Holy Roman Empire , established in 1156 by the Privilegium Minus , when
1525-586: The Austrian lands, acclaimed by the local nobility. To substantiate his claims, he married Margaret (about 30 years his senior) in 1252. King Béla IV of Hungary contested this, referring to the Gertrude's third marriage with his relative Roman Danylovich and occupied the Styrian lands. However, Ottokar prevailed as he defeated the Hungarian troops at the Battle of Kressenbrunn . Bohemian king since 1253, he now
1586-556: The Austrian lands. However, Leopold's son, Duke Frederick II the Warlike , entered into fierce conflicts soon after his accession in 1230, not only with the Austrian nobility, but also with King Wenceslaus I of Bohemia , King Andrew II of Hungary and even with Emperor Frederick II for the alleged entanglement in the rebellion of the duke's brother-in-law Henry of Hohenstaufen. The latter earned him an Imperial ban and an expulsion from Vienna in 1236. Though he could later reconcile with
1647-556: 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
1708-642: The Avars, established a frontier march in the region between the Enns and Raab rivers, called the Avar March , part of the marcha orientalis . The East Frankish margraviate was again lost to the invading Magyars at the 907 Battle of Pressburg , and re-established as the Bavarian March of Austria after King Otto I of Germany 's victory at the 955 Battle of Lechfeld . In 976 Emperor Otto II enfeoffed
1769-693: The Emperor, the border conflict with Hungary culminated in several clashes of arms after 1242, after King Béla IV of Hungary marched into Austria to reconquer occupied lands. Duke Frederick was killed at the 1246 Battle of the Leitha River , whereby the Babenberg line became extinct in the male line. According to feudal law, the immediate heritable fees fell back to the suzerain , the Holy Roman Emperor . However, Emperor Frederick II, in
1830-580: The Empire, peaking under the reign of Leopold V the Virtous (1177–1194) and Leopold VI the Glorious (1194–1230). In 1186, they signed the Georgenberg Pact with the first and last Otakar duke Ottokar IV of Styria and, upon his death in 1192, acquired the adjacent Styrian lands in the south, which were ruled with Austria in personal union until 1918. They also expanded their territory into
1891-405: The Empire. The following two centuries were turbulent for the duchy. Under Habsburg rule, several inquisitorial persecutions against Waldensians were carried out, notably by the cleric Petrus Zwicker in the late 14th century. Following the brief, yet eventful, rule of Duke Rudolf IV, his brothers Albert III and Leopold III divided the Austrian domains between themselves, in accordance with
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1952-585: The English king passed through Austria on his way home, Leopold had him abducted and arrested at Dürnstein Castle . Handed over to Emperor Henry VI , Richard was only released after paying an enormous ransom, and the duke used his share to lay out the Wiener Neustadt fortification near the Hungarian border. According to legend, the emperor granted him permission to bear the red-white-red colors that became
2013-654: The Holy Roman Empire . The right of primogeniture was implemented with the Treaty of Rheinfelden one year later. Rudolf's descendants ruled Austria and Styria until 1918. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the Habsburgs accumulated further provinces in the southeastern part of the Empire: the Duchy of Carinthia with the March of Carniola , initially ceded to the House of Gorizia , came under Habsburg rule in 1335;
2074-474: 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
2135-509: The Warlike. Referring to the Privilegium Minus , Pope Innocent IV, against the feudal principle of patrilineal inheritance, confirmed the hereditary rights of Frederick's sister Margaret, widow of Henry of Hohenstaufen, and his niece Gertrude , widow of Ottokar's elder brother Přemyslid Margrave Vladislaus of Moravia who died in 1247. Upon the death of Gertrude's second husband, Margrave Herman VI of Baden , in 1250, Ottokar invaded
2196-646: 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
2257-740: 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
2318-451: 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
2379-439: The independent principality of Carantania in the south. The Avar Khaganate established in 567 comprised most of the later Austrian march up to the Enns river, where it bordered on the German stem duchy of Bavaria. Temporarily part of Samo's Empire from 631 to 658, the territory was under constant attack by the Carolingian forces of Charlemagne from 791 onward. About 800, Charlemagne, having won several victories against
2440-431: 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
2501-399: The last years of his rule, was weakened by the struggle against Pope Innocent IV , and was stuck in the Italian Wars between the Guelphs and Ghibellines . His death in 1250 and the death of his only surviving son King Conrad IV four years later ended the line of Hohenstaufen rulers, only eight years after the extinction of the Babenberg dynasty. The extinction led to the Great Interregnum ,
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2562-406: 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
2623-431: The old Bavarian lands west of the Enns River, along the Traun to the city of Linz , the future capital of Upper Austria . In 1191, Duke Leopold V joined the Third Crusade and the siege of Acre . Once the city was conquered and occupied, he picked a fierce quarrel with King Richard the Lionheart , allegedly over Leopold's raising of his Babenberg banner beside the royal flags of Richard and Philip II of France . When
2684-401: 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
2745-598: 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 ),
2806-421: The patrimony and ancestral homeland of the dynasty and the nucleus of the Habsburg monarchy . In 1453, the archducal title of the Austrian rulers, invented by Duke Rudolf IV in the forged Privilegium Maius of 1359, was officially acknowledged by the Habsburg emperor Frederick III . Initially, the duchy was comparatively small in area, roughly comprising the modern-day Austrian state of Lower Austria . As
2867-423: 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
2928-422: The site of the later Hofburg Palace . He also founded Schottenstift Abbey as the Babenberg proprietary church , settled with Irish monks. The Austrian lands prospered, due to their favorable location on the Danube, as an important trade route from Krems and Mautern via Vienna down to Hungary and the Byzantine Empire . For a short time, the Babenbergs came to be one of the most influential ruling families in
2989-470: The south, Austria bordered the Styrian lands which were likewise elevated to a duchy, and unified with Austria in 1192. The territory originally inhabited by Celts was conquered by the Roman Empire at the end of the 1st century BC . Following the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the late 5th century, the area was invaded by several Germanic tribes and from the 6th century onward settled by Avars as well as by Slavic tribes, who about 600 founded
3050-420: The south. When he failed to be elected King of the Romans in 1273, he contested the election of the successful candidate, the Swabian count Rudolf of Habsburg . Nevertheless, Rudolf was able to secure his rule as the first actual German king after the Great Interregnum. By his Imperial authority he seized Ottokar's "alienated" territories and added them to his already extensive homelands in Swabia. King Ottokar
3111-435: 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
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#17327937411923172-517: 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
3233-453: 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
3294-407: 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
3355-400: 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
3416-476: Was enfeoffed with Bavaria in 1141. In 1156, Hohenstaufen Emperor Frederick Barbarossa approached a settlement with the Welfs. At the 1156 Imperial Diet in Regensburg , Henry Jasomirgott had to renounce the Bavarian duchy in favor of Henry the Lion . In compensation, the Babenberg margraviate was elevated to an equal duchy, confirmed by numerous privileges granted by the Privilegium Minus on 17 September. The new Austrian duke took his residence at Vienna at
3477-413: Was finally defeated and killed by the united Austrian and Hungarian forces in the 1278 Battle on the Marchfeld . Rudolf married his daughter Judith off to Ottokar's son Wenceslaus II , who retained the Bohemian kingdom. Having reached an agreement with the prince-electors , he granted the Austrian domains to his sons Albert and Rudolf II at the 1282 Diet of Augsburg, elevating them to Princes of
3538-424: 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,
3599-444: 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
3660-471: 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
3721-405: Was sole ruler of the Bohemian, Moravian, Austrian and Styrian lands—an anticipation of the early modern Habsburg monarchy after 1526. In 1269, Ottokar also effectively controlled the Duchy of Carinthia , with Carniola and the Windic March further in the south. He controlled, in all, a Central European realm stretching from the Polish border in the Sudetes towards the Adriatic coast in
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