Wenceslaus II of Bohemia
Wenceslaus II Premyslid (1271-1305)
Wenceslaus II Premyslid (
Czech Václav,
Polish Wacław) (
September 17,
1271 -
June 21,
1305). King of
Bohemia (
1278 -
1305). Duke of
Krakow (
1291 -
1305). King of
Poland (
1300 -
1305). Wenceslaus II was the son of
Ottokar II "The Great", King of Bohemia, and Kunegunda, daughter of Rostislav, the Grand Duke of
Kiev. His father died on
August 26,
1278, shortly before Wenceslaus' seventh birthday. His early reign was tainted by the abuses of power exercised by his regent, Otto, Margrave of
Brandenburg, and later by his mother's secret husband, Zavis of Falckenstein. On
January 24,
1285 he married Judith (Jutta) von Habsburg, daughter of Holy Roman Emperor
Rudolf I. In
1290 Wenceslaus had Zavis beheaded, and began ruling independently. In
1291 he was invited by a group of Polish Lords to take over the duchy of Krakow, and in
1300 he was crowned the king of Poland. He was planning to invade
Austria when he died in
1305. He was succeeded by his son,
Wenceslaus III, the last of the
Premyslid kings.
Wenceslaus' daughter with Judith, Elizabeth (Eliska), married John "The Blind" of Luxembourg. Judith died in 1297
Wenceslaus' second wife was Ryksa Elzbieta, daughter of Przemysl II, King of Poland 1295 - 1296. (She married Rudolf III of Austria after Wenceslaus' death).
See also:
Dukes and Kings of Bohemia
Rulers of Poland