Bolko II Of Opole
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Bolko II of Opole (; before 1300 – 21 June 1356) was a Duke of
Opole Opole (; ; ; ) is a city located in southern Poland on the Oder River and the historical capital of Upper Silesia. With a population of approximately 127,387 as of the 2021 census, it is the capital of Opole Voivodeship (province) and the seat of ...
from 1313 (with his brother as co-ruler until 1323). He was the second son of Duke
Bolko I of Opole Bolko I of Opole (; before 21 October 1258 – 14 May 1313), was a Duke of Opole from 1282 (until 1284 with his brother as co-ruler), Niemodlin and Strzelce Opolskie until his death. He was the third son of Władysław, Duke of Opole- Racibórz, ...
by his wife Agnes, probably a daughter of Margrave Otto III of Brandenburg.


Life

At the time of his father's death in 1313, Bolko II and his youngest brother Albert inherited the Duchy of Opole as co-rulers; but because at that time both were probably minors, they were placed under the care of their older brother, Bolesław the Elder. Bolko II assumed full government over his domains in 1323, and made the formal division of the Duchy with his brother Albert: he received Strzelce Opolskie and Bolko II retained the main city of Opole. Thanks to his marriage to Elisabeth, daughter of Duke Bernard of Świdnica, Bolko II had a temporary close connection with the Polish King Władysław I the Elbow-high (paternal grandfather of his wife). However, this alliance was short-lived: on 5 April 1327 in
Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...
, he paid homage to King John of Bohemia; he was the last Silesian Duke who became a vassal of Bohemia. During his rule in Opole, Bolko II focused on the economical development of his domains. He introduced German laws (see Magdeburg Law) in the villages; also, he supported
trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cr ...
and took care of the state of roads, in order to maintain the safety of travelers. The good economy of his Duchy was used by Bolko II to obtain more lands: in 1351 he bought the towns of
Byczyna Byczyna (Latin: ''Bicina'', ''Bicinium''; ) is a town in Kluczbork County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland, with 3,490 inhabitants as of December 2021. Etymology The name comes from the Old Polish word ''byczyna'', which means a place ...
and Kluczbork from Duke Wenceslaus I of Legnica and the district of Sławięcice from Duke Bolesław of Bytom. Bolko II was particularly attached to the
Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
monastery of Opole. Inside the monastery, he built the Chapel of St. Anna, which became the Family vault of the Dukes of Opole. When Bolko II died on 21 June 1356, he was buried there.


Marriage and issue

By 6 May 1326, Bolko II married Elisabeth (ca. 1315 – 8/9 February 1348), daughter of Duke Bernard of Świdnica. They had seven children:According to old chronicles, Bolko II remarried after the death of his wife Elisabeth. The name of his second wife was possibly Margareta, and together they had a daughter, called Agnes, later wife of Margrave Jobst of Moravia, later
King of Germany This is a list of monarchs who ruled over East Francia, and the Kingdom of Germany (), from Treaty of Verdun, the division of the Francia, Frankish Empire in 843 and Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in ...
. However, modern historians have debated (and even denied in some cases) the existence of the alleged second wife and daughter of Bolko II. According to the latest researches, this Agnes could be the same as Elisabeth, daughter of Władysław Opolczyk and first (if the existence of Agnes is believed) wife of Jobst. The confusion was in the fact that Elisabeth probably also used the name Agnes (''Elisabeth-Agnes''), a custom which wasn't unusual at that time (for example, Viola of Cieszyn or Richenza of Poland, later Queens of Bohemia, changed their names to Elisabeth after their marriages; see their Wikipedia articles). Sources who supported the existence of one wife of Jobst: ; source that supports the existence of two wives of Jobst
Genealogical database by Herbert Stoyan
* Władysław (c. 1332 – 18 May 1401). * Bolko III (c. 1337 – 21 October 1382). * Henry (before 18 August 1338 – before 23 October 1365). * Kunigunde (1340 – after 4 July 1372), a nun at St. Klara in
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
(Alt-Buda). * Agnes (c. 1341? – after 1 June 1390), wife of Jobst of Moravia, and nun at Stary Sącz. * Elisabeth (c. 1342/47? – after 25 April 1382), a nun at
Trzebnica Trzebnica (Polish pronunciation: ; , ) is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in west-central Poland. It is the seat of Trzebnica County, and of the smaller administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Trzebnica. It lies within the eastern Trzebni ...
. * Anna (c. 1348? – after 12 March 1411), a nun at St. Klara at
Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...
. Bolko married a second time to a woman whose name is not recorded. The result of his union was a daughter: * Agnes, who married Jobst of Moravia.


Footnotes


References


Genealogy of the House of Opole
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolko 02 of Opole 13th-century births 1356 deaths Year of birth unknown Piast dynasty Dukes of Opole