George William, Duke of Liegnitz
Encyclopedia
George William of Legnica ' onMouseout='HidePop("52762")' href="/topics/Brzeg">Brzeg
, 21 November 1675) was the last Duke
of Legnica
and Brieg (Brzeg)
since 1672 until his death.
He was the eldest but only surviving son of Christian, Duke of Legnica
-Brzeg
-Wołów-Oława by his wife Louise
, daughter of John Casimir, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
.
The deaths in 1663 and 1664 of his paternal uncles George III of Brieg and Louis IV of Legnica without surviving issue left him as the only heir of his father in the still vast Duchy of Legnica-Brzeg. As a result, since his early years, George William received a careful education. During his upbringing, he put in the hands of the Count-Marshal Frederick von Bohmen, and the doctor Henry Martini. Was in this first period of his education that he acquired an excellent knowledge of German
, French
and Latin
, but he was able only to speak in Italian
, Spanish
and Polish
; also, he was educated in theology, philosophy and rhetoric.
After the death of his father in 1672, the twelve-years-old George William succeeded him as Duke of Legnica
-Brzeg
; during his minority, the regency was held by his mother, the Dowager Duchess Louise (who was the regnant Duchess of Wołów-Oława as her Oprawa wdowia). Shortly after, Louise send her son to study in Frankfurt
. The regency of the Dowager Duchess faced the opposition of the Protestant states of Legnica-Brzeg, thanks to her more and more openly support to the Catholic
faith; the major scandal occurred when the young Duke's older sister Karolina
, married Frederick, member of the aristocrat Catholic family of Schleswig
-Holstein
-Sonderburg-Wiesenburg.
On 14 March 1675 George William took formal possession of the government of his lands. One month before, the young Duke went to the Imperial court in Vienna
, where he made his solemn homage to the Emperor Leopold I. Immediately after the beginning of George William's personal rule, Duchess Louise was forced to give up her land of Wołów as part of her Oprawa wdowia. The announcing of a good and prosper government of George William were stopped with the sudden death of the Duke on 21 November 1675. The reason for his death was a strong fever developed shortly after return of a hunt, the first sign of smallpox
. The Duke was buried in the church of St. John in Legnica alongside his father.
The independent Masovian Piasts
died out in 1526, while the Duchy of Teschen (Cieszyn) line died out in 1653. George William was therefore the last ruling member of all the Piast dynasty
. Upon his death, the Duchy of Legnica-Brzeg reverted back to the Holy Roman Empire
, which for centuries was ruled by the Habsburg Monarchy
of Austria
, who took up the government, despite the claims of George William's morganatic uncle, Count August of Legnica. Duchess Louise retain her lands of Wołów and Oława until her death in 1680, when they were also merged by the Holy Roman Empire. George William's only surviving sibling, Caroline, died in 1707.
As a member of the branch of the Dukes of Silesia
, who are since the 17th century referred to as Silesian Piasts
, a branch of the Piast dynasty
. When the 15 year old Georg Wilhelm died, his mother had a masoleum built for him at Liegnitz. On its foundation stone a text was carved referring to him as Silesian Piast. The term Piast dynasty
was first used in a history book by Polish historian Adam Naruszewicz
in his books History of Poland, which he started in 1779.
Brzeg
Brzeg is a town in southwestern Poland with 38,496 inhabitants , situated in Silesia in the Opole Voivodeship on the left bank of the Oder...
, 21 November 1675) was the last Duke
Dukes of Silesia
The Dukes of Silesia were the sons and descendants of the Polish Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth. In accordance with the last will and testament of Bolesław, upon his death his lands were divided into 4-5 hereditary provinces distributed among his sons, and a royal province of Kraków reserved for the...
of Legnica
Duchy of Legnica
The Duchy of Legnica or Duchy of Liegnitz was one of the Duchies of Silesia. Its capital was Legnica in Lower Silesia....
and Brieg (Brzeg)
Duchy of Brzeg
The Duchy of Brzeg or Duchy of Brieg , was one of the Duchies of Silesia. Its capital was Brzeg.It was created in 1311 during the fragmentation of the Duchy of Legnica among the sons of Duke Henry V and ruled by Bolesław III the Generous of the Silesian Piasts, who declared himself a vassal of...
since 1672 until his death.
He was the eldest but only surviving son of Christian, Duke of Legnica
Legnica
Legnica is a town in south-western Poland, in Silesia, in the central part of Lower Silesia, on the plain of Legnica, riverside: Kaczawa and Czarna Woda. Between 1 June 1975 and 31 December 1998 Legnica was the capital of the Legnica Voivodeship. It is currently the seat of the county...
-Brzeg
Brzeg
Brzeg is a town in southwestern Poland with 38,496 inhabitants , situated in Silesia in the Opole Voivodeship on the left bank of the Oder...
-Wołów-Oława by his wife Louise
Louise of Anhalt-Dessau
Louise of Anhalt-Dessau , was a German princess of the House of Ascania in the branch of Anhalt-Dessau and by marriage Duchess of Legnica-Brzeg-Wołów-Oława....
, daughter of John Casimir, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
John Casimir, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau
John Casimir, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau , was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau....
.
Life
Duke Christian, who spent many years in exile during the Thirty Years War, and after the abdication of John Casimir from the Polish throne, put his own candidacy for the throne of Poland; in order to win the affection and support of the old nobility, he initially wanted to give his newborn son an old Piast name (like Mieszko or Bolesław); however, the Calvinist clergy of his Duchy opposite to this, maintaining that this idea could bring the return to paganism over Poland. The Duke, however, care that his son spoke and wore Polish clothes.The deaths in 1663 and 1664 of his paternal uncles George III of Brieg and Louis IV of Legnica without surviving issue left him as the only heir of his father in the still vast Duchy of Legnica-Brzeg. As a result, since his early years, George William received a careful education. During his upbringing, he put in the hands of the Count-Marshal Frederick von Bohmen, and the doctor Henry Martini. Was in this first period of his education that he acquired an excellent knowledge of German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, but he was able only to speak in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
; also, he was educated in theology, philosophy and rhetoric.
After the death of his father in 1672, the twelve-years-old George William succeeded him as Duke of Legnica
Legnica
Legnica is a town in south-western Poland, in Silesia, in the central part of Lower Silesia, on the plain of Legnica, riverside: Kaczawa and Czarna Woda. Between 1 June 1975 and 31 December 1998 Legnica was the capital of the Legnica Voivodeship. It is currently the seat of the county...
-Brzeg
Brzeg
Brzeg is a town in southwestern Poland with 38,496 inhabitants , situated in Silesia in the Opole Voivodeship on the left bank of the Oder...
; during his minority, the regency was held by his mother, the Dowager Duchess Louise (who was the regnant Duchess of Wołów-Oława as her Oprawa wdowia). Shortly after, Louise send her son to study in Frankfurt
Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, located on the Oder River, on the German-Polish border directly opposite the town of Słubice which was a part of Frankfurt until 1945. At the end of the 1980s it reached a population peak with more than 87,000 inhabitants...
. The regency of the Dowager Duchess faced the opposition of the Protestant states of Legnica-Brzeg, thanks to her more and more openly support to the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
faith; the major scandal occurred when the young Duke's older sister Karolina
Karolina of Legnica-Brieg
Karolina of Legnica-Brieg , was a Princess of Legnica-Brzeg and by marriage Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Wiesenburg and Princess of Denmark....
, married Frederick, member of the aristocrat Catholic family of Schleswig
Schleswig
Schleswig or South Jutland is a region covering the area about 60 km north and 70 km south of the border between Germany and Denmark; the territory has been divided between the two countries since 1920, with Northern Schleswig in Denmark and Southern Schleswig in Germany...
-Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
-Sonderburg-Wiesenburg.
On 14 March 1675 George William took formal possession of the government of his lands. One month before, the young Duke went to the Imperial court in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, where he made his solemn homage to the Emperor Leopold I. Immediately after the beginning of George William's personal rule, Duchess Louise was forced to give up her land of Wołów as part of her Oprawa wdowia. The announcing of a good and prosper government of George William were stopped with the sudden death of the Duke on 21 November 1675. The reason for his death was a strong fever developed shortly after return of a hunt, the first sign of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
. The Duke was buried in the church of St. John in Legnica alongside his father.
The independent Masovian Piasts
Dukes of Masovia
The Dukes of Masovia were a line of the Piast dynasty who ruled in Masovia. The following is a list of all rulers of the Duchy of Masovia and its parts...
died out in 1526, while the Duchy of Teschen (Cieszyn) line died out in 1653. George William was therefore the last ruling member of all the Piast dynasty
Piast dynasty
The Piast dynasty was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. It began with the semi-legendary Piast Kołodziej . The first historical ruler was Duke Mieszko I . The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir the Great...
. Upon his death, the Duchy of Legnica-Brzeg reverted back to the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, which for centuries was ruled by the Habsburg Monarchy
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, who took up the government, despite the claims of George William's morganatic uncle, Count August of Legnica. Duchess Louise retain her lands of Wołów and Oława until her death in 1680, when they were also merged by the Holy Roman Empire. George William's only surviving sibling, Caroline, died in 1707.
As a member of the branch of the Dukes of Silesia
Dukes of Silesia
The Dukes of Silesia were the sons and descendants of the Polish Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth. In accordance with the last will and testament of Bolesław, upon his death his lands were divided into 4-5 hereditary provinces distributed among his sons, and a royal province of Kraków reserved for the...
, who are since the 17th century referred to as Silesian Piasts
Silesian Piasts
The Silesian Piasts were the oldest line of the Piast dynasty beginning with Władysław II the Exile, son of Bolesław III Wrymouth, Duke of Poland...
, a branch of the Piast dynasty
Piast dynasty
The Piast dynasty was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. It began with the semi-legendary Piast Kołodziej . The first historical ruler was Duke Mieszko I . The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir the Great...
. When the 15 year old Georg Wilhelm died, his mother had a masoleum built for him at Liegnitz. On its foundation stone a text was carved referring to him as Silesian Piast. The term Piast dynasty
Piast dynasty
The Piast dynasty was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. It began with the semi-legendary Piast Kołodziej . The first historical ruler was Duke Mieszko I . The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir the Great...
was first used in a history book by Polish historian Adam Naruszewicz
Adam Naruszewicz
Adam Stanisław Naruszewicz was a Polish nobleman from an impoverished aristocratic family, poet, historian, dramatist, translator, publicist, Jesuit and titular Bishop of Smolensk and bishop of Łuck .His family had a small estate in Polesie and he was educated at Pinsk.As a senator he...
in his books History of Poland, which he started in 1779.