Jan of Ziębice
Encyclopedia
John I of Münsterberg was a Duke of Münsterberg
Ziebice
Ziębice is a town in Ząbkowice Śląskie County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district called Gmina Ziębice. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany...

 (Ziębice) since 1410 (until 1420 with his brother as co-ruler).

He was the second son of Duke Bolko III of Münsterberg
Bolko III of Ziębice
Bolko III of Münsterberg was a Duke of Münsterberg since 1358 until his death, and ruler over Gleiwitz during 1369–1373....

 by his wife Euphemia, daughter of Duke Bolesław of Bytom
Bolesław of Bytom
Bolesław of Bytom , was a Duke of Koźle from 1347 and Duke of Bytom since 1352 until his death.He was the second son of Duke Władysław of Bytom but the eldest by his second wife Ludgarda, daughter of Henry II the Lion, Prince of Mecklenburg and Lord of Stargard.-Life:After the death of his elder...

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Life

The death of his older brother Nicholas (9 November 1405) made him the heir of his father. Bolko III died in 1410 and was succeeded by John, who an adult at that time, don't need a regency (like his father). John co-ruled with his younger brother Henry II
Henry II of Ziębice
Henry II of Münsterberg was Duke of Münsterberg since 1410 until his death .He was the third son of Duke Bolko III of Münsterberg by his wife Euphemia, daughter of Duke Bolesław of Bytom.-Life:...

, but he retained all the government in his hands. Henry II died childless in 1420 and since them Jan ruled alone over Münsterberg. Like his father and grandfather, he remained as a faithful vassal of the House of Luxembourg
House of Luxembourg
The House of Luxembourg was a late medieval German dynasty, which between 1308 and 1437 ruled the Holy Roman Empire, twice interrupted by the rivaling House of Wittelsbach.-History:...

.

During the first years of his rule the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War took place. He participated there at the side of the Teutonic Order; however, his interference in the war was limited, especially after the Battle of Tucholą (4 November 1410), where he escaped from the battlefield with other noble and Teutonic knights.

On 6 January 1420 John was present in the Reichstag
Reichstag (Holy Roman Empire)
The Imperial Diet was the Diet, or general assembly, of the Imperial Estates of the Holy Roman Empire.During the period of the Empire, which lasted formally until 1806, the Diet was not a parliament in today's sense; instead, it was an assembly of the various estates of the realm...

 of Breslau
Wroclaw
Wrocław , situated on the River Oder , is the main city of southwestern Poland.Wrocław was the historical capital of Silesia and is today the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. Over the centuries, the city has been part of either Poland, Bohemia, Austria, Prussia, or Germany, but since 1945...

 (Wroclaw), where he spent a major disincentive to the Polish sentence in the process against the Teutonic Order.

The previous politics of his predecessors was negligible, so when John assumed the government over his Duchy, he only had the town of Münsterberg. For this reasons, he married by 19 March 1408 with Elizabeth
Elizabeth Lackovic
Elizabeth Lacković was a Croatian-Hungarian noble lady of the Lacković family.Elizabeth was daughter of Emerik I Lacković, general starost of Ruthenia and Ban of Dalmatia and of Hungary....

 (d. 22 February/27 December 1424), widow of the powerful Polish magnate Spytek II of Melsztyn
Spytek z Melsztyna (1322-1399)
Spytek of Melsztyn was a Polish nobleman .Spytek was owner of Melsztyn estates. He served as Court Marshal since 1373, voivode of Kraków Voivodeship since 1381, starosta of Biec since 1383 and Kraków since 1390....

 and daughter of Emerik I Lacković, General Starost of Ruthenia
Ruthenia
Ruthenia is the Latin word used onwards from the 13th century, describing lands of the Ancient Rus in European manuscripts. Its geographic and culturo-ethnic name at that time was applied to the parts of Eastern Europe. Essentially, the word is a false Latin rendering of the ancient place name Rus...

, Ban
Ban (title)
Ban was a title used in several states in central and south-eastern Europe between the 7th century and the 20th century.-Etymology:The word ban has entered the English language probably as a borrowing from South Slavic ban, meaning "lord, master; ruler". The Slavic word is probably borrowed from...

 of Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....

 (Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...

n Voivodship) and of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

. Thanks to this union, John obtain a huge dowry and the needed financial autonomy. The case was more strange by the fact that Elisabeth's first husband was one of the most closest advisers of King Władysław II Jogaila
Jogaila
Jogaila, later 'He is known under a number of names: ; ; . See also: Jogaila : names and titles. was Grand Duke of Lithuania , king consort of Kingdom of Poland , and sole King of Poland . He ruled in Lithuania from 1377, at first with his uncle Kęstutis...

 of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

, the long-time enemy of John's sovereign, the Sigismund of Luxembourg, King of Hungary and Germany
Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
Sigismund of Luxemburg KG was King of Hungary, of Croatia from 1387 to 1437, of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor for four years from 1433 until 1437, the last Emperor of the House of Luxemburg. He was also King of Italy from 1431, and of Germany from 1411...

. Moreover, despite the hostile politics of King Sigismund, Elizabeth successfully continued with his many Polish contacts, even after his remarriage with the Duke of Münsterberg. The union proved to be childless, so John was the last male representative of Münsterberg 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...

.

By 1428 Silesia was in the middle of the Hussite Wars
Hussite Wars
The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars involved the military actions against and amongst the followers of Jan Hus in Bohemia in the period 1419 to circa 1434. The Hussite Wars were notable for the extensive use of early hand-held gunpowder weapons such as hand cannons...

. Initially, seeing no chances of victory, the Duke Louis II of Brieg
Louis II of Brieg
Louis II of Brieg; , was a Duke of Brzeg from 1399 and Duke of Legnica from 1413....

 entered into an arrangement with John, under which he was compelled to not interfere with the movements of enemy troops. However, and for unknown reasons, John broke the ceasefire, and with this he began his participation in the war.

John died on 27 August 1428 in the battle of Altwilmsdorf (Stary Wielisław), in the Valley of Glatz (Kłodzko), fighting against the Hussite leader Jan Kralovca. The cause of the disaster was a thoughtless attack of the Hussite troops, or earthwork built wagons from the battle. It's unknown where John was buried. On the alleged place of the Duke's death was built a Chapel during 1904-1905 designed by Ludwig Schneider.

After his death, and according to the treaty of 1343, the Duchy of Münsterberg was anexed by the Kingdom of Bohemia
Kingdom of Bohemia
The Kingdom of Bohemia was a country located in the region of Bohemia in Central Europe, most of whose territory is currently located in the modern-day Czech Republic. The King was Elector of Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution in 1806, whereupon it became part of the Austrian Empire, and...

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