Georg Podiebrad, King of Bohemia
1458-1471, (1420-1471)
Born 23 April 1420
Died 22 March 1471 Prag
Married (1) circa 1440
Freiin Kunigunde von Sternberg, daughter of Smilo, Freiherr
von Sternberg and Freiin Barbara von Pardubicz
Born 18 November 1422
Died 19 November 1449 Prag
Buried Podiebrad
Married (2) 1450 / 1451
Johanna von Rozmital, daughter of Johann von Rozmital and
Ludmilla Bawor von Strakonicz
Born before 1432
Died 12 November 1475 Melnik
Buried Prag
Georg Podiebrad became an adherent of the moderate Hussites. When the
Catholic Barons (1438) carried the election of Emperor Albrecht II to the
Bohemian crown, Podiebrad allied himself with the Utraquists in Tabor,
who offered it to Casimir, King of Poland. After forcing Albrecht to raise
the siege of Tabor and retire to Prag, Georg Podiebrad became leader of
the Utraquists, seized Prag (1448), and
became Regent (1453-1467) for the young King Ladislaus. On Ladislaus's
death, Georg Podiebrad was crowned his successor in 1458.
He succeeded for a while in allaying the bitterness of religious zeal.
In 1462 he decided to uphold the terms of the 'compactata' of Prag (1433);
this angered Pius II, but the emperor restrained him from
excommunicating Georg Podiebrad. The next pope, however, Paul II, excommunicated
him in 1466.
Matthias Corvinus of Hungary took the field to enforce the ban; but
Georg Podiebrad forced him into a truce at Wilamow (1469). Nevertheless
Matthias was crowned by the Catholic barons. Georg Podiebrad left the succession
to Bohemia to a Polish prince, Ladislaus II.
Source: Leo van de Pas |
