Jan IV of Oświęcim
Jan IV | |
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Duke of Oświęcim, Gliwice | |
Born | 1426/1430 |
Died | by 21 February 1497 |
Noble family | Silesian Piasts of Opole |
Spouse(s) | Katharina Barbara of Karniów |
Issue | Helena of Oświęcim |
Father | Casimir I of Oświęcim |
Mother | Anna of Żagań |
Jan IV of Oświęcim (Polish: Jan IV oświęcimski; 1426/1430 – by 21 February 1497), was a Duke of Oświęcim during 1434–1456 (until 1445 with his brothers as co-rulers) and Duke of Gliwice from 1465 to 1482.
He was the third son of Duke Casimir I of Oświęcim by his first wife Anna, daughter of Duke Henry VIII of Żagań.
Life
At the time of his father's death in 1434 Jan IV was still a minor, so was placed under the care of his older brother Wenceslaus I.
In 1441, Wenceslaus I agreed to become a vassal of the
On 19 January 1445 was made the formal division of the Duchy between Casimir I's sons. Despite the fact that he was the youngest brother, Jan IV received Oświęcim, the capital of the Duchy, and the towns of Kęty, Żywiec and half of Gliwice.
Since the beginning of his reign Jan IV joined in adventurous politics with his Silesian cousin. One of his first decisions was not recognized the purchase of
In 1448 it seemed that the Jan IV's anti-Polish politics were definitively ended when he signed a border agreement with
The reaction of the Polish King wasn't long in coming. In 1453, a large Polish army under the command of the
Despite his defeat, Jan IV didn't change his conduct and soon after he began the siege of Oświęcim, then under the hands of Jan z Czyżowa. This expedition was unsuccessful, so Jan IV withdrew to the Wolek Castle, from where he conducted trips to the Lesser Poland area.
Eventually, Jan IV accepted that he had lost all chances for victory, and in 1454 he finally agreed to sell his Duchy to the Kingdom of Poland for 20,000
Jan IV briefly joined the
In 1460, after the death of Bolko V the Hussite, Duke of Opole, Jan IV tried to claim his domains, but was defeated by Bolko V's brother, Nicholas I.
In 1462, with money from the Polish King, he bought Gliwice with
In 1471, Jan IV and his brother Przemysław supported the election of
In 1482, and for unknown reasons, Jan IV sold the rest of his lands in Gliwice; in 1484 he inherited Toszek after the death of his brother Przemysław, but almost immediately the land was confiscated by King Matthias, who claimed more dubious rights to them.
Little is known about Jan IV's last years. He probably retired to the Duchy of Karniów, inherited by his second wife in 1491. Jan IV died around 1496–1497 and was probably buried in Karniów.
Marriages and Issue
By 30 December 1465, Jan IV married firstly with certain Katharina, whose origins are unknown.
Around 1475, Jan IV married secondly with Barbara (b. 1445 – d. 27 April 1510), daughter of Duke Nicholas V of Karniów. She succeeded in 1491 as Duchess of Karniów. They had one daughter:
- Helena (b. 1478/80 – d. aft. 1524), married in 1492 to Baron George of Schellenberg.
Ancestry
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References
- (in Polish) Jan (Janusz) IV Oświęcimski (Gliwicki) (genealogy, heraldics, timeline)
- Marek, Miroslav. "Complete Genealogy of the House of Piast". Genealogy.EU.[better source needed]
- Genealogical database by Herbert Stoyan
Further reading
- Krzysztof Rafał Prokop, Księstwa oświęcimskie i zatorskie wobec Korony Polskiej w latach 1438–1513. Dzieje polityczne, Polska Akademia Umiejętności, Kraków 2002
- Marcin Spórna, Piotr Wierzbicki, Słownik władców Polski i pretendentów do tronu polskiego, Wydawnictwo Zielona Sowa, Kraków 2003
- Stanisław Szczur, Krzysztof Ożóg, Piastowie, Wydawnictwo Literackie, Kraków 1999