| George of Poděbrady | |
|---|---|
 Jiří of Poděbrady as depicted in 1607 | |
| King of Bohemia | |
| Reign | 2 March 1458 – 22 March 1471 |
| Coronation | 2 March 1458,Prague[1] |
| Predecessor | Ladislaus the Posthumous |
| Successor | Vladislaus II |
| Born | (1420-04-23)23 April 1420 probably atPoděbrady Castle |
| Died | 22 March 1471(1471-03-22) (aged 50) Prague |
| Spouses | Kunigunde of Sternberg Johana of Rožmitál |
| Issue | Boček IV of Poděbrady Victor, Duke of Münsterberg Henry the Elder, Duke of Münsterberg-Oels Catherine, Queen of Hungary and Croatia Sidonie, Duchess of Saxony Henry the Younger, Duke of Münsterberg Ludmila, Duchess of Legnica |
| House | Poděbrady |
| Father | Victor of Munsterberg |
| Religion | UtraquistHussite |
George of Kunštát and Poděbrady (23 April 1420 – 22 March 1471), also known asPoděbrad orPodiebrad (Czech:Jiří z Poděbrad;German:Georg von Podiebrad), was the sixteenthKing of Bohemia, who ruled in 1458–1471. He was a leader of theHussites, but moderate and tolerant toward theCatholic faith. His rule was marked by great efforts to preserve peace and tolerance between the Hussites and Catholics in the religiously dividedCrown of Bohemia – hence his contemporary nicknames: "King of two peoples" (Czech:král dvojího lidu) and "Friend of peace" (přítel míru).
During the 19th century, in period of the so-calledCzech National Revival, he began to be praised (even somewhat idealized) as the lastCzech national monarch (in terms of ethnic awareness), a great diplomat and a courageous fighter against the domination of the Catholic Church. In modern times he is remembered mainly for his idea and attempt to establish common European Christian institutions, which is now seen as an early historical vision of European unity.
George was the son ofVictor of Kunštát and Poděbrady, a Bohemian nobleman whose ancestors were ofMoravian origin, one of the leaders of more moderate faction (calledUtraquists) of theHussites during theHussite Wars. George's mother is not known by name and it is likely that George was born out of wedlock; during his life he repeatedly heard ridicule from his enemies about his origin.
At the age of fourteen, George himself took part in theBattle of Lipany (1434), which marked the downfall of more radical Hussite factions (Taborites andOrebites) and the end of revolutionary phase of the Hussite movement. By that time he was already orphaned, as his father had died in 1427.
Early in life, as one of the leaders of the Hussite party, he defeated Austrian troops of KingAlbert II, who had succeeded KingSigismund as King of Bohemia,Germany andHungary. George soon became a prominent member of the Hussite party after the death ofHynce Ptáček of Pirkstein, its leader.[2][3]
King Albert was succeeded by his posthumously born sonLadislaus, during whose reign Bohemia sharply divided into two parties: the party faithful to Rome, led by powerful "viceroy"Oldřich II of Rosenberg, and the Hussite party, led by George.[2]
After various attempts at reconciliation, George sought a military decision. He gradually raised an armed force in north-eastern Bohemia, where the Hussites were strong and where his ancestralLitice Castle was situated. In 1448, he marched this army, about 9000 strong, fromKutná Hora toPrague, and obtained possession of the capital almost without resistance.[3]
Civil war broke out, but George succeeded in defeating the nobles who remained faithful to Rome. In 1451 the EmperorFrederick III, as guardian of the young king Ladislaus, entrusted Poděbrad with the administration of Bohemia. In the same year adiet assembled at Prague also confirmed the regency on George.[3]
The struggle of the Hussites against the papal party continued uninterruptedly, and the position of George became a very difficult one when the young king Ladislaus, who was crowned in 1453, expressed his pro-Roman sympathies, though he had recognized the compacts and the ancient privileges of Bohemia. In 1457 King Ladislaus died suddenly and some voices accused George of having poisoned him.[3] However, research in 1985 provedacute leukemia as the cause of death.[citation needed]
On 2 March 1458 theestates of Bohemia unanimously chose George as king. Even the adherents of the papal party voted for him, some in honour of his moderate policies, some out of deference to popular feeling, which opposed the election of a foreign ruler.[2][3]
George attempted to rule in a moderate manner based on theCompacta of Prague. He won the loyalty of some Catholics, but had to contend with the opposition ofPope Pius II, which proved one of the most serious obstacles to his rule. Pius declared the Compacta null and void in 1462 and wished George to consent to this. George rejected this demand but endeavoured to curry favour with the Papal See by punishing the more extreme Hussites (Taborites) or members of then newly foundedUnitas Fratrum church.
George attempted to secure peace with Rome by a radical suggestion, which some consider to have been a proposal before its time of a European Union.[4][5] He proposed a treaty among all Christian powers, withHungary,Poland, Bohemia,Bavaria,Brandenburg,Saxony,France,Burgundy andItalian states and its princes the founding members, but others, especially the Hispanic powers, joining later. The member states would pledge to settle all differences by exclusively peaceful means. There was to be a common parliament and other common institutions. George couched the proposal in Christian terms ("Europe" is not explicitly mentioned) as a way to stop the "abominableTurk", who hadconquered Constantinople in 1453.
He sent his brother-in-lawJaroslav Lev of Rožmitál on a tour of European courts with a draft treaty ofthe message of peace to promote the idea. George hoped that the treaty would come into effect in 1464. It is seen as one of historical proposals of European unity foreshadowing theEuropean Union.[6]
That did not happen. All George's endeavours to establish peace with Rome proved ineffectual, but Pius II's plan of a crusade against Bohemia remained unexecuted. After Pius' death in 1464, George attempted to negotiate with the new pope,Paul II,[3] who proved to be an equally determined opponent.
George made enemies among the nobles of the papal party, who assembled at Zelená Hora (Grüneberg) on 28 November 1465 to voice their grievances and conclude an alliance against the king. The alliance was from the outset supported by Paul II, who, on 23 December 1466, excommunicated George and pronounced his deposition as king of Bohemia, which released all subjects of the Bohemian crown from their oaths of allegiance to George. Emperor Frederick III and Hungarian KingMatthias Corvinus, George's former ally, joined the insurgent Bohemian nobles, starting theBohemian War. Matthias conquered a large part ofMoravia, and was crowned by the papal party in the Moravian ecclesiastical metropolisOlomouc as king of Bohemia on 3 May 1469.[3]
George was successful against Matthias but, contrary to the wishes of his followers, came to an agreement with the Hungarian king in 1470.
In the spring of1471, however, Jiřík's health deteriorated significantly and he died on the 22nd of March. He was buried in the royal tomb inSt. Vitus Cathedral. His heart and entrails were placed in theChurch of Our Lady before Týn in the Old Town, next to the grave ofJohn of Rokycany.[citation needed]
His followers choseVladislaus II, the son of the Polish king, as his successor to continue the fight against Matthias.
The largeJiřího z Poděbrad Square inPrague 3 with the nearbyeponymous metro station are named after him. Other squares named after him are inOstrava,Hořice,Toužim,Řevnice,Kunštát orNový Knín.
In 1896, an equestrian statue of King George, sculpted byBohuslav Schnirch was erected inPoděbrady.
DuringWorld War I, early in 1917, the 2nd Czechoslovak Rifle Regiment of theCzechoslovak Legions was formed in Russia and named after King George.[7]
In 1440 he marriedKunigunde of Sternberg; they had the following children:
After Kunigunde died in 1449, he marriedJohanna of Rožmitál in 1450, they had the following children:
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Lützow, František (1911). "Poděbrad, George of". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 21 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 873–874.
George of Poděbrady Cadet branch of theLords of Kunštát Born: 23 April 1420 Died: 22 March 1471 | ||
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| Preceded by | King of Bohemia 1458–1471 | Succeeded by |
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| Jagiellonian |
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| Habsburg |
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| Habsburg-Lorraine |
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