Księstwo karniowsko-rybnickie i jego losy do początku XVI wieku

Abstract

The Duchy of Karniów [Krnov] and Rybnik was established in 1437 as a result of dividing the inheritance that was left by Jan II Żelazny [the Iron-born], the Duke of Racibórz. The duchy was inherited by his son Mikołaj and it retained its territorial integrity till 1465/1466. This is when Jan Starszy [the Elder] and Vaclaus III, who were Mikołaj’s sons, carried out a division that resulted in the establishment of two duchies. The first duchy was the Duchy of Karniów (including Karniów, Bruntal, and Wodzisław) and the other was the Duchy of Rybnik (including Rybnik, Żory, and Pszczyna). What had a pervasive influence on the history of those two small duchies was the war over the Czech crown, which took place in the 1470s between the Jagiellonians and Maciej Korwin. The two brothers were forced to monoeuvre between the two sides of the conflict, which led to rejection of them and treason accusations by both sides of the conflict. Vaclaus ruled unreasonably and then died without an heir in 1478, which brought an end to the Duchy of Rybnik. The Pszczyna part was confiscated by King Maciej Korwin and it was put in pledge with Hynek of Podiebrady. Rybnik and Żory (and half of Baborów) were put in pledge as well. In the case of the Duchy of Karniów King Maciej Korwin was equally intransigent, since he confiscated the Karniów part from Jan Starszy [The Elder] (1474) and took over the Wodzisław part after the duke’s death without an heir (1483). The sisters of the late dukes, Duchess Margaret of Oświęcim and Zator and Barbara of Oświęcim, made efforts to regain the inheritance, but the success was only partial. After a few years’ battle Margaret gave up her rights to Rybnik and Żory (with compensation) and handed them over to Jan IV Młodszy [the Younger] of Racibórz. She lost the competition over the Pszczyna district that she had entered with Duke Casimir of Cieszyn. In turn, Barbara used the death of King Maciej Korwin (1490) to try to regain Karniów, but she only managed to co-rule (till her death) in the Duchy of Karniów with her son-in-law Jiři of Šelmberk, who became the new heir in accordance with the decision made by King Ladislaus the Jagiellonian.