Joachim of Münsterberg-Oels

Joachim of Münsterberg (also: Joachim of Poděbrady or Joachim of Münsterberg-Oels; German: Joachim von Münsterberg or Joachim von Podiebrad; Czech: Jáchym z Minstrberka; 18 January 1503, Oleśnica/Oels – 27 December 1562, Wrocław/Breslau) was a Duke of Münsterberg and from 1536 to 1542 also Duke of Oels. He also held the title of a Count of Kladsko/Glatz, though he never ruled Kladsko. From 1545 to 1560 he was Bishop of Brandenburg.

Life

Joachim was a member of the Münsterberg branch of the Bohemian noble Poděbrady family. His parents were Charles I of Münsterberg-Oels and Anna of Sagan, daughter of Duke John II "the Mad" of Żagań. At the instigation of his father, Joachim was brought up in 1515–1517 by Johann Hess, who at the time held a canonicate in Nysa.^[1]

After the death of their father, Charles I in 1536, the brothers Joachim, Henry II, John and George II initially ruled Münsterberg jointly. In a joint deed dated 25 June 1535, they awarded the city of Srebrna Góra/Silberberg, which belonged to Münsterberg, the status of free mining town. Unlike their father, Joachim and his brothers followed the Lutheran doctrine.

In 1537, they expelled the Catholic priests from Münsterberg/Ziębice and appointed a Lutheran vicar. In the same year, Elector Joachim II of Brandenburg promised Joachim in Bautzen the bishopric of either Lebus or Brandenburg, when one of these would be available. In return, Joachim and his brothers waived their claims on Krosno Odrzańskie/Crossen an der Oder.^[2]

In 1542, Joachim and his brothers pledged the heavily indebted duchy of Münsterberg to their uncle Duke Frederick II of Legnica. John continued to rule the Duchy of Oels and Henry II ruled until 1548 part of the Duchy of Bernstadt.

Against the opposition of the chapter of the cathedral, which revolted against the enforcement of the Reformation, Elector Joachim II, who had converted to Lutheranism in 1539, appointed - in accordance with his promise made in 1537 - Joachim of Münsterberg, who now openly turned to Lutheranism, as bishop of the diocese of Brandenburg on 6 November 1545. With this appointment, Joachim also received the rank of an imperial prince, and was thus equal in rank to the Margrave of Brandenburg. In 1560 he abdicated the secular rule of the bishopric, in favour of the elector's son, prince John George. After Elector Joachim's death in 1571, the secular rule of the bishopric was incorporated into the electorate.

References

• Hugo Weczerka: Manual of historic sites: Silesia, Stuttgart: 1977, ISBN 3-520-31601-3, p. 322 and 506 as well as genealogical tables on p. 602-603.

External links

• Die Bistümer der Kirchenprovinz Magdeburg (German)
• Marek, Miroslav. "genealogy Podiebrad". Genealogy.EU. 

Footnotes