BOHEMIA
Gertrude of
Andechs-Merano and Przemysl Ottokar II
Gertrude of Andechs-Merano and her family. (Hedwigs-Codex fol 10v°)
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The image of a noble
family with nine children in the so-called. Hedwig’s Codex is commonly called "The Family of
Gertrude of Andechs-Meran" in modern publications. [1]
Represented are (f.l.t.r): St. Elizabeth, Gertrude, Queen of Hungary (the
mother of Elizabeth); Agnes, Queen of France; St. Hedwig, Duchess of Silesia;
Agnes, Duchess of Merano; Berthold VI, Duke of Merano; Berthold Patriarch of
Aquileia; Ekbert, Bishop of Bamberg; Otto, Duke of Merano and Henry, Margrave
of Istria. On the ground in front Mahaut, Abbess of Kitzingen.
The names are written in figures and text at the top BERCHTHOLDUS DUX MERANIE PR SCE HEDWIGIS
AGNES UXOR EIUS CU FILIIS & FILIALY SUIS INFRA POLITIS. The
manuscript would have been made in 1353 and was commissioned by Louis I of
Liegnitz-Brieg (r. 1356-'98). [2] This would be quite
obvious when the coats of arms depicted on the ailettes of Berthold and Agnes and the shield at the left foot of
Berthold would be the coats of arms of Andechs-Meran. However, the coat of arms
of the dukes of Merano was a white eagle and the coat of arms of the last
duke, Otto III, who in 1234 succeeded in the title of Merano and Franche
Comté, a lion above an eagle. On the shield of the head of household,
however, is a black eagle on white and he and his wife are wearing the coats
of arms of Carinthia on their shoulders. The coat of arms of Carinthia was
initially, as Conrad von Mure says:. Albo Carinthia duo nigri stare leones /
Sed gilvam zonam mid rubei fore pones (i.e. two black lions on gold
divided by red, a white bar). But why this coat of arms is depicted and not the coat of
arms with the usual three lions dating from a little later, is unclear. The coat of arms with
the black eagle can be anything, from Sicily to Echternach but in this
regard, it is nevertheless the most likely that it is the coat of arms of Bohemia which in the thirteenth
century was white with a black eagle. In the Middle Ages the commissioner
of such a precious work as a manuscript often appears on one of the folios,
sometimes presenting the work. So it is quite possible that here the client
and his family are portrayed. This would be, judging after the coats of arms
displayed, the Duke of Carinthia, king of Bohemia. This could have been one
of two princes: Przemysl Ottokar II king of Bohemia from 1269 to 1278 who was
also Duke of Carinthia, and Henry, Duke of Carinthia, from 1295-1335 and King
of Bohemia from 1307 to 1310. This Henry was ousted in 1310 by John the Blind
of Luxemburg and Henry was thereafter confined to his own duchy. When Henry of Carinthia
and his wife are depicted, the number of children would not
make sense because, although married three times, he had only three children
including two illegitimate ones. [3] Przemysl Ottokar II has
been married twice, first in 1252 with Margareth of Austria and then, from
1261 with Kunhuty of Kiev. From this last marriage he had three children viz.
Agnes († 1296), Kunhuty, later abbess of the St. George Monastery in Prague
(† 1313) and Wenceslas II (*1271- † 1305). He had four illegitimate children
viz. a daughter whose name is not known and who
married in 1276, Nicholas († 1318), John († 1296) and Elizabeth (†?).
Together four daughters and three sons. On the picture we may
notice that the outer two children, "St. Elizabeth" and "Henry" have
been added later. [4]
The original number of children which stood on the image thus closely
corresponds to the number of children of Przemysl Ottokar II. The girl with
the nimbus is Abbess Kunhuty and the two mitered men are Nicholas and John
which may have been, due to their illegitimacy, destined for the ministry. [5]
The boy with the ducal hat is Wenceslas II, who succeeded his father in 1278.
The two other girls wear ducal coronets while Elizabeth (with a with a little
crozier!) is still an infant. If indeed Przemysl
Ottokar II is repesented, then the family portrait must date from his last
years of life as Wenceslas II, although only born in 1271, already is represented
as a big boy. The most likely year of onset is therefore 1278. The ducal hat instead
of a the royal crown he is wearing indicates that he is represented as a Duke
of Carinthia and not as the king of Bohemia. This
would be related then to the fact he had inherited
Carinthia for which he did not have to pay homage.
All other areas in which he claimed the regime were fiefs which had been withdrawn
by Roman King Rudolf I, but which he refused to give up. In a campaign that
was taken against him, he was killed in the battle of Dürnkrut (28 August
1278). That the manuscript is in the hands of Louis I of Brieg in 1353 can be explained by the fact that his mother Margareth was a daughter of Wenceslas II and a granddaughter of Przemysl Ottokar II. Presumably, the manuscript, which is indeed about the life of St. Hedwig († 1243) is, therefore, not ordered by him - he was penniless - but "adapted" by adding captions and, perhaps, the new figures.
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© Hubert de Vries 2017-02-08