In the 12th century, Otakar I was the Duke of Bohemia. Through wily politics, he elevated his duchy to a kingdom, forever enhancing Bohemia in the process.
This article explains the political situation at the time and how Otakar pulled this off.
Medieval Bohemia
In 1192, the young Ottokar became Duke of Bohemia1. He was the son of King Wladislaw II of Bohemia1 and his German wife, Jetta of Thuringia1. This title was not heritable, and the kingdom was going to revert back to a duchy upon his death.
Ottakar didn’t have a kingdom to look forward to.
St Stephen’s rotunda had been built during King Wladislaw’s reign.
Political situation in the Holy Roman Empire
In 1197, the Holy Roman Emperor was Henry VI2.
He had become emperor by Imperial election. The rules of these elections were simple3:
- Prince-electors choose who would be the next King of Germany.
- Once crowned, the King would march to Rome where the Pope would crown him Emperor.
Like any modern election, concessions to voters weakens the legitimacy of elected people. An emperor was only as strong as his personality and leadership skills. The weaker he was, the more concessions he had to make to get elected. The stronger and more persuasive he was, the fewer concessions he had to make.
Henry saw these flaws, and had an idea.
He wanted to change the rules so the title and role would be inherited rather than selected4. This was controversial to anyone who had a vested interest in being the next Emperor. If Henry had succeeded in changing the rules, his successor would have united the titles of:
- Kingdom of Germany
- Kingdom of Italy
- Kingdom of Burgundy
- Kingdom of Sicily
The first 3 were under the Holy Roman Emperor’s jurisdiction, but the Kingdom of Sicily was different. Henry had invaded Sicily, winning it over in 11942. His son was always going to inherit the title of Kingdom of Sicily, but Henry felt it would be better if all four were united under the House of Hohenstaufen.
Henry negotiated with 50 secular princes in the Empire and, after much horse-trading, got their support2 4. The archbishops who were involved in Imperial elections didn’t like the idea of losing any of their authority and power, so they opposed these plans too4. Henry tried to bypass the archbishops by dealing with the Pope but found an opponent here too2 4.
He put his plans on hold, figuring that he’d be able to find a solution2 5.
On 28 September 1197, Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI died of malaria in Messina, Sicily2.
Imperial succession
Since he hadn’t changed the rules, Henry’s death meant a new election. There were two possibilities:
- The electors could go with Henry’s preferred option – his son Frederick II.
- The electors could oppose the house of Hohenstaufen.
The two contenders
As always in these kinds of situation, there were different interests and viewpoints. The two possibilities I list above are a high-level summary of everyone’s intent because no two opinions were 100% the same. After a few years, the various factions coalesced around two possible successors5:
- Philip of Swabia, younger brother of Henry VI, was the pro-Hohenstaufen favourite.
- Otto of Brunswick, nephew of Richard the Lion-Heart, was the anti-Hohenstaufen candidate.
Taking advantage
This was the perfect scenario for Ottakar. He knew that Bohemian military support was essential for both these candidates. He aligned himself with Philip; in exchange for military support he6:
- Elevated the duchy to a kingdom.
- Obtained greater autonomy for Bohemia.
- Ensured the role of King of Bohemia was hereditary.
They crowned Otakar in Mainz in 1198.
As a kingdom, Bohemia became one of the most powerful states in Central Europe6.
Election and emperor
Since both parties couldn’t come to an agreement, they both tried to elect their candidate5:
- Some princes elected Philip on 8 March 1198.
- Some others elected Otto on 9 June.
Philip’s coronation took place on 8 September7; Otto’s on 12 July. In both cases, they didn’t quite follow the rules which mean both elections and both coronations were illegitimate.
Aftermath
On 3 May 1199, Pope Innocent III intervened by excommunicating Philip7. The Pope almost reversed this excommunication when Otto’s popularity waned, but Philip died before that happened. Otto betrayed the Pope who banned Otto – so both candidates were no longer feasible.
Faced with a situation where both electoral candidates were rubbish, the Pope turned to the choice no one had wanted – Henry’s son, Fredrick.
Frederick made many concessions to the demanding Pope, and became the next Emperor2.
Aftermath
The Holy Roman Empire continued in one fashion or another for a few more hundred years.
Frederick spent much of his time at war in Sicily against papal troops, or the Middle East against Muslims. He also re-confirmed Ottakar as King of Bohemia.
Ottakar got all he wanted using his wily political manoeuvres, and went on to build a powerful Bohemia. At its extent, it ruled from the Baltic to the Adriatic Sea6.
- Fmg.ac. (2022). BOHEMIA. [online] Available at: https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/BOHEMIA.htm#_Toc484863357 [Accessed 7 Aug. 2024][↩][↩][↩]
- www.britannica.com. (2023). Henry VI | Holy Roman Emperor, King of Italy & Sicily | Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-VI-Holy-Roman-emperor[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
- Duits, S. (2021). Holy Roman Empire. [online] World History Encyclopedia. Available at: https://www.worldhistory.org/Holy_Roman_Empire/[↩]
- Loud, G. (2014). The German Crusade of 1197–1198. [Article] pp.143–172. Available at: http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/82933/ [Accessed 7 Aug. 2024][↩][↩][↩][↩]
- The History of Cologne Podcast. (2024). #67 Surrounded by Enemies – Cologne in the German Throne Dispute. [online] Available at: https://thehistoryofcologne.com/2024/01/15/67-surrounded-by-enemies-cologne-in-the-german-throne-dispute/ [Accessed 7 Aug. 2024][↩][↩][↩]
- Otakar I | Holy Roman Emperor, Bohemian Ruler, Czech King | Britannica. (2024). In: Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Otakar-I [Accessed 7 Aug. 2024][↩][↩][↩]
- www.britannica.com. (n.d.). Philip | king of Germany | Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Philip-king-of-Germany[↩][↩]