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Charles Christopher, Duke of Munsterberg
(also
Charles Christopher of Pod?brady
,
Czech
:
Karel Kri?tof z Pod?brad
or
Karel Kri?tof z Minstrberka
; 22 May 1545,
Ole?nica
? 17 March 1569, Ole?nica) was duke of
Munsterberg
from 1565 until his death. He also held the title of Count of
Glatz
.
Life
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Charles Christopher, Duke of Munsterberg was a member of the Munsterberg branch of the
House of Pod?brady
. His parents were Duke
John
of Munsterberg-Oels and his first wife Christina Catherine of Schidlowitz (
Czech
:
Kristyna Katarzyna Szydłowiecka
; 1519?1556).
In 1558 Charles Christopher undertook a
Grand Tour
through Europe and then stayed at the court of Emperor
Ferdinand I
. After the death of his father, who had married his second wife Margaret (d. 1580), a daughter of Duke
Henry II of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel
since 1561, Charles Christopher inherited in February 1565 the duchy of Munsterberg. The
Duchy of Oels
was inherited his cousin
Charles II
, the
Duchy of Bernstadt
was inherited by his brother
Henry III
. Like his father and his brothers Charles Christopher supported the
Reformation
in his territory. In 1567, Catholic services were suspended in the Peter and Paul cathedral in Munsterberg.
Charles Christopher was not married, and died after a short reign only four years later at the age of 24 years. With his death the rule of the House of Pod?brady in Munsterberg ended. The duchy fell to the
Bohemian Crown
as a vacant
fief
. The other lines of the Pod?brady family were allowed to use the title of "Duke of Munsterberg" until the Pod?brady family died out in 1647.
Ten years after Charles Christopher's death his cousin Barbara of Bieberstein donated a marble
epitaph
to the Castle Church at
Oels
. It was probably created by Hans Fleiser (also called Gruyter) and shows Duke Charles Christopher clad in armour.
[1]
References
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External links
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