Province of Opava

Who he is

Name

Not named for 1200 in the sources reached

Title

Castellan of Hradec (the provincial castle)

Since

not pinned

Born

not pinned

Family

not pinned

Confidence

low

German and English Wikipedia (Herzogtum Troppau, Duchy of Opava) say the province was part of the margraviate of Moravia until Ottokar II made it a separate duchy for his son Nicholas (1260s); English Wikipedia (Hradec nad Moravicí) dates the first mention of Hradec and its fortress to 1060 (1066 in the infobox); Opava itself is first named in 1195 and received town privileges in 1224.

Overlord

Moravian ground. Whether its castellan answers that winter to the Olomouc prince, to the king or to the margrave is not pinned. It is usually reckoned part of the Olomouc appanage in the twelfth century (general knowledge, not checked here); in 1224 it is King Ottokar I who grants Opava its town law.

What it holds

• Hradec castle on the Moravice and its district.
• The settlement of Opava on the Opava river (first named 1195).
• The upland towards Bruntál and Krnov (Bruntál founded about 1213; Krnov later), and the open land north of the Opava towards Głubczyce (Leobschütz) and Kietrz (not pinned for 1200).

How it was acquired

Part of Moravia since the eleventh century as the Holasice province.

Allies and rivals

Neighbours across the frontier: Mieszko Tanglefoot, duke of Racibórz (outside); the bishop of Wrocław's Nysa land (outside).

How things stand that morning

Moravian ground under a castellan at Hradec who is not named; whose officer he is on 1 January 1200 is not pinned. The Silesian frontier is not known to be raided that winter.

Wealth

The road from Olomouc through the Moravian Gate to Silesia and Kraków; the river crossings at Opava; farmland north of the Opava river.

Military

Hradec castle and the men of its district. No numbers.

Threats

• Silesian claims or raids from Racibórz.
• Neglect while Olomouc's lordship is uncertain.

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

1. 1215 and 1224Opava receives a town statute (1215), then Magdeburg law and the rank of royal town from Ottokar I (1224).Depends on: Settlers and the ruler's grant. Stopped by: War on the Silesian frontier.

Places of note

• Hradec castle: Provincial castle on the Moravice, first named 1060.
• Opava: Settlement on the Opava river, first named 1195.

Where the sources disagree

• German Wikipedia (Herzogtum Troppau) says the town of Opava was founded 'about 1200'; German Wikipedia (Opava) gives a merchant settlement of the twelfth century, first named 1195, a town statute in 1215 and Magdeburg law in 1224. On 1 January 1200 it should be treated as a merchant settlement, not a chartered town.

Evidence: The province's Moravian status is clear; its castellan, its lord that winter and its exact limits are not pinned.

On the map: Limits drawn from the later duchy; in 1200 the province was a castle district on a frontier of forests and open farmland.

Primary sources for Moravia

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

• Annals of Jarloch (Gerlach), abbot of Milevsko, Jarloch of Milevsko (about 1200 to 1220). The last Bohemian narrative before 1200, continuing Vincentius of Prague. Read online
• The Austrian and Salzburg annals (kept in the 12th and 13th centuries, with continuations to the late 13th century). A family of monastic annals from Austria, Styria and Salzburg, printed together. Read online
• Charters and letters of the kingdom of Bohemia, volume 2, 1198 to 1230 (documents of 1198 to 1230, edited 1912). The critical edition of every Bohemian and Moravian charter and letter from Ottokar I's accession to 1230.