Duchy of Głubczyce

Duchy of Głubczyce (Czech: Hlubčické knížectví, German: Herzogtum Leobschütz, Polish: Księstwo Głubczyckie) was one of the duchies of Silesia. Its capital was Głubczyce in Upper Silesia.

The town was historically mentioned for the first time in 1107. At the time, it was a small Moravian village, named Glubcici, and was dominated by a large wooden castle. The town stood on the right bank of the Psina River, which from 1137 on formed the border between Moravia and Silesia. The exact date of the city's founding is unknown, but it is traceable, back to 1224, that the city is also Lubschicz, a settlement founded by Ottokar I of Bohemia. However, the town was destroyed by invading Mongolian hordes. During the city's rebuilding, the left bank of the Psina was also settled, and in 1270, city rights were granted to the town by Ottokar II of Bohemia.

During this time, a wall stood around the city, complete with watchtowers and a moat. A large church was also constructed in the town, and was assigned by Ottokar II to the Order of Saint John. In 1298, the town received expanded rights from Wenceslaus II of Bohemia. The rights extended to the town were to serve as an example for other towns in the years that followed. In 1365, the town became the seat of a principality, and in 1482, the town was the seat of the Přemyslids. However, the last member of the family entered a Franciscan cloister. The city lost its status as a principality seat in 1503, and the principality ceased to exist. The city was transferred to the control of the principality of Jägerndorf (now Krnov).

Bibliography

• ŽÁČEK, Rudolf. Dějiny Slezska v datech. Praha : Libri, 2003. ISBN 80-7277-172-8.