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- BIOGRAPHY
Heinrich II (Hinko) 'the Younger' was born on 17 May 1452, the son of Georg Podiebrad, king of Bohemia, and his second wife Johanna z Rozmitalu. He received a humanist education and participated in tournaments. His father, who could not pass on the kingdom of Bohemia to any of his sons, arranged with Emperor Friedrich III for his eldest son Viktorin to be appointed as a Count of the Empire in 1459, and for his sons Heinrich I and Heinrich II to be so appointed in 1462. Georg had earlier appointed these three sons as counts of Glatz and invested them with the county of Glatz and the duchy of Münsterberg, and from 1465 also with the duchy of Opava (Troppau) which he had acquired in 1464. So from 1462 to 1471 Heinrich ruled as duke of Münsterberg jointly with his older half brothers. He also ruled the duchy of Opava with them.
On 26 February 1471 Heinrich married Katharina von Sachsen, the daughter of Wilhelm III 'der Tapfere', Herzog von Sachsen in Thüringen und Meissen, and Anna of Austria. They had two children of whom Anna would have progeny, marrying Jindrich IV z Hradce, high chancellor of Bohemia.
Heinrich's father died a month after his wedding. Although Heinrich had supported him in politics and religion from a young age, he now turned to the Catholic faith. Georg's successor as king of Bohemia, Wladislaw Jagiello, undertook to protect Georg's sons and to take over their debts.
In accordance with Georg's inheritance plan, his possessions were divided in 1472. Heinrich 'the Younger' inherited Podebrady and Kostomlat, as well as estates in Silesia. His mother also bequeathed to him Lichtemburk, Melnik and Teplitz.
On the recommendation of his mother, Heinrich in 1472 was elected as provincial administrator at the State Diet of Benesov. However, unlike his mother he sided with the Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus, the rival of Jagiello for the kingdom of Bohemia. The reason for this was probably the slow repayment of Heinrich's debts by Jagiello, whereas Corvinus did so without hesitation. The lordship of Kolin, which Heinrich had received from his older brother Viktorin, was bought by Matthias Corvinus in 1475 for 20,000 ducats, and he then stationed Hungarian occupation troops there. After Heinrich had appointed the Corvinus supporter and despot Racek Kocovsky as the administrator of Konopiste, the supporters of Wladislaw Jagiello combined with those of Matthias Corvinus. In 1478 Heinrich and Wladislaw were reconciled under the Treaty of Brno.
Heinrich prepared the agreement for the appointment of Wladislaw Jagiello as king of Bohemia and played a significant role in religious pacification as well as in resolving other legal disputes in Bohemia. In 1488 he backed the Silesian princes who rebelled against Matthias Corvinus. After the uprising was crushed, he had to give up his inheritance rights to Podebrady and Kostomlat to Johann Corvinus, an illegitimate son of Matthias Corvinus. However Heinrich was able to retain a life interest there.
Heinrich was also active in literature. In his works he dealt with contemporary history, his conversion to Catholicism, property disputes and his political stance. His poems about happiness, virtue, wisdom and chivalry were in the former style of the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance. He also translated several novels.
In his travels with Matthias Corvinus he met many humanists. He introduced the works of Giovanni Boccaccio to Bohemia; he translated them from German and partly added to them.
Heinrich died on 1 July 1492 at the castle of Podebrady. His body was taken to Glatz by his brother Heinrich I, and buried at the Franciscan abbey that had been endowed by Heinrich I. In 1558 he and eight other members of the family who had been buried there were reburied in the parish church of Glatz.
Heinrich's principal heir was his elder brother Heinrich I, who also took care of his widow and their children.
With his mistress Katharina Vojkova von Stitar und Strassnitz (Katerina Vojkova z Stitar a ze Straznice) Heinrich 'the Younger' had several children, including Friedrich, to whom he later bequeathed Kostomlat.
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