Vratislav II. z Pernštejna called Nádherný (July 9 , 1530 – October 27, 1582, Danube near Linz) was a Czech nobleman from the Pernštejn family, diplomat and supreme chancellor of the Czech Kingdom. His father was Jan IV of Pernštejn, mother was Hedvika from Šelmberk.
Biography
At the age of 13, he was sent to Vienna , where he became a companion of the future Emperor Maximilian II. He visited Brussels with him and took part in the Schmalkaldic War. He then accompanied him to Spain , where he lived for four years. From a young age, Vratislav became friends with the future emperor, which later helped him in his political career. Maximilian later often entrusted Vratislav with diplomatic tasks. In 1554 in England, he represented the monarch at the wedding of the Spanish king Philip II with Mary Tudor, daughter of King Henry VIII. He was then the first Czech nobleman to be accepted in Antwerp among the Knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece. After the death of the Polish king Sigismund II Augustus on August 7, 1572, Vratislav, together with William of Rosenberg, was designated as the leader of the ceremonial delegation, which was supposed to convince the Polish Electoral Assembly of the advantages of the Habsburg candidacy.
Family
On 14 September 1555, he married the Spanish noblewoman Maria Manrique de Lara y Mendoza , lady-in-waiting to the future Empress Maria of Spain, in Vienna. They had 21 children (8 sons and 13 daughters), but many of them died in childhood or youth.
References
- "n2:1211-6068 - Search Results". worldcat.org. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
- PÁNEK, Jaroslav (1998). Vilém z Rožmberka : politik smíru. Praha: Brána. pp. 179–182. ISBN 80-85946-86-6.