Ottokar II of Bohemia

Otakar II (also spelled Ottokar or Přemysl Otakar/Ottokar) (c. 1230 – August 26, 1278) was a king of Bohemia (1253–1278). He was the second son of King Wenceslaus I of the Přemyslid dynasty, and through his mother, Kunigunde, was related to the Hohenstaufen family, being a grandson of the German king, Philip of Swabia. After the death of his older brother Vladislav in 1247 he became the only heir to the throne.

During his father's lifetime he ruled Moravia, but when in 1248 some discontented Bohemian nobles acknowledged him as their sovereign, trouble arose between him and his father, and for a short time Otakar was imprisoned. However, in 1251 the young prince secured his election as duke of Austria, where he strengthened his position by marrying the 30 years older Margaret (d. 1267), sister of Duke Frederick II, the last of the Babenberg rulers of the duchy and widow of the German king, Henry VII. Some years later he repudiated this lady and married the young Kunigunde, who was the granddaughter of his rival, the Hungarian king Bela IV. She became the mother of his children, the youngest of them being his only legitimate son Wenceslaus (Vaclav).

Both before and after he became king of Bohemia in succession to his father in September 1253 Otakar was involved in a dispute with Bela IV, king of Hungary, over the possession of Styria, which duchy had formerly been united with Austria. By an arrangement made in 1254 he surrendered part of it to Bela, but when the dispute was renewed he defeated the Hungarians in July 1260 near Kressenbrunn and secured the whole of Styria for himself, owing his formal investiture with Austria and Styria to the German king, Richard, Earl of Cornwall.

The Bohemian king also led two expeditions (crusades) against the Prussians and founded Königsberg (Czech: Královec), later capital of Prussia, named upon him.

In 1269 he inherited Carinthia and part of Carniola, and having made good his claim, contested by the Hungarians, on the field of battle, he was the most powerful prince within empire when an election for the German throne took place in 1273. But Otakar was not the successful candidate. He refused to acknowledge his victorious rival, Rudolph of Habsburg, and urged the pope to adopt a similar attitude. Meanwhile, at a convention of the Reichstag at Frankfurt in 1274, Rudolph decreed that all imperial lands seized since the death of Emperor Frederick II must be returned to the crown. This would have deprived Otakar of Styria, Austria, and Carinthia. Matters reached a climax in 1276. Placing Otakar under the ban of the empire, Rudolph besieged Vienna and compelled Otakar in November 1276 to sign a treaty by which he gave up Austria and the neighbouring duchies, retaining for himself only Bohemia and Moravia. Otakar's son Wenceslaus was betrothed to Rudolph's daughter Judith, and an uneasy peace was made. Two years later the Bohemian king tried to recover his lost lands. He found allies and collected a large army, but he was defeated by Rudolph and killed at the Battle of Dürnkrut and Jedenspeigen on the March on August 26, 1278. His son and successor was Wenceslaus II.

Ottokar was a founder of towns and a friend of law and order, while he assisted trade and welcomed German immigrants. He is a famous figure both in history and in legend. He was called the "Iron and Gold King" throughout Europe. In the Divine Comedy Dante sees Ottocar outside the gates of Purgatory, in amiable companionship with his imperial rival Rudolph. He is also the protagonist of a tragedy by the 19th century playwright Franz Grillparzer.

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