Nicholas the Small

Nicholas the Small (Polish: Mikołaj Mały; b. ca. 1327 - d. 23 April 1358), was a Duke of Ziębice since 1341 until his death.

He was the eldest child and only son of Duke Bolko II of Ziębice by his wife Bonne (Guta), daughter of Louis of Savoy, Baron of Vaud.

Life

Nicholas received a quite firmly training in in the Cistercian monastery of Henryków. After his father's death on 11 June 1341 and took the full government over his domains, he almost immediately went to Prague, where on 24 August he paid homage to King John of Bohemia. The huge debts leave by his father forced Nicholas on 14 October 1343 to committed made a settlement with the Bohemian King, under which he promised not sell any of his lands without the consent of the King. In the case when he was forced to do this, the King had the first right to buy. Also, was made the compromise of, if the case of the extinction of the male line of the Dukes of Ziębice, the Duchy will be anexed to the Bohemian Kingdom, after give to the daughters of the Duke an appropriate dowry.

Financial problems, forced Nicholas to sold in early 1343 the silver mines of Sobótka to his cousin Bolko II the Small by the amount of 1,000 fines. Three years later, and by the same amount, he also sold Ząbkowice, together with the monastery of Kamieniec Ząbkowicki to the Bohemian magnate Henryk von Haugwitz. Combination of favorable circumstances in 1348 allowed the sale of the land once again, this time finally Karol Luksemburskiemu fines for 6000. Finally, in the year 1350 Nicholas sold the bishop of wrocławskiemu Przecławowi Pogorzeli bandoline town. As a result, so the princes rozrzutnej policy ziębickich on the threshold of a vast reign Bolek II Ziębickiego princedom Nicholas remained in the hands of only Ziębice, Strzelin, Wroclaw angles and packaging.

In the year 1355 Nicholas Ziębickie took part in the expedition of Charles IV, the crown to Caesar in Rome. At Northwestern after a long stay in Prague, he returned only in the following year. Then decided to go on a pilgrimage to Palestine, which took place at the turn of the years 1357 and 1358. No longer was able to return to the country, died on 23 April 1358 during the years the way back to Hungary. Delay, the prince was brought to the country and buried in a monastery in Henrykowie.

Little Nicholas was married to Agnieszka comes from a family of Bohemian magnates Lichtenburka (deceased in 1370 onwards). With the marriage of Nicholas despised two sons Bolek III and Henry, and four daughters, Agnes and Katarzyna klaryski in Strzelinie, gute klaryskę in Wroclaw, and Anna, wife of Prince Masovian Siemowit III