George II of Brieg
George II of Brzeg (18 July 1523 – 7 May 1586) was Duke of Brzeg from 1547 until his death. Born in Legnica, he was the second son of Frederick II, Duke of Legnica-Brzeg, and Sophie of Brandenburg-Ansbach. After his father's death in 1547, George inherited the Duchy of Brzeg, which included towns such as Oława, Strzelin, Niemcza, Kluczbork, Byczyna, Wołów and Ścinawa.
In 1548, after the death of Henry II of Poděbrady, he became regent of Oleśnica for Henry III and Charles II until 1569. In 1551 his elder brother Frederick III of Legnica caused his deposition, and George's nephew Henry XI became duke; George acted as regent of Legnica for his nephew with Balthasar von Promnitz until 1556, when Frederick III regained power.
George II maintained good relations with the Habsburgs and undertook diplomatic missions for them, despite being a Lutheran. He participated in the coronation of Maximilian II in Prague and Bratislava in 1548, and used Brzeg's army to keep order (Police Regulation of 1577). He focused on expanding Brzeg: he built a splendid Renaissance palace (later destroyed by Frederick II the Great during the siege of Brzeg). He was active in reform and education, founding the gymnasium in Brzeg (1564–1569). After Brzeg burned in 1569, he helped rebuild the city hall and the towers of St. Nicholas Church.
On 15 February 1545, in Berlin, George II married Barbara of Brandenburg, daughter of Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg. Barbara lived in Brzeg and died there in 1595. They had seven children, including Joachim Frederick of Brieg, John George of Oława, and Sophie Elisabeth Magdalena.
When George II died in 1586, his sons inherited all his domains except Brzeg, which remained with his widow Barbara until her death.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 20:47 (CET).