He was the fourth son of Duke Bolko IV of Opole by his wife Margareta, possibly member of the House of Gorizia.
In 1443 Nicholas received as a pledge the Duchy of Brzeg from his nephews (sons of his sister), Dukes Jan I and Henry X of Lubin-Oława-Chojnów.
For unknown reasons, in 1447 Jan I and Henry X recovered Brzeg and pledged it again, this time to the knight Heinz Stoschow.
A further enlargement of his domains took place in 1450, when his uncle Bernard, in exchange for a loan granted to Nicholas I his rights over his part of the Duchy of Opole and one year later (1451) he obtained Kluczbork.
On 1 September 1466 Nicholas I and other Silesian rulers came up with the project to reconcile the Hussite King George of Bohemia with the Bishopric of Wrocław and Pope Paul II; however, due to rejection by the Catholic hierarchy, on 23 December the Bohemian King made the formal announcement of the war in Wrocław.
During 1469–1472 Nicholas I entered into a successful dispute with his son-in-law, Duke Przemysław of Toszek over the possession of Łabędy, which is today part of Gliwice.