Bolesław II the Generous
Encyclopedia
Bolesław II the Generous, also known as the Bold and the Cruel , was Duke of Poland (1058–76) and third King of Poland (1076–79).
He was the eldest son of Casimir I the Restorer and Maria Dobroniega
, daughter of Grand Duke Vladimir I of Kiev
.
Bolesław II is considered to have been one of the most capable of the Piast rulers. According to Gallus Anonymus
during his reign he was called largus ("the Generous" in English, "Szczodry" in Polish) because he founded many churches and monasteries throughout Poland. He rebuilt the Gniezno
bishopric
in 1075 (consecrated in 1064) and established a bishopric in Płock (1075). He founded Benedictine monasteries in Mogilno
, Lubin
and Wrocław. These had an enormous influence on the economic and cultural development of the country.
The nickname "the Bold" (Śmiały) was only given to Bolesław II for the first time in the later Chronicle of the Polish kings, although it was considered by historiography of the 19th and 20th centuries as a contemporary nickname. Modern research suggests that this epithet given to him a few centuries after he died was not accurate.
Bolesław II was also the first Polish monarch to produce his own coinage in quantity great enough to replace the foreign coins prevalent in the country during the reigns of the first Piast kings. He established royal mints in Kraków
and Wrocław and reformed the coinage, which brought considerable revenue into the royal coffers.
, Lesser Poland
as well as Mazovia
, Pomerania
, and Silesia
. His younger brothers Władysław Herman and Mieszko became Governors of the remaining provinces. However Mieszko died relatively early, in 1065, at which point his lands came under the authority of Bolesław II.
Bolesław II based his foreign policy on surrounding his realm with allied Kingdoms in order to oppose the Holy Roman Empire
; his goal was for Poland to one day border only allied countries. This is said to be the main reason behind his numerous foreign interventions: In 1060-1063 he intervened in Hungary
to aid Béla I and his sons against the Holy Roman Empire. As a result Béla, in 1061, with the support of Polish troops, gained power in Hungary. In Hungary Bolesław II pursued the policy of cooperation with the anti-imperial faction which allowed him to gain political independence from the Empire but put him in conflict with the pro-imperial Kingdom of Bohemia
. He escalated the conflict with the Duke Vratislaus II
, by refusing to pay the annual homage to Bohemia and spurring the Bohemian nobility to revolt against Vratislaus. In 1063, Bolesław II besieged the Moravia
n city of Hradec
but, defeated, he was forced to retreat. In the end, the relations with Vratislaus II were settled to a certain extent when the latter married the Princess Świętosława, Bolesław II's sister.
In 1063 King Béla I of Hungary died. Bolesław II could not defend the cause of his son Géza
against the German troops of the Emperor Henry IV, who installed his brother-in-law Solomon
on the Hungarian throne.
In 1069 Iziaslav I of Kiev
and his wife Gertruda
were overthrown. The military campaign of Bolesław II established them back in power in Kiev. In 1071 Bolesław II attacked Bohemia again. As the Polish refused any attempt of arbitration by the Emperor Henry IV, the question was settled by an armistice between the two belligerents; however Bolesław II, ignoring the treaty, renewed his attack in 1072 and refused to pay the tributes from Silesia to the Holy Roman Empire.
Due to his involvement in the Hungarian, Bohemian and Kievan affairs, Bolesław II neglected Poland's interests on the Baltic coast. Western Pomerania, therefore, was lost first and then in either 1060 or 1066, Danzig Pomerania also severed its ties to the Polish Kingdom.
, an enemy of the Emperor, became pope in 1073, Bolesław II saw in him a natural ally, and started to apply the Pope's reforms in the Archbishopric of Gniezno and started negotiations to obtain the royal crown. In 1075 a revolt in Saxony
, spurred by Bolesław II, forced Henry IV to retreat from that region (the Emperor crushed the revolt soon thereafter); the Polish seized the occasion to launch an invasion against Henry IV's vassal, Vratislaus II of Bohemia, alongside an ally from Kievan Rus Vladimir II Monomakh
.
Thanks to his support to the Papal cause during the Investiture Controversy
, Bolesław II gained the royal crown of Poland: in the Christmas Day of 1076, he was crowned in the Gniezno Cathedral
by the Archbishop Bogumił in the presence of the Papal legate. Rulers of Poland had long desired to reign continuously as did their royal neighbors in Hungary, but like their neighbours in Bohemia they were only occasionally granted recognition as King by their nominal liege lord, the Emperor. The latter's humiliation at Canossa
in 1077 included also the Imperial recognition of Bolesław II's royal title. His new authority, however, caused the Polish magnates to rebel, as they feared the monarchy was beginning to grow too powerful.
, and again Iziaslav
in Kiev
. In 1078, while returning from the latter campaign, the Polish troops conquered Red Ruthenia
. In 1079, however, Bolesław II was deposed by a Barons' rebellion and banished from the country. The circumstances that led to the King's banishment hinge on the person of the Bishop of Kraków, Stanislaus of Szczepanów
. From historical records it appears that Bishop Stanislaus was involved with the barons' opposition movement, plotting to remove the King and to place his brother Władysław Herman on the throne. The conspiracy was uncovered by the king's men and Stanislaw was judged by both royal and ecclesiastical courts. He was found guilty of treason - Gallus Anonimus uses the word "traditor" meaning traitor - and executed. This act seems to have sparked the barons' rebellion against the King who was then deposed and forced to flee the country, together with his wife and son Mieszko. He found refuge in Hungary which was ruled by László I, a future saint, who owed his crown to the deposed King.
Another version of the events which led to Boleslaw's demise was propagated by Master Vincentius Kadlubek. However, Master Kadlubek was writing nearly 100 years after Gallus Anonymus and a century and a half after the actual affair. According to this version, Bolesław II assaulted and then personally wielded the sword that murdered Bishop Stanislaus of Kraków during the celebration of a mass. Though the bishop had privately and then publicly warned the king to repent of adultery and other vices, Bolesław chose a course of action more characteristic of his nickname, "the Bold" (11 April 1079).
According to Gallus Anonymus, Bolesław II's atrocious conduct towards his Hungarian hosts caused his premature death in 1081 or 1082 at the hands of an assassin, probably by poisoning. He was only about 40 years old.
A popular legend holds that he was buried at the Benedictine Abbey at Ossiach
(modern Carinthia
, Austria
), where there exists a tomb bearing the inscription: "Rex Boleslaus Polonie occisor sancti Stanislai Epi Cracoviensis" ("Bolesław, King of Poland, murderer of Saint Stanislaus, Bishop of Kraków"); this legend, however, dates from centuries after his death (it is first mentioned by Maciej Miechowita
in 1499). In 1960 the tomb was opened and revealed male bones and the remains of a Polish knight's armor dating from the 11th century.
Another popular hypothesis about the fate of the King's remains claims that in 1086 they were transferred to the Abbey of Tyniec
.
His burial place remains unknown.
(d. aft. 1089), who, according to the Chronicle of Jan Długosz (and supported by some sources), was a daughter of Sviatoslav II
, Grand Prince of Kiev
, by his first wife Kilikia, possibly member of the House of Dithmarschen. They had one son:
Modern historians, led by Oswald Balzer
(in 1895), refuted the Kievan origin and name of Bolesław II's wife and exposed the theory that his wife was the Queen Agnes (Agnes Regina) whose obituary is recorded in Zwiefalten
; is also believed that she belonged to the Přemyslid dynasty
.
He was the eldest son of Casimir I the Restorer and Maria Dobroniega
Maria Dobroniega of Kiev
Maria Dobroniega of Kiev , was a Kievian Rus princess of the Rurikid dynasty and by marriage Duchess of Poland.-Family:She was one of the youngest children of Vladimir I, Grand Prince of Kiev...
, daughter of Grand Duke Vladimir I of Kiev
Vladimir I of Kiev
Vladimir Sviatoslavich the Great Old East Slavic: Володимѣръ Свѧтославичь Old Norse as Valdamarr Sveinaldsson, , Vladimir, , Volodymyr, was a grand prince of Kiev, ruler of Kievan Rus' in .Vladimir's father was the prince Sviatoslav of the Rurik dynasty...
.
Bolesław II is considered to have been one of the most capable of the Piast rulers. According to Gallus Anonymus
Gallus Anonymus
Gallus Anonymus is the name traditionally given to the anonymous author of Gesta principum Polonorum , composed in Latin about 1115....
during his reign he was called largus ("the Generous" in English, "Szczodry" in Polish) because he founded many churches and monasteries throughout Poland. He rebuilt the Gniezno
Gniezno
Gniezno is a city in central-western Poland, some 50 km east of Poznań, inhabited by about 70,000 people. One of the Piasts' chief cities, it was mentioned by 10th century A.D. sources as the capital of Piast Poland however the first capital of Piast realm was most likely Giecz built around...
bishopric
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
in 1075 (consecrated in 1064) and established a bishopric in Płock (1075). He founded Benedictine monasteries in Mogilno
Mogilno
Mogilno is a town in central Poland, situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship , previously in Bydgoszcz Voivodeship .-History:...
, Lubin
Lubin
Lubin is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland. From 1975–1998 it belonged to the former Legnica Voivodeship. Lubin is the administrative seat of Lubin County, and also of the rural district called Gmina Lubin, although it is not part of the territory of the latter,...
and Wrocław. These had an enormous influence on the economic and cultural development of the country.
The nickname "the Bold" (Śmiały) was only given to Bolesław II for the first time in the later Chronicle of the Polish kings, although it was considered by historiography of the 19th and 20th centuries as a contemporary nickname. Modern research suggests that this epithet given to him a few centuries after he died was not accurate.
Bolesław II was also the first Polish monarch to produce his own coinage in quantity great enough to replace the foreign coins prevalent in the country during the reigns of the first Piast kings. He established royal mints in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
and Wrocław and reformed the coinage, which brought considerable revenue into the royal coffers.
Duke of Poland
Following the death of his father in 1058, Bolesław II, as the eldest son, inherited GreaterGreater Poland
Greater Poland or Great Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief city is Poznań.The boundaries of Greater Poland have varied somewhat throughout history...
, Lesser Poland
Lesser Poland
Lesser Poland is one of the historical regions of Poland, with its capital in the city of Kraków. It forms the southeastern corner of the country, and should not be confused with the modern Lesser Poland Voivodeship, which covers only a small, southern part of Lesser Poland...
as well as Mazovia
Mazovia
Mazovia or Masovia is a geographical, historical and cultural region in east-central Poland. It is also a voivodeship in Poland.Its historic capital is Płock, which was the medieval residence of first Dukes of Masovia...
, Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
, and Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
. His younger brothers Władysław Herman and Mieszko became Governors of the remaining provinces. However Mieszko died relatively early, in 1065, at which point his lands came under the authority of Bolesław II.
Bolesław II based his foreign policy on surrounding his realm with allied Kingdoms in order to oppose the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
; his goal was for Poland to one day border only allied countries. This is said to be the main reason behind his numerous foreign interventions: In 1060-1063 he intervened in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
to aid Béla I and his sons against the Holy Roman Empire. As a result Béla, in 1061, with the support of Polish troops, gained power in Hungary. In Hungary Bolesław II pursued the policy of cooperation with the anti-imperial faction which allowed him to gain political independence from the Empire but put him in conflict with the pro-imperial Kingdom of Bohemia
Kingdom of Bohemia
The Kingdom of Bohemia was a country located in the region of Bohemia in Central Europe, most of whose territory is currently located in the modern-day Czech Republic. The King was Elector of Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution in 1806, whereupon it became part of the Austrian Empire, and...
. He escalated the conflict with the Duke Vratislaus II
Vratislaus II of Bohemia
-Literature:*Vratislav Vaníček: Vratislav II. . První český král. Vyšehrad 2004, ISBN 80-7021-655-7*Hans Patze: Die Pegauer Annalen, die Königserhebung Wratislaws v. Böhmen und die Anfänge der Stadt Pegau. JGMODtl 12, 1963, 1-62...
, by refusing to pay the annual homage to Bohemia and spurring the Bohemian nobility to revolt against Vratislaus. In 1063, Bolesław II besieged the Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
n city of Hradec
Hradec
Hradec may refer to:In the Czech Republic* Hradec Králové, the capital of Hradec Králové Region* Hradec Králové Region* Hradec nad Moravicí, a town in Moravian-Silesian Region* Jindřichův Hradec, a city in South Bohemian Region...
but, defeated, he was forced to retreat. In the end, the relations with Vratislaus II were settled to a certain extent when the latter married the Princess Świętosława, Bolesław II's sister.
Géza I of Hungary
Géza I was King of Hungary from 1074 until his death. During King Solomon's rule he governed, as Duke, one third of the Kingdom of Hungary. Afterwards, Géza rebelled against his cousin's reign and his followers proclaimed him king...
against the German troops of the Emperor Henry IV, who installed his brother-in-law Solomon
Solomon of Hungary
Solomon , King of Hungary . He was crowned as a child during his father's lifetime in order to ensure his succession, but his uncle Béla managed to dethrone his father and ascend to the throne...
on the Hungarian throne.
In 1069 Iziaslav I of Kiev
Iziaslav I of Kiev
Iziaslav Yaroslavich , Kniaz' , Veliki Kniaz of Kiev , King of Rus'...
and his wife Gertruda
Gertrude of Poland
Gertrude , princess of Poland, was the daughter of King Mieszko II of Poland and Richeza of Lotharingia.In 1043, she was married to Iziaslav I of Kiev. She had three sons, Yaropolk Iziaslavich, Mstislav and Sviatopolk II, by her husband.Her daughter Eupraxia later married her cousin's son Mieszko...
were overthrown. The military campaign of Bolesław II established them back in power in Kiev. In 1071 Bolesław II attacked Bohemia again. As the Polish refused any attempt of arbitration by the Emperor Henry IV, the question was settled by an armistice between the two belligerents; however Bolesław II, ignoring the treaty, renewed his attack in 1072 and refused to pay the tributes from Silesia to the Holy Roman Empire.
Due to his involvement in the Hungarian, Bohemian and Kievan affairs, Bolesław II neglected Poland's interests on the Baltic coast. Western Pomerania, therefore, was lost first and then in either 1060 or 1066, Danzig Pomerania also severed its ties to the Polish Kingdom.
King of Poland
When Gregory VIIPope Gregory VII
Pope St. Gregory VII , born Hildebrand of Sovana , was Pope from April 22, 1073, until his death. One of the great reforming popes, he is perhaps best known for the part he played in the Investiture Controversy, his dispute with Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor affirming the primacy of the papal...
, an enemy of the Emperor, became pope in 1073, Bolesław II saw in him a natural ally, and started to apply the Pope's reforms in the Archbishopric of Gniezno and started negotiations to obtain the royal crown. In 1075 a revolt in Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
, spurred by Bolesław II, forced Henry IV to retreat from that region (the Emperor crushed the revolt soon thereafter); the Polish seized the occasion to launch an invasion against Henry IV's vassal, Vratislaus II of Bohemia, alongside an ally from Kievan Rus Vladimir II Monomakh
Vladimir II Monomakh
Vladimir II Monomakh |Basileios]]) was a Velikiy Kniaz of Kievan Rus'.- Family :He was the son of Vsevolod I and Anastasia of Byzantium Vladimir II Monomakh |Basileios]]) (1053 – May 19, 1125) was a Velikiy Kniaz (Grand Prince) of Kievan Rus'.- Family :He was the son of Vsevolod I (married in...
.
Thanks to his support to the Papal cause during the Investiture Controversy
Investiture Controversy
The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest was the most significant conflict between Church and state in medieval Europe. In the 11th and 12th centuries, a series of Popes challenged the authority of European monarchies over control of appointments, or investitures, of church officials such...
, Bolesław II gained the royal crown of Poland: in the Christmas Day of 1076, he was crowned in the Gniezno Cathedral
Gniezno Cathedral
Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Adalbert is a Gothic cathedral in Gniezno, Poland. The Cathedral is known for its twelfth-century , two-winged bronze doors decorated with scenes of martyrdom of St. Wojciech and a silver relic coffin of that saint...
by the Archbishop Bogumił in the presence of the Papal legate. Rulers of Poland had long desired to reign continuously as did their royal neighbors in Hungary, but like their neighbours in Bohemia they were only occasionally granted recognition as King by their nominal liege lord, the Emperor. The latter's humiliation at Canossa
Canossa
Canossa is a comune and castle town in Emilia-Romagna, famous as the site where Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV did penance in 1077, standing three days bare-headed in the snow, in order to reverse his excommunication by Pope Gregory VII...
in 1077 included also the Imperial recognition of Bolesław II's royal title. His new authority, however, caused the Polish magnates to rebel, as they feared the monarchy was beginning to grow too powerful.
Deposition
In 1077 Bolesław II's troops helped two pretenders to assume the throne: László, another son of Béla I, in HungaryHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, and again Iziaslav
Iziaslav I of Kiev
Iziaslav Yaroslavich , Kniaz' , Veliki Kniaz of Kiev , King of Rus'...
in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
. In 1078, while returning from the latter campaign, the Polish troops conquered Red Ruthenia
Red Ruthenia
Red Ruthenia is the name used since medieval times to refer to the area known as Eastern Galicia prior to World War I; first mentioned in Polish historic chronicles in the 1321, as Ruthenia Rubra or Ruthenian Voivodeship .Ethnographers explain that the term was applied from the...
. In 1079, however, Bolesław II was deposed by a Barons' rebellion and banished from the country. The circumstances that led to the King's banishment hinge on the person of the Bishop of Kraków, Stanislaus of Szczepanów
Stanislaus of Szczepanów
Stanislaus of Szczepanów, or Stanisław Szczepanowski, was a Bishop of Kraków known chiefly for having been martyred by the Polish king Bolesław II the Bold...
. From historical records it appears that Bishop Stanislaus was involved with the barons' opposition movement, plotting to remove the King and to place his brother Władysław Herman on the throne. The conspiracy was uncovered by the king's men and Stanislaw was judged by both royal and ecclesiastical courts. He was found guilty of treason - Gallus Anonimus uses the word "traditor" meaning traitor - and executed. This act seems to have sparked the barons' rebellion against the King who was then deposed and forced to flee the country, together with his wife and son Mieszko. He found refuge in Hungary which was ruled by László I, a future saint, who owed his crown to the deposed King.
Another version of the events which led to Boleslaw's demise was propagated by Master Vincentius Kadlubek. However, Master Kadlubek was writing nearly 100 years after Gallus Anonymus and a century and a half after the actual affair. According to this version, Bolesław II assaulted and then personally wielded the sword that murdered Bishop Stanislaus of Kraków during the celebration of a mass. Though the bishop had privately and then publicly warned the king to repent of adultery and other vices, Bolesław chose a course of action more characteristic of his nickname, "the Bold" (11 April 1079).
According to Gallus Anonymus, Bolesław II's atrocious conduct towards his Hungarian hosts caused his premature death in 1081 or 1082 at the hands of an assassin, probably by poisoning. He was only about 40 years old.
A popular legend holds that he was buried at the Benedictine Abbey at Ossiach
Ossiach Abbey
Ossiach Abbey is a former Benedictine monastery in Ossiach near Feldkirchen in Kärnten in the Austrian state of Carinthia.-History:...
(modern Carinthia
Carinthia (state)
Carinthia is the southernmost Austrian state or Land. Situated within the Eastern Alps it is chiefly noted for its mountains and lakes.The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Austro-Bavarian group...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
), where there exists a tomb bearing the inscription: "Rex Boleslaus Polonie occisor sancti Stanislai Epi Cracoviensis" ("Bolesław, King of Poland, murderer of Saint Stanislaus, Bishop of Kraków"); this legend, however, dates from centuries after his death (it is first mentioned by Maciej Miechowita
Maciej Miechowita
Maciej Miechowita was a Polish renaissance scholar, professor of Jagiellonian University, historian, chronicler, geographer, medical doctor , alchemist, astrologist and canon in Cracow.He studied at the...
in 1499). In 1960 the tomb was opened and revealed male bones and the remains of a Polish knight's armor dating from the 11th century.
Another popular hypothesis about the fate of the King's remains claims that in 1086 they were transferred to the Abbey of Tyniec
Tyniec
Tyniec is a historic village in Poland on the Vistula river, since 1973 a part of the city of Kraków . Tyniec is notable for its famous Benedictine abbey founded by king Casimir the Restorer in 1044.-See also:...
.
His burial place remains unknown.
Marriage and issue
Before 1069 Bolesław II married WyszesławaWyszesława of Kiev
Wyszesława Sviatoslavna of Kiev , was a Kievan Rus' princess and member of the Rurikid dynasty and by marriage Duchess and later Queen of Poland....
(d. aft. 1089), who, according to the Chronicle of Jan Długosz (and supported by some sources), was a daughter of Sviatoslav II
Sviatoslav II of Kiev
Sviatoslav Iaroslavich was the Prince of Chernihiv from 1054 to 1073 and Grand Prince of Kiev from 1073 until his death...
, Grand Prince of Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, by his first wife Kilikia, possibly member of the House of Dithmarschen. They had one son:
- Mieszko (b. 12 April? 1069 - d. 7 January? 1089).
Modern historians, led by Oswald Balzer
Oswald Balzer
Oswald Marian Balzer was an Austro-Polish historian of law and statehood, one of the most renowned Polish historians of his times....
(in 1895), refuted the Kievan origin and name of Bolesław II's wife and exposed the theory that his wife was the Queen Agnes (Agnes Regina) whose obituary is recorded in Zwiefalten
Zwiefalten
Zwiefalten is a municipality in the district of Reutlingen, located halfway between Stuttgart and Lake Constance. The former Zwiefalten Abbey dominates the town...
; is also believed that she belonged to the Přemyslid dynasty
Premyslid dynasty
The Přemyslids , were a Czech royal dynasty which reigned in Bohemia and Moravia , and partly also in Hungary, Silesia, Austria and Poland.-Legendary rulers:...
.