Judith Premyslid
Encyclopedia
Judith of Bohemia also known as Judith Premyslid, was a Bohemia
n princess of the Premyslid dynasty
, and by marriage Duchess of Poland.
She was a daughter of Duke Vratislaus II of Bohemia
by his second wife Adelaide, daughter of King Andrew I of Hungary. She was named after her paternal grandmother Judith of Schweinfurt
, who died shortly after her birth.
, Ludmilla (later a nun) and Vratislaus, who died young killed in battle. Judith's uncle Duke Spytihnev II died in 1061 and was succeeded by his brother Vratislaus II. One year later, in 1062, Duchess Adelaide died.
Duke Vratislaus II was remarried in 1063 to Świętosława, daughter of Duke Casimir I of Poland. From this marriage, Judith gained five half-siblings: Boleslav (Duke of Olomouc; he died shortly before his father), Borivoj II, Vladislav I, Soběslav I Oldřich and Judith, later wife of Wiprecht II of Groitzsch
, Burgrave
of Magdeburg
.
(nephew of her stepmother), to solidify the recently established Bohemian-Polish alliance.
According to contemporary chroniclers, Duchess Judith performed remarkable charity work, helping the needy and ensuring the comfort of subjects and prisoners. After almost five years of childless marriage, the necessity of an heir had increased:
On 10 June 1085, Judith and her husband were present at the coronation of her father Duke Vratislaus II as the first King of Bohemia. One year later, in 1086, Judith's prayers were finally answered, and on 20 August of that year she gave birth the long-awaited son and heir, the future Bolesław III Wrymouth; sadly, the Duchess never recovered from the effects of childbirth and died four months later, on 25 December.
Three years later, in 1089, her husband remarried to the widow of Judith's uncle King Solomon of Hungary
, Judith of Swabia
, who was renamed Sophia in Poland in order to distinguish herself from Władysław I's first wife.
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
n princess of the Premyslid 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:...
, and by marriage Duchess of Poland.
She was a daughter of Duke Vratislaus II of Bohemia
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 his second wife Adelaide, daughter of King Andrew I of Hungary. She was named after her paternal grandmother Judith of Schweinfurt
Judith of Schweinfurt
Judith of Schweinfurt , Duchess of Bohemia, was the wife of Bretislaus I of Bohemia. Her parents were Henry of the House of Babenberg, margrave of Nordgau , and his wife Gerberga.-Břetislav and Jitka:...
, who died shortly after her birth.
Family
Judith was the second of four children born from Vratislaus II's marriage with the Hungarian princess Adelaide. The others were Bretislaus IIBretislaus II of Bohemia
Bretislaus II was the duke of Bohemia from 14 September 1092 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Vratislaus II and Adelaide, daughter of Andrew I of Hungary. He was a major enemy of paganism....
, Ludmilla (later a nun) and Vratislaus, who died young killed in battle. Judith's uncle Duke Spytihnev II died in 1061 and was succeeded by his brother Vratislaus II. One year later, in 1062, Duchess Adelaide died.
Duke Vratislaus II was remarried in 1063 to Świętosława, daughter of Duke Casimir I of Poland. From this marriage, Judith gained five half-siblings: Boleslav (Duke of Olomouc; he died shortly before his father), Borivoj II, Vladislav I, Soběslav I Oldřich and Judith, later wife of Wiprecht II of Groitzsch
Groitzsch
Groitzsch is a town in the Leipzig district, in Saxony, Germany.- Geography and transport :The town is situated on the river Weiße Elster, 20 km northeast of Zeitz, and 25 km southwest of Leipzig. The B176 goes through Groitzsch and the B2 goes through the subdistricts Kobschütz and...
, Burgrave
Burgrave
A burgrave is literally the count of a castle or fortified town. The English form is derived through the French from the German Burggraf and Dutch burg- or burch-graeve .* The title is originally equivalent to that of castellan or châtelain, meaning keeper of a castle and/or fortified town...
of Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
.
Marriage
Around 1080, Judith married Władysław I Herman, Duke of PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
(nephew of her stepmother), to solidify the recently established Bohemian-Polish alliance.
According to contemporary chroniclers, Duchess Judith performed remarkable charity work, helping the needy and ensuring the comfort of subjects and prisoners. After almost five years of childless marriage, the necessity of an heir had increased:
-
- Because she was barren pray to God every day with tears and orations, made sacrifices and paying debts, helping widows and orphans, and given very generous amounts of gold and silver for the monasteries, commanded the priests to pray to the saints and the grace of God for a child.
On 10 June 1085, Judith and her husband were present at the coronation of her father Duke Vratislaus II as the first King of Bohemia. One year later, in 1086, Judith's prayers were finally answered, and on 20 August of that year she gave birth the long-awaited son and heir, the future Bolesław III Wrymouth; sadly, the Duchess never recovered from the effects of childbirth and died four months later, on 25 December.
Three years later, in 1089, her husband remarried to the widow of Judith's uncle King Solomon of Hungary
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...
, Judith of Swabia
Judith of Swabia
Judith-Maria of Swabia was a German princess, a member of the Ottonian dynasty and by her two marriages Queen of Hungary and Duchess of Poland renamed Sophia in 1089....
, who was renamed Sophia in Poland in order to distinguish herself from Władysław I's first wife.