Agnes of Bohemia, Duchess of Jawor

Silver tombstone conserved in Lwówek Śląski, which possibly represents Duke Henry I of Jawor and Agnes of Bohemia

Agnes of Bohemia (Czech: Anežka Přemyslovna, Polish: Agnieszka Przemyślidka) (15 June 1305 – 1337) was the only child of King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia by his second wife, Elisabeth Richeza of Poland.[1] She was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty.

Family

Her father's previous marriage to Judith of Habsburg had produced four surviving children, Wenceslaus III of Bohemia, Anna of Bohemia, Elisabeth of Bohemia and Margaret of Bohemia. Her father Wenceslaus II died just six days after her birth, on 21 June 1305, in Prague.[2] His heir Wenceslaus III was assassinated one year later, in Olomouc, and with him the Přemyslid dynasty became extinct.

Agnes' mother, Elisabeth Richeza, subsequently married Rudolf I of Bohemia, son of Albert I of Germany on 16 October 1306.[3] Rudolph was chosen to be King of Bohemia by part of Czech nobility and Elisabeth remained queen consort for a short time. Rudolph died of dysentery on 4 July 1307,[4] after becoming ill during the siege of the fortress of one of the revolting noblemen, Bavor III of Strakonice. In his last will, Rudolph acknowledged Elizabeth Richeza's dowry towns and entailed her a huge amount of money in silver talents.[5]

Marriage

Elisabeth arranged for Agnes to marry Henry I of Jawor. The wedding took place in 1316, however, because the two were related in the fourth degree of kinship, a papal dispensation was required. It was granted in 1325. Agnes' brother-in-law, King John of Bohemia opposed the marriage, which would make Henry a powerful rival, along with Bolesław III the Generous, the husband of Margaret of Bohemia, a half-sister of Agnes. ^[citation needed]

Shortly after the wedding and, with the consent of Elisabeth, Henry I went with his troops to her dowry town, Hradec Králové in North Bohemia, where he organized expeditions to support rebels against King John of Bohemia.[5]

Agnes had only one pregnancy which ended in a miscarriage, in the first trimester when she rode with her horse over a hill. This accident kept her in bed for many months. Agnes died in 1337, only two years after her mother and nine years before her husband. ^[citation needed]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Agnes of Bohemia, Duchess of Jawor

16. Ottokar I of Bohemia 8. Wenceslaus I of Bohemia 17. Constance of Hungary 4. Ottokar II of Bohemia 18. Philip of Swabia 9. Kunigunde of Hohenstaufen 19. Irene Angelina 2. Wenceslaus II of Bohemia 20. Michael of Chernigov 10. Rostislav Mikhailovich 21. Elena/Maria Romanovna of Halych 5. Kunigunda of Slavonia 22. Béla IV of Hungary 11. Anna of Hungary 23. Maria Laskarina 1. Agnes of Bohemia 24. Władysław Odonic of Poland 12. Przemysł I of Poland 25. Hedwig 6. Przemysł II of Poland 26. Henry II the Pious, Duke of Wrocław 13. Elisabeth of Wrocław 27. Anne of Bohemia 3. Elisabeth Richeza of Poland 28. Birgir Jarl of Sweden 14. Valdemar of Sweden 29. Ingeborg Eriksdotter of Sweden 7. Richeza of Sweden 30. Eric IV of Denmark 15. Sofia of Denmark 31. Jutta of Saxony

References

1. "Elisabeth-Richeza of Poland - Twice a Queen of Bohemia". History of Royal Women. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
2. Jones, Michael (1995). The New Cambridge Medieval History: Volume 6, C.1300-c.1415. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 526. ISBN 978-0521362900.
3. Antonín, Robert (6 March 2017). "The Origin and the Legitimacy of the Power of the Rulers of Bohemia during the Pre-Hussite Period". The Ideal Ruler in Medieval Bohemia. BRILL. pp. 107–108. ISBN 978-90-04-34112-8.
4. Mahoney, William (18 February 2011). The History of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-313-36306-1.
5. Grulich, Eva Semotanová et al. (2022). Atlas of the Dowry Towns of Bohemian Queens. Institute of History, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, University of Hradec Králové. ISBN 978-80-7286-407-2. Translated to English by Miroslav Košek.

Sources

• Agnès Przemyslide