Judith of Bohemia

Judith of Bohemia
Judith of Bohemia
Duchess consort of Poland
Tenure1080–1086
PredecessorWyszesława of Kiev
SuccessorJudith of Swabia
Bornc. 1056/58
Prague, Bohemia
Died25 December 1086
Płock, Poland
Burial
Płock Cathedral
SpouseWładysław Herman
IssueBolesław Wrymouth
HousePřemyslid
FatherVratislaus II of Bohemia
MotherAdelaide of Hungary

Judith of Bohemia (c. 1056/58 – 25 December 1086), also known as Judith Přemyslid, was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty and duchess of Poland by marriage. She was a daughter of Duke Vratislaus II of Bohemia and Adelaide of Hungary, and was married to Władysław Herman.[1][2]

Early life

Judith was born into the Přemyslid dynasty. She was the second of four children born to Vratislaus II of Bohemia and his second wife, Adelaide of Hungary.[3][4] Her father became duke in 1061 and her mother died the next year.

Duchess of Poland

Around 1080, Judith married Duke Władysław Herman of Poland to solidify the recently established Bohemian-Polish alliance.[5][6] According to contemporary chroniclers, Duchess Judith performed remarkable charity work, helping the needy and ensuring the comfort of subjects and prisoners.[7][8][9] After almost five years of childless marriage, the necessity for an heir increased:[10][11]

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, Vratislaus II, as the first king of Bohemia. One year later, on 20 August 1086, she gave birth to the long-awaited son and heir, Bolesław Wrymouth.[12][13] She never recovered from the effects of childbirth and died on 25 December. She was buried in Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Masovia in Płock.[14]

References

  1. ^ Pac, Grzegorz (7 March 2022). Women in the Piast Dynasty: A Comparative Study of Piast Wives and Daughters (c. 965–c.1144). BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-50853-8.
  2. ^ Koziara, Thomas P. (18 November 2020). Historia Nostra: The Complete History of Poland: Volume II: The 8th Century Until 1332. Aurifera S.A.
  3. ^ Pac, Grzegorz (7 March 2022). Women in the Piast Dynasty: A Comparative Study of Piast Wives and Daughters (c. 965–c.1144). BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-50853-8.
  4. ^ The Cambridge History of Poland. CUP Archive. ISBN 978-1-001-28802-4.
  5. ^ Berend, Nora; Urbańczyk, Przemysław; Wiszewski, Przemysław (19 December 2013). Central Europe in the High Middle Ages: Bohemia, Hungary and Poland, c.900–c.1300. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-65139-5.
  6. ^ Koval, Matthew (15 March 2021). Childhood in Medieval Poland (1050-1300): Constructions and Realities in a European Context. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-46106-2.
  7. ^ Bumke, Joachim (1 January 1991). Courtly Culture: Literature and Society in the High Middle Ages. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-06634-2.
  8. ^ Houghton, H. A. G. (2023). The Oxford Handbook of the Latin Bible. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-088609-7.
  9. ^ Wiszewski, Przemyslaw (15 February 2010). Domus Bolezlai: Values and social identity in dynastic traditions of medieval Poland (c.966-1138). BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-18136-6.
  10. ^ Pac, Grzegorz (7 March 2022). Women in the Piast Dynasty: A Comparative Study of Piast Wives and Daughters (c. 965–c.1144). BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-50853-8.
  11. ^ Imagined Communities: Constructing Collective Identities in Medieval Europe. BRILL. 17 April 2018. ISBN 978-90-04-36379-3.
  12. ^ Raffensperger, Christian (24 August 2023). Rulers and Rulership in the Arc of Medieval Europe, 1000-1200. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-92167-0.
  13. ^ McKitterick, Rosamond; Abulafia, David; Allmand, C. T. (1995). The New Cambridge Medieval History: Volume 4, C.1024-c.1198, Part 2. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-41411-1.
  14. ^ Wiszewski, Przemyslaw (15 February 2010). Domus Bolezlai: Values and social identity in dynastic traditions of medieval Poland (c.966-1138). BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-18136-6.
  • K. Jasiński: Rodowód pierwszych Piastów, Warsaw – Wrocław, 1992.
Judith of Bohemia
Born: c. 1056/58 Died: 25 December 1086
Royal titles
Preceded by Duchess consort of Poland
1080–1086 		Succeeded by