Bořivoj II (c. 1064 – 2 February 1124) was the duke of Bohemia from 25 December 1100 until May 1107 and from December 1117 until 16 August 1120. He was the younger half-brother and successor of Bretislaus II. His father was Vratislav II of Bohemia, his mother
Świętosława of Poland
Świętosława of Poland ( cs, Svatava Polská (c. 1046–1048 – 1 September 1126)) was the third wife of Duke (later King) Vratislaus II of Bohemia and the first Queen of Bohemia as of 1085.
Origin
Świętosława was the daughter of Duke Ca ...
.
Life
He was originally opposed by Duke Ulrich I of Brno, his cousin, who had recovered the stronghold originally confiscated from his father. A civil war ensued. Oldřich intended to recognise the suzerainty of
Emperor Henry IV
Henry IV (german: Heinrich IV; 11 November 1050 – 7 August 1106) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 to 1105, King of Germany from 1054 to 1105, King of Italy and Burgundy from 1056 to 1105, and Duke of Bavaria from 1052 to 1054. He was the son ...
, and thereby gain his support, but Bořivoj had already been confirmed by the emperor. Oldřich was eventually forced to flee to
Moravia
Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The ...
Duke of Poland
Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electable position in Europe (16th ...
, died. A quarrel broke out in Poland over the succession, with Bořivoj and his cousin Svatopluk supporting
Zbigniew
Zbigniew () is a Polish masculine given name, originally Zbygniew . This West Slavic name is derived from the Polish elements ''Zby-'' (from ''zbyć, zbyć się, or pozbyć się'', meaning "to dispel", "to get rid of") and ''gniew'', meaning "ang ...
against
Bolesław III Wrymouth
Bolesław III Wrymouth ( pl, Bolesław III Krzywousty; 20 August 1086 – 28 October 1138), also known as Boleslaus the Wry-mouthed, was the duke of Lesser Poland, Silesia and Sandomierz between 1102 and 1107 and over the whole of Poland between ...
. Bolesław, however, paid Bořivoj off and the latter withdrew from the conflict. Svatopluk, furious, defected and led a number of Bohemian grandees with him. He sought to induce
Coloman of Hungary
Coloman the Learned, also the Book-Lover or the Bookish ( hu, Könyves Kálmán; hr, Koloman; sk, Koloman Učený; 10703February 1116) was King of Hungary from 1095 and King of Croatia from 1097 until his death. Because Coloman and his younge ...
to go to war with Bořivoj, but was unsuccessful until 1107. In that year, Bořivoj's younger brother Vladislaus rebelled and, with Coloman's help, took
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
. Svatopluk, who had recently captured and been forced to release Bořivoj by Emperor Henry V, was proclaimed king.
Bořivoj attacked in 1108 with the aid of Bolesław in alliance with Coloman, whom Svatopluk and Henry were jointly attacking in
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...
. Svatopluk was recalled to fight him off and soon the emperor was invading Poland. Svatopluk was murdered on this campaign by supporters of Bořivoj, but he could not regain the throne, which went to Vladislaus. In 1117, the brothers were reconciled and they ruled the duchy jointly (though divided) until 1120, when a new disagreement led Bořivoj to self-exile in Hungary, where he died on 2 February 1124.
Marriage
He was married to Gerberga, daughter of
Leopold II, Margrave of Austria
Leopold II (1050 – 12 October 1095), known as Leopold the Fair (german: Luitpold der Schöne), a member of the House of Babenberg, was Margrave of Austria from 1075 until his death. A supporter of the Gregorian Reforms, he was one of the main op ...
. Their children are:
* Jaromir, +by 1135;
* Spitignev, +3.1.1157
* Lupold, fl 1143
* Boleslav, fl 1146
* Albrecht, +7.4. before 1124
* Richza, +27.2. before 1124