Emma (Hemma) (bef. 950 – 1005/06) was a Bohemian duchess consort as the second wife of

Boleslaus II of Bohemia Boleslaus II the Pious ( cs, Boleslav II. Pobožný pl, Bolesław II. Pobożny; c. 940 – 7 February 999), a member of the Přemyslid dynasty, was Duke of Bohemia from 972 until his death. Life and reign Boleslaus was an elder son of Duke ...

. Her origins are uncertain. Historian Gelasius Dobner (1719–90) thought she was a princess of Burgundy, and this theory has been recently respected. The latest research of historians and

numismatists A numismatist is a specialist in numismatics ("of coins"; from Late Latin ''numismatis'', genitive of ''numisma''). Numismatists include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholars who use coins and other currency in object-based research. Altho ...

, however, indicate that she was of Italian-Burgundian origin and have identified her with Emma of Italy, widow of King

Lothair of France Lothair (french: Lothaire; la, Lothārius; 941 – 2 March 986), sometimes called Lothair II,After the emperor Lothair I. IIICounting Lothair II of Lotharingia, who ruled over modern Lorraine and Belgium. or IV,Counting Lothair II of Ita ...

(d. 986). She became the second wife of Boleslaus II about the year 989 and died either in 1005 or 1006. It was traditionally supposed by Czech historians that Emma was the mother of Boleslaus' younger sons Oldřich and Jaromír and that the mother of the oldest son,

Boleslaus III of Bohemia Boleslaus III ( – 1037), called the Red ( cs, Boleslav III. Ryšavý; to denote a "red-haired" individual) or the Blind, a member of the Přemyslid dynasty, was duke of Bohemia from 999 until 1002 and briefly again during the year 1003. He was ...

, was

Adiva Adiva was the first wife of Boleslaus II of Bohemia. It has been speculated that she was the progeny of Edward the Elder Edward the Elder (17 July 924) was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 899 until his death in 924. He was the elder son of Alf ...

, the first wife of Boleslaus II. Afraid of Boleslaus III, Emma chose to go into exile at the court of Bavaria in 1001 together with Dukes of Bohemia Oldřich and Jaromir. The brothers sought military backing from the German King Henry II, definitively placing Bohemia within the jurisdiction of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

. In 1004, Jaromír occupied

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

with a German army and made himself duke. Emma came back to Bohemia, likely living in the town of

Mělník Mělník (; german: Melnik) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 19,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Mělník lies in one of the most im ...

, where she died. Evidencing her existence are Bohemian denar coins with the inscription EMMA REGINA ("Queen Emma", not Duchess).

References

*Jan Kilián and Luboš Polanský (eds.): ''Emma regina – Civitas Melnic'', Mělník-Praha, 2008, . Duchesses of Bohemia 10th-century Bohemian women 11th-century Bohemian women 11th-century Bohemian people 10th-century Bohemian people Year of birth unknown 10th-century births 1000s deaths Year of death uncertain {{CzechRepublic-bio-stub