Vratislaus (or Wratislaus) I ( cs, Vratislav I.; – 13 February 921), a member of the

Přemyslid dynasty The Přemyslid dynasty or House of Přemyslid ( cs, Přemyslovci, german: Premysliden, pl, Przemyślidzi) was a Bohemian royal dynasty that reigned in the Duchy of Bohemia and later Kingdom of Bohemia and Margraviate of Moravia (9th century–13 ...

, was

Duke of Bohemia The Duchy of Bohemia was established in 870 and raised to the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1198. Several Bohemian monarchs ruled as non-hereditary kings beforehand, first gaining the title in 1085. From 1004 to 1806, Bohemia was part of the Holy Roman ...

from 915 until his death.

Life

He was a son of Duke Bořivoj I of Bohemia by his wife Ludmila and the younger brother of Duke Spytihněv I. Around 906, he married

Drahomíra Drahomíra of Stodor ( cs, Drahomíra ze Stodor; – died after 934 or 936) was Duchess consort of Bohemia from 915 to 921, wife of the Přemyslid duke Vratislaus I. She also acted as regent of the Duchy of Bohemia from 921 to 924 during the ...

, a

Hevelli The Hevelli or Hevellians/ Navellasîni (sometimes ''Havolane''; german: Heveller or ''Stodoranen''; pl, Hawelanie or ''Stodoranie''; cs, Havolané or ''Stodorané'') were a tribe of the Polabian Slavs, who settled around the middle Havel river ...

an princess, to establish close ties with the

Polabian Slavs Polabian Slavs ( dsb, Połobske słowjany, pl, Słowianie połabscy, cz, Polabští slované) is a collective term applied to a number of Lechitic ( West Slavic) tribes who lived scattered along the Elbe river in what is today eastern German ...

. Vratislaus had at least two sons,

Wenceslaus Wenceslaus, Wenceslas, Wenzeslaus and Wenzslaus (and other similar names) are Latinized forms of the Czech name Václav. The other language versions of the name are german: Wenzel, pl, Wacław, Więcesław, Wieńczysław, es, Wenceslao, russ ...

and Boleslaus, both of whom succeeded him as Bohemian dukes. Some historians believe that Střezislava, the wife of the Bohemian nobleman

Slavník Slavník (died 981) was a White Croatian nobleman, the founder of Slavník dynasty. Slavník rose to power during the reign of Boleslaus II of the Přemyslid dynasty. Slavník controlled significant estates within central Bohemia, and was overlor ...

, founder of the

Slavník dynasty The Slavniks/Slavníks or Slavnikids ( cs, Slavníkovci; german: Slawnikiden; pl, Sławnikowice) was a dynasty in the White Croatia during the 10th century. It is considered to be of White Croats origin. The center of the semi-independent princip ...

, was also the daughter of Vratislaus. Upon the death of his elder brother Spytihněv in 915, Vratislaus became duke at a time when the

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohe ...

n lands around

Prague Castle Prague Castle ( cs, Pražský hrad; ) is a castle complex in Prague 1 Municipality within Prague, Czech Republic, built in the 9th century. It is the official office of the President of the Czech Republic. The castle was a seat of power for kin ...

had already distanced themselves from the political and cultural sphere of

Great Moravia Great Moravia ( la, Regnum Marahensium; el, Μεγάλη Μοραβία, ''Meghálī Moravía''; cz, Velká Morava ; sk, Veľká Morava ; pl, Wielkie Morawy), or simply Moravia, was the first major state that was predominantly West Slavic to ...

and fallen under the influence of

East Francia East Francia (Medieval Latin: ) or the Kingdom of the East Franks () was a successor state of Charlemagne's empire ruled by the Carolingian dynasty until 911. It was created through the Treaty of Verdun (843) which divided the former empire int ...

, especially during the rule of Duke

Arnulf of Bavaria Arnulf II (birth unknown; died 14 July 937), also known as the Bad (german: der Schlimme), the Evil (''der Böse'') or the Wicked, a member of the Luitpolding dynasty, held the title of Duke of Bavaria from about 907 until his death in 937. He ...

. The contemporary ''

Annales Fuldenses The ''Annales Fuldenses'' or ''Annals of Fulda'' are East Frankish chronicles that cover independently the period from the last years of Louis the Pious (died 840) to shortly after the end of effective Carolingian rule in East Francia with the ac ...

'' report that the Bavarian forces had attacked Prince Mojmír II of Moravia in alliance with the Bohemians already in the year 900. On the other hand, Duke Vratislaus offered the Hungarian invaders free passage and supported their campaign against the

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

duke

Henry the Fowler Henry the Fowler (german: Heinrich der Vogler or '; la, Henricus Auceps) (c. 876 – 2 July 936) was the Duke of Saxony from 912 and the King of East Francia from 919 until his death in 936. As the first non-Frankish king of East Francia, he ...

in the year 915. Vratislaus is credited with the establishment of St. George's Basilica at Prague Castle and also with the foundation of the

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is spl ...

n city of

Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...

(Breslau), whose Latin name "Vratislavia" denotes his initiative. He died in battle against the Hungarians, possibly in 919, although 921 is more often conjectured.

References

*Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700 by Frederick Lewis Weis; Line 244-7 *The Plantagenet Ancestry by William Henry Turton, Page 85 *Royal Highness, Ancestry of the Royal Child by Sir Iain Moncreiffe, Pages 64–65 {{DEFAULTSORT:Vratislaus 01, Duke of Bohemia Dukes of Bohemia Christian monarchs 880s births Year of birth uncertain 921 deaths Burials at St. George's Basilica, Prague Place of birth missing Place of death missing 10th-century rulers in Europe 10th-century Bohemian people