Świętosława of Poland ( cs, Svatava Polská (c. 1046–1048 – 1 September 1126)) was the third wife of Duke (later King)

Vratislaus II of Bohemia Vratislaus II (or Wratislaus II) ( cs, Vratislav II.) (c. 1032 – 14 January 1092), the son of Bretislaus I and Judith of Schweinfurt, was the first King of Bohemia as of 15 June 1085, his royal title granted as a lifetime honorific from Holy ...

and the first

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

of Bohemia as of 1085.

Origin

Świętosława was the daughter of Duke

Casimir I of Poland Casimir I the Restorer (; 25 July 1016 – 28 November 1058), a member of the Piast dynasty, was the duke of Poland from 1040 until his death. Casimir was the son of Mieszko II Lambert and Richeza of Lotharingia. He is known as the Restorer becaus ...

and his wife

Maria Dobroniega of Kiev Maria Dobroniega of Kiev (b. aft. 1012 – d. 13 December 1087), was a Kievan Rus' princess of the Rurikid dynasty and by marriage Duchess of Poland. Life Family She was one of the younger children of Vladimir I, Grand Prince of Kiev. The ide ...

. She was related to the

House of Přemysl A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

, the family of her future husband, through her great-grandmother Doubravka of Bohemia. Her brothers Boleslaus II the Bold and Ladislaus I Herman were rulers of Poland.

Marriage to Vratislaus

Vratislaus married Świętosława in 1062, one year after the death of the previous duchess, Vratislaus' second wife Adelaide of Hungary.KAREŠOVÁ, Z.; PRAŽÁK, J. ''Královny a kněžny české''. Prague : X-Egem, 1996. His first wife Maria had died after the birth of their stillborn child. According to German historians, Świętosława was 15 years' old at the time of their marriage, while according to

Oswald Balzer Oswald Marian Balzer (23 January 1858 in Chodorów – 11 January 1933 in Lwów) was a Polish historian of law and statehood, one of the most renowned Polish historians of his times. In 1887 he became a professor at the University of Lwów. Be ...

, she was aged 19 to 22. With this marriage, the neutrality of Bohemia was ensured in the Polish-German conflict. In addition, Vratislaus demonstrated friendly relationships with Boleslaus II the Bold, but at a later date they disputed the Czech-Polish borders.

The first Queen of Bohemia

The new duchess gave birth to four children; Vratislaus had four other ones already. The youngest son, Soběslav, was probably born in 1075. Her sons Vladislaus and Soběslav became dukes in the unquiet years after the death of their father, while her daughter Judith was married to Wiprecht, his ally and friend. There is little information about this duchess, although she was crowned together with her husband as King and Queen in 1085 by archbishop Egilbert. They reigned for the next seven years.

Widow

In 1092 Świętosława was left a widow and saw a struggle for the throne of Bohemia among the Přemyslids. In 1111, she assisted in negotiations between Vladislaus I and

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 ...

. After Vratislaus' death, she tried to soften clashes between their youngest sons Vladislaus and Soběslav. In 1125, the dying Vladislaus I confirmed his relative

Otto II the Black Otto II the Black ( cs, Ota II. Černý; – 18 February 1126), a member of the Přemyslid dynasty, ruled as a Moravian prince in Olomouc from 1107 and in Brno from 1123 until his death. Life He was a younger son of Prince Otto I of Olomouc and ...

as his successor, which was also the wish of Vladislaus' wife,

Richeza of Berg Richeza of Berg ( cs, Richenza z Bergu; – 27 September 1125) was Duchess of Bohemia from 1111 to 1117 and again from 1120 until 1125, by her marriage with the Přemyslid duke Vladislav I. She was the daughter of Swabian, Henry I, Count of B ...

. Only the intervention of his mother changed his opinion, and Vladislaus reconciled with his brother Soběslav. Świętosława, who was a widow for thirty years, lived to see the victory of her son Soběslav in the

Battle of Chlumec :''See Battle at Chlumec (1040) for a possible earlier battle, and Battle of Kulm for the Napoleonic battle.'' The Battle of Chlumec was the culmination of a 12th-century war of succession in the Duchy of Bohemia. It occurred on 18 Februa ...

and died in September 1126.

Children

*Boleslaus (died 1091) * Borivoj II of Bohemia (c. 1064 – 2 February 1124), Duke of Bohemia * Vladislaus I of Bohemia (died 12 April 1125), Duke of Bohemia * Soběslav I of Bohemia (died 14 February 1140), Duke of Bohemia *Judith (c. 1066 – 9 December 1108), married to Wiprecht de Groitzsch

Literature

* VANÍČEK, V. ''Vratislav II. (I.) První český král''. Prague : Vyšehrad, 2004. *KAREŠOVÁ, Z.; PRAŽÁK, J. ''Královny a kněžny české''. Prague : X-Egem, 1996.

References

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Swietoslawa of Poland 1040s births 1126 deaths Piast dynasty Polish princesses Bohemian queens consort Year of birth uncertain Place of birth unknown Place of death unknown Date of birth unknown Duchesses of Bohemia 11th-century Bohemian people 11th-century Bohemian women 12th-century Bohemian people 12th-century Bohemian women 11th-century Polish people 11th-century Polish women