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 Swabian or Schwabian, or ''variation'', may refer to: * the German region of Swabia (German: "''Schwaben''") * Swabian German, a dialect spoken in Baden-Württemberg in south-west Germany and adjoining areas (German:"''Schwäbisch''") * Danube S ...

, Henry I, Count of Berg (d. 1116) and his wife Adelheid of Mochental (d. 1127), a daughter of the Bavarian margrave Diepold II of Vohburg. Adelheid's elder brother, Margrave Diepold III, was a loyal follower of Emperor

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

; his daughter

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

married the

Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynas ...

duke (and later Emperor)

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt ...

in 1147. Richinza was named after her maternal great-grandmother Richwara, wife of Duke Berthold I of Zähringen. About 1110/1111 Richeza married Vladislav, who ruled the

Duchy of Bohemia The Duchy of Bohemia, also later referred to in English as the Czech Duchy, ( cs, České knížectví) was a monarchy and a principality of the Holy Roman Empire in Central Europe during the Early and High Middle Ages. It was formed around 870 b ...

since 1109; her sister Sophia married another Přemyslid prince,

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 ...

, in 1114. The third sister,

Salomea of Berg Salomea of Berg (german: Salome von Berg, pl, Salomea z Bergu; – 27 July 1144) was a German noblewoman and, by marriage with Prince Bolesław III Wrymouth in 1115, High Duchess of Poland until her husband's death in 1138. Life Salomea was th ...

(d. 1144), married the

Piast The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (c. 930–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir III the Great. Branche ...

duke of Poland,

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 ...

, in 1115. Richeza and Salomea ensured peace between their Bohemian and Polish husbands. The ducal couple founded the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monastery of Kladruby in 1115; Richeza also made several donations to

Zwiefalten Abbey Zwiefalten Abbey (german: Kloster Zwiefalten, Abtei Zwiefalten or after 1750, ) is a former Benedictine monastery situated at Zwiefalten near Reutlingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. History The monastery was founded in 1089 at the time of ...

in her Swabian homelands. Through the intercession of his wife, in 1125 the dying Duke Vladislav I chose his cousin Prince Otto II the Black as his successor. Only the intervention of his mother, the aged queen dowager

Świętosława Świętosława was a Polish princess, the daughter of Mieszko I of Poland and sister of Bolesław I of Poland. According to German chroniclers, this princess, whose name is not given, was married first to Eric the Victorious of Sweden and then ...

(Svatava), changed his mind and Vladislav reconciled with his younger brother

Soběslav Soběslav (; german: Sobieslau) is a town in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,800 inhabitants. The historical town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Admi ...

.KAREŠOVÁ, Z.; PRAŽÁK, J. ''Královny a kněžny české''. Prague : X-Egem, 1996. While Soběslav became duke upon Vladislav's death, the disappointed Richeza had to flee from Bohemia. She wished to retire to Zwiefalten Abbey, however, she died on the way on 27 September 1125. She is buried in Reichenbach Abbey in Bavaria. Her eldest son Vladislav II succeeded to the

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 ...

throne after Duke Soběslav's death in 1140.

Issue

* Svatava (Luitgarda; died after 1146) * Vladislav II ( – 18 January 1174), Duke of Bohemia from 1140, Bohemian king from 1158 * Děpold I of Jamnitz (died August 1167) * Jindřich (Henry; died after 1169), father of Duke Bretislav III

Literature

*KAREŠOVÁ, Z.; PRAŽÁK, J. ''Královny a kněžny české''. Prague : X-Egem, 1996.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richeza of Berg Duchesses of Bohemia Year of birth uncertain 1090s births 1125 deaths 12th-century Bohemian people 12th-century Bohemian women 11th-century Bohemian people 11th-century Bohemian women