Frederick, Duke of Bohemia
Frederick | |
---|---|
Duke of Bohemia | |
Reign | 1178 – 25 March 1189 |
Predecessor | Soběslav II |
Successor | Conrad II |
Born | c. 1142 |
Died | 25 March 1189 | (aged 46–47)
Spouse | Elizabeth of Hungary |
Issue | Ludmilla of Bohemia |
House | Přemyslid dynasty |
Father | Vladislav II of Bohemia |
Mother | Gertrude of Babenberg |
Frederick (
Life
Frederick was the eldest son of King
King Vladislav's relations with the emperor deteriorated when in 1172 he abdicated in favour of Frederick,[2] trying to implement a line of succession in accordance to the principle of agnatic seniority, but without consulting Barbarossa. While the Prague throne was claimed by Vladislav's cousins, sons of the late Duke Soběslav I, Frederick was unable to hold on to his duchy, as his tenancy was approved by neither the Bohemian diet nor the emperor. Father and son were eventually declared deposed in September 1173 by the emperor at an Imperial Diet in Hermsdorf (Erbendorf). In agreement with the Bohemian nobility, Barbarossa offered the throne to Vladislav's cousin Oldřich. However, Oldřich declined the honour and renounced the rule over Bohemia in favour to his elder brother Soběslav II, who was sympathetic to the peasantry.
While aged Vladislav II left Bohemia and retired to the
The emperor now recognised Frederick as an
After years of wrangling, Duke Frederick, weakened by the internal struggles, was practically a puppet of the emperor. When Margrave Conrad was defeated by the forces of Frederick's half brother Ottokar in a bloody battle at Loděnice, the Bohemian and Moravian Přemyslids finally met at Knín in 1186.[3][4] To settle the dispute, Conrad acknowledged Frederick's overlordship, while the duke confirmed Conrad's rights and his succession to the Bohemian throne. Frederick died in 1189, while he prepared to follow the emperor on the Third Crusade. According to the Knín agreement, he was succeeded by Conrad (as Duke Conrad II) who once again united Bohemia and Moravia under his rule.
Marriage and children
Frederick married Elizabeth, a daughter of the Árpád king Géza II of Hungary and his consort Euphrosyne of Kiev.[5] They had the following issue:
- Helena (born 1158),[5]
- Sophia (died 25 May 1185), married Albert, Margrave of Meissen[a]
- Ludmilla (died 14 August 1240), married Count Albert III of Bogen in 1184, and then Louis I, Duke of Bavaria, in 1204
- Vratislaus (died 1180)
- Olga (fl. c.1163)
- Margaret (died 28 August 1167)
Notes
References
- ^ Freed 2016, p. xiv.
- ^ Mahoney 2011, p. 44.
- ^ Wihoda 2015, p. 64.
- ^ Pánek & Tuma 2019, p. 95.
- ^ a b Homza 2017, p. 66.
- ^ Lyon 2013, p. 247.
Sources
- Freed, John B. (2016). Frederick Barbarossa: The Prince and the Myth. Yale University Press.
- Homza, Martin (2017). Mulieres Suadentes - Persuasive Women: Female Royal Saints in Medieval East Central and Eastern Europe. Brill.
- Lyon, Jonathan R. (2013). Princely Brothers and Sisters: The Sibling Bond in German Politics, 1100-1250. Cornell University Press.
- Mahoney, William (2011). The History of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. ABC-CLIO.
- Pánek, Jaroslav; Tuma, Oldrich (2019). A History of the Czech Lands. Charles University.
- Wihoda, Martin (2015). Vladislaus Henry: The Formation of Moravian Identity. Brill.
External links