Judith of Thuringia

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Judith of Thuringia
Ottokar I, King of Bohemia
Vladislaus III, Duke of Bohemia
HouseLudovingians
FatherLouis I, Landgrave of Thuringia
MotherHedwig of Gudensberg

Judith of Thuringia (

Vladislaus II.[1] She was the second Queen of Bohemia after Świętosława of Poland, wife of King Vratislaus II
, had received the title in 1085.

Marriage

Judith was the daughter of Landgrave

Frederick Barbarossa. Vladislaus' bride was about eighteen years old; he was 15–20 years her senior.[1][4]

Probably in 1155, two years after the wedding, Judith gave birth to the first son. In medieval times the names for babies were chosen mostly by mothers, so it was probably Judith's idea to name the son Přemysl after the legendary founder of the Přemyslid dynasty.[5]

Queen Judith

Judith Tower (left), Charles Bridge

The chronicler Vincent, canon of Prague, wrote that Judith was of great beauty and mind, educated in Latin and politics.

King of Bohemia in 1158, Judith became Queen consort.[6][7]
Her coronation is not actually documented, but chronicles write about Queen Judith.

During Vladislaus' rule a new bridge across the Vltava river in Prague was built from about 1160, where the famous Charles Bridge stands today. It was one of the first stone bridges in central Europe; Judith financed it, and in honour of her it was called Judith Bridge.[8] Drawn away by a 1342 flood, remnants of some pillars and arches are still visible, as well as the preserved bridge tower (Juditina věž) on the Malá Strana bank.[9]

In the ongoing struggle around the Prague throne, Judith backed the inheritance claims of her son Přemysl Ottokar, however, Duke Vladislaus named his stepbrother Frederick his successor. When her husband finally abdicated in 1172, his wife followed him to exile in Thuringia. Vladislaus died two years later at Meerane Castle.

Death

It is not known where Judith died, but her remains were found in the former

Benedictine monastery of Teplice, which she had founded about 1164.[10] According to the historian Emanuel Vlček [cs], she died about 1210 at the age of 75, living to see the successful reign of her eldest son Přemysl.[11]

Children

Literature

  • KAREŠOVÁ, Z.; PRAŽÁK, J. Královny a kněžny české. 1. vyd. Praha : X-Egem, 1996.
  • VLČEK, E. Judita Durynská– paní znamenité krásy a ducha neobyčejného. O čem vypovídá lebka manželky krále Vladislava II. Vesmír 81, říjen 2002.
  • M. Skopal. K otázce řezenské korunovace Vladislava II. "Acta Universitatis Carolinae. Philosophica et Historica", T. 2: Studia Historica, t. 31: 1987, s. 31–39, ad rem: s. 36–37.
  • A. Merhautová-Livorová. Reliéf na věži bývalého Juditina mostu. "Uméní", R. 19: 1971, nr 1, s. 70–75.

References

  1. ^ , retrieved 2024-03-23
  2. .
  3. .
  4. ^ .
  5. ^ KAREŠOVÁ, Z.; PRAŽÁK, J. Královny a kněžny české. Prague : X-Egem, 1996.
  6. .
  7. .
  8. .
  9. .
  10. .
  11. ^ VLČEK, E. Judita Durynská – paní znamenité krásy a ducha neobyčejného. O čem vypovídá lebka manželky krále Vladislava II. Vesmír 81, říjen 2002
Judith of Thuringia
Born: c. 1135 Died: 9 September after 1174
Royal titles
Preceded by
Duchess consort of Bohemia

1153–1158
Succeeded by
Elisabeth of Hungary
Preceded by
Queen consort of Bohemia

1158–1172
Succeeded by
Adelheid of Meissen