Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Abt 0921, Böhmen, Tsjekkia; Hertug.

Notes:

Occupation:
In 921, when Wenceslaus was 13, his father died and he was brought up by his grandmother, Saint Ludmila, who raised him as a Christian. A dispute between the fervently Christian regent and her daughter-in-law drove Ludmila to seek sanctuary at Tetín Castle near Beroun. Drahomíra, who was trying to garner support from the nobility, was furious about losing influence on her son and arranged to have Ludmila strangled at Tetín on September 15, 921. Wenceslaus is usually described as exceptionally pious and humble, and a very educated and intelligent young man for his time.

According to some legends, having regained control of her son, Drahomíra set out to convert him to the old pagan religion. According to other legends, she was a Christian herself; however, very little is known about her rule.
After the fall of Great Moravia, the rulers of the Bohemian duchy had to deal both with continuous raids by the Magyars and the forces of the Saxon duke and East Frankish king Henry the Fowler, who had started several eastern campaigns into the adjacent lands of the Polabian Slavs, homeland of Wenceslaus' mother. To withstand Saxon overlordship Wenceslaus' father Vratislaus had forged an alliance with the Bavarian duke Arnulf the Bad, then a fierce opponent of King Henry; however, it became worthless when Arnulf and Henry reconciled at Regensburg in 921.

In 924 or 925 Wenceslaus assumed government for himself and had Drahomíra exiled. After gaining the throne at the age of eighteen, he defeated a rebellious duke of Kourim named Radslav. He also founded a rotunda consecrated to St Vitus at Prague Castle in Prague, which exists as present-day St Vitus Cathedral.

Early in 929 the joint forces of Duke Arnulf of Bavaria and King Henry 1 the Fowler reached Prague in a sudden attack, which forced Wenceslaus to resume the payment of a tribute which had been first imposed by the East Frankish king Arnulf of Carinthia in 895. Henry had been forced to pay a huge tribute to the Magyars in 926 and he therefore needed the Bohemian tribute which Wenceslaus probably refused to pay any longer after the reconciliation between Arnulf and Henry. One of the possible reasons for Henry's attack was also the formation of the anti-Saxon alliance between Bohemia, the Polabian Slavs and the Magyars.

Died:
Muligens drept av broren Boleslav.

In September 935 (in older sources 929) a group of nobles—allied with Wenceslaus' younger brother Boleslav—plotted to kill the prince. After Boleslav invited Wenceslaus to the feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian in Stará Boleslav, three of Boleslav's companions – Tira, Cesta and Hnevsa – murdered Wenceslaus on his way to church after a quarrel between him and his brother. Boleslav thus succeeded him as the Duke of Bohemia.
According to Cosmas's Chronicle, one of Boleslav's sons was born on the day of Wenceslaus' death, and because of the ominous circumstance of his birth the infant was named Strachkvas, which means a dreadful feast.
There are discrepancies in the records regarding the date of St Wenceslaus' death. It has been argued that

Wenceslaus' remains were transferred to St Vitus's Church in 932, ruling out the later date; however, the year 935 is now favored by historians as the date of his murder.
There is a tradition which states that Saint Wenceslaus' loyal servant, Podevin, avenged his death by killing one of the chief conspirators. Podevin was executed by Boleslav.

Wenceslas was considered a martyr and a saint immediately after his death, when a cult of Wenceslas grew up in Bohemia and in England.

Bildetekst:
Wenceslaus' assassination: the duke flees from his brother (with sword) to a church, but the priest closes the door, Gumpold von Mantua, 10th century.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Abt 0915, Böhmen, Tsjekkia; Hertug.

Notes:

Occupation:
Upon the death of his elder brother Spytihnev in 915, Vratislaus became Bohemian duke at a time when his duchy had already distanced itself from the political and cultural influence of Great Moravia and fallen under East Frankish, especially Bavarian influence. The Annales Fuldenses report that in the year 900 the Bavarians had attacked Moravia in alliance with the Bohemians. On the other hand, Vratislaus supported the Magyars in their 915 campaign against the Duchy of Saxony under Duke Henry the Fowler.

Vratislaus is credited with the establishment of St. George's Basilica at Prague Castle and also with the foundation of the Silesian city of Wroclaw (Vratislavia). He died in battle against the Magyars, possibly in 919, although 921 is more often conjectured.

Vratislav married Drahomira av Hevelli before 0907. Drahomira was born between 0877 and 0890; died after 0935. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Birth:
Drahomira's homeland was around Brandenburg, a castle near present-day Berlin. She was a princess of the Havolans.

Notes:

Married:
Drahomira married Vratislav 1 of Bohemia and gave birth to at least three children: Saint Wenceslas, Boleslaus 1 and Strezislava. She led her husband to cooperation with her vernaculars, which waged war against Saxony. After her husband's untimely death in 921, she and her mother-in-law, Saint Ludmila, divided the government of Bohemia. She was the regent of Bohemia in 921-924 during the minority of her son.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Abt 0870, Böhmen, Tsjekkia; Hertug.

Notes:

Occupation:
Borivoj 1 was the first historically-documented Duke of Bohemia (c.870 – c.889) and founder of the Premyslid dynasty.

As the head of the Premyslids who dominated the environs of present-day Prague, Borivoj declared himself kníže - in Latin dux, which means sovereign prince - around the year 870 A.D. His title was later translated by German scholars as "duke" of the Bohemians (Czechs). Although the German dukes of the era held the same title, the meaning of his title was in fact completely different. In contrast to the German dukes, the Czech dux denoted a sovereign ruler. Borivoj was recognised as such around 872 by his overlord Svatopluk I of Great Moravia, who dispatched Bishop Methodius to begin the conversion of the Bohemian Slavs to Christianity. Borivoj and his wife Ludmila were baptised by Methodius (probably in 883), and the latter became an enthusiastic evangelist, although the religion failed to take root among Borivoj's subjects.

In the years 883-884 Borivoj was deposed by a revolt in support of his kinsman Strojmír. He was restored in 885 only with the support of his suzerain Svatopluk of Moravia. When Borivoj died about 4 years later, his sons still minors, Svatopluk took over the rule of Bohemia himself.

As with most of the early Bohemian rulers, Borivoj is a shadowy figure; exact dates for his reign and vital statistics cannot be established. Nonetheless, several major fortifications and religious foundations are said to have dated from this time. In old Czech legends he is said to have been son of a Bohemian prince named Hostivít.

Borivoj married Ludmila before 0871. Ludmila was born about 0860 in Melnik, Böhmen, Tsjekkia; died on 15 Sep 0921. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Died:
Drept av sin svigerdatter Drahomira.

Wenceslaus' wife Drahomíra became jealous of Ludmila's influence over Wenceslaus. She had two noblemen murder Ludmila at Tetín, and part of Ludmila's story says that she was strangled with her veil. Initially Saint Ludmila was buried at St. Michael's at Tetín. Sometime before the year 1100 her remains were removed to the St. George's Basilica, Prague.

Saint Ludmila is venerated as a patroness of Bohemia. Her feast day is celebrated on 16 September. She is considered to be a patron saint of Bohemia, converts, Czech Republic, duchesses, problems with in-laws, and widows. She was canonized shortly after her death.

Notes:

Married:
Ludmila was married to Borivoj 1 of Bohemia, who was the first Christian Duke of Bohemia. The couple was converted to Christianity around 871, probably through the efforts of Saints Cyril and Methodius. Their efforts to convert Bohemia to Christianity were initially not well received, and they were driven from their country for a time by the pagans. Eventually the couple returned, and ruled for several years before retiring to Tetin, near Beroun.