Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Abt 0935, Böhmen, Tsjekkia; Hertug.

Notes:

Occupation:
Boleslav was the ruler (knize, literally prince, but usually translated as duke) of Bohemia from 935 to his death. He was the son of Vratislaus 1 and the younger brother of his predecessor, Wenceslaus 1.

Boleslav is notorious for the murder of his brother Wenceslaus, through which he became Duke of Bohemia. Wenceslaus was murdered during a feast; at precisely that time Boleslav's son was allegedly born. He received a strange name: Strachkvas, which means a dreadful feast. Being remorseful for what he had done, Boleslav promised to devote his son to religion and educate him as a clergyman.

Despite the fratricide, Boleslav is generally respected by Czech historians as an energetic ruler who significantly strengthened the Bohemian state and expanded its territory. The pro-Christian religious policies pursued by Wenceslaus do not appear to have been a cause for Boleslav's fratricide, since Boleslav in no way impeded the growth of Christianity in Bohemia, and in fact actually sent his daughter Mlada, a nun, to the Pope in Rome to ask permission to make Prague a bishopric.
One of Boleslav's major concerns was the tribute paid yearly to the East Frankish kings. He stopped the payment shortly after he ascended the throne, which led to the prolonged war with King Otto the Great. This conflict, presumably consisting of border raids (the general pattern of warfare in this region at the time), reached its conclusion in 950 when Boleslav signed a peace treaty with Otto. Despite being undefeated, he promised to resume the payment of the tribute. Five years later, the armies of Czechs and Germans allied against the Magyars in the victorious Battle of Lechfeld on 10 August 955. Boleslav had also helped Otto to crush an uprising of Slavs on the Lower Elbe in 953.

After the Battle of Lech, the rest of the huge Magyar army turned to Bohemia, where it was crushed by Boleslav. Because of this victory, Boleslav freed Moravia from Magyar raids and expanded his territory to Upper Silesia and Malopolska. To strengthen the Bohemian-Polish alliance, Boleslav's daughter Dobrawa married the pagan Piast prince Mieszko I in 965, and helped bring Christianity to Poland. Boleslav's wife may have been Biagota. He was succeeded by his oldest son Boleslaus the Pious.

Anerkjente keiseren som lensherre 946. Utvidet riket med Mähren og deler av Galitsja og Schlesien.

Family/Spouse: Biagota. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Bef 0999, Böhmen, Tsjekkia; Hertug.

Notes:

Occupation:
Boleslaus 2 the Pious (Czech: Boleslav 2. Pobožný) (c.?932 - 7 February 999) was a Bohemian nobleman, a member of the P?emyslid dynasty and was the ruling Duke of Bohemia from 972 until his death.

Boleslaus was the son of Boleslaus 1 and brother of Strachkvas, Dobrawa - wife of Mieszko 1 and Mlada Maria. According to some historians his mother was Biagota. Biagota is only known from her coins and according some historians (V. Katz, J. Slama, J. Paukert) was wife of Boleslaus 1.

Boleslaus 2 became Duke (or Prince) on his father's death. Boleslaus maintained good relations with the Ottonian German kings, and in 975 supported Otto 2 during the civil war against Henry 2, Duke of Bavaria. In 977, Boleslaus again attacked Bavaria, but on this occasion was barred from annexing any lands by Otto 2.

Boleslaus' reign is most notable for the foundation of the Diocese of Prague in 973, placed at that time within the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Mainz.

In 982, Adalbert of Prague (later known as Saint Adalbert) was appointed to head the bishopric until he abandoned his primacy to lead a mission to the Old Prussians in 994. The alliance between Poland and Bohemia was overturned between 977 and 985, and Poland participated in invasions led by the German Emperor against Bohemia. However, in 985 or 990 Poland acquired Silesia at the expense of Bohemia.

On 28 September 995, Boleslaus and his confederate Vršovci stormed Libice in southern Bohemia and massacred the members of the Slavník dynasty. This clan had been the main rival of P?emyslid power in Bohemia. Boleslaus' brutal triumph ensured the unity of Bohemia under a single ruler.

Boleslaus' first wife Adiva, was perhaps the daughter of Edward the Elder, King of England, who married a prince near the Jupiter mountains, meaning the Alps.

His second wife was Emma of M?lník.

His sons were:

1. Boleslaus 3, his eldest son and successor.

2. Wenceslaus, died as an infant.

3. Jaromír, later became Duke of Bohemia.

4. Old?ich, also became Duke of Bohemia.

Family/Spouse: Hemma (Emma) av Sachsen. Hemma was born before 0950; died about 1006. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Birth:
Dobrawa (Dabrówka) (Czech: Doubravka, Polish: Dobrawa) var en bøhmisk (tsjekkisk) prinsesse. Hun tilhørte dynastiet Premislovci og var datter av hertug Boleslav 1 av Böhmen og Adiva av England, som var datter av kong Edvard den eldre.

Dobrawa's date of birth is not known. The only indication is communicated by the chronicler Cosmas of Prague, who stated that the Bohemian princess at the time of her marriage with Mieszko I was an old woman. The message is regarded as tendentious and of little reliability, and some researchers believe that the statement was made with malicious intent. It is possible that in the statement about Dobrawa's age, Cosmas was making a reference to the age difference between her and her sister Mlada. That would give him a basis for determining Dobrawa as old. It also found that Cosmas confuses Dobrawa with Mieszko 1's second wife Oda, who at the time of her marriage was around 19–25 years old, a relatively advanced age for a bride according to the customs of the Middle Ages. Some researchers have taken up speculative views, such as Jerzy Strzelczyk, who assumed that in the light of contemporary concepts and habits of marriage of that time (when as a rule marriages were contracted with teenage girls) is assumed that Dobrawa had passed her early youth, so, it's probable that she was in her late teens or twenties.

Died:
Dobrawa died in 977. In his study of 1888, Józef Ignacy Kraszewski wrote that her tomb was discovered in Gniezno Cathedral. It was a simple stone marked with a cross. Purple robes and a weighty gold loincloth were the only objects found in her tomb.

A similar view of Dobrawa's burial place was expressed earlier, in 1843, by Edward Raczynski in his study Wspomnienia Wielkopolski to jest województw poznanskiego, kaliskiego i gnieznienskiego (Memories of the Greater Poland districts of Poznan, Kalisz and Gniezno). However, the burial place of the Bohemian princess is now considered to be unknown.

Dobrawa's death weakened the Polish-Bohemian alliance, which finally collapsed in the mid-980s.

Dobrawa married Mieszko av Polen, "Mieszko 1" between 0965 and 0966. Mieszko (son of Ziemoslav av Polen and Gorka) was born between 0922 and 0945; died on 25 May 0992. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Bef 1034, Böhmen, Tsjekkia; Hertug.

Notes:

Occupation:
Oldrich (Latin: Odalricus, Udalrichus, German: Odalric, Udalrich; c.?975 – 9 November 1034), a member of the Premyslid dynasty, was Duke of Bohemia from 1012 to 1033 and briefly again in 1034. His accession to the Bohemian throne marked the start of a phase of stability during internal dynastic struggles. Under his rule, the Moravian lands were reconquered from Polish occupation.

Oldrich was the third son of Duke Boleslaus 2 of Bohemia (d. 999) and his consort Emma of Melník. Upon the death of his father, his eldest brother Boleslaus 3 succeeded him as duke, however, he soon entered into a fierce conflict with his younger brothers Oldrich and Jaromír.

In 1001 both had to flee to the Bavarian court at Regensburg. When Boleslaus 3 was deposed by the rivaling Vršovci dynasty the next year and the Polish ruler Boles?aw 1 the Brave invaded Bohemia, King Henry 2 of Germany intervened. Upon his expedition to Prague, Boleslaus' brothers were able to return and Jaromír was installed as Bohemian duke in 1004.

In the German–Polish War, Duke Jaromír remained a loyal supporter of the German king. Nevertheless, Henry did not take action when he was deposed and blinded by his brother Oldrich on 12 April 1012. While Jaromír fled to Poland, Oldrich too recognised the suzerainty of the King of the Romans. He secured his rule by suppressing the Vršovci insurgents.

Oldrich and his son Bretislaus sought to win back Moravia, once conquered by Oldrich's grandfather Duke Boleslaus 1, from the Poles. Bretislaus and his wife Judith of Schweinfurt took their residence in Olomouc.

In 1029 the Bohemian forces, backed by Emperor Conrad 2, finally drove the Poles out of the eastern lands. However, Bretislaus' efforts to occupy adjacent territories in what is today Slovakia by marching against the Kingdom of Hungary failed in 1030 due to the jealousy of the emepror, who reached an agreement with King Stephen 1. In the following year, Bohemian forces refused to take the field for the emperor.

In 1032, Duke Oldrich was invited to the Hoftag diet at Merseburg, but did not appear. His absence raised the ire of the emperor and Conrad, busy with events in Burgundy, charged his son Henry 3 with punishing the recalcitrant Bohemian. Oldrich was arrested, deposed and sent to Bavaria. He was again replaced by his brother Jaromír. However, when Oldrich was pardoned the next year, he returned to Bohemia and had Jaromír captured, blinded, and deposed. He seized power again and drove out Jaromír's son from Moravia.

Oldrich died abruptly on 9 November 1034 and later examination of his skeleton reveal his skull to have suffered a fatal blow. Jaromír then renounced the throne in favour of his nephew Bretislaus.

Udalrik married Bozena av Böhmen about 1002. Bozena (daughter of Kresina) died about 1052. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Birth:
Navnet Swietoslawa er en rekonstruksjon som først og fremst er begrunnet på en inskripsjon i - Liber vitae of the New Minster and Hyde Abbey Winchester - om at en søster til sønnen Knut den store skal ha hett - Santslaue – den fulle inskripsjonen lyder:

Santslaue soror CNVTI regis nostri.

Antagelig var denne datteren trolig døpt etter sin mor. Hun er ellers kjent under navnet Gunhild eller Gunhilda, en mulig norrøn forenkling av hennes opprinnelige navn.

I henhold til islandske sagaer og andre kilder var Svein Tjugeskjeggs hustru den vestgøtiske stormannsdatteren Sigrid Storråde. Kildekritiske forskere på 1900-tallet argumentert for at Sigrid Storråde var en oppdiktet og fiktiv person og at begge navnene Gunhild og Sigrid har vært norrøne forenklinger av det polske navnet Swietoslawa.
I den senere tid har forskerne derimot hellet til begrunnelser at Sigrid Storråde var en faktisk historisk person, og at Svein Tjugeskjegg var gift 2 ganger, og at Adam av Bremen tok feil, og de islandske sagaene hadde rett. Sigrid Storråde var da gift med både Erik Seiersæl og Svein Tjugeskjegg, og Swietoslawa av Polen var kun gift med danskekongen.

Ifølge Snorre Sturlasson hadde Gunhild 2 søstre, Geira og Astrid. Geira ble i 982 gift med Olav Tryggvason som senere ble norsk konge (995-1000). Geira døde ifølge kildene barnløs i 985. Prinsesse Astrid ble gift med jomsvikingenes høvding Sigvalde jarl.

Swietoslawa married Svein Haraldsen, "Otto 1" after 0994. Svein (son of Harald Gormsen av Danmark and Gunnhild) was born about 0960; died on 03 Feb 1014 in Gainsborough, North Lincolnshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Abt 1024, Polen; Konge av Polen fra 1024, og regnes for rikets grunnlegger.

Family/Spouse: Hemmilde av Slavekia. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Bef 1055, Böhmen, Tsjekkia; Hertug.

Notes:

Occupation:
Bretislaus 1 (Czech: Bretislav 1.) (1002/1005 – 10 January 1055), known as the Bohemian Achilles, of the house of the Premyslids, was Duke of Bohemia from 1035 until his death.

Bretislaus was the son of Duke Oldrich and his low-born concubine Bozena. As an illegitimate son could not obtain a desirable wife by conventional means, he chose to kidnap his future wife Judith of Schweinfurt (Czech: Jitka), a daughter of the Bavarian noble Henry of Schweinfurt, Margrave of Nordgau, in 1019 at Schweinfurt.

During his father’s reign, in 1019 or 1029, Bretislaus took back Moravia from Poland. About 1031 he invaded Hungary in order to prevent its expansion under king Stephen. The partition of Bohemia between Old?ich and his brother Jaromír in 1034 was probably the reason why Bretislaus fled beyond the Bohemian border, only to come back to take the throne after Jaromír’s abdication.

In 1035 Bretislaus helped Emperor Conrad 2 in his war against the Lusatians. In 1039 he invaded Little and Great Poland, captured Poznan and sacked Gniezno, bringing the relics of St. Adalbert, Radim Gaudentius and the Five Brothers back with him. On the way back he conquered part of Silesia including Wroclaw (Czech: Vratislav). His main goal was to set up an archbishopric in Prague and create a large state subject only to the Holy Roman Empire. His raid had an unintended enduring influence on Polish history, as the plundering and destruction of Gniezno pushed the next Polish rulers to move their capital to Kraków, which would retain this role for many centuries ahead.

In 1040 the German King Henry 3 invaded Bohemia, but was forced to retreat after he lost the battle at Brudek (a pass in the Bohemian Forest). The following year Henry 3 invaded again, skirted the border defences and laid siege to Bretislaus in Prague. Forced by a mutiny among his nobles and betrayed by his bishop, Bretislaus had to renounce all of his conquests save for Moravia and recognize Henry 3 as his sovereign.

In 1047, Emperor Henry 3 negotiated a peace treaty between Bretislaus and the Poles. This pact worked in Bretislaus' favour, as the Polish ruler swore never again to attack Bohemia in return for an annual subsidy to Gniezno.

Bretislaus was the author of decrees concerning the rules of Christianization, which included a ban on polygamy and trade on holidays.

It was in 1030 that Bretislaus married the afore-mentioned Judith.

Before his death, Bretislaus organised the succession (in 1054) and issued the famous Seniority Law, introducing agnatic seniority for order of succession. Younger members of the dynasty were supposed to govern fiefs (technically, parts of Moravia), but only at the Duke's discretion. Result of this institution was relative indivisibility of the Czech lands, but also alternation of rules of stronger (or perhaps more political) dukes with periods of bitter fraction wars of members of the dynasty. It was effectively ended by elevation of Bohemia to kingdom under Ottokar 1 of Bohemia, when primogeniture became the ruling principle.

His eldest son Spytihnev was to succeed him as Duke of Bohemia with control over that territory. Moravia was incorporated into the Bohemian duchy, but divided between three of his younger sons. The Olomouc Appanage went to Vratislaus; the Znojmo Appanage went to Konrad; and the Brno Appanage went to Otto. The youngest son, Jaromír, entered the church and became Bishop of Prague.

Bretislaus died at Chrudim in 1055 during his preparation for another invasion of Hungary and was succeeded by his son Spytihnev 2 as Duke of Bohemia. His younger children were left the region of Moravia. Otto and Vratislav were shut out of the government by Spytihnev, but after his death both gained control of Moravia and Bohemia, respectively.

Family/Spouse: Judith av Böhmen. Judith died about 1058. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Abt 1014, Danmark; Konge.

Notes:

Occupation:
Regjerte i farens navn mens faren var på krigerferd og erobret det meste av England i 1013. Da faren døde året etter ble Harald konge også i navnet mens broren Knut Sveinsson, senere kalt for Knut den store, beholdt makten i England. Hjalp sin bror med å vinne England. Kun 4 år fikk Harald som regent før han døde, og da overtok broren Knut også Danmark.

Ettertiden vet svært lite om Svein Tjugeskjeggs sønn og arving.

I 1013 bød kong Svein på dansk leidang, seilte over Nordsjøen og begynte erobringen av England. I Danmark plasserte han sin sønn som regent i sitt fravær. Da England ble erobret flyktet den engelske kongen Ethelred den rådville til Normandie, hvor han søkte beskyttelse hos sin svoger Robert.
Da Svein Tjugeskjegg døde i februar 1014 valgte hans menn sønnen Knut til konge, men i Danmark hyllet høvdingene broren Harald som konge.

Ved Sveins død kalte det engelske riksrådet den fordrevne kong Ethelred hjem, og Knut måtte reise til Danmark for å samle støtte. I følge noen kilder anmodet han storebroren Harald om å få del styret av Danmark, men Harald avviste ham. Han skal likevel ha lovet Knut hærstyrker og hjelp til å gjenerobre England som åpenbart ble oppfattet som Svein Tjugeskjeggs arv til sønnen Knut. Muligens var det hele tiden Sveins intensjon at Danmark skulle ha en konge og England den andre slik at begge sønnene kunne konsentrere seg om hvert sitt rike.

Died:
Harald Sveinsson døde i 1018 uten at vi kjenner til årsaken. Danskene valgte derfor broren Knut til konge, visstnok i 1019.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Abt 1014, England; Konge i England da faren, Svein Tjugeskjegg, døde i 1014.
• Occupation: Abt 1019, Danmark; Konge.
• Occupation: Abt 1028, Norge; Konge. Nå er Daneveldet på sitt største.

Notes:

Birth:
Kong Knut ble døpt Lambart og omtalte seg selv som det. Tilnavnene den store eller den mektige fikk han fordi det lyktes ham å legge Norge og deler av Sverige inn under riket sitt.

Occupation:
Hæren utropte ham til konge av England, mens høvdingene i hjemlandet Danmark utropte den eldre broren Harald Sveinsson til konge av Danmark. Sannsynligvis hadde det vært kong Sveins intensjon at brødrene skulle arve hvert sitt rike. Da broren Harald døde 4 år senere arvet Knut også Danmark.

Som konge i England ble Knut førts kastet ut av engelske stormenn, men kom tilbake i 1015 med en stor hær. Han slo sin engelske rival, Edmund Jernside, og gjenerobret med det kongemakten i England i slaget ved Assatun i 18.oktober 1016.

I England skulle flere kamper til for å vinne makten over det meste av England da den forviste kong Ethelred den rådville kom tilbake ved Sveins død. I samarbeid med den senere Olav den hellige ble Knut konge av England i 1016.

I 1017 giftet han seg strategisk med kong Ethelreds enke, Emma av Normandie. Hun var datter av normannerhertugen Robert. Knuts søster, Estrid (datter av Svein og Sigrid Storråde), giftet seg med broren til hertugen, Richard.

Olav den hellige og Anund Jakob av Sverige i tillegg til svenske Ulf Jarl inngikk et forbund mot kong Knut.
I 1026 seiret Knut over dem i slaget ved Helgeå i Skåne. Samme år skal han ha latt Ulf jarl myrde i Roskilde domkirke (Ulf Jarl må ikke forveksles med en annen av samme navn i England).

Sluttet fred med sveakongen Anund Jakob og angrep Olav Digre sommeren 1028 med 50 skip, annen kilde sier 1.400 skip. Nordmennene sluttet opp om ham og tvang Olav Digre til å flykte. Han innsatte først sin søstersønn Håkon Eiriksson Ladejarl som konge. Da denne druknet innsatte Knut sin egen sønn, Svein Knutsen. Nå var Danevelde på sitt største.

Knut var da en mektig konge. Da han besøkte Roma for å se pave Johannes 19. krone den tyske kong Konrad til keiser av det hellige tysk-romeske riket, ble han hyllet som den nest mektigste kristne fyrsten. Knut så på seg selv mest som konge av England og var lite tid i de andre landene. Han tok seg særlig av England, hvor han førte et heldig indre styre.

Hardeknut Knutsson, konge etter sin far 1035-1042.
Mistet styret i England til sin bror Harald Harefot allerede 1035 og Norge til Magnus den gode samme år.
Fikk igjen styret i England 1039 da Harald døde. Forlikte seg med Magnus 1038, hvor de ble enige om at lengstlevende skulle arve begge riker.

Ifølge islandsk saga var Knut høy og flott, men hadde en krokete nese.

Died:
Han døde i 1035 i Shaftesbury, Dorset, og ble gravlagt i domkirken i Winchester.

Knut married Alfiva before 1015. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Knut married Emma av Normandie about 1017. Emma (daughter of Richard av Normandie, "Richard 1" and Gunnor Haraldsdatter av Crepon) was born in Normandie, Frankrike; died about 1052. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Bef 1034, Polen; Konge.

Mieszko married Richiza av Saalfeld og Lothringen about 1013. Richiza (daughter of Ezzo av Lothringen and Mathilde av Sachsen) was born about 0994; died on 21 Mar 1063 in Tyskland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]