Ludmila of Bohemia (c. 860 – 15 September 921) is a Czech

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Or ...

and

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

venerated by the Orthodox and the

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. She was born in Mělník as the daughter of the Sorbian prince

Slavibor Slavibor was a Sorbian prince, and father of the Czech saint Ludmila. References 9th-century Slavs 894 deaths Early Sorbian people Year of birth unknown 9th-century Bohemian people {{Europe-noble-stub ...

. Saint Ludmila was the grandmother of

Saint Wenceslaus Wenceslaus I ( cs, Václav ; c. 907 – 28 September 935 or 929), Wenceslas I or ''Václav the Good'' was the Duke ('' kníže'') of Bohemia from 921 until his death, probably in 935. According to the legend, he was assassinated by his younger ...

, who is widely referred to as Good King Wenceslaus. Saint Ludmila was canonized shortly after her death. As part of the process of canonization, in 925, Wenceslaus moved her remains to

St. George's Basilica, Prague St. George's Basilica ( cz, Bazilika Sv. Jiří) is the oldest surviving church building within Prague Castle, Prague, Czech Republic. The basilica was founded by Vratislaus I of Bohemia in 920. It is dedicated to Saint George. Primarily Romane ...

Marriage

Ludmila was married to Bořivoj I of Bohemia, the first Christian Duke of Bohemia, in 873. The couple converted to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...

through the efforts of Methodius.Ott, Michael. "St. Ludmilla." ''The Catholic Encyclopedia.'' Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 24 Feb. 2013
/ref> Their efforts to convert

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

to Christianity were initially not well received, and pagans drove them from their country for a time. Eventually the couple returned and ruled for several years before retiring to Tetín, near

Beroun Beroun (; german: Beraun) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. It lies at the confluence of the Berounka and Litavka rivers. Beroun creates a conurbation with Králův Dvůr, former p ...

. Bořivoj was succeeded by their son Spytihněv. Spytihněv was succeeded by his brother Vratislav. When Vratislav died in 921, his son

Wenceslas Wenceslaus, Wenceslas, Wenzeslaus and Wenzslaus (and other similar names) are Latinized forms of the Czech name Václav. The other language versions of the name are german: Wenzel, pl, Wacław, Więcesław, Wieńczysław, es, Wenceslao, russian ...

became the next ruler of Bohemia. It had been primarily Ludmila who raised her grandson, and she acted as regent for him.

Ludmila and Drahomíra

Wenceslaus' mother

Drahomíra Drahomíra of Stodor ( cs, Drahomíra ze Stodor; – died after 934 or 936) was Duchess consort of Bohemia from 915 to 921, wife of the Přemyslid duke Vratislaus I. She also acted as regent of the Duchy of Bohemia from 921 to 924 during the ...

became jealous of Ludmila's influence over Wenceslaus. She had two noblemen, Tunna and Gommon (probably of Frankish or Varangian descent) murder Ludmila in Tetín, and part of Ludmila's narrative states that she was strangled with her veil. Initially, Ludmila was buried at St. Michael's at Tetín. Ludmila was canonized shortly after her death. As part of the process of canonization, in 925 Wenceslaus moved her remains to

. She is venerated as a patroness of Bohemia. She is considered to be a

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of Bohemia, converts,

duchess Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

es, those with problems with in-laws, and

widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word can so ...

s. Her feast day is celebrated on September 16th.

Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8 September 1841 – 1 May 1904) was a Czech composer. Dvořák frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist example ...

composed his oratorio ''

Saint Ludmila Ludmila of Bohemia (c. 860 – 15 September 921) is a Czech saint and martyr venerated by the Orthodox and the Roman Catholics. She was born in Mělník as the daughter of the Sorbian prince Slavibor. Saint Ludmila was the grandmother of ...

'' between September 1885 and May 1886. The work was commissioned by the publisher Littleton for the Leeds Festival.Halstead, Susan. "St. Ludmila, patroness of Bohemia". British Library, 16 September 2013.
/ref>

References

Sources

* Pekar, J., ''Die Wenzels- und Ludmilla-Legenden und die Echtheit Christians'' (Prag, 1906). * Christianus Monachus, "Vita et Passio sancti Venceslai et sanctae Ludmilae avae eius," in ''Magnae Moraviae Fontes Historici'' (Brno, 1967), 186–199. * Ingham, N. W., "The Lost Church Slavonic Life of Saint Ludmila," in ''Studia Slavica Mediaevalia et Himanistica. Riccardo Piccio dicata''. T. 1-2 (Roma, 1986), 349–360. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ludmila of Bohemia 860s births 921 deaths Year of birth uncertain Converts to Christianity from pagan religions Early Sorbian people Czech Roman Catholic saints Czech murder victims Duchesses of Bohemia Roman Catholic royal saints Christian female saints of the Middle Ages 9th-century women 9th-century Bohemian people 10th-century Christian saints 10th-century Christian martyrs 10th-century women rulers Burials at St. George's Basilica, Prague

Marriage

Ludmila and Drahomíra

See also

References

Sources