Euphemia of Hungary was a daughter of King

Béla I of Hungary Béla I the Boxer or the Wisent (, ; – 11 September 1063) was King of Hungary from 1060 until his death. He descended from a younger branch of the Árpád dynasty. Béla's baptismal name was Adalbert. He left Hungary in 1031, together w ...

and his wife, Richesa (or Adelaide) of Poland (1050s – 11 April 1111). She was the wife of Duke Otto I of Olomouc, the second son the Duke of Bohemia

Bretislav I Bretislav I (; 1002/1005 – 10 January 1055), known as the "Bohemian Achilles", of the Přemyslid dynasty, was Duke of Bohemia from 1034 until his death in 1055. Youth Bretislav was the son of Duke Oldřich and his low-born concubine Božena. ...

. They were married before 1073. Some researchers believe that Euphemia was the daughter of Bela's older brother

Andrew I of Hungary Andrew I the White or the Catholic ( or ; 1015 – before 6 December 1060) was King of Hungary from 1046 to 1060. He descended from a younger branch of the Árpád dynasty. After he spent fifteen years in exile, an extensive revolt by the paga ...

and his wife

Anastasia of Kiev Anastasia of Kiev (, Anastasia Yaroslavna; ; 1023 – 1074/1094) was Queen of Hungary by marriage to Andrew I of Hungary, King Andrew the White. Life Anastasia was a daughter of Grand Prince Yaroslav I the Wise of Kiev and Ingigerd Olofsdotte ...

, with the alternative name Adelhaid been proposed, due to minimal sources on her birth. Though the theory supported by most scholars and historians is that Euphemia was born as a result of a marriage between King Bela I and an unknown Piast Princess. Together they have four children: *

Svatopluk, Duke of Bohemia Svatopluk the Lion (; died 21 September 1109) was Duke of Bohemia from 1107 until his assassination in 1109. His rule was overshadowed by the fierce conflict around the Bohemian throne in the 12th century. Family A member of the Přemyslid dyn ...

(21 September 1109) *

Otto II the Black Otto II the Black (; – 18 February 1126), a member of the Přemyslid dynasty, ruled as a Moravian prince in Olomouc from 1107 and in Brno from 1123 until his death. Life He was a younger son of Prince Otto I of Olomouc and his wife Euphemia, ...

(18 February 1126) * Bretislav * Boleslava Their youngest two children disappeared from written records and thus, are assumed to have died at a young age.

Civil War

After her husband's death in 1087,

Vratislaus II of Bohemia Vratislaus II (or Wratislaus II) () ( 1032 – 14 January 1092), the son of Bretislaus I of Bohemia, Bretislaus I and Judith of Schweinfurt, was the first King of Bohemia as of 15 June 1085, his royal title granted as a lifetime honorific from Ho ...

, who had been crowned King of Bohemia, gave the Principality of

Olomouc Olomouc (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants, making it the Statutory city (Czech Republic), sixth largest city in the country. It is the administrative centre of the Olomouc Region. Located on the Morava (rive ...

to his own son,

Bořivoj II, Duke of Bohemia Bořivoj II ( 1064 – 2 February 1124) was the duke of Bohemia from 25 December 1100 until May 1107 and from December 1117 until 16 August 1120. He was the younger half-brother and successor of Bretislaus II. His father was Vratislav II of Bo ...

, and banished Euphemia and her children. Instead of returning to Hungary, Euphemia stayed with her sons and took refuge under her husband's elder brother,

Conrad I, Duke of Bohemia Conrad I of Brno (; died 6 September 1092) was the duke of Bohemia for eight months in 1092. Life He was the brother and successor of Vratislaus II (died 14 January 1092) as the third son of Bretislaus I and Judith of Schweinfurt. He did ...

. Conrad only ruled for eight months before his death, after which the Dukedom was awarded to the late king's son,

Bretislav II Bretislaus II (; – 22 December 1100) was the duke of Bohemia from 14 September 1092 until his death in 1100. He was the eldest son of King Vratislaus II and Adelaide, daughter of Andrew I of Hungary. He was a major enemy of paganism. Life ...

according

Agnatic seniority Agnatic seniority is a patrilineality, patrilineal principle of inheritance where the order of succession to the throne prefers the monarch's younger brother over the monarch's own sons. A monarch's children (the next generation) succeed only ...

. Nevertheless, the enmity with the Moravian branch of the Přemyslids increased, more so when Duke Bretislav II appointed his half-brother Bořivoj II ruler of the Moravian lands and made an application to

Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV (; 11 November 1050 – 7 August 1106) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 to 1105, King of Germany from 1054 to 1105, King of Italy and List of kings of Burgundy, Burgundy from 1056 to 1105, and Duke of Bavaria from 1052 to 1054. He was t ...

to acknowledge Bořivoj's succession as Bohemian duke, thus starting a

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

with the sons of Conrad, Ulrich and

Luitpold of Znojmo Luitpold of Znojmo (, , ; died 15 MarchThe day of deth: Z ČECHORODU, PEŠINA; ''Mars Moravicus III.3'', p. 286. and NOVOTNÝ, V.; ''České dějiny I.2'', pp. 513–515 (+ footnote 15) 1112) was a Bohemian nobleman and a member of the Přemysl ...

. In 1092 peace was made. After this peace, Euphemia and her children were able to return to Olomouc where the boys received their inheritance during which Euphemia ruled as regent until 1095. In 1099, Borivoj prevailed when the Emperor had an Imperial charter written out, and after the death of Bretislav II in 1100, Bořivoj took power. Though, when the Emperor was deposed by his own son

Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor Henry V (; probably 11 August 1081 or 1086 – 23 May 1125) was King of Germany (from 1099 to 1125) and Holy Roman Emperor (from 1111 to 1125), as the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. He was made co-ruler by his father, Henry IV, i ...

, her eldest son, Svatopluk, took the opportunity march against Borivoj and claim the Dukedom of Bohemia which he was able to maintain due to his good relationship with Henry V. Not much else is known about Euphemia during this period. She died in 1111, and was buried next to her husband in the Hradisko Monastery which they founded.

References

Works cited

* * House of Árpád 11th-century Hungarian people 11th-century Hungarian women Daughters of kings Mothers of Bohemian monarchs {{Hungary-hist-stub