Richeza of Berg (; – 27 September 1125) was Duchess of Bohemia from 1111 to 1117 and again from 1120 until 1125, by her marriage with the Přemyslid duke Vladislav I. She was the daughter of Swabian, Henry I, Count of Berg (d. 1116) and his wife Adelheid of Mochental (d. 1127), a daughter of the Bavarian margrave Diepold II of Vohburg. Adelheid's elder brother, Margrave Diepold III, was a loyal follower of Emperor

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...

; his daughter

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

married the

Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynast ...

duke (and later Emperor)

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 115 ...

in 1147. Richinza was named after her maternal great-grandmother Richwara, wife of Duke Berthold I of Zähringen. About 1110/1111 Richeza married Vladislav, who ruled the

Duchy of Bohemia The Duchy of Bohemia, also later referred to in English as the Czech Duchy, (Old Czech: ) was a monarchy and a Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, principality of the Holy Roman Empire in Central Europe during the Early Middle Ages, Early and High M ...

since 1109; her sister Sophia married another Přemyslid prince, Otto II the Black, in 1114. The third sister, Salomea of Berg (d. 1144), married the

Piast The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of King Casimir III the Great. Branches of ...

duke of Poland,

Bolesław III Wrymouth Bolesław III Wrymouth (; 20 August 1086 – 28 October 1138), also known as Boleslaus the Wry-mouthed, was the duke of Lesser Poland, Silesia and Sandomierz between 1102 and 1107 and over the whole of Poland between 1107 and 1138. He was the onl ...

, in 1115. Richeza and Salomea ensured peace between their Bohemian and Polish husbands. The ducal couple founded the

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery of Kladruby in 1115; Richeza also made several donations to Zwiefalten Abbey in her Swabian homelands. Through the intercession of his wife, in 1125 the dying Duke Vladislav I chose his cousin Prince Otto II the Black as his successor. Only the intervention of his mother, the aged queen dowager

Świętosława Świętosława was a Polish princess, the daughter of Mieszko I of Poland and sister of Bolesław I of Poland, who married two Scandinavian kings. Some chroniclers recount that a princess, whose name is not given, was married first to Eric ...

(Svatava), changed his mind and Vladislav reconciled with his younger brother

Soběslav Soběslav (; ) is a town in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,100 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, ur ...

.KAREŠOVÁ, Z.; PRAŽÁK, J. ''Královny a kněžny české''. Prague : X-Egem, 1996. While Soběslav became duke upon Vladislav's death, the disappointed Richeza had to flee from Bohemia. She wished to retire to Zwiefalten Abbey, however, she died on the way on 27 September 1125. She is buried in Reichenbach Abbey in Bavaria. Her eldest son Vladislav II succeeded to the

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

throne after Duke Soběslav's death in 1140.

Issue

* Svatava (Luitgarda; died after 1146) * Vladislav II ( – 18 January 1174), Duke of Bohemia from 1140, Bohemian king from 1158 * Děpold I of Jamnitz (died August 1167) * Jindřich (Henry; died after 1169), father of Duke

Bretislav III Henry Bretislav (latinized as ''Bretislaus'', ; died 15 or 19 June 1197), a member of the Přemyslid dynasty, was Bishop of Prague from 1182, then Duke of Bohemia as "Bretislav III" from 1193 to his death. Ecclesiastical career Henry was a son ...

Literature

*KAREŠOVÁ, Z.; PRAŽÁK, J. ''Královny a kněžny české''. Prague : X-Egem, 1996.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richeza of Berg Duchesses of Bohemia Year of birth uncertain 1090s births 1125 deaths 12th-century people from Bohemia 12th-century women from Bohemia 11th-century people from Bohemia 11th-century women from Bohemia Mothers of Bohemian monarchs