- Also called:
- Přemyslid dynasty
house of Přemysl
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What was the House of Přemysl?
The House of Přemysl was the first Czech ruling house. According to tradition, the dynasty was founded by the plowman Přemysl, who married Princess Libuše. From approximately 800 to 1306, the Přemyslid dynasty governed Bohemia and its associated territories. Until 1198, the head of the Přemyslid house was usually designated as a prince, or duke (kníže), until Přemysl Otakar I elevated Bohemia to a hereditary kingdom within the Holy Roman Empire. The rule of the Přemyslid dynasty ended in 1306 when Wenceslas III was assassinated.
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Where and when did the House of Přemysl rule?
The House of Přemysl was the first Czech ruling house. According to tradition, it was founded by the plowman Přemysl, who married Princess Libuše. From approximately 800 to 1306, the Přemyslid dynasty governed Bohemia and its associated territories. Until 1198, the head of the Přemyslid house was typically designated as a prince or duke (kníže), until Přemysl Otakar I elevated Bohemia to a hereditary kingdom within the Holy Roman Empire.
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Who was the first leader of the House of Přemysl?
According to tradition, the House of Přemysl, the first Czech ruling house, was founded by the plowman Přemysl, who married Princess Libuše. The Přemyslid dynasty governed Bohemia and its associated lands from approximately 800 to 1306. Until 1198, the head of the Přemyslid house was typically designated as a prince or duke (kníže), until Přemysl Otakar I elevated Bohemia to a hereditary kingdom within the Holy Roman Empire.
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What important changes did the Přemyslid rulers bring to Czech lands?
The P\u0159emyslid dynasty significantly shaped Czech lands from about 800 to 1306. They politically consolidated Bohemia in the 10th century, with rulers like Wenceslas I promoting Christianity, leading to his veneration as Bohemia's patron saint.
During the rule of Boleslav II (967–999), a bishopric was founded in Prague, organizing the Christian church in Bohemia. In 1198, P\u0159emysl Otakar I secured the royal title for his descendants, elevating Bohemia to a hereditary kingdom within the Holy Roman Empire and initiating a period of economic prosperity and political prominence. Prague's Old Town developed into a market center, and the Judith Bridge was constructed in 1170, fostering economic expansion.
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Which territories were controlled by the House of Přemysl at its height?
The House of Přemysl was the first Czech ruling house. According to tradition, the dynasty was founded by the plowman Přemysl, who married Princess Libuše.
At its height under Přemysl Otakar II (1253–1278), the House of Přemysl controlled Bohemia, Moravia, and also gained control of Austrian lands through marriage. In 1260, he became the overlord of Steiermark (Styria). Before his opponents could check his advance, Otakar had influence in Kärnten (Carinthia) and territories along the Adriatic Coast.
The male line of the Přemyslid dynasty ended in 1306 after the assassination of Wenceslas III.
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Why did the House of Přemysl come to an end, and what happened afterward?
The House of Přemysl, the first Czech ruling house, concluded with the assassination of Wenceslas III in 1306, who was without an heir, while he was en route to Poland. Wenceslas III inherited Bohemia but was assassinated in 1306 while traveling to Poland, ending the Přemyslid dynasty's long rule in Bohemia.
After the Přemyslid dynasty ended, the Bohemian throne was given to John of Luxembourg, who started the Bohemian branch of the Luxembourg dynasty.
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house of Přemysl, first Czech ruling house, founded, according to tradition, by the plowman Přemysl, who was married to the princess Libuše. The members of the Přemyslid dynasty ruled Bohemia and the lands associated with it from about 800 to 1306. The head of the Přemyslid house was usually designated a prince, or duke (kníže), until 1198, when Přemysl Otakar I raised Bohemia to the status of a hereditary kingdom within the Holy Roman Empire.
Historical records of the early Přemyslid rulers are scanty. According to legend, Prince Borivoj is said to have been converted to Christianity by Saint Methodius (fl. mid-9th century). Bohemia was consolidated politically in the 10th century, and the best known of its rulers at this time was Borivoj’s grandson Wenceslas I, whose zeal for spreading Christianity in his dominions contributed to his murder, committed according to legend by his pagan brother Boleslav I (reigned from 929/935 to 967). Wenceslas subsequently came to be venerated as the patron saint of Bohemia. During the rule of Boleslav II (967–999), the Christian church in Bohemia was organized and a bishopric was founded in Prague. Boleslav II’s death was followed by a period of fratricidal warfare between his sons that terminated in 1012 when the youngest son, Oldrich, established himself as prince of Bohemia. Oldrich died in 1037 and was succeeded by his son Bretislav I (1037–55). For the next century and a half, disputes and feuds among the members of the Přemyslid family hindered Bohemia’s political development, the chief source of discord being the absence of any strict law of succession to the Bohemian throne. At some periods the principle of seniority was observed, while at other times the deceased prince’s oldest son attained the throne.
During this period of disarray Bohemia became increasingly dependent on the Holy Roman Empire to the west. The Přemyslid prince Vratislav II (1061–92) obtained from the Holy Roman emperor Henry IV the title of king of Bohemia as a personal (i.e., nonhereditary) privilege, and Prince Vladislav II (1140–73) was awarded the royal crown on the same basis by Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa. In 1197 Přemysl Otakar I became the undisputed overlord of the Přemyslid domains, and in 1198 he was able to secure the royal title for his descendants as well as himself. Under Přemysl Otakar I, medieval Bohemia reached the height of its economic prosperity and political prominence. Přemysl was succeeded by King Wenceslas I (1230–53) and the latter’s son, Přemysl Otakar II (1253–78), who was one of the greatest rulers of Bohemia. Přemysl Otakar II died in battle in 1278 during one of his expansionist military campaigns and was succeeded by his son Wenceslas II. That ruler’s diplomatic dexterity and great wealth gained for him the crown of Poland in 1300, but he died prematurely in 1305. His only son, Wenceslas III, inherited Bohemia but was assassinated in 1306 while traveling to Poland. Thus ended the long rule of the Přemyslid dynasty in Bohemia. The Bohemian throne subsequently passed to John of Luxembourg, the founder of the Bohemian branch of the Luxembourg dynasty.
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