, Świętosława Of Poland

Swietoslawa of Poland (Czech: Svatava Polská (c. 1046-1048 – 1 September1126)) was the third wife of Duke (later King) Vratislaus II of Bohemiaand the first Queen of Bohemia as of 1085.

Swietoslawa was the daughter of Duke Casimir I of Poland and his wifeMaria Dobroniega of Kiev. She was related to the House of Premysl, thefamily of her future husband, through her great-grandmother Dobrawa ofBohemia. Her brothers Boleslaus II the Bold and Vladislaus I Herman wererulers of Poland.

Vratislaus married Swietoslawa in 1062, one year after the death of theprevious duchess, Vratislaus'' second wife Adelaide of Hungary.[1] Hisfirst wife Maria had died after the birth of their stillborn child.According to German historians, Swietoslawa was 15 years'' old at the timeof their marriage, while according to Oswald Balzer, she was aged 19 to22.
With this marriage, the neutrality of Bohemia was ensured in thePolish-German conflict. In addition, Vratislaus demonstrated friendlyrelationships with Boleslaus II the Bold, but some time after he had adispute with Boleslaus about Czech-Polish borders.

The new duchess gave birth to four children; Vratislaus had four otherones already. The youngest son, Sobeslav, was probably born in 1075. Hersons Vladislaus and Sobeslav became dukes in the unquiet years after thedeath of their father, while her daughter Judith was married to Wiprecht,his ally and friend.
There is little information about this duchess, although she was crownedtogether with her husband as King and Queen in 1085 by archbishopEgilbert. They reigned for the next seven years.

In 1092 Swietoslawa was left a widow and saw a struggle for the throne ofBohemia among the Premyslids. In 1111, she assisted in negotiationsbetween Vladislaus I and Boleslaw III Wrymouth. After Vratislaus'' death,she tried to soften clashes between their youngest sons Vladislaus andSobeslav.
In 1125, the dying Vladislaus I confirmed his relative Otto II the Blackas his successor, which was also the wish of Vladislaus'' wife, Richeza ofBerg. Only the intervention of his mother changed his opinion, andVladislaus reconciled with his brother Sobeslav.[1]
Swietoslawa, who was a widow for thirty years, lived to see the victoryof her son Sobeslav in the Battle of Chlumec and died in September 1126.

Boleslaus (–1091)
Borivoj II of Bohemia (c. 1064–2 February 1124), Duke of Bohemia
Vladislaus I of Bohemia (–12 April 1125), Duke of Bohemia
Sobeslav I of Bohemia (–14 February 1140), Duke of Bohemia
Judith (c. 1066–9 December 1108), married to Wiprecht de Groitzsch