Ludmilla of Bohemia

Not to be confused with Ludmila of Bohemia.

Ludmilla of Bohemia
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Countess consort of Bogen
Duchess consort of Bavaria
Born	c. 1170 Bohemia
Died	14 August 1240 Seligenthal convent, Landshut
Burial	Seligenthal convent, Landshut
Spouse	Adalbert VI, Count of Bogen Louis I, Duke of Bavaria
Issue	Berthold IV, Count of Bogen Albert IV, Count of Bogen Diepold of Bogen Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria
House	House of Přemyslid (by birth) House of Wittelsbach (by second marriage)
Father	Frederick, Duke of Bohemia
Mother	Elisabeth of Hungary

Ludmilla of Bohemia (died 14 August 1240) was a daughter of Frederick, Duke of Bohemia, and his wife, Elizabeth of Hungary. Ludmilla was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty. She was Duchess consort of Bavaria by her marriage to Louis I, Duke of Bavaria.

Family

Ludmilla was the third of six children born to her parents. Her siblings were Helena of Bohemia, betrothed to Manuel I Komnenos but never married, and Sophia of Bohemia, wife of Albert, Margrave of Meissen. The rest of Ludmilla's siblings were short-lived or died in early adulthood.

Ludmilla's paternal grandparents were Vladislaus II of Bohemia and his first wife Gertrude of Babenberg. Her maternal grandparents were Géza II of Hungary and his wife Euphrosyne of Kiev.

Geza was son of Béla II of Hungary and his wife Helena of Raška.

Bela was son of Prince Álmos and his wife Predslava of Kiev, who was daughter of Sviatopolk II of Kiev and an unknown Bohemian princess.

Marriages

Ludmilla married twice and had issue in both of her marriages. Her first marriage was to Count Albert III of Bogen, making Ludmilla Countess of Bogen. The couple had three children from their marriage, all sons:

• Berthold IV, Count of Bogen (d. 1218) married Kunigunda of Hirschberg, no known issue
• Albert IV, Count of Bogen (d. 1242) married Richeza of Dillingen
• Diepold of Bogen (d. 1219) a priest in Regensburg

Albert died in 1197 and was succeeded by his eldest son with Ludmilla, Berthold.

Ludmilla married Louis I, Duke of Bavaria, a former enemy of her first husband. The marriage was good for Louis because it created an alliance with Ludmilla's uncle, Ottokar I of Bohemia. The couple had one son:

• Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria (7 April 1206 – 29 November 1253), next Duke of Bavaria.

Louis and Ludmilla tried to find a suitable bride for their only child. Otto married Agnes of the Palatinate in 1222. Within time, Agnes' closer relatives died and she became Countess of Palatinate, which became part of the Bavarian inheritance, starting with Ludmilla's grandson, Louis II, Duke of Bavaria.

Widowhood

Louis was murdered in 1231 on a bridge in Kelheim. The crime was never cleared up since the murderer was immediately lynched. Due to the following aversion of the Wittelsbach family the city of Kelheim lost its status as one of the ducal residences. Louis was buried in the crypt of Scheyern Abbey.

Ludmilla lived to see the birth of four or five grandchildren from Otto and Agnes: Louis II, Henry XIII, Duke of Bavaria, Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of Germany, Sophie and Agnes.

Ludmilla founded the Seligenthal convent, near Landshut, in 1232. She remained here for the rest of her days. Ludmilla died there 14 August 1240 and her body was buried there.

Ancestors

Family of Ludmilla of Bohemia

16. Vratislaus II of Bohemia               8. Vladislaus I, Duke of Bohemia                       17. Świętosława of Poland               4. Vladislaus II of Bohemia                             18. Henry I of Berg-Schelklingen               9. Richeza of Berg                       19. Adelheid of Mochental               2. Frederick, Duke of Bohemia                                   20. Leopold II, Margrave of Austria               10. Leopold III, Margrave of Austria                       21. Ida of Formbach-Ratelnberg               5. Gertrude of Babenberg                             22. Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor               11. Agnes of Germany                       23. Bertha of Savoy               1. Ludmilla of Bohemia                                         24. Álmos of Hungary               12. Béla II of Hungary                       25. Predslava of Kiev               6. Géza II of Hungary                             26. Uroš I of Rascia               13. Helena of Raška                       27. Anna Diogenissa               3. Elisabeth of Hungary                                   28. Vladimir II Monomakh               14. Mstislav I of Kiev                       29. Gytha of Wessex               7. Euphrosyne of Kiev                             30. Dmitry Zavidich               15. Liubava Dmitrievna

References

Preceded by Agnes of Loon

Duchess of Bavaria 1204–1231

Succeeded by Agnes of the Palatinate