Bořivoj I, Duke of Bohemia

Bořivoj I (Czech pronunciation: [ˈbɔr̝ɪvɔj], Latin: Borzivogius, c. 852 – c. 889) was the first historically documented Duke of Bohemia from about 870 and progenitor of the Přemyslid dynasty. The Duchy of Bohemia was at these times subordinated to Great Moravia.

Life

According to the medieval chronicler Cosmas of Prague (c. 1045 – 1125), Bořivoj was a son of the legendary Bohemian prince Hostivít, thereby a descendant of Queen Libuše and her husband Přemysl the Ploughman. With all due caution however, his ancestry has not been conclusively established by historians. In view of his dependence on Great Moravia, he possibly was a relative of the Mojmir dynasty. The contemporary Frankish Annales Fuldenses mention several Slavic princes in the year 872, among them one Goriwei who may be identical with Bořivoj.

His dynasty initially resided at Levý Hradec, a gord situated northwest of present-day Prague. As the head of the Přemyslids who dominated the Central Bohemian environs, Bořivoj declared himself kníže - in Latin dux, which means sovereign prince - around the year 867 A.D. His title was later translated by German scholars as "duke" (Herzog) of the Bohemians (Czechs). Although the rulers of the German stem duchies emerging in the late 9th century held the same title, the meaning of his title was in fact completely different. In contrast to the German dukes acting as the king's representatives, the Czech dux denoted a sovereign ruler. Bořivoj was recognised as such around 872 by his overlord King Svatopluk I of Moravia, who dispatched Bishop Methodius of Thessalonica to begin the Christianization of Bohemia.