Judith of Thuringia (, c. 1135 - d. 9 September after 1174) was the
second wife of Duke and later King Vladislaus II of Bohemia and since 1158 the second Queen of Bohemia.
Marriage to Vladislaus II
Vladislaus married Judith, daughter of
Louis I, Landgrave of Thuringia, in 1153, three years after the death of his first wife
Gertrude. The main reason was that Judith was related to the new German king
Frederick I. Vladislaus' bride was most probably eighteen, he was 15–20 years
older.
Queen Judith
Probably in 1155, two years after the wedding, Judith gave birth to the first son. In medieval times the names for
babies were chosen mostly by mothers, so it was probably Judith's idea to name the son
Přemysl (name of the
legendary founder of the dynasty).
A chronicler wrote about Judith that she was of great beauty and mind, educated in Latin and politics. It is said that she often deputized for Vladislaus in his absence. Whe he was crowned in 1158, Judith became the queen. Her coronation is not actually documented, but chronicles write about Queen Judith.
During Vladislaus' rule a new bridge in Prague was built, where the Charles bridge stands today. It was the first stone bridge in central Europe and in honour of the queen it was called Judith's bridge.
When Vladislaus abdicated in 1172, his wife followed him to exile. It is not known where she died, but her remains were found in a monastery in the town of Teplice. According to Emanuel Vlček she died as an old lady after 1210, living to see the successful reign of her eldest son Přemysl
Children
Ottokar, later king of Bohemia, first of a hereditary line
Ladislaus, later duke of Bohemia as Ladislaus III
Richeza (died 19 April 1182), married to the son of Henry II, Duke of Austria
Literature
KAREŠOVÁ, Z.; PRAŽÁK, J. Královny a kněžny české. 1. vyd. Praha : X-Egem, 1996.
VLČEK, E. Judita Durynská– paní znamenité krásy a ducha neobyčejného. O čem vypovídá lebka manželky krále Vladislava II. Vesmír 81, říjen 2002.
M. Skopal. K otázce řezenské korunovace Vladislava II. "Acta Universitatis Carolinae. Philosophica et Historica", T. 2: Studia Historica, t. 31: 1987, s. 31–39, ad rem: s. 36 - 37.
A. Merhautová-Livorová. Reliéf na věži bývalého Juditina mostu. "Uméní", R. 19: 1971, nr 1, s. 70 - 75.
References
Category:Bohemian queens consort
Category:German nobility
Category:Medieval women of Bohemia
