(Redirected from Boleslav II of Bohemia)
Boleslaus II the Pious
:''For another (Boleslaw) Boleslaus the Pious, see
Boleslaus of Greater Poland.''
'Boleslaus II the Pious' (; c.
920 –
February 7 999) was the
duke of Bohemia from
972, a member of the
Přemyslid dynasty.
The son of Boleslaw also called
Boleslaus I and Biagota, Boleslaus II became Duke (or Prince) in on his father's death. Boleslaus maintained good relations with the
Ottonian German kings, and in
975 supported
Otto II during his civil war against
Henry II, Duke of Bavaria. In
977, Boleslaus again attacked
Bavaria, but on this occasion was barred from annexing any lands by Otto II.
Boleslaus' reign is most notable for the foundation of the
diocese of Prague in
973. It was placed within the jurisdiction of the
Archbishop of Mainz. In
982,
Vojtěch (later known as Saint Adalbert) was appointed to this position until he abandoned his primacy to lead a mission to the
Old Prussians in
994. War between
Poland and Bohemia was continual in this period and by
990 Boleslaus had occupied
Silesia.
On
September 28,
995, Boleslaus and his confederate
Vršovci stormed
Libice in southern Bohemia and massacred
SlavnÃk's dynasty. This clan had been the main rival of PÅ™emyslid power in Bohemia. Boleslaus' brutal triumph ensured the unity of Bohemia under a single ruler.
Boleslaus was succeeded by,
Boleslaus, his eldest son by his first wife,
Adiva, daughter of
Edward the Elder,
King of England. His second son, Wenceslaus, died as an infant, but his two youngest sons,
JaromÃr and
Oldřich, were both later dukes. Boleslaus' second wife was
Emma of Melnik.
SVU, the organization of Czecho-Slovak emigrants, claims that this king was one of the many European ancestors of U.S. Presidents
George H. Bush and
George W. Bush [1]
Notes
1. Czech Ancestry of George W. Bush