The Sins and Passions of the Přemyslid Kings

The Přemyslids… The name of the legendary Czech dynasty resonates in our minds and hearts time and time again. A dynasty that emerges from the mists of Czech history and, after many ups and downs, becomes one of the most important building blocks of our nation's story. In the book *Hříchy a vášně přemyslovských králů* (Sins and Passions of the Přemyslid Kings), the well-known writer and publicist Jan Bauer looks at the Přemyslid kings (and their ducal predecessors) not just as historical figures, but primarily as men of flesh and blood. Passionate, sinful men, full of love and hate… After all, even an all-powerful ruler is also – and above all – human. And indeed, nothing human was alien to the members of the Přemyslid dynasty.
Naturally, the list of “juicy stories” could not be complete without the morganatic relationship between Oldřich and Božena, or Břetislav's abduction of Judith. We will try to guess whether the first Czech king, Vratislav, had more wives or concubines, and whether the second Czech king, Vladislav, was “under the thumb” of his remarkable wife Judith. We will pause at the divorce of Přemysl Otakar I, and ponder whether Josef Pekař was right when he wrote that Wenceslas I resided in castles “built for leisurely pastimes”. We will also consider what the “Iron and Golden King” might have been thinking when he led a bride thirty-two years his senior to the altar. And where did his mistress, Agnes, known as Palceřík, disappear to? Was the greatest sin of his second wife, Kunigunda, her refusal to pay for the then-exotic lions, or does this misdemeanour pale in comparison to her relationship with Záviš of Falkenstein, which was unique even by European standards? How did Wenceslas II manage to combine a lusty lover and a neurotic poet in one body? And is it conceivable that Wenceslas III was murdered by a spurned mistress?
We will also peek behind the curtain of family relationships, where the selection of a new ruler often meant tense moments for the candidates to the throne and for the still young – and not very stable – Czech state. Special attention is paid to the murders of Czech rulers – and not just that of Wenceslas III, whose death by the sword marked the end of the main Přemyslid line.
However, no one can ever erase them from our history. That is why it is good and interesting to read about the men who wrote our history, and about the women who often controlled them with great skill.