Adelheid of Meissen was the first
Queen consortA queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles...
of
Ottokar I of BohemiaOttokar I , king of Bohemia , was a younger son of King Vladislav II and a member of the Přemyslid dynasty.-Early years:...
.
Marriage
Adelheid was born about 1160 as the daughter of
Otto II, Margrave of MeissenOtto II was the Margrave of Meissen from 1157 until his death in 1190. His father was Conrad the Great and his son was Dietrich I, Margrave of Meissen....
. She met her future husband in the 1170s, in the time of his exile. It is possible that this marriage (1178) was forced on grounds of her pregnancy. Adelheid gave birth to a son, Vratislaus, soon.
Shortly after the marriage the couple could return to Bohemia—Ottokar's brother Frederick assumed the reins of Bohemia and Ottokar was one of the leaders of his army. In 1192 Ottokar himself became duke but in 1193 was deposed. He left Bohemia together with his family then.
Adelheid came to her brother and Přemysl Ottokar became a mercenary of German dukes. In this time the couple got estranged. Ottokar decided to solve the problem in a way exclusive to all dynastic principles.
Two Queens
In the end of 1197 Ottokar became duke for the second time. He repudiated his wife and also his adult son. Ottokar was at least 40 at that time and risked losing the heir. Adelheid and her daughters stayed in Meissen, while her son Vratislaus became a mercenary in Germany and Italy.
In 1199, Ottokar (now the king) divorced Adelheid, on grounds of
consanguinityConsanguinity refers to the property of being from the same lineage as another person. In that respect, consanguinity is the quality of being descended from the same ancestor as another person...
. He married
Constance of HungaryConstance of Hungary was the second Queen consort of Ottokar I of Bohemia. -Family:Constance was a daughter of Béla III of Hungary and his first wife Agnes of Antioch. Her older siblings included Emeric of Hungary, Margaret of Hungary and Andrew II of Hungary...
later in the same year. Adelheid did not waive her rights. In 1205 she returned to Prague for a while. Ottokar decided to marry his daughter with Adelheid,
Dagmar/MarkétaDagmar of Bohemia was Queen consort of Denmark as the first spouse of King Valdemar II of Denmark. She was the daughter of King Ottokar I of Bohemia and his first wife, Adelheid of Meissen....
, to
Valdemar II of DenmarkValdemar II , called Valdemar the Conqueror or Valdemar the Victorious , was the King of Denmark from November 12, 1202 until his death in 1241...
in this time. However, Constance gave birth to a son, later king Wenceslaus, in 1205. Then Adelheid and her daughters left Bohemia permanently.
The pope decided that the cessation of marriage is legal. Adelheid still struggled, but in
1210 definitely lost. She died in 1211 in Meissen.
Issue
- Vratislav (before 1181 - after 1225)
- Dagmar
Dagmar of Bohemia was Queen consort of Denmark as the first spouse of King Valdemar II of Denmark. She was the daughter of King Ottokar I of Bohemia and his first wife, Adelheid of Meissen....
(Markéta) (ca 1186 - 24 May 1213), married to Valdemar II of DenmarkValdemar II , called Valdemar the Conqueror or Valdemar the Victorious , was the King of Denmark from November 12, 1202 until his death in 1241...
, King of Denmark
- Božislava
- Hedvika