Adelaide of Meissen (Czech: Adléta Míšeňská, German: Adelheid von Meißen; c. 1160 – 2 February 1211), a member of the House of Wettin, was Queen of Bohemia from 1198 to 1199 as the first wife of King Ottokar I.[1] When her husband declared their marriage null and void, she began a longstanding legal dispute that involved numerous religious and secular dignitaries of her time.
Adelaide was born about 1160 as the daughter of Margrave Otto II of Meissen (1125–1190) and his wife Hedwig of Brandenburg (d. 1203), a daughter of the Ascanian margrave Albert the Bear. She met her future husband in the 1170s, in the time of his exile during internal struggles within the Bohemian Přemyslid dynasty. The couple married in 1178 without attendance and consent from their families. It is possible that the marriage was forced on the grounds of her pregnancy. Adelaide gave birth to a son, Vratislaus, soon after.
Ottokar I, Landgrafenpsalter illuminated manuscript (1211–1213)
Shortly after the marriage, the couple could return to Bohemia, when Ottokar's brother Frederick (Bedřich) 'assumed the reins' and made Ottokar one of the leaders of his armed forces in the Moravian lands. In 1192 Ottokar himself ascended the Prague throne and even achieved his recognition by the Hohenstaufen emperor Henry VI; however, he lost support and was deposed soon after. He again had to leave Bohemia, together with his wife and four children.
Adelaide came to Meissen at the court of her brother Margrave Albert the Proud. Meanwhile, Ottokar became a mercenary of German princes to profit from the German throne dispute between Emperor Henry's brother Philip of Swabia and the Welf duke Otto of Brunswick. At this time the couple got estranged. Ottokar decided to solve the problem in a way exclusive to all dynastic principles.
Two queensedit
By the end of 1197, Ottokar came to terms with his younger brother Vladislaus III and succeeded as Bohemian duke for the second time. He finally obtained the hereditary royal title according to the Golden Bull of Sicily issued by Philip of Swabia. Shortly after that, he repudiated his wife and also his adult son Vratislav. Ottokar was at least 40 at that time and risked losing the heir. Adelaide and her daughters again stayed in Meissen, while Vratislav became a mercenary in Germany and Italy.
In 1199, King Ottokar divorced Adelaide, officially on the grounds of consanguinity. They were both descendants of Margrave Henry of Schweinfurt and the Polish king Mieszko II Lambert. They were fifth cousins once removed or fourth cousins once removed. Ottokar married Princess Constance of Hungary, daughter of King Béla III, who was his fourth cousin thrice removed, later in the same year.[1]
Adelaide, however, had no intention to waive her rights nor to have her children considered as illegitimate. She began litigation in 1199, calling the Hohenstaufen family and Pope Innocent III for help. In the German throne dispute, both the Hohenstaufen and Welf party alternating stood for her rights. In 1205 Adelaide could return to Prague for a while after Ottokar had signed an agreement with Philip of Swabia. Moreover, his first-born son with Constance of Hungary had died, and Ottokar decided to marry his daughter with Adelaide, Margaret (Dagmar), to King Valdemar II of Denmark in this time. However, when Constance gave birth to another son, later king Wenceslaus I, in 1205, Adelaide, with her daughters, had to leave Bohemia permanently. She retired to the Holy Cross monastery in Meissen.
Ruins of Holy Cross Abbey, Meissen
The Pope still used the pending lawsuit for leverage, but finally decided that the cessation of marriage was legal. Adelaide still struggled, though, in 1210, she had lost. She died one year later in her Meissen exile.
adelaide, meissen, confused, with, adela, meissen, czech, adléta, míšeňská, german, adelheid, meißen, 1160, february, 1211, member, house, wettin, queen, bohemia, from, 1198, 1199, first, wife, king, ottokar, when, husband, declared, their, marriage, null, voi. Not to be confused with Adela of Meissen Adelaide of Meissen Czech Adleta Misenska German Adelheid von Meissen c 1160 2 February 1211 a member of the House of Wettin was Queen of Bohemia from 1198 to 1199 as the first wife of King Ottokar I 1 When her husband declared their marriage null and void she began a longstanding legal dispute that involved numerous religious and secular dignitaries of her time Adelaide of MeissenQueen consort of BohemiaTenure1198 1199Bornafter 1160Meissen Margraviate of MeissenDied2 February 1211 aged 51 MeissenSpouseOttokar I of BohemiaIssueDagmar Queen of DenmarkHouseWettinFatherOtto II Margrave of MeissenMotherHedwig of Brandenburg Contents 1 Life and Marriage 2 Two queens 3 Issue 4 References 5 SourcesLife and Marriage editAdelaide was born about 1160 as the daughter of Margrave Otto II of Meissen 1125 1190 and his wife Hedwig of Brandenburg d 1203 a daughter of the Ascanian margrave Albert the Bear She met her future husband in the 1170s in the time of his exile during internal struggles within the Bohemian Premyslid dynasty The couple married in 1178 without attendance and consent from their families It is possible that the marriage was forced on the grounds of her pregnancy Adelaide gave birth to a son Vratislaus soon after nbsp Ottokar I Landgrafenpsalter illuminated manuscript 1211 1213 Shortly after the marriage the couple could return to Bohemia when Ottokar s brother Frederick Bedrich assumed the reins and made Ottokar one of the leaders of his armed forces in the Moravian lands In 1192 Ottokar himself ascended the Prague throne and even achieved his recognition by the Hohenstaufen emperor Henry VI however he lost support and was deposed soon after He again had to leave Bohemia together with his wife and four children Adelaide came to Meissen at the court of her brother Margrave Albert the Proud Meanwhile Ottokar became a mercenary of German princes to profit from the German throne dispute between Emperor Henry s brother Philip of Swabia and the Welf duke Otto of Brunswick At this time the couple got estranged Ottokar decided to solve the problem in a way exclusive to all dynastic principles Two queens editBy the end of 1197 Ottokar came to terms with his younger brother Vladislaus III and succeeded as Bohemian duke for the second time He finally obtained the hereditary royal title according to the Golden Bull of Sicily issued by Philip of Swabia Shortly after that he repudiated his wife and also his adult son Vratislav Ottokar was at least 40 at that time and risked losing the heir Adelaide and her daughters again stayed in Meissen while Vratislav became a mercenary in Germany and Italy In 1199 King Ottokar divorced Adelaide officially on the grounds of consanguinity They were both descendants of Margrave Henry of Schweinfurt and the Polish king Mieszko II Lambert They were fifth cousins once removed or fourth cousins once removed Ottokar married Princess Constance of Hungary daughter of King Bela III who was his fourth cousin thrice removed later in the same year 1 Adelaide however had no intention to waive her rights nor to have her children considered as illegitimate She began litigation in 1199 calling the Hohenstaufen family and Pope Innocent III for help In the German throne dispute both the Hohenstaufen and Welf party alternating stood for her rights In 1205 Adelaide could return to Prague for a while after Ottokar had signed an agreement with Philip of Swabia Moreover his first born son with Constance of Hungary had died and Ottokar decided to marry his daughter with Adelaide Margaret Dagmar to King Valdemar II of Denmark in this time However when Constance gave birth to another son later king Wenceslaus I in 1205 Adelaide with her daughters had to leave Bohemia permanently She retired to the Holy Cross monastery in Meissen nbsp Ruins of Holy Cross Abbey MeissenThe Pope still used the pending lawsuit for leverage but finally decided that the cessation of marriage was legal Adelaide still struggled though in 1210 she had lost She died one year later in her Meissen exile Issue editVratislaus d bef 1225 1 Margaret Dagmar d 24 May 1212 1 married to King Valdemar II of Denmark Bozislava d 6 Feb bef 1238 married to Count Henry I of Ortenburg Hedwig Hedvika nun in Gernrode Abbey and St George s Convent Prague References edit a b c d Wihoda 2015 p 299 Sources editWihoda Martin 2015 Vladislaus Henry The Formation of Moravian Identity BRILL ISBN 978 9004303836 Adelaide of MeissenWettin dynastyBorn 1160 Died 2 February 1211Royal titlesVacantTitle last held byHellicha of Wittelsbach Duchess consort of Bohemia1192 1193 Last holderVacantTitle last held byJudith of Thuringia Queen consort of Bohemia1198 1199 VacantTitle next held byConstance of Hungary Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Adelaide of Meissen amp oldid 1183063088, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
