Boleslaus I, Duke of Bohemia

Boleslaus I
Boleslaus I the Cruel, fresco in the Znojmo Rotunda
Duke of Bohemia
ReignSeptember 935 – 15 July 967/972
PredecessorWenceslaus I
SuccessorBoleslaus II
Born915
Died972 (aged 57)
SpouseBiagota
IssueDoubravka of Bohemia
Boleslaus II, Duke of Bohemia
Strachkvas
Mlada
DynastyPřemyslid
FatherVratislaus I, Duke of Bohemia
MotherDrahomíra

Boleslaus I (Czech: Boleslav I. Ukrutný; 915–972), a member of the Přemyslid dynasty, was ruler (kníže, "prince") of the Duchy of Bohemia from 935 until his death in 972. He is notorious for the murder of his elder brother Wenceslaus, through which he became duke.

Despite his complicity in this fratricide, Boleslaus is generally respected by Czech historians as an energetic ruler who significantly strengthened the Bohemian state and expanded its territory.[1] His accomplishments include significant economic development due to an expansion in trade, the introduction of silver mining and the minting of the first local coinage, the Prague denarius.

  1. ^ Štefan, Ivo; Stránská, Petra; Vondrová, Hana (2016). "The archaeology of early medieval violence: the mass grave at Budeč, Czech Republic". Antiquity. 90 (351): 759–776. doi:10.15184/aqy.2016.29. ISSN 0003-598X. S2CID 164175193.