Spytihnev II, Duke of Bohemia
| Spytihněv II | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Bohemia | |
Duke Spytihněv with mitre and lance, contemporary depiction in the Svatovítská apokalypsa (Apocalypse of Saint Vitus) manuscript
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| Spouse(s) | Ida of Wettin |
| Noble family | Přemyslid dynasty |
| Father | Bretislav I |
| Mother | Judith of Schweinfurt |
| Born | 1031 |
| Died | 28 January 1061 |
Spytihněv II (also Spitignew, Spitihnew or Spytihnev; Latin: Spitigneus; 1031 – 28 January 1061), a member of the Přemyslid dynasty, was Duke of Bohemia from 1055 until his death.
He was the eldest son of Duke Bretislav I (d. 1055) and his consort Judith of Schweinfurt. While his father entered into conflict with the Salian king Henry III, young Spytihněv from 1039 onwards spent several years as a hostage at the German court.
When he succeeded his father as duke, his coronation was celebrated with the first known rendition of Hospodine pomiluj ny, the earliest known song in the Czech language. After his accession to the throne, he went at once to Regensburg to receive imperial confirmation. According to the contemporary chronicler Cosmas of Prague, this loyalty to the Holy Roman Empire did not prevent him from expelling all Germans from his lands, including his mother Judith, and the new anti-German policy continued to his death.
The fierce Investiture Controversy impending, Pope Victor II sought the alliance of the Bohemian duke. Thus, Rome granted Spytihněv the right to wear the mitre and tunic of a bishop for the annual sum of 100 marks. His brothers having inherited Moravia, Spytihněv tried to reduce their authority by arresting 300 Moravian magnates and stripping his brothers of their rights in the province. Thus, Vratislaus of Olomouc fled to Hungary in 1058.
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