Person

Bretislaus I, Duke of Bohemia

c. 1002–1055 · 11th century · Also known as Břetislav I

Bretislaus I was Duke of Bohemia from 1035 to 1055. Before his accession he secured Moravia for Bohemia, and in 1039 he raided Poland and carried off the relics of Saint Adalbert from Gniezno, but he had to submit to Emperor Henry III in 1041. He introduced the principle of seniority in succession and organised Moravia as domains for junior members of the Přemyslid dynasty.

Bretislaus I, Duke of Bohemia
Image: anonymous fresco in Znojmo (CZ) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Duchy of BrnoDuchy of Olomouc

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Bretislaus I, Duke of Bohemia. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/bretislaus-i-duke-of-bohemia
MLA
“Bretislaus I, Duke of Bohemia.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/bretislaus-i-duke-of-bohemia. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Bretislaus I, Duke of Bohemia.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/bretislaus-i-duke-of-bohemia.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Bretislaus I, Duke of Bohemia’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/bretislaus-i-duke-of-bohemia (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻