Jaromir of Bohemia
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bust of Jaromír of Bohemia in Jaroměř, in Jaromírova street |
Jaromir (died
November 4 1035) was the second son of
Boleslaus II the Pious and Emma. In
1003, he rebelled against his elder brother
Boleslaus III, but was unable to secure the throne which was subsequently taken by
Boleslaus the Brave,
King of Poland. Jaromir and his brother
Oldrich then sought military backing from the
German King Henry II. At
Merseburg, Jaromir promised to hold
Bohemia as a vassal of Henry. This action definitively placed Bohemia within the jurisdiction of the
Holy Roman Empire.
In
1004, Jaromir occupied
Prague with a German army and made himself
Duke. The state he regained was a small one, as Polish forces still held
Moravia,
Silesia, and
Lusatia. Jaromir's reign—like so many of the other early Czech rulers—was a struggle to regain the lost lands. In
1012, Jaromir was dethroned by Oldrich, and forced once again into exile. In a surprise campaign, Jaromir in turn managed to depose Oldrich (
1033) but his second reign was shortlived. A year later Oldřich was restored by his son
Bretislaus I. Jaromir was imprisoned at
Lysa and died (assaassinated) in
1035, a year after his brother.
During reign of Boleslav III the Red-haired, he was emasculated (Boleslav feared that he would overthrow him, and wanted to baffle him). Later, he was prisoned, blinded by his second brother, Oldřich, and then assassinated by Vršovci (his old enemies) at closet.
