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Foundations of the church in the Slavniks' gord Libice nad Cidlinou, Central Bohemia

St. Adalbert (Vojtěch) and his brother Gaudentius (Radim). The statues in Libice

The Slavniks/Slavníks¹ or Slavnikids (Czech: Slavníkovci; German: Slawnikiden; Polish: Sławnikowice) was a powerful dynasty in Bohemia during the 10th century. It governed Zličané, one of the oldest Czech tribes. The center of the principality was the gord of Libice located at the confluence of the rivers Cidlina and Elbe (Labe). The Slavníks competed with the Přemyslids for control over Bohemia and eventually succumbed to them.

The founder of the dynasty was prince Slavník (†981) who lent his name to the whole family. He had consanguinity with the Saxon kings. His wife was Střezislava, a woman of remarkable beauty, allegedly from the Přemyslid house. Slavník had at least 7 sons, among whom two – Vojtěch (Adalbert) and the illegitimate Radim (Gaudentius) – later became saints. According to Cosmas' Chronicle, Slavník was a happy man all his lifetime.

Slavník dynasty was supposedly related to the Babenbergs, the Přemyslid dynasty, and was friendly with the Polish kings.

Slavník's heir was his son Soběbor who rushed to consolidate the princedom's independence. For instance, he began to coin money in Libice, known among numismatists as the silver senars, in spite of the primacy of Prague, and took other separatist measures. This was a direct challenge to Boleslav II, head of the Přemyslid family, who was determined to add the Slavniks lands to his kingdom. Since the Přemyslid dynasty could not afford any mighty rivals, Boleslav II with confederates stormed Libice and massacred all of the family on September 28, 995. They found and killed Slavniks even in a church. Executors of the slaughter were Vršovci, powerful Czech clan. Only three family members survived because they were not present in Libice at that time: Soběbor, Radim (Gaudentius), the later archbishop of Gniezno (Hnězdno) and St. Adalbert, who damned the Vršovci in a church for their cruelty.

In 996, when Strachkvas Přemyslid was going to assume a bishop office in Prague, he suddenly died during the ceremony itself. Some historians suggest^{citation needed} that Strachkvas could have been poisoned by Slavniks survivors of the Libice massacre.

The strength of the two dynasties' conflict is also demonstrated by the fact that Czech (Přemyslid) rulers initially refused to ransom Saint Adalbert's (Slavnikid) body from Prussians who murdered him, so it was purchased by Boleslaus I the Brave, king of Poland. Saint Adalbert's relicts were in 1039 forcibly translated into Prague and buried in the St. Vitus Cathedral. (Nevertheless, shortly after this translation faith that Czech raiders had taken other bones and skull took part and from 12th century Poles regard remains stored in Gniezno as genuine.)

1 Family members
- 1.1 Possible
- 1.2 Certain
2 Notes
3 Further reading
- 3.1 In Czech
- 3.2 In German

Family members

Possible

Certain

Slavník
Strezislava
Soběbor
Saint Adalbert of Prague (Vojtěch)
Pobraslav
Porej
Caslav
Spytimir
Radla – a priest or a monk, the teacher of Adalbert

Notes

^ First variant (without diacritic mark) is more common in English-language literature

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Contents

Family members

Possible

Certain

Notes

Further reading

In Czech

In German