18.2.1126 - Battle of Chlumec

Soběslav I. won a victory at the Battle of Chlumec, where he defeated the Roman-German king Lothar III. In honour of this triumph, he had the rotunda of St. George, located on Říp, rebuilt and explained.

The entire reign of Soběslav was an illustration of how difficult it was to lead a country at that time. He had to constantly face external enemies. He was therefore trying to repair fortresses on the border, but also to strengthen relations with the rulers of neighbouring powers. But he also faced pressures from within the empire, where he was opposed by the opposition. He even uncovered a plot to assassinate him. He used an intimidation manoeuvre when, in June 1130, he held a spectacular trial with the conspirators at Vyšehrad to demonstrate how the traitors would be dealt with.

"That it was only an intimidation manoeuvre is clear because of the fact that insignificant persons were condemned. The death sentences were carried out eight days after they were handed down. As part of these defensive measures Soběslav introduced quartering, which was practised in the Bohemian lands until the reign of Joseph II. It was practised on corpses," writes Stanislava Jarolímková in her book What is not in the textbooks.

One of the most difficult tests for Soběslav was the so-called Battle of Chlumec, where he clashed with the German King Lothar III on 18 February 1126. This clash brought to a head the disputes between the Czech monarch and Otto II. Olomouc, who was an elderly Přemyslid and had made claims to the throne. Soběslav was in fact nominated as his successor by Vladislav I. However, he failed to observe the conditions of the so-called seniority, i.e. the hereditary right of the eldest member of the family to rule.

Soběslav was very lucky, because Lothar underestimated the severity of the winter and relied on Otto's promises that the expedition would be short and would not meet with much resistance. "Emperor Lothar, seeing that Sobeslav did not intend to stand before his court, had also gathered a strong army for the time being, the most...mostly in his home lands, in Saxony and Thuringia," says the Bohemian-Moravian Chronicle.

But Soběslav had learned of the German ruler's plans and could prepare himself well. He negotiated the support of all the important local grandees. "The Czech army's fighting determination was further supported by a banner attributed to St. Vojtěch, carried into battle by the namesake of another Bohemian saint, Chaplain Vít, on the spear of St. Wenceslas. This banner was to be found during the convocation of the army, in the church in Vrbčany, the original property of the Slavník family, from which St. Vojtěch," said Jan Biederman, curator of the Military History Institute.

Lothar's army started moving on 16 February 1126 when a thunderstorm hit, but melting snow made it difficult for the army to travel. It stretched into a long column, with Soběslav already waiting at Chlumec. When they reached the place, they were unable to resist adequately. Ota did not even survive the battle. Sobeslav realized that a total defeat could spark a major war, so he offered peace to Lothar. However, he had the Roman king grant Bohemia as a fief.

Sources: www.bellum.cz, Stanislava Jarolímková: What is not in the textbooks, www.vhu.cz. Czech-Moravian Chronicle