Ludmilla, Grandmother of Good King Wenceslaus and His Murderer
Extraordinary Women, Part 3
My mother, Helen Isabella Estes Seltzer, died Dec. 28, 2010, at the age of 90. She had a life-long interest in family history. In her memory, I compiled profiles of powerful and strong-willed women among her ancestors, thinking those women might inspire her descendants. These brief biographies are grouped according the lines of descent, which are shown afterwards, leading down to the present.
Daughter of a Slavic prince, Ludmila married Borivoj I, Duke of Bohemia (in what is now the Czech Republic). The couple were converted to Christianity, probably by Saints Cyril and Methodius (best known as the inventors of the Russian, “cyrillic”, alphabet).
Ludmila and her husband worked hard to convert the people of Bohemia to Christiantiy, and as a result of their efforts they were driven from the country. Later they returned and ruled again.
Their son Sptihnev ruled as duke after them, and he was succeeded by his brother Vratislav I. When he died, he was succeeded by his eight-year-old son, Wenceslas — the “Good King Wenceslas” of the Christmas carol.
Wenceslaus’ mother Drahomíra became jealous of Ludmila’s influence over Wenceslaus and had two noblemen murder Ludmila. Legend says that she was strangled with her own veil.
Later, Wenceslaus was murdered by his brother (our ancestor) Bolesaus I “the Cruel” who then became Duke. According to Wikipedia: “Despite the fraticide Boleslav is generally respected by Czech historians as an energetic ruler.”
Her feast day is celebrated on September 16. She is the patron saint of Bohemia, converts, Czech Republic, duchesses, problems with in-laws, and widows.
(NB — Russia was converted to Christianity by Saints Olga and Vladimir [our ancestors]; France was converted by Saint Clotilde and King Clovis [our ancestors]; and Bohemia was converted by Saint Ludmila [our ancestor]).
Line of Descent
1) Saint Ludmila (c. 860–921) (md. Borivoj I, Duke of Bohemia)
2) Vratislaus I, Duke of Bohemia (888–921) (md. Drahomira)
3) Boleslaus I, “the Cruel”, Duke of Bohemia (d. 967) (md. Biagota)
4) Dobrawa (940–977) (md. Mieszko I, King of Poland)
5) Bolesaw I, “the Brave”, King of Poland (967–1025) (md. Enmilda)
6) Mieszko II Lambert, King of Poland (990–1034) (md. Richeza of Lotharingia)
7) Gertrude of Poland (md. Iziaslav I, Prince of Kiev)
8) Sviatopolk II Iziaslavich, Prince of Kiev (1050–1130)
9) Predslava (md. Almos, Prince of Hungary)
10) Bela II, “the Blind”, King of Hungary (1110–1141) (md. Helena of Raska)
11) Geza II, King of Hungary (1130–1162) (md. Euphrosyne of Kiev)
12) Bela III, King of Hungary, AKA Caesar Alexius of the Byzantine Empire (1148–1196 (md. Agnes of Antioch)
26) Andrew II the Jerosolimitan, King of Hungary, Crusader (1177–1235) (md. Gertrude of Merania)
27) Bela IV, King of Hungary and Croatia and Duke of Styria (1206–1270) (md. Maria Laskarina)
28) Stephen V, King of Hungary, Dalmatia, Croatia, Rama, Serbia, Galicia, Lodomeria, Cumania, and Bulgaria, also Duke of Styria (1239–1272) (md. Elizabeth the Cuman)
29) Mary of Hungary (1257–1323) (md. Charles II, “the Lame”, King of Naples and Sicily, King of Jerusalem, Prince of Salerno)
30) Eleanor of Anjou AKA Eleanor of Naples (1289–1341) (md. Frederick III, King of Sicily)
31) Elisabeth of Sicily AKA Isabel of Aragon (1310–1349) (md. Stephen II, Duke of Bavaria)
32) Frederick, Duke of Bavaria (1339–1393) (md. Maddelena Visconti)
33) Elizabeth of Vabaria-Landshut (1383–1442) (md. Frederick I, Hohenzollern, Elector of Brandenburg and Burgrave of Nuremberg)
34) John Hohenzollern, “the Alchemist”, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (1406–1464) (md. Barbara of Saxe-Wittenberg)
35) Dorothea of Brandenburg AKA Dorthea of Hohenzollern, AKA Dorthy Achilies (1431–1495) (md. Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, also Count of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst)
36) Margaret of Denmark (1456–1486) (md. James III, King of Scotland)
37) James IV, King of Scotland (1473–1513) (md. Agnes Stewart)
38) Janet Stewart, “Lady Janet” (1505–1563) (md. Malcolm Fleming, 3rd Lord Fleming)
39) John Fleming, 5th Lord Fleming (1537–1572) (md. Elizabeth Ross)
40) John Fleming, 6th Lord Fleming and 1st Earl of Wigton (1567–1619) (md. Lilias Graham)
41) John Fleming (1589–1650) (md. Margaret Livingston)
42) Alexander Fleming, emigrated from Scotland to Virginia (1612–1668) (md. Elizabeth Anderson)
43) John Fleming, emigrated with his father from Scotland to Virginia) (1627–1686) (md. Mary)
44) Charles Fleming (1659–1717) (md. Susannah Tarleton)
45) Susannah Tarleton Fleming (md. John Bates)
46) James Bates (1721–1786) (md. Winnifred Grymes)
47) Daniel Bates (1756–1801) (md. Elizabeth Cary Bell)
48) Sarah Langhorne Bates, moved from Virginia to Tennessee (1781–1825) (md. Joel Estes)
49) Albert Monroe Estes (1804–1863) (md. Mildred Colman)
50) Louis Powhatan Estest (1849–1902) (md. Lily Yates Moore)
51) Smith William Estes, moved from Tennessee to Philadelphia (1881–1943) (md. Mae Griffith)
52) Helen Isabella Estes (1920–2010) (md. Richard Warren Seltzer, Sr.)
