Dagmar of Bohemia

Dagmar of Bohemia (also known as Margaret, ; 1186 – 24 May 1212 in Ribe) was Queen of Denmark as the first spouse of King Valdemar II. She was the daughter of King Ottokar I of Bohemia and his first wife, Adelaide of Meissen. Early life Margaret's father, Ottokar I, became Duke of Bohemia in 1192, but in 1193 was deposed. He then left Bohemia with his family. His wife, Adelaide, and their children found a new home at the court of her brother Albert I, Margrave of Meissen. Ottokar became a mercenary for German rulers. In 1197, Ottokar became the Duke of Bohemia for a second time. He repudiated Adelaide and divorced her in 1199 on the grounds of consanguinity. He married Constance of Hungary later the same year. This step, together with other maneuvers, helped him later to obtain the hereditary elevation of his title to king. Adelaide did not waive her rights. In 1205, she returned to Prague temporarily. At that time, Ottokar decided to marry their daughter, Margaret, to Valdemar II of Denmark. His new wife Constance gave birth to a son, later King Wenceslaus I of Bohemia, the same year. Adelaide left Bohemia soon and died a few years later. Queen Before his first marriage, Valdemar had been betrothed to Richeza of Bavaria, daughter of the Duke of Saxony. When that engagement fell through, he married Margaret, now known as Dagmar, in 1205 at Lübeck. According to the records of Annales Ryenses (Rydårbogen), in 1206 Queen Dagmar influenced Valdemar to release one of his most fervent enemies, Valdemar, Bishop of Schleswig, who had been held in captivity since 1193.