Dagmar of Bohemia (d. 1212)
Dagmar of Bohemia (d. 1212)
Queen of Denmark. Name variations: Margaret of Bohemia. Died on May 24, 1212; daughter of Ottokar I (d. 1230), king of Bohemia (r. 1198–1230), and Adela of Meissen ; first wife of Valdemar also known as Waldemar II the Victorious, king of Denmark (r. 1202–1241), in 1205; children: Valdemar or Waldemar the Younger (1209–1231), joint-king of Denmark with his father (r. 1215–1231).
The daughter of Ottokar I, king of Bohemia, and Adela of Meissen , Margaret of Bohemia was married to Waldemar II the Victorious, king of Denmark, in 1205. The day after her marriage, she petitioned the king to repeal the ploughtax, which was then a heavy burden on the Danes. She also begged for the release of all prisoners. Having rapidly won the love of the Danes because of her beauty, goodness, and saintly life, Margaret was rechristened Dagmar ("the mother of the day") by a grateful nation. To the end of her life, she was constantly striving to ease suffering and relieve distress.
Following Dagmar of Bohemia's death around 1212, Waldemar married Berengaria (1194–1221). Since his daughter, Sophia of Denmark (1217–1248), and three of his sons—Eric IV, Abel, and Christopher I, all kings—were born after 1213, they are presumed to be the offspring of Waldemar and Berengaria.