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This Medieval Princess Refused to Marry An Emperor
Agnes of Bohemia rejected the man who could have made her the most powerful woman in Europe
Travel to modern-day Prague, and you will find the charming but quaint Convent of Saint Agnes resting on the right bank of the winding Vltava River.
While the convent is perhaps less impressive than the other medieval sites you can visit in central Europe, its simple furnishings and shallow arches are nonetheless captivating. The pale cream walls of the structure provide a pleasant contrast to the greenery of the convent’s garden.
More interesting than the architecture of the convent is the story of Saint Agnes, the mysterious and counter-cultural Bohemian princess who inaugurated it.
Agnes’s decision to spurn the advances of the Holy Roman Emperor — the most powerful man in Europe during the Middle Ages — both shocked her contemporaries and propelled her into the historical spotlight.
An unconventional childhood
The Middle Ages were tumultuous years in central Europe. From religious wars to devastating plagues to political coups, European royalty sought…
