Ludmilla was the wife of Bořivoj I, the first historically documented Duke of Bohemia, who was baptized around 880 by St. Methodius. Ludmilla was baptized with him and became the matriarch of the Christian Přemyslid dynasty.
After her husband's death she raised her grandson Wenceslas in the Christian faith with intense personal attention. Wenceslas's mother, the still partly pagan Drahomíra, was alarmed at Ludmilla's influence and sent two retainers, Tunna and Gommon, to Tetín Castle where she was staying. They strangled her with her own veil on September 15, 921.
She is the first Bohemian saint and the principal patroness of the Czech nation. Her remains rest in the Basilica of St. George at Prague Castle. The major Czech beer brand 'Pilsner Urquell' has long featured her image, and her Latin name (Liudmila) gave Russian Christianity its principal female form of the name.