Bolesław the Pious | |
|---|---|
 Seal of Bolesław the Pious, 1258 | |
| Born | between 1224 and 1227 |
| Died | (1279-04-14)14 April 1279 Kalisz |
| Buried | Archcathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul, Poznań |
| Noble family | House of Piast |
| Spouse(s) | Jolenta of Poland |
| Issue | Elisabeth Jadwiga Anna |
| Father | Władysław Odonic |
| Mother | Jadwiga |
Bolesław the Pious (1224/27 – 14 April 1279) was a Duke ofGreater Poland during 1239–1247 (according to some historians during 1239–1241, sole Duke ofUjście), Duke ofKalisz during 1247–1249, Duke ofGniezno during 1249–1250, Duke of Gniezno-Kalisz during 1253–1257, Duke of the whole of Greater Poland andPoznań during 1257–1273, in 1261 ruler overLąd, regent of the Duchies ofMazovia,Płock andCzersk during 1262–1264, ruler overBydgoszcz during 1268–1273, Duke ofInowrocław during 1271–1273, and Duke of Gniezno-Kalisz from 1273 until his death.
He was the second son ofWładysław Odonic,Duke of Greater Poland by his wifeJadwiga,[1] who was probably the daughter ofMestwin I, Duke of Pomerania, or a member of thePřemyslid dynasty. His name was very popular in thePiast dynasty, so it's unknown exactly after whom he was named. Very soon Bolesław received the nickname of "the Pious" (Latin:Pius,Polish:Pobożny), given to him during his lifetime by theChronicle of the Chapter of Poznań. In 1264, Bolesław granted the first written privilege to the Jews of Greater Poland.
The first years of Bolesław saw him share the fierce dispute of his father againstWładysław III Spindleshanks (his own uncle) for his inheritance. However,Władysław Odonic took care properly for the upbringing of his offspring, evidenced by the fact that Bolesław, like his older brotherPrzemysł I, was able to read and write Latin.
Because Bolesław was a minor when Władysław Odonic died on 5 June 1239, his elder brother Przemysł I ruled alone at first. Historians agree the territory the brothers inherited started out small, but disagree as to whether it extended beyondUjście andNakło in northern Poland. In 1241, Przemysł and Boleslaw began reclaiming the lands their father had lost. By 1243 the brothers regained most of the Duchies ofPoznań andGniezno, in 1244Kalisz, in 1247Santok, and in 1249Wieluń. In 1244, Bolesław supported his brother in a conflict between the local nobility and the clergy led by theBishop of PoznańBogufał II for the privileges their father had granted shortly before his death. On 24 April 1245 Przemysł I acknowledged Boleslaw's coming of age by knighting him during a solemn Mass in honor ofSt. Adalbert of Prague in Gniezno, celebrated by Archbishop Pełka Liz.
The indivisibility of the Duchy was not to Bolesław's liking, and in 1247 he persuaded his brother Przemysł I to provide territory for his sole leadership: the land between theProsna River andPrzemęt, north of theWarta River and thence to theOdra River; in short it was the Duchy ofKalisz. This division, though rather unjust for Bolesław, was approved by the Church, and after he protested, he was threatened with the excommunication. Despite the fact that he now had his own district, Bolesław did not pursue a foreign policy; this would continue to be the responsibility of his brother. This was revealed during the dispute with DukeCasimir I of Kuyavia regarding the possession of Ladzka, which was given to him byHenry II the Pious as a dowry for his daughter Constance, Casimir I's second wife. This decision was not recognized by Władysław Odonic's sons, but eventually they reconciled and even signed an alliance with the Kuyavian Duke, which effectively ended any attempt to change the ownership of the disputed land.
In 1249 Bolesław, dissatisfied with the tutelage of his older brother, persuaded him to make a new division of their patrimony. He received the Duchies ofKalisz andGniezno, with the addition ofWieluń, which had recently been returned to the rule of Władysław Odonic's sons. This new division was apparently made peacefully, because later in that same year the brothers together gave support toKonrad I of Głogów against his brotherBolesław II the Bald. However, on 19 May 1250 an unexplained event took place, which was related in theChronicle of Greater Poland:
The conflict certainly was not trivial, since Bolesław did not regain his freedom until 20 April 1253, thanks to the pressures of the powerful Greater Poland clergy. The final reconciliation between the brothers occurred in May of that year at a meeting in Pogorzelica nearGiecz, where thanks to the mediation of Pełka, theArchbishop of Gniezno Bolesław recovered his Duchy of Kalisz-Gniezno. After that the brothers cooperated without problems, but Bolesław was still removed from the foreign policy of Greater Poland. On 8 May 1254, Bolesław took part in the national Congress of Piast princes atKraków on the occasion of the canonization ofSt. Stanislaus, where they decided to form a coalition againstSwantopolk II, Duke of Pomerania. Among the princes who participated were his brother Przemysł I,Casimir I of Kuyavia,Siemowit I of Masovia,Władysław of Opole andBolesław V the Chaste. In September of that year Bolesław participated in an expedition againstHenry III the White launched by his brother and Konrad I of Głogów.
On 4 June 1257 Przemysł I died, aged only 36. With his brother's death, new horizons opened to Bolesław. He became in the undisputed sole ruler over the whole ofGreater Poland. Although the posthumous son of his brother,Przemysł II, was born on 14 October of that year, Boleslaw was his guardian until he was declared an adult. The first of Bolesław's new foreign politics was his marriage in 1258 to PrincessJolenta (Helena), daughter of KingBéla IV of Hungary. This union resulted in a permanent bond between Bolesław andHungary, reflected in the assistance given in the conflict withBohemia after the extinction of theHouse of Babenberg. For Bolesław, this alliance cost him the devastation of Greater Poland during the winter of 1267-1268 by troops of KingOttokar II of Bohemia during his return from an expedition against thePrussians. One of the stages of this war was also the trip taken by Bolesław together with Bolesław V the Chaste andLeszek II the Black in the autumn of 1273 in order to visit Władysław of Opole, an ally of thePřemyslid dynasty.
During 1258-1261 Bolesław was involved in a long and destructive war against Casimir I of Kuyavia and his ally Swantopolk II for the castellanie of Ladzka. To this end, the Greater Poland Duke allied withWartislaw III, Duke ofPomerania-Demmin,Siemowit I of Masovia, Bolesław V the Chaste andRoman Danylovich, Prince ofNavahradak. The war ended in a full victory and Ladzka returned to Greater Poland. The formal treaty was signed on 29 November 1259; however, Casimir I delayed in fulfilled the provisions of the agreement, which led in 1261 to a new military expedition.
On 23 June 1262 Siemowit I was killed at the hands of theLithuanian troops and his eldest sonKonrad II was taken prisoner. Both Konrad II and his younger brotherBolesław II were minors at that time; for this reason, Bolesław became regent of their domains (Duchies ofMasovia,Płock andCzersk) for the next two years, until 1264, when Konrad II obtain his freedom and return to Masovia.
In 1268 Bolesław interfered again in the Kuyavian affairs. Casimir I's son, DukeZiemomysł ofInowrocław, followed a policy of close contacts with theTeutonic Order and DukeSambor II of Pomerania, who became in his father-in-law. This caused a deep dissatisfaction among the local nobility, who called on Bolesław for help. The Duke of Greater Poland quickly tookRadziejów,Kruszwica and the castle inBydgoszcz; however, rapid action by Ziemomysł regained temporary control of this lands.
Despite this success, Ziemomysł continued with his German-Pomeranian politics, which caused a new revolt by his subjects, who called again Bolesław for help: in 1271 he invaded the Duchy of Inowrocław and forced Ziemomysł to flee. Bolesław retained the Duchy until 1273, when he gave it to Ziemomysł's brotherLeszek II the Black, except for Radziejów and Kruszwica, which remained in Greater Poland.
From the beginning of his sole rule, Bolesław established contacts with theMargraviate of Brandenburg, ruled by theHouse of Ascania; in this, he followed the policy of his brother Przemysł I, who even betrothed his eldest daughterConstance withConrad, son of MargraveJohn I. Three years after Przemysł I's death (in 1260), Constance and Conrad were formally married. As a dowry, Brandenburg received the castellany ofSantok (but without the important main city) with the consent of awiec reunited in Greater Poland, which took place on 1 July 1260 inPoznań.
However, the expected peace due to this marriage was short-lived. In early 1265 Brandenburg occupied the main city of Santok and broke the previous agreement. Thanks to an immediate diplomatic intervention, Bolesław soon signed a new treaty with Brandenburg, under which Greater Poland burned the fortress built inDrezdenko, and Brandenburg also burned his fortress in Santok. But in 1269 war with Brandenburg erupted again. They built a fortress inSulęcin, and in response Bolesław did the same thing inMiędzyrzecz. The invasion of Międzyrzecz launched by the Margraves of Brandenburg was successfully repulsed by Bolesław, who in December 1269 could advance toLubusz and in addition, during this expedition burned several fortresses, included the one newly built in Sulęcin. Both sides made a new agreement and were restored the fortress in Santok (from Brandenburg) and Drezdenko (from Greater Poland). The latter was captured by Brandenburg in 1270. For this reason, in the spring of 1271 Bolesław organized a major military expedition against Santok andNeumark, ravaging this land terribly, but he could not recover the lost domains.
The war with the House of Ascania wasn't limited to the border areas of Greater Poland. By 1272 Bolesław entered in an alliance withMestwin II, Duke of Pomerania-Gdańsk; one year later (in 1273), he renewed his homage to Brandenburg and promised his help to the Margraviate against all his enemies, except the Duke of Greater Poland. In the same year was launched another expedition against Brandenburg. Although nominal leadership of the troops was given by Bolesław to his young nephewPrzemysł II, the expedition was actually headed by experienced commanders such as thevoivode of Poznań, Przedpełk Łodzia, and thecastellan of Kalisz Janek. They successfully reconquered bothDrezdenko andStrzelce. The last campaign against Brandenburg during Bolesław's lifetime took in the summer of 1278, when Greater Poland troops advanced toMyślibórz and eventually recovered Santok.
Bolesław continued the policy of Przemysł I and maintained in their positions the nobles appointed by him. He also developed good relations with the Church while also trying to influence the appointment of the most important religious posts. His generosity to the clergy, allowed theFranciscans to establish a post in 1259 inGniezno. Also during his rule the monastery of Poor Clares in Gniezno was started, which remained unfinished even at the time of Przemysł II's death.
On 16 August 1264 Bolesław granted the first written privilege to theJews of Greater Poland (theStatute of Kalisz). It regulated the judicial authority over the Jewish population, and Jewish credit and trading activity. The comparatively liberal statute served as a basis for Jewish privileges in Poland until 1795.
In 1273, after the victorious expedition against Brandenburg, Przemysł II began to claim his own separated Duchy. Unable to face the powerful pressure, Bolesław agreed to this and given his nephew the district ofPoznań. To bind Przemysł II with his politics, Bolesław arranged the marriage of his nephew with Ludgarda, daughter ofHenry I the Pilgrim,Lord of Mecklenburg. In addition, Ludgarda was a granddaughter of DukeBarnim I of Pomerania, and thanks to this union the alliance withWestern Pomerania was reinforced. Dukes of Greater Poland political path, however, soon spread, as Przemysł II became involved withHenry IV Probus, and Bolesław, using the imprisonment of Henry IV in 1277, tried to force financial concessions. Bolesław supported this policy with the marriage of his firstborn daughter Elisabeth withHenry V the Fat, Duke ofLegnica.
Bolesław died on 14 April 1279 inKalisz and was buried in theArchcathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul inPoznań.
In 1258 Bolesław marriedJolenta (Helena) (b. 1244 – d. 16/17 June aft. 1304), daughter of KingBéla IV of Hungary.[2] They had:[3]
After Bolesław died without male heirs, all of the Greater Poland Duchy passed to his only nephewPrzemysł II, who was crowned King of Poland in 1295 but murdered the following year. With his death the Greater Poland branch of the Piast dynasty became extinct.
Bolesław the Pious Born: 1224/1227 Died: 14 April 1279 | ||
| Preceded by | Duke ofPoznań andGniezno 1239–1247 with Przemysł I | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Duke of Kalisz 1244–1249 with Przemysł I | |
| Duke of Gniezno 1249–1250 | ||
| Duke ofKalisz, Gniezno andWieluń 1253–1279 | Succeeded by | |
| Duke of Greater Poland 1257–1279 | ||
| Duke of Poznań 1257–1273 | ||
| Preceded by | Duke of Inowrocław 1271–1273 | Succeeded by |
