| Konrad I | |
|---|---|
 Konrad's effigy on a seal | |
| High Duke of Poland | |
| Reign | 1241–1243 |
| Predecessor | Bolesław II the Horned |
| Successor | Bolesław V the Chaste |
| Duke of Masovia | |
| Reign | 1194–1247 |
| Predecessor | Casimir II the Just Helen of Znojmo (regent) |
| Successor | Boleslaus I |
| Born | c. 1187/88 |
| Died | 31 August 1247 |
| Spouse | Agafia of Rus |
| Issue | Boleslaus I of Masovia Casimir I of Kuyavia Siemowit I of Masovia |
| House | House of Piast |
| Father | Casimir II the Just |
| Mother | Helen of Znojmo |
Konrad I of Masovia (ca. 1187/88[1] – 31 August 1247), from the PolishPiast dynasty, was the sixthDuke of Masovia andKuyavia from 1194 until his death as well asHigh Duke of Poland from 1241 to 1243.[2]
Konrad was the youngest son of High DukeCasimir II the Just ofPoland andHelen of Znojmo,[3] daughter of thePřemyslid dukeConrad II of Znojmo (ruler of theZnojmo Appanage in southernMoravia, part ofDuchy of Bohemia). His maternal grandmother was Maria of Serbia, apparently a daughter of the pre-NemanjićžupanUroš I of Rascia.
After his father's death in 1194, Konrad was brought up by his mother, who acted asregent ofMasovia. In 1199, he received Masovia and in 1205 the adjacent lands ofKuyavia as well. In 1205, he and his brother, DukeLeszek I the White ofSandomierz, had their greatest military victory atBattle of Zawichost against PrinceRoman the Great ofGalicia–Volhynia.[4] TheRuthenian army was crushed and Roman was killed in battle.[4] TheRurik princessAgafia of Rus became his wife.
In an effort to enlarge his dominions, Konrad unsuccessfully attempted to conquer the adjacentpagan lands ofChełmno inPrussia during a 1209crusade with the consent ofPope Innocent III. In 1215, the monkChristian of Oliva was appointed a missionary bishop among theOld Prussians, his residence atChełmno however was devastated by Prussian forces the next year. Several further campaigns in 1219, 1222[5] failed, instead Konrad picked a long-term border quarrel with the Prussian tribes.
The duke's ongoing attempts on Prussia were answered by incursions across the borders of his Masovian lands, while Prussians were in the process of gaining back control over the disputed Chełmno Land[6] and even threatened Konrad's residence atPłock Castle. Subjected to constant Prussian raids and counter-raids, Konrad now wanted to stabilize the north of his Duchy of Masovia in this fight over the border area of Chełmno.
Thus in 1226, Konrad, having difficulty with constant raids over his territory, invited the religiousmilitary order of theTeutonic Knights to fight the Prussians,[7] as they already had supported theKingdom of Hungary against theCuman people in the TransylavanianBurzenland from 1211 to 1225. When they notified Hungary that the Order was, firstly, responsible to thepope, the Knights were expelled by the Hungarian KingAndrew II though. Thus, in turn for the Order's service, Grand MasterHerman of Salza wanted to have its rights documented beforehand, by a deal with Konrad that was to be confirmed by theHoly Roman Emperor and theRoman Curia.
EmperorFrederick II issued in March 1226 theGolden Bull of Rimini, stating that:
So far, the Knights were not convinced to take the trouble of fighting the Prussians. On the advice of the first Prussian bishop,Christian of Oliva, Konrad instead founded the LoyalOrder of Dobrzyń in 1228. He then called for anotherPrussian Crusade, and was again defeated. In view of an imminent Prussian invasion, Konrad supposedly signed theTreaty of Kruszwica in 1230, according to which he granted Chełmno Land to the Teutonic Knights and the Order of Dobrzyń. By this donation disclaiming anyenfeoffment, Konrad established the nucleus of theState of the Teutonic Order. However the document does not exist and it is believed that it was never signed and that the Order most likely forged it.[9][10] The Knights under the command ofHermann Balk crossed theVistula river and conquered Chełmno Land, erecting the castle ofToruń (Thorn) in 1231. In 1234,Pope Gregory IX issued theGolden Bull of Rieti, confirming the prior deals with the Teutonic Knights, stating that the land of the Order was only subject to the Pope, not a fief of anyone.[11] In 1237, the Order's lands were confiscated by Konrad and forced to invest the town of Dobryczin.[7]
Konrad was also entangled in the conflict over the PolishSeniorate Province with his Piast cousin DukeWładysław III Spindleshanks ofGreater Poland and assumed the title of a Polish High Duke in 1229. However theirSilesian relative DukeHenry I the Bearded finally prevailed as High Duke at Kraków in 1232 and confined Konrad's rule again to Masovia. When Henry's son and heir, High DukeHenry II the Pious was killed at the 1241Battle of Legnica, Konrad once again assumed the senioral title, but had to yield to the claims raised by his nephewBolesław V the Chaste, son of his elder brother Leszek, two years later.
Around 1208/1209 Konrad marriedAgafia of Rus,[3] daughter of PrinceSvyatoslav III Igorevich. They had ten children:
Konrad is considered by Poles to be responsible for Teutonic Knights' control of most of theBaltic coastline, undermining Polish authority in the area. KingCasimir III of Poland had to accept the rule of the Order in Thorn and Kulm by the 1343Treaty of Kalisz. After theThirteen Years' War in the 1466Second Peace of Thorn, the Polish KingCasimir IV Jagiellon gained control over the Chełmno Land as part ofRoyal Prussia.
Konrad I of Masovia Born: 1187/88 Died: 31 August 1247 | ||
| Preceded by | Duke of Masovia 1194–1247 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | High Duke of Poland 1241–1243 | Succeeded by |
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