Bolesław II of Poland
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Bolesław II the Bold Polish: Bolesław Śmiały, also known as Szczodry, "the Generous," and Okrutny, "the Cruel";[1]. 1039-1081) was duke of Poland in 1058-1076, and king of Poland from 1076 to 1079.
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[edit] Biography
Boleslaw was the eldest son of Casimir I the Restorer and Dobronega Maria of Kiev the daughter of the Grand Duke of Kiev Yaroslav I the Wise. As Boleslaw II he was duke of Poland in the years 1058 - 1076 and was subsequently crowned king of Poland on December 25 1076 in which capacity he ruled until 1079. Boleslaw II is considered one of the most talented of the Piast rulers. He was a founder of numerous churches throughout the kingdom; he rebuilt the Gniezno bishoporic in 1075(consecrated in 1064) and established a bishoporic in Plock (1075). He also founded Benedictine monasteries in Mogilno, Lubin and Wroclaw. These had an enormous impact on the economic and cultural development of the country. Boleslaw II was also the first Polish monarch to produce his own coinage in quantity great enough to replace the foreign coin prevalent in the country during the reign of the first Piast kings. He established royal mints in Cracow and Wrocław which brought considerable revenue into the royal cofers
[edit] International politics
Following the death of his father, Casimir I Boleslaw as "senior" inherited the Greater Poland, Lesser Poland as well as Mazovia, Pommerania, and Silesia districts of the Kingdom. His brothers Wladyslaw Herman and Mieszko became governors of the remaining provinces, however Mieszko died relatively early, in 1065, at which point his lands came under the authority of the "senior". Boleslaw II based his foreign policy on surrounding his realm with allied kingdoms in order to oppose Germany and the Holy Roman Empire; his goal being for Poland to one day border only with allied countries. This is the reason behind his numerous foreign interventions; In 1060-1063 in intervened in Hungary to aid Béla I of Hungary and his sons against the Holy Roman Empire who in 1061 with the support of Polish troops, gained the power in Hungary.In Hungary Boleslaw II pursued the policy of cooperation with the anti-imperial faction which allowed him to gain political independence from the Empire but put him in conflict with the pro-imperial kingdom of Bohemia. He escalated the conflict with Vratislaus II of Bohemia, by refusing to pay the annual homage to Bohemia and spurring the Czech nobility to revolt against him. In 1063, Bolesław besieged the Moravian city of Hradec but, defeated, he was forced to retreat. Relationships with Vratislaus II were however settled to a certain extent when the latter married Świętosława, Bolesław's sister.
Also in 1063 Bela of Hungary died: Bolesław's return in Hungary could not defend the cause of his son Géza against the German troops of Emperor Henry IV, who installed Solomon on the Hungarian throne.
In 1069 Iziaslav I of Kiev and Gertruda (the daughter of Mieszko II of Poland) were overthrown. The military campaign of Bolesław established them back in power in Kiev. In 1071 Bolesław attacked Bohemia again. As the Polish refused any attempt of arbitration by Henry IV, the question was settled by an armistice between the two belligerents: however Bolesław, ignoring the treaty, renewed his attack in 1072 and refused to pay the tributes from Silesia to the Holy Roman Empire.
[edit] King of Poland
When Gregory VII, an enemy of the Emperor, became pope in 1073, Bolesław saw in him a natural ally, and started to apply Gregory's reforms in the archbishop of Gniezno and started negotiations to obtain a Royal crown. In 1075 a revolt in Saxony, spurred by Bolesław, forced Henry to retreat from that region (the Emperor crushed the revolt soon later); the Polish seized the occasion to launch an invasion against Henry's vassal, Vratislaus, alongside his Russian ally Vladimir II Monomakh.
Thanks to his support to the Papal cause during the Investiture Controversy, Bolesław gained the royal crown of Poland in 1076, along with recognition of the title. Rulers of Poland had long desired to reign continuously as did their royal neighbors in Hungary, but like their neighbors in Bohemia they were only occasionally granted recognition as king by their nominal liege lord, the Emperor. The latter's humiliation at Canossa in 1077 included also the Imperial recognition of Bolesław's royal title. However, the new power of Bolesław caused a revolt from the Polish magnates, adversaries of a too strong monarchic power.
[edit] Fall
In that year Bolesław's troops helped two pretendants to gain the throne: Ladislas, another son of Béla, in Hungary, and again Iziaslav in Kiev. In 1078, returning from the latter campaign, he conquered Red Ruthenia. As his power commenced to look excessive to his local and foreign opposers, they set up a plot, aiming to replace him with his younger brother Władysław Herman. When Bolesław received news of the plot, he had Stanislaus of Szczepanów (bishop of Kraków and future saint), whom he suspected to be a leader of the conjurers, arrested and executed (April 11, 1079).
As a result of his murder of Stanislaus, the nobles and prelates of reign revolted: Bolesław was deposed and forced into exile to Hungary, together with his wife and his son Mieszko. He died there in 1081, being buried in the Benedictine Abbey of Ossiach (modern Carinthia, Austria). He was succeeded in power by his brother Władysław.
The beginning of his reign also coincides with the first appearance of coinage in Poland.
He also lost Pomerania, which regained its independence.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ The surname "Generous" is the most verifiable by primary sources and as such recommended instead of "the bold".
[edit] See also
| Preceded by Casimir I |
King of Poland Duke of Poland until 1076 1058-1079 |
Succeeded by Władysław I |
