Boleslaw I of Poland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. (November 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
| Bolesław I (the Brave) | |
| King of Poland | |
 Portrait by Jan Matejko (1838) |
|
| Reign | Duke: 992 – April 18, 1025 King: April 18 - June 17, 1025 |
|---|---|
| Coronation | April 18, 1025 Gniezno Cathedral, Poland. |
| Born | 967 |
| Died | June 17, 1025 |
| Place of death | Poznań |
| Buried | Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul, Poznań |
| Predecessor | Mieszko I |
| Successor | Mieszko II Lambert |
| Wives | unknown daughter of Rikdag uknkown princess from Hungary Emnilda Oda |
| Issue | With second spouse: Bezprym With Enmilda: Regelinda, Mieszko II Lambert, Otton With Oda: Matilda |
| Dynasty | Piast dynasty |
| Father | Mieszko I |
| Mother | Dubrawka |
Bolesław I the Brave (or Valiant) (Polish: Bolesław I Chrobry; Czech: Boleslav Chrabrý; 967 - June 17, 1025), in the past also known as Bolesław I the Great (Polish: Bolesław Chrobry I (Wielki)), of the Piast Dynasty — son of Mieszko I and of his first wife, the Bohemian princess Dubrawka — ruled as Duke of Poland, 992-1025, and as first King of Poland in 1025.
[edit] Biography
In 984 Bolesław married an unknown daughter of Rikdag (Riddag, Ricdag), Margrave of Meißen. Subsequently he married an unknown woman from Hungary, maybe a daughter of Geza, Grand Duke of Hungary; then Emnilda, daughter of Dobromir; and lastly Oda, another daughter of the Margrave of Meißen. His wives bore him sons, including Bezprym, Mieszko II and Otton; and a daughter, Mathilde. After his father's death around 992, Bolesław expelled his father's second wife, Oda von Haldensleben, and her sons, thereby attempting to unite Poland again.
In 997 Bolesław sent Saint Adalbert of Prague to Prussia, on the Baltic Sea, on a mission to convert the heathen Prussians to Christianity — an attempt that would end in Adalbert's martyrdom and subsequent canonization.
From his father, he had inherited their principality, centered on Greater Poland, being along the river Warta ("valley of Warta"), and much smaller than modern Poland.
By 997, Bolesław already possessed Silesia and Pomerania (with its chief city, Gdańsk) and Lesser Poland (with its chief city, Cracow). In 1002 Bolesław annexed present-day Moravia, and in 1001 or 1003, parts of present-day Slovakia.
In 1000, Emperor Otto III, while on pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Adalbert at Gniezno, invested Bolesław with the title Frater et Cooperator Imperii ("Brother and Partner in the Empire"). Some historians state that the Emperor also pledged a royal crown to Bolesław. During that same visit, Otto III accepted Gniezno's status as an archbishopric (see Congress of Gniezno).
After the untimely death of the Emperor Otto III at age 22 in 1002, Bolesław supported Eckard I, Margrave of Meissen for the German throne. When Eckard was assassinated in April, Bolesław lent his support to Henry IV, Duke of Bavaria, and helped make him King as Henry II. Bolesław and his father had earlier backed Henry II, Duke of Bavaria, against Otto, and Henry IV was the son of the earlier Henry. With Eckard dead, Bolesław laid claim to the March of Meissen as a relative of Eckard through marriage, but Henry only acquiesced to give him the March of Lusatia and detach it from Meissen. Henry remained suspicious of Bolesław for his early support for Eckard and Bolesław for his part remained committed to extending his own territories at the expense of the Empire.
Bolesław conquered, and made himself Duke of, Bohemia in 1003 - 1004, ruling as Boleslav IV.
At the request of his son-in-law Sviatopolk I of Kiev, the Polish duke intervened in Kievan affairs: not only did he expel Yaroslav the Wise from Kiev, but possibly he deployed his troops in Rus' capital for about half a year (see Kiev Expedition of 1018). According to popular legend Bolesław notched his sword hitting the gate of Kiev (this sword called Szczerbiec is a symbol of polish monarchy). During this campaign Poland re-annexed the Red Strongholds, later called Red Ruthenia, lost by Bolesław's father in 981.
.jpg/300px-Matejko-chrobry_at_Kiev_(Kijow).jpg)
The intermittent wars with the Holy Roman Empire ended with the Peace of Bautzen in 1018, which left Sorbian Meißen and Lusatia in Polish hands.
Emperor Henry II obliged Bolesław to pledge his fealty again in exchange for the lands that he held in fief. After Henry's death in 1024, Bolesław crowned himself king (1025), thus raising Poland to the rank of a kingdom and being the first Polish king, his predecessors having been "princes".
Bolesław sent an army to aid his friend — also his nephew, son of his sister Sigrid — Canute the Great in his conquest of England.
Bolesław's son, Mieszko II, crowned himself king immediately upon his father's death.
[edit] Significance of Bolesław's reign in Polish history
Bolesław was the first Polish king, since it was during his reign that Poland became a kingdom, despite the fact that some Polish rulers before 1295 would never receive a crown. Poland had thus the royal status before their ethnic relatives and neighbors, Bohemia.
He was the first Polish ruler that had been baptised at birth. He founded the independent Polish province of the Church and made Poland a strong power in Europe.
Bolesław for the first time unified all the provinces that subsequently came to comprise the traditional territory of Poland: Greater Poland, Lesser Poland, Masovia, Silesia and Pomerania
He was a national hero to the Sorbs of Lusatia.
[edit] See also
|
Boleslaw I of Poland
Piast Dynasty
Born: 966 or 967 Died: 17 June 1025 |
||
| Preceded by Mieszko I |
Duke of the Polans May 25, 992 — June 17, 1025 King of Poland (since April 18, 1025) |
Succeeded by King Mieszko II Lambert |
| Preceded by Vladivoj |
Duke of Bohemia 1003 — 1004 |
Succeeded by Jaromir |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
